Advice for Newbies - Road bike

[SJ01]

Hi all 

What advice do you have for Newbies doing the CT Argus 2025 for the first time and does not have much training in.

What supplements can be used and how much. When it can be taken and how much of it , liquid,food,etc. When you get cramps and can't carry on but just feel you have to do this.

 

Not everyone has the capacity to do daily rides and group rides. What other training is sufficient just to keep in good stride and make sure to finish.

Looking forward to you responses.

[Mike Dewing]

If you just want to finish and have a good time out there.. cycle as much as you can until then, get comfortable on the bike.. 

I would say don’t take it too seriously and you’ll have a good time.. cycle as much as you can(don’t over/panic train), put as much food in your pockets as you can and stop at a water point or two and shoot the breeze on race day.. 

take as many breaks as you need.. just spin your legs.. it might be race day but for you it’s cycle day.. push it, do anything stupid you’ll hurt yourself or worse.. 

[ChrisF]

From another relative newby.

 

DONT get caught up in racing ... ride YOUR pace.  Conserve your energy.  Dont burn your matches too early.

 

CTCT has MANY water points ... BIG water points.  You need no more than a small water bottle, if you want to top up at these water points.

 

Dont change your feeding too much for a single race.  Stick with the snacks/energy bars/muffins that your stomach is used to.  You are not doing a stage race, no need to get too deep into the science of quick recovery foods/drinks.

 

A bottle of Energade sipped over the duration of your ride will be sufficient for your electrolytes, and even provide a measure of energy.

 

MANY riders actually stop once or twice along the route to meet with family or friends and have a drink or eat at a local establishment.  I normally stop at Seattle in Houtbay.

 

 

Above all .... ENJOY THE VIBE !!

[SilverRider]

37 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

From another relative newby.

 

DONT get caught up in racing ... ride YOUR pace.  Conserve your energy.  Dont burn your matches too early.

 

CTCT has MANY water points ... BIG water points. 

 

 

Cue Donald Trump voice over 😁

[SJ01]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

From another relative newby.

 

DONT get caught up in racing ... ride YOUR pace.  Conserve your energy.  Dont burn your matches too early.

 

CTCT has MANY water points ... BIG water points.  You need no more than a small water bottle, if you want to top up at these water points.

 

Dont change your feeding too much for a single race.  Stick with the snacks/energy bars/muffins that your stomach is used to.  You are not doing a stage race, no need to get too deep into the science of quick recovery foods/drinks.

 

A bottle of Energade sipped over the duration of your ride will be sufficient for your electrolytes, and even provide a measure of energy.

 

MANY riders actually stop once or twice along the route to meet with family or friends and have a drink or eat at a local establishment.  I normally stop at Seattle in Houtbay.

 

 

Above all .... ENJOY THE VIBE !!

 

48 minutes ago, SilverRider said:

Cue Donald Trump voice over 😁

Any update on the climbs? We're to push and take it easy.

[SJ01]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

From another relative newby.

 

DONT get caught up in racing ... ride YOUR pace.  Conserve your energy.  Dont burn your matches too early.

 

CTCT has MANY water points ... BIG water points.  You need no more than a small water bottle, if you want to top up at these water points.

 

Dont change your feeding too much for a single race.  Stick with the snacks/energy bars/muffins that your stomach is used to.  You are not doing a stage race, no need to get too deep into the science of quick recovery foods/drinks.

 

A bottle of Energade sipped over the duration of your ride will be sufficient for your electrolytes, and even provide a measure of energy.

 

MANY riders actually stop once or twice along the route to meet with family or friends and have a drink or eat at a local establishment.  I normally stop at Seattle in Houtbay.

 

 

Above all .... ENJOY THE VIBE !!

Any update on the climbs? We're to push and take it easy.

[RobynE]

Sip of water/electrolytes every ten minutes. 
 

Your butt is going to hurt. Get all the saddle time you can, beforehand. You can be in peak fitness but if your butt isn’t bike fit, you’re going to suffer. 
 

Chammy cream. Lots of. Worst case scenario ask the medics for Vaseline at the water points. 
 

When you get tired try not to shift too much in the saddle. Worse chafing. Sit and pedal. 
 

Don’t race, just ride. There’s no shame in taking breaks along the way. 
 

Walk around during breaks - get the blood moving. 
 

Some things I learnt doing my first 94.7 last year and I made it through unscathed and within the time on a hardtail MTB being pretty unfit. 

[117]

1 hour ago, SJ01 said:

Hi all 

What advice do you have for Newbies doing the CT Argus 2025 for the first time and does not have much training in.

What supplements can be used and how much. When it can be taken and how much of it , liquid,food,etc. When you get cramps and can't carry on but just feel you have to do this.

 

Not everyone has the capacity to do daily rides and group rides. What other training is sufficient just to keep in good stride and make sure to finish.

Looking forward to you responses.

Lets be honest - you will get caught up in the hype of the day and burn your candle too soon. Everyone does

Rather set yourself small achievable goals: example: stop at every 2nd (or 3rd) water point, or not at every water point. Or, you can stop on an uphill to catch a breather but your not allowed to walk - pedal only - even if you stop 2 or 3 times up the hill. 
Know what your avergae pace is for a normal ride, lets say its 18kph. Then aim for a 16kph average speed for the race day to ensure you dont burn out too quickly

As for food, you'd be stupid to figure it out on the race day. Maybe a goo gel gives you the runs due to the sugar high, or an energybar is just too chewy to actually chew. 
Prep now for what foods you want or need to carry. A good starting point is to figure out the food the next time you get on the bike for a long distance. A generl rule of thumb that most average Joe's do is about half a bar of sorts every 20km. 
Foods that I carry is a banana 30min before the start, another one for during the race. I also carry good old dry wors sticks with me for quick protiens. I eat half a fast bar (the brand fast bar) every 20km or there abouts. So for a 100km ride I'll swallow 3 bars plus a banana plus some dry wors sticks. I dont do gels at all as they give me a sugar crash - if I have to use a gel then I use an Enduren pure honey gel specifically. 
Just remember, foods wont give you superman powers, you also nedd to carry some fitness into the ride. If you cant ride daily, go for a run

Water is also important and I gulp it down, so I carry a Uswe 1.5lt hydration pack and 2 bottles. One of the bottles of water is mixed either with simple rehydrate, or with a Biogen Cytogen powered mix which replaces electolytes etc. You must know what your fluid usage is per 20km, that way you can guage how far you can go before you need to stop at a water point to fill up. If you dont, then budget on a bottle per 30km or less. In my case thats 100km before I need to refill

Keep a stash of cramp ease or good old Rennies for some cramp prevention. If you think you will get a cramp on the next climb, take some pills before the onset of the cramp. I use rennies and they work fine for me

Most of the foods you can get from your local dischem or clicks, so easy enough to source instead of going to a million bike shops

As for tactics, try figure out riders of similar fitness to you when the race starts, usually in your batch you will pick up riders of similar speeds to you. Its better to ride in a bunch (easier and less energy usage) than riding solo - so be on the look out for bunches to jump on to. You're not there to win, so there is no need to beat everyone on the first hill and kill your legs for the rest of the ride

Climbs - well, thats up to you. But its important to know the route before hand so you dont get a surprise when you come around a corner and see a monster to get over. If my legs are burning, then I change one gear up, if the lungs are burning, then one gear down. A good indicator is to not be out of breath when you talk during the climb, and if you are then perhaps tap off a bit to bring the heart rate down a fraction 

Other than that have a blast, the gees is always lekker 

[Mamil]

2 hours ago, SJ01 said:

Hi all 

What advice do you have for Newbies doing the CT Argus 2025 for the first time and does not have much training in.

What supplements can be used and how much. When it can be taken and how much of it , liquid,food,etc. When you get cramps and can't carry on but just feel you have to do this.

 

Not everyone has the capacity to do daily rides and group rides. What other training is sufficient just to keep in good stride and make sure to finish.

Looking forward to you responses.

What's your longest ride in the last 3 months been?

[JayLow]

1 hour ago, SJ01 said:

Any update on the climbs? We're to push and take it easy.

this is a low res view of the profile>
The first 45km is all fuelled by hype. Conserve your energy here.
Then you hit Smitswinkel after Simon's Town. Just spin up and enjoy the view.
The next one to focus on is up to Ocean view from 60km. Just spin up and enjoy the view.
Then it's Chappies. This will be a slog - 160m up in 7km. Just spin up and enjoy the view (and those who shed their blood with you). Save some energy for Suikerbossie.
At around 90km you'll hit Suikerbossie. Here you'll see if you saved enough battery to make it to the end. May the odds be ever in your favour.

All in all, it's a fun day out. About 1100m of climbing in total, so not too extreme but also not a free ride. Enjoy the vibe, smell the air, feel the sunshine, and notice the people around you, it's a grand old thing.

[SJ01]

1 hour ago, 117 said:

Lets be honest - you will get caught up in the hype of the day and burn your candle too soon. Everyone does

Rather set yourself small achievable goals: example: stop at every 2nd (or 3rd) water point, or not at every water point. Or, you can stop on an uphill to catch a breather but your not allowed to walk - pedal only - even if you stop 2 or 3 times up the hill. 
Know what your avergae pace is for a normal ride, lets say its 18kph. Then aim for a 16kph average speed for the race day to ensure you dont burn out too quickly

As for food, you'd be stupid to figure it out on the race day. Maybe a goo gel gives you the runs due to the sugar high, or an energybar is just too chewy to actually chew. 
Prep now for what foods you want or need to carry. A good starting point is to figure out the food the next time you get on the bike for a long distance. A generl rule of thumb that most average Joe's do is about half a bar of sorts every 20km. 
Foods that I carry is a banana 30min before the start, another one for during the race. I also carry good old dry wors sticks with me for quick protiens. I eat half a fast bar (the brand fast bar) every 20km or there abouts. So for a 100km ride I'll swallow 3 bars plus a banana plus some dry wors sticks. I dont do gels at all as they give me a sugar crash - if I have to use a gel then I use an Enduren pure honey gel specifically. 
Just remember, foods wont give you superman powers, you also nedd to carry some fitness into the ride. If you cant ride daily, go for a run

Water is also important and I gulp it down, so I carry a Uswe 1.5lt hydration pack and 2 bottles. One of the bottles of water is mixed either with simple rehydrate, or with a Biogen Cytogen powered mix which replaces electolytes etc. You must know what your fluid usage is per 20km, that way you can guage how far you can go before you need to stop at a water point to fill up. If you dont, then budget on a bottle per 30km or less. In my case thats 100km before I need to refill

Keep a stash of cramp ease or good old Rennies for some cramp prevention. If you think you will get a cramp on the next climb, take some pills before the onset of the cramp. I use rennies and they work fine for me

Most of the foods you can get from your local dischem or clicks, so easy enough to source instead of going to a million bike shops

As for tactics, try figure out riders of similar fitness to you when the race starts, usually in your batch you will pick up riders of similar speeds to you. Its better to ride in a bunch (easier and less energy usage) than riding solo - so be on the look out for bunches to jump on to. You're not there to win, so there is no need to beat everyone on the first hill and kill your legs for the rest of the ride

Climbs - well, thats up to you. But its important to know the route before hand so you dont get a surprise when you come around a corner and see a monster to get over. If my legs are burning, then I change one gear up, if the lungs are burning, then one gear down. A good indicator is to not be out of breath when you talk during the climb, and if you are then perhaps tap off a bit to bring the heart rate down a fraction 

Other than that have a blast, the gees is always lekker 

This information is so structured that it will be used. Thank you so much.

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, SJ01 said:

 

Any update on the climbs? We're to push and take it easy.

 

Same as I said to a friend doing his first.

 

Watch your heart rate.

 

Take it slow and steady ... use the granny gear.

 

Keep something in reserve for Chappies and Suikerbossie.

 

The biggest "danger" is getting caught up in the moment and burning matches too early.

 

 

Depending on your fitnes and experience ... break it up into 2 or 3 shorter races.  Stop for a drink and a snack, stretch your legs, then enjoy the next bit.

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, SJ01 said:

Any update on the climbs? We're to push and take it easy.

 

Climbs ....

 

You are going to do a fair few shorter climbs before reaching the M3.

 

After Simonstown ... Smitswinkel .... you will see a good number of bikes being pushed.  I love the next section...

 

 

After Misty cliffs there is a short nasty little hill.

 

Chappies ...

 

Brief moment to catch your breath, then Suikerbossie.

 

Now you can use what energy you have left and give it stick on the way back.

 

 

 

Whats is easy ?  Where can you make up time ? .... all depends on the wind on the day ....

 

There is enough time to enjoy a relaxed cruise around the Cape !  ENJOY 👍👍