Lessons Learnt at the Jock

[cat-i]

 

 

Lessons & Observations on a roadie-ride

 

It was perhaps more than just a little

arrogant to think that you could do a roadie ride marketed as ?South Africa?s

toughest? if you?ve only been on your roadie bike once after the Argus tour.

But you?ve been on your mountain bike a few times since the Argus, the Jock was

on your to-do list for quite a while already, and you had to go find out if it

was really as tough as everybody said it was ? and there was another sucker

(the Mummy) who was up for the challenge, so ? what the heck, enter the ride

& see what happens. How tough can 150 kays be anyway?

 

 

You were about to find out.

 

 

Some lessons & observations from the

past weekend:

 

• If you take your bike for its only training ride in months a

  week before a biggish event, and you discover something like the shifters

  are not working, don?t expect the bicycle shop to be able to fix it for

  you there and then. Not if you don?t have a decent overdraft facility, anyway.

• Have a friend like Mamparra who can change the only gear that you will be able

  to use on the front chain ring, from the big to the small blade. That?s

  good enough for Jock.

• Knowing that Barberton is somewhere in Mpumalanga is not good

  enough. Instructions pulled from the Internet telling you to continue for

  146.2 kays, and then turn right, somehow would make more sense if you had

  a roadmap of the area, or at least knew where Barberton fits into the

  bigger picture. Especially since there was no Dirt Rider at the

  destination already, whom you could phone for directions.

• There?re a lot of roadie bikes to be seen during a

  roadie-bike-weekend.

• Don?t leave your fleece & wind jacket behind in Barberton

  when you?re leaving for Nelspruit at 5 in the morning, if your start is

  only at 7:30. Even if The Mummy says it won?t be so cold. What does the

  Mummy know about the weather in Nelspruit at 5:30 in the morning, anyway?

• Be nice to other mountain bikers when you share a mountain, a single-track

  or a Noon to Moon with them, ?cos you don?t know when you will bump into

  them at roadie-events. Was great to see the familiar faces of Big Daddy Rob

  & girlfriend (fianc?e) Lisa on the bus on the way to Nelspruit.

• Sitting in an empty classroom waiting for your bunch to start,

  isn?t any warmer than outside, but at least there?s other people to share

  the cold with.

• Getting a slightly above average Argus Tour time, still doesn?t

  make you an above average cyclist by anyone?s books: you will still start

  in the very last bunch for the Jock.

• Nelspruit is cold 7:30 in the morning.
• The bunches start out very slowly. It's no use to try and get ahead

  of them, though, they will catch you. They always do. So stay with them.

  Sittt. Stay.

• Maybe you must take your roadie bike out more. What a pleasure

  to ride such a responsive bike!

• If you see a notice saying ?Dangerous Downhill: Concentrate?,

  get down on your bike, find the nearest slipstream (?cos you mos don?t

  have a big blade) and slingshot yourself from slipstream to slipstream

  with a huge grin.

• Note to self: definitely take road bike out more.
• Boulders is 7 kays of climbing at Suikerbossie?s gradient. The

  steep part of Suikerbossie, that is. You can?t get your heart-rate up,

  because it?s like pushing weights in a gym. It would probably have been

  more fun with a Granny Gear.

• The bicycle shop and Mamparra and Dirt Rider and everyone else were right: you won?t need your big blade for

  this race.

• If you start in the last bunch, don?t lose the bunch, otherwise

  you solo the rest of the race.

• Note to self: learn to climb, so that you don?t lose the bunch

  on Boulders.

• Boulder?s downhill matches the uphill in every respect ? maybe

  even exceeds the climb. What an exhilarating downhill! WOW! W-O-O-W!!

• Going down the bends on Boulders on a roadie bike trying not to

  touch the brakes while marshals are trying to flag you down, can be as

  much fun as a single-track at night. Maybe even more.

• ?Dangerous Downhill: Concentrate? is your new favourite road

  sign.

• If you?ve done 100 kays and there?re still 50 kays to go and

  you?re hungry, eat. Don?t think that you?ll finish just now and eat then.

  You?ll finish much later than expected and will have to eat at some stage

  anyway.

• Cycling the last 20 kays into a headwind slightly uphill all by

  yourself is not fun.

• If you discover a week before the Jock that your roadie bike?s

  odometer?s battery is flat, and the bicycle shop can?t replace it for you,

  and you therefore decide to fit your Suunto?s bike pod on the roadie bike

  because it was just lying around in a cupboard somewhere, then calibrate

  it before the ride.

• Road cycling is hard work.
• ?Give me my chocolate? ? the new national greeting? Who taught

  these kids to beg? Who gave them sweets, thinking they are doing them a

  favour, and creating an expectation that who-ever passes by will have

  sweets to hand out? Where did they learn to try to push cyclists off their

  bikes and obstruct their way if they don?t stop and give them sweets?

  (This is something that I?ve seen in the Drakensburg, in the Wild coast,

  even on the Argus Tour this year.)

• You cannot possibly allow a girl being pushed up the last

  uphill 400 metres from the finish, to beat you. No matter how tired you

  are. She?s allowed to beat you if she can get up there on her own, but you

  simply cannot allow her to be pushed faster than what you can cycle ? so

  you?ll have to chase them. Keep some energy in reserve for that.

• Road cycling is not for sissies.
• Road bikes are so clean after an event!
• Some races you?ll keep coming back to. Sabie Shenanigans is on

  my to-do list for next year. The Magalies

  Monster and the Induna ? I will be back next year for the awesome single

  track and the exhilarating downhills. The Mnweni marathon, Wartrail, a

  weekend of Rogaining ? great events; I?ll keep going back for the

  views, the vibe, the people, the challenge. Sprint races presented by UGE events ? I will keep going back for the fun and the adventure and

  the speed. The Argus tour ? may be expensive for Gauties, but the vibe

  will keep people returning for more. 94.7?s on my doorstep, so I will do

  it as long as I have a road bike.

   

  The Jock? Been there, done that.

   

  That said, that downhill after Boulders ? I might return for that. I will

  train a little more if I do the event again. But then again, I often say

  that about other events too and never do the extra mile of training.

• Roadies are a strange bunch of people. Discussions after the

  event was about the vets? tour next month, about a particular team?s

  position after this race, about what roadie-thingy they?re doing next,

  about beating a guy from another team ?almost like they?re punishing

  themselves ? there?s no discussions about the great piece of single-track

  of the morning, or cycling through plantations or banana tree tunnels or

  orange orchards or next to canals or over dodgy bridges or through surreal

  rock formations, or the near blow-out on a downhill, or about the horrible

  technical climb that they managed to do without unclipping, or about

  crossing the river or bunny-hopping an obstacle or pringling a wheel or

  showing off newly acquired scars or the fun they had that morning ?

• Note to self: appreciate your mountain bike buddies more.
• Another note to self: Take roadie-bike out more. It is excellent

  training, it?s great riding such a responsive bike, and riding it more often

  will prevent sore shoulders, neck & wing-stubs the morning after a

  roadie-ride.

 

 

 

Well, and is it South Africa?s toughest

race? I can?t say, really. I haven?t done any of the toughest races to have

anything to compare it with. It can?t be compared to mountain bike-events like Induna

or Magalies Monster; it?s much harder because of the nature of roadie rides: a much

higher intensity for much longer without technical distractions. It?s not

comparable to adventure events like Wartrail or Mnweni: the attraction of these

events (for me), is exactly this: the low intensity and the variety. It?s not

comparable to the Argus or 94.7; anyone can get on their bicycles and do these

distances ? and they do.

 

Distance-wise and climb-wise, even

wind-wise, a Double Century may be longer and harder, but it?s a team event, so

you will never lose the bunch, and you?ll never have to take the headwind on

all on your own ? and if you pick your team members carefully, you will never

be the slowest person in the team, so you will never ride at a high intensity

for too long. 

 

 

 

So: I still don?t know if it is

South-Africa?s toughest road race. But I did learn one thing: road cycling is

not for sissies!

 

 

 

And I think I am one.  A sissie, that is. So I?ll stick to mountain biking, for now.

 

 

[dirtrider]

You definitly are a woozie ! I think it is time I take you out to kyalami again !!!! Roadies are a strange bunch of people is an understatement ! They are just plain weird ! Anyway welcome back .

[Chilli Pepper]

Cat-i, I wasn't even going to log in today - but your's is an excellent report!  Although you seem to have enjoyed it way more than I ever did.  Congrats on finishing the ride.

[Chilli Pepper]

Oh, and we Roadies think you Mtb'ers are just plain mad!!  ;-)

[quinton]

I wish i had a such a long story to tell about the Jock, my disasters started on Friday -

- First got a cracked wind screen on the way there because of road works and trucks

- Wife got a R500 fine just outside the Machadorp Toll gate

- broke my rear hub on the bike within about 10 seconds of getting onto the bike Saturday morning and that was my race in it is @ss.

 

Better luck next year

 

[Tumbleweed]

quinton, can sympathise: have failed to start at least five races i'd entered this year because of non-cycling disasters.

[Cruxpearl]

Brilliant Race Report cat-i!!!!

[Beee]

A Few more lessons learnt at the Jock:

 

It's a lot harder than it looks driving support for the riders... 5 hours in a car is no joke!!! Especially as I normally fall asleep after +-20mins!!!!

 

Respect to Crux and the rest for always being there!!!!

 

It's not advisable to take a video camera if your the only one doing the driving!!!! I had a few close calls... especially up Boulders!!!!(don't tell Crux... Shhhh)

 

The commentary on the video's are extremely funny!!!! Amazing what you can think up when your SUPER bored....hahahahah

 

It's also more difficult than it looks to feed the riders out of the Vito.... Strange stuff can happen.... you might just driver over someone... Uhm sorry Christie.... hahaha how's the hand?

 

and then finally - note to self - do not drink a BIG mug of coffee before doing a 5 hour support ride... it makes for a vveeeeerrrryyy long day!!!!

 

Well done to all for finishing!! Wish I could've rather cycled as well! Well next year me and Chilli Pepper (Ja Chilli, We'll discuss this later!!!!) will be there!!!

[Chilli Pepper]

Blah-blah-blah....  I can see your mouth moving Beee, but I can't understand the words that are coming out your mouth!!  ("~)

[krokki]

I can relate to your lessons and observations cat-i!!!  I had no idea what to expect, but knew that it wasn't going to be easy.  At this stage I'm also not so sure if I'll attempt the Jock again. I feel like a sissie too today!!! krokki2007-07-23 03:02:02

[Frosty]

I think it's taken me as long to read your report as it did to finish the race... not in a bad way.

 

My lessons learnt are:

 

1. I need to ride longer distances - 110Km rides are great for 100Km races.

2. Having a triple chain ring doesn't always work to your advantage.

3. No need to carry 2 extra (full) water bottles - it's okay to stop at the water tables once or twice to refill.

4. I don't cramp, therefore I don't need cramp-stop - they only weigh a few grams, so take some on your next ride.

5. Five-and-a-half hours in the saddle is a long time to be able to talk yourself out of doing the race next year. Wait until you've recovered completely, and then make a rational decision.

Frosty2007-07-23 04:01:02

[Christie]

 

It's also more difficult than it looks to feed the riders out of the Vito.... Strange stuff can happen.... you might just driver over someone... Uhm sorry Christie.... hahaha how's the hand?

 

Not too bad Beee. Thanks for keeping cool. I lost my cool completely.

 

I've learned some lessons too:

 

1. Dont place hand (or any other appendage) in front of a Vito's wheel while it is moving. The vehicle will overcome such an obstacle quite easily.

 

2. Dont carry on racing after a Vito has driven over your hand. You will not be able to catch your bunch.

 

3. It is dumb and tricky ride up boulders with only one hand on the bar.

 

4. Your ass gets tired riding up boulders if you stay seated all the way.

 

5. The descent is scary if you can only pull one brake lever. Trying this is very very dumb, 2 hands on the bar is better than one.

 

6. Adrenaline wears off after 60 min.

Christie2007-07-23 03:51:19

[Man with no name]

Christie, I am just glad you're OK bud. That could have been much worse. Hope you're 100% again in a month's time. Fortunately you have an indoor trainer!!

[Psycho]

Christie, Bad Luck, net bly jy's OK, gelukkig het die Vito nie meer getref nie...

[Spinnekop]

I came....I saw....I died.

 

What a crap race. 

 

I remembered something about a hill 6 years ago....the profile did not look that bad.....

WHAT EVA!!!

 

Lesson learned.....DON'T go do 150km @ 90% HR after 5 weeks off the bike!!!  NOT GOOD!! 

[Beee]

OK, ek moet ook nou net hier inspring en s? - ons dink nie heeltemal die Vito het oor sy hand gery nie.... proof....? niks gebreekte beentjies nie...! (Thank goodness!!!!)

 

dis of dit - of hy het hands of steel!!!!