Advice to a newbie

[Ewald Strydom]

Hi everyone, one of my colleagues challenged me to do the 94.7 with him and we have been training for the last 3 weeks now, must say I’m enjoying the cycling a lot! I currently have a Merida Matts 900 TFS 900 22’’ off road bike. Is it better to replace it with a road bike or will I benefit majorly riding the race with a road bike?

thanks! 

[mcmountain]

I have done both, riding a road race with a MTB is a pain.  Unless you are one of those that like to rub it in a roadies face that you can do it on a MTB.  If you can't get hold of a road bike, at least put some slicks on your MTB,  you will feel less "stuck".  But imo it's easier on a road bike, and make sure you get some good long rides in.  Good luck, and enjoy your ride!

[RobertWhitehead]

Nope, ride with what you're comfortable with and don't be too fussed about the time. I doubt that you will see a massive benefit (I.e. more than 30min) on the overall time if you switch. 

[MORNE]

ride your mtb and just enjoy the day out. If you really want to you can put some slick on there, Otherwise just pump the wheels 3 bar and go. Worry about going faster/better next time if it turns out to be your thing. 

[christovdw]

agreed with the above - buying a new bike is a big expense AND a big adjustment. ride your bike and enjoy!

[DJR]

A road bike will make it easier, BUT, for someone new to cycling, a road bike can be quite a shock in terms of how jittery it feels compared to a mountain bike. It reacts much more quickly to rider input and that can make newbies very nervous when suddenly confronted with thousands of riders in close proximity. Controls are different, balance is different, everything happens faster. So, unless you have time to get used to a road bike, and are willing to go do a few warm up races beforehand, stick with the bike you are most familiar with. Ride the mtb. Focus on finishing and enjoying the vibe. Ride the 1st third of the race slow enough that you feel guilty for taking it too easy. Ride the middle 3rd so you feel comfortable. Ride the last 3rd so that you feel suffering. Simple plan, but it works. Also, if you can get your training rides up to around 3/4 of the race distance, then you can be pretty sure that you can finish it on the day. Enjoy.

[117]

Some good advice above. Make sure you ride at least one 100km before you tackle the 947. You need to know (teach) how the body will react to a long ride and you don't want to do that on the actual day. Your body will tell you on that training ride what it needs, how it will perform etc. Take that learning and turn it into needed foods for the ride, when to push, when to relax etc 

Dont be in a rush, don't arrive at the race with a time constraint. 

Have a blast, it's a proper jol of a ride, especially when you keep up with the roadies on knobbly tyres.... They somehow don't like it 🤷‍♂️ 

[The Ouzo]

55 minutes ago, 117 said:

it's a proper jol of a ride,

dont know its because I'm fitter, but of the 17 that I've done, last years route has been the most jol of a ride out of all. Looking forward to this year.

 

OP, follow the advise in the above posts.

Get used to spinning like crazy because there are plenty stretches where MTB gearing will leave you wanting. Depending on how far back you've started there will be a few climbs where those around you will envy your MTB gearing.

Also, prevailing winds will mean head wind out and tail wind back, this means you'll have a tail wind for the majority of the climbs.

[Frosty]

Enter the Macsteel National Classic, and use it as a test race for your fueling, hydration and time in the saddle.

It’s a flat course, namely 400m elevation gain over 102km, or 250m over 57km, so it won’t be too difficult compared to RideJoburg.

[Ewald Strydom]

7 hours ago, mcmountain said:

I have done both, riding a road race with a MTB is a pain.  Unless you are one of those that like to rub it in a roadies face that you can do it on a MTB.  If you can't get hold of a road bike, at least put some slicks on your MTB, 

Hello everyone thanks for all the advice, this is a great community. I have already entered for the Heidelberg 90km race (forgot the name) on 13 October. Think im going to stick with my MTB and maybe put slick tyres on (i need all the help i can get without breaking the bank) 

Any advice for fueling during the race? What drink I should carry, electrolyte gels etc?

 

[Frosty]

38 minutes ago, Ewald Strydom said:

Heidelberg 90km race (forgot the name) on 13 October.

Any advice for fueling during the race? What drink I should carry, electrolyte gels etc?

1. It’s the Meals on Wheels race.

2. Intensity (how hard you go) will determine how much you need, per hour. Lots of opinions will be given, but this podcast will give you some guidelines. 
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast/id1461719225?i=1000551178940