Advice for Newbies - Road bike

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Don't die and if you do, warn the riders behind you that you're stopping to die so that they don't ride into you and cause a pile up. Oh... and have lots of fun, that's what it's all about 🤙

[SJ01]

10 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Don't die and if you do, warn the riders behind you that you're stopping to die so that they don't ride into you and cause a pile up. Oh... and have lots of fun, that's what it's all about 🤙

Thats just mean to say even if it was in a jokey sense. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

39 minutes ago, SJ01 said:

Thats just mean to say even if it was in a jokey sense. 

Sorry, it wasn't meant to be mean although it does happen, often to people who take on these challenges around a braai with mates and then don't prepare themselves properly for the effort.

All the best with your ride.

[Pure Savage]

Sit in the group... 😏

[DieselnDust]

On 2/20/2025 at 12:02 PM, 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.

My advice would be:

Introduce yourself with some details about

• your cycling and relevant sporting history
• current health and fitness status including any injuries currently nursing or other physical challenges
• maybe include your seeding and 
• expectations of finish time

Responses will be far more relevant to your current situation than generic "go have fun "

[Sandro]

On 2/20/2025 at 1:58 PM, 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. Race fever is difficult to resist. Its easy to go all out the first 20km or so, you feel strong and confident and the big tests of that ride are the climbs later on., they will punish you. Its probably going to take you over 5 hours and if you empty your tank early on, you're going to be hating your life. Pace is everything so take it easy and ride in a gear that actually feels too easy. The good thing is there is plenty of support aong the way, find some people with a similar pace and enjoy the day, you're not going to win it so just go out there to have fun and enjoy the scenery and vibe. There are no gels or magic suppplements, get a good nights sleep, stay hydrated and take in electrolytes and food that you are used to. Good luck.

[love2fly]

I've always adopted the "it's not how fast you start, buthow fast you finish" principle.

I start at my easy pace and get properly warm before I even think of putting in an effort.

Then I start to build up and give it horns in the last few km, oftenpassing riders that rode away from me at the start.

Good luck!