2010 Argus Cycle Tour & Giro del Capo

[slysi]

# 1 coming up for me. Hopefully I am better trained than for the 94.7. Bought a road bike especially, will see if it makes a difference BUT had my first training ride on it on Sunday and proceeded to fall off as I got my gear shifting all wrong. Very different to my MTB.

 

 

[Drinks@Brawn]

2010 will be my first Argus. Registered first and only after registration started looking for a bike and now to start training.

 

Can not wait!!

 

Swiss

Wich area are you from?

[virgo]

Cytomax, that would be a good idea, but ... 

 

Anyway, this Argus would be my first one, too, so I'm very excited!

 

Slysi, I know that feeling too.  It really feels weird on the road bike. Besides the funny gears ( at least at first ;-)), I got a flat the first time I went out on the road bike!  Never had a flat with the MTB before and did not find it amusing at all.

 

But, it still makes for good fun.  Looking forward to seeing all the "new" Argus riders there.  Maybe some of you will be in the same group as myself.

 

[gremlin]

Vote Gremlin for Classic King Shirt!<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=69568&PN=1

 

[kosmonooit]

Anyone not made a plan yet, there is a 3 day special from Seekers that includes airfare, car hire and hotel for  R3,519.00 Ex Jhb

 

http://www.seekers.co.za/package/17071.go

 

 

[leet22]

Pasta buffet still on. Price is around R85 pp eat as much as u like.

Anyone know any guys in the energy bar/ gel trade i could talk to for a sponsership? Maybe do a trade . 2 nights free accom for the gels and bars etc????

[swiss]

2010 will be my first Argus. Registered first and only after registration started looking for a bike and now to start training.

 

Can not wait!!

 

Swiss

Wich area are you from?

Cytomax

 

I am from Gauteng, Pretoria.

 

Just booked my flight and car rental from 11th to morning of 16th.

 

Will do The FastOne as my first race.

[Online Ed: BIC]

Just saw this thread now... I posted the following under Events aswell.

 

Hi all

 

Bicycling are running a variety of 12-week online training programmes (designed by Dr Jeroen Swart) leading up to the Argus 2010.

 

You need to sign up, and then you will receive a weekly mailer directing you the website for that week's training programme. You will be able to log your training and you will also be able to download each week's training.

 

So if you are aiming for a target time for next year's Argus sign up! There are two different links depending on your goals. 

 

Sub-3 - http://www.bicycling.co.za/static/sub3signup/

 

Sub-4, Sub-5, Novice - http://www.bicycling.co.za/static/argus-signup  - you will be able to access all three programmes.

Online Ed: BIC2009-12-09 03:23:51

[Bram_on_Madone]

Sounds great - I've signed up for the Sub 3.  Its been elusive, but has gotta be possible!

[Woofie]

Yep I also signed up a while ago, but I havent heard anything yet.....

Hope they dont send us a mail....ok guys tomorrow you need to........

 

I think that the sub 3 on this route is going to be very tough.

I actually think that if you are not at an elite level at the time of the race (and in the right groups) I dont think you have much chance of getting it.

 

If right now you are only riding like 3.30's on normal 100km races then I think you wont have a chance.

I dont know if your body could get that much fitter that quickly, even with drugs.

However, if you are currently hitting 100km races under 3 hours and if you are in good shape (not carrying much extra body weight) then I think you have a good chance if you are really focused on everything you do for the next few months.

 

On the flip side, if you are very fit, have a good group, but carrying extra weight (like me), I believe if you are super super diligent with eating for the next few months and doing whatever it takes to shed that fat then you have a chance of coming close. Just bear in mind, I crash diet is going to cause you to loose your muscle and then you will have the worse argus ever, not the best!

 

I did some calculations on how fast you need to ride to crack your time.

(If you are new to racing, you cant watch the average while riding, it means zipp. Just make sure you stay in the leading pack of the group and you will do the best time that you possibly can if you can stick with them)

 

What I have done, is I have subtracted one minute off the goal time.

ie. If you are aiming for 3 hours, you will probably narrowly miss it. So you need to aim for 2.59.

2.45 (2.44 actually)      40.24  KM/h

2.50                     39.05

2.55                     37.93

3.00                     36.87

Not doing a 3.05, you will kick yourself for a year if you got that.

3.10                     34.92

3.15                     34.02

3.20                     33.16

3.30                     31.57

3.45                     29.46

4.00                     27.61

4.30                     24.53

5.00                     22.07

 

Well good luck to everyone for the next few months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bram_on_Madone]

Does seem quite tough if you plot it like that!  I have been hitting around 3 hours for the recent 100km fun rides and what's the point of setting goals if they are not (almost) impossible!

[Bike Mob]

So I did a 3:05 this year...not much longer till I can stop kicking myself...

[Saudiq]

Do you guys know of any social groups in southern suburbs training together for next years Argus? I'm doing it on a tandem again next year and would like to do a 3h20....

[Bram_on_Madone]

If you did 3:05 in this year's "Argus of storms", sub 3 should be quite easy for you under normal conditions.

 

Good luck!

[Woofie]

 

So I did a 3:05 this year...not much longer till I can stop kicking myself...

 

Tarmac, this last one doesnt count.

 

Well done boet, that is a seriously impressive time.

You would have probably have been like a 2.45 at least if it was a normal argus and normal conditions.

 

My elite buddy did a 2.40 the year before I think, he only did a 3.09 this year and he was stronger this year!

 

 

[Woofie]

Does seem quite tough if you plot it like that!  I

have been hitting around 3 hours for the recent 100km fun rides and

what's the point of setting goals if they are not (almost)

impossible!

 

 

 

Dont give up hope Braam.

 

I took a quick sneek peek at your results now.

 

 

 

Lets see what the 12 weelk program thing entails.

 

Maybe it will include some "miracle drugs"

 

 

 

Also, if you want to do really well at the argus, you need to then get your @ss down to the races happening this summer.

 

Make a mental choice that you are not going to fall off the group no matter what happens.

 

You need to get your body used to race pace, riding at 40km/h. Pushing over the red line on climbs.

 

If you cramp up on hard races, this is the only way to stop cramping.

 

You need to get your body used to that abuse.

 

 

 

To be very honest.

 

I dont know how "wonderful" this 12 week thing is going to be anyway.

 

I can bet you that you would be faaaarrrr stronger if you had to do all

the races and use the rest of the week to do recovery rides only.

 

It takes your body a few days to recover from a maximum effort so 1

race a week with 5  recovery rides of 1-2 hours long will make you a

machine.

 

Out of racing season you can do harder stuff in the week because you are never going to hit that intensity on your own.

 

 

 

Also remember that the harder you are training the more you need to

sleep. So for the next few months adjust your lifestyle to try to get

more than 8 hours.

 

Read a thing little while ago that pro athletes benifited more from getting 10 hours a night!

 

I have a small baby so broken sleep for me is a way of life, but I can feel the immediately feel the toll that it has on me.