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Newbie at the 94.7, how tough is it?


soutie18

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Howzit Guys

 

How tough would I find the 94.7 as a newbie? 

My expectation to finish under 4 hours tough or can it be done? 

My starging group is HH 

Riding on road bike (ORBEA 10 speed )

Considering my training I have done in the last 3 month at least 2/3 times a week avg of 105 km a week  .

and every 2 second Saturday/Sunday 70 kms  

My route is a 35 km ride that takes me about 1 hour.20 mins with 2 climbs/hills with Elevation gain 1.189 ft 

My Elevation starts on 3200 ft on both climb/hills ends at 4300 ft 

MY 70 km route is a loop and i finish in 3 hours 

 

What are the tougher sections on the new route?

any advice will be much appreciate 

 

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The 947 race is tough if you doing it in anger and tough if you doing it for fun lol

The first 50km you are climbing then there is a bit of relief for around 20km but most likely a head wind to Kyalami and then your climbing starts all over again for the next 15km and then a fast ending. You would of climbed about 1350m - 4400ft

 

If you have not done the mileage then try and pace yourself conservatively. Its an awesome route.

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For starters, why on earth are you using feet for altitude and elevation gain? Please join the rest of us in the 21st century and use the metric system.

 

To answer your questions:

Starting in HH there won't be any groups that will work together so you'll be pedaling by yourself the whole way.

You should be fit enough to finish fairly comfortably.

I'm not sure if you will manage under 4 hours though. Your 35km route has around 360m of elevation gain and that takes you 80 minutes, the 94,7 has around 1400 to 1500m of elevation gain so roughly four times as much climbing in under 3 times the distance. I.e. it's much hillier.

The tougher sections are basically the first half up to the CBD (mainly Jan Smuts) and then the bit around Kyalami towards the end is hillier than it looks on the route profile.

 

My advice would be to take it fairly easy for the first half and see how you feel then once you've done the bulk of the climbing.

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It's a tough race with 1000m of climbing within the first 40km. If you can pace yourself as Opc_Danny has mentioned then you'll be ok. 

 

Breaking 04 is doable but you're starting quite late so keep your hydration up and then enjoy the full road closure  :thumbup:

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To confirm what others have said:

 

It is a tough race, don't underestimate it.

 

Start conservatively. 

 

Start with 2 full water bottles. Stop at the next water point once your 2nd bottle is halfway and refill both.

 

Eat something every half an hour to ensure you don't bonk.

 

 

Most importantly, take the day as it comes. Odds are that something will go wrong on the day, just go with it and make the best of the day you have to ride on roads with no cars next to you..

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I suggest you don’t focus on sub 4 hours but just enjoy the experience. The crowds are fantastic.

 

Try to consume about 60 grams of carbs per hour. Eat often and don’t leave it too late.

 

Try not to compete with the faster riders-your training isn't much and you risk blowing up early. In addition, effective training is more about time in the zones, not just kilos.

 

If possible, ensure that your gearing is appropriate. I am using 52/36 and 11/28. I would not recommend a 53/39 and 12/23. Good luck. Have fun. You can race hard next year once you know your pace for the distance and elevation gain.

Edited by riteshm
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dont do it. dont even show up to the start line.

you will bleed from your eyeballs and through your ears, your life will never be the same again. Its the toughest mofo race there is.

 

[serious mode on]

 

Just go out there and enjoy it. It will be a tough day in the office starting from HH, sub 4 is probably not possible from back there. Just work on getting a better seeding for next year.

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it is tough if you compete with strangers  :w00t:

 

it will be my 6th this year and i always finish just under 4:30. don't worry about sub 3 or sub 4 brigade, just enjoy the race and check your time after crossing the finish line

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1 thing for sure, it will HURT. But just go out and have fun, take in the experience and come back stronger next year.

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I did my first 94.7 4 months before I turned 40 (I am almost 57 now.), and it was my first race longer than 50km. Also my second road race. I realised I was turning into the proverbial couch potato and entered on a whim and a dare on the last day of entries. 

 

This gave me about 1 1/2 months to train, and I started in the open group YY! :eek: The second last group to depart, I think the start time was 10:10. I completed the race in just over 4 hours, and since then I was hooked...…... :thumbup:  I missed it once because of a knee operation. and one other time, but I cannot remember why that happened.

 

Go out, have fun! Enjoy the experience. I am sure it won't make any difference whether you're 15382nd or 23749th. If you completed without any injury or damage to your bicycle, it then will be a good day out cycling.

 

Good luck!

Edited by Jaco Steyn
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