Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Bicycling South Africa

In a country with so many needs, we cyclists are often privileged to be able to experience some amazing races. But our plea in 2017 is to for you to cycle for More Than Yourself. This year, together with our partners Old Mutual, we are embarking on a project to help raise money – by sponsoring a rider, getting sponsored, or even making a donation to a worthy cause as cyclists. The sign-up process is simple. Go to www.morethanyourself.co.za to register, and you could feature as one of the More Than Yourself heroes!…

Sometimes you just need to be realistic about your body. Some people get leaner than others; it’s just the reality of life. “Your body type (ectomorph versus mesomorph or endomorph) will determine how fast and how much weight you can (and should) lose,” says cycling and triathlon coach Morgan Johnson. If you’re a mesomorph, for example, you’re probably always going to be heavier than an ectomorph, but that’s because you’re naturally more muscular, and muscle is heavy. Also, remember that losing weight doesn’t always equal better health. Losing muscle is bad – especially for cyclists, who need power to push pedals. “Finding a weight that you perform well at is much more important than stressing over a number on a scale,” says Johnson. Please help! I cleaned and lubed my…

You know the advice: consuming lean protein and healthy carbs post-ride speeds recovery. But an active human cannot live on kale and almond-milk smoothies alone. We have teeth for a reason and that reason is tacos. Here’s how to pack the most nutrition into this tasty Mexican staple. GO FOR CORN TORTILLAS They contain whole grains, which deliver extra fibre and even a bit of plant-based protein, says dietician Tommy Rodgers, a cycling coach and elite racer. LOAD ’EM RIGHT Next, jam those suckers with some sort of grilled protein like fish, chicken, or tofu. If you’ve hammered hard for a few hours, add rice and beans. “These provide additional fibre, protein, and carbohydrates,” Rodgers says. SALSA-FY Tomatoes are packed with the antioxidant lycopene, which is linked to disease prevention;…

This is a three-interval workout that becomes progressively harder, but will save you time while increasing your sustainable power for long efforts and boosting your power at threshold. Beginners: Do three 10-minute intervals with five minutes’ recovery in between. Intermediates: Do three 12-minute intervals with six minutes’ recovery in between. Advanced: Do three 15-minute intervals with seven and a half minutes’ recovery in between. INTERVAL 1 Power range 86-90% Heart-rate range 80-85% Perceived effort 7 Cadence range 70-75 INTERVAL 2 Power range 95-100% Heart-rate range 95-97% Perceived effort 8 Cadence range 80-85 INTERVAL 3 Power range 100-105% Heart-rate range 97-102% Perceived effort 9 Cadence range 90-95…

The best-known strategy for losing weight is to eat less ‘energy’ than you put out. But eating too little can derail your weight-loss goals. If you cut kilojoules below your body’s resting metabolic rate (RMR), “the body gets very unhappy,” says triathlon coach Morgan Johnson. If you’re not eating enough to function properly, your body will attempt to conserve what resources it is getting, and your metabolism slows. Ideally, dieters should know their RMR. You can use free online calculators (there’s one at BODYBUILDING.COM/FUN/CALRMR.HTM) for a basic estimation. Even if you don’t know your RMR, the signs you’re not getting enough high-quality kilojoules are obvious, as cycling coach Nadia Sullivan explains: “When you feel tired all the time, or get sick a lot, those are indicators that you may not…

No strangers to success on the Western Cape road-racing circuit as individuals, the husband-and-wife pairing of David Garrett and Susan Melmed are also a force to be reckoned with on their Matrix Tank racing tandem. Garrett (a member of the exclusive permanent-yellow-number club, with more than 21 Cycle Tours under his belt) and Melmed will be lining up at the 2017 Cycle Tour as the defending mixed tandem champions, with the hopes of making it two in a row. CTCT WINNING TIME : 2:53:29 Melmed and Garrett’s Matrix Tank Frame and fork TAKE TWO has a lugged frame with carbon tubes that weighs in at 3.24kg, according to Matrix’s website – a gigantic number when compared to modern sub-1 000g racing frames, which both riders race when riding individually.…

A LIGHTER LID GIANT REV HELMET R1 525 GIANT-BICYCLES.COM So you’ve ridden your helmet in the past 15 Cycle Tours, and it’s survived. But despite it appearing to be in reasonable condition, it’s sure to have received a good few bumps and knocks over the years, which over time will damage the EPS foam that’s meant to be protecting your noggin. And let’s not forget to mention the strong possibility that the pong emitted by your helmet’s pads could strip the paint off your bike, if left too close for too long! Invest in self-preservation, and upgrade to a helmet with modern protection, ample ventilation and new padding – like Giant’s Rev helmet, the choice of the Giant Alpecin professional road cycling team. ANKLE PORN TRACE SOCKS R100 • TRACE-APPAREL.COM…

1. El Burro Taqueria Cape Town Shop 1, 12-16 Kloof Nek Rd, cnr Kloof Nek & New Church St, Tamboerskloof Tel: 021 422 3554 Web: elburro.co.za 2. San Julian Cape Town Shop 3 & 4 State House Building, 3 Rose Street, Cape Town CBD Tel: 021 419 4233 sanjulian.co.za 3. El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant & Cocktail Bar Cape Town 118 Main Rd, Sea Point Tel: 021 433 2287 facebook.com/ mariachiseapoint 4. Tacoways Mexican Café Cape Town Borfam Building, 12 Wellington Rd, Durbanville Tel: 021 975 5606 tacoways.co.za 5. Chingadas Port Elizabeth 54 Main Road, Walmer Tel: 041 581 0098 chingadas.co.za 6. Tilting Heads Port Elizabeth 3A Stanley Street, Richmond Hill Tel: 041 582 1566 facebook.com/tiltingheads 7. Tacokombi Pretoria Menlo Park (or anywhere) Tel: 083 333 5633 tacokombi.co.za 8. Baha Taco…

There’s no doubt that a mid-ride taco can nourish both body and soul. Considering the taco’s portable nature and on-the-go convenience, we should really be seeing more of them poking out of cyclists’ jersey pockets. But how do you turn the inherently messy taco into a source of on-the-bike fuel without it permanently staining your cycling apparel? We asked professional chef and bike racer Lori Bergeron. She knows what’s what when it comes to riding for food, because she's also a member of the cycling club Team Snacks, pictured on these pages. Her advice: Make it breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and melted cheese holds together better than chunks of meat dripping with sauce. Pro tip: Breakfast tastes good all day. Double up. Make each taco with two tortillas for extra…

To the untrained eye, it looks like a simple child’s plaything. But this bird could be the difference between a quick mid-ride fix and walking home. The beak is a Phillips screwdriver, while the legs and tail are your full range of Allen keys (2mm to 5mm) – all packed in a smooth beechwood body that’s small enough to carry in your jersey pocket or saddlebag. Your LBS may not have it, but you can get it online. KIKKERLAND.COM PRICE: $15 (ABOUT R200, EXCLUDING SHIPPING)…

Term of ‘endearment’ for the Pyrenean climbs on the TdF stage from Pau to Bagneres du Luchon. More an S than a circle, it has a total elevation of 8 356m and includes Col de Aspin and Col du Tourmalet. On its first run in 1910, only one rider, Gustav Garrigou, made it to the top of Tourmalet without dismounting. He received 100 francs for his trouble. Fun game: find a circle of death in your area, get your mates together to race (and Strava) it, and whoever gets to the end first without getting off, gets everyone else’s coffee money.…

Ideal for those tired of the same old multi-tool designs, Fabric’s funky, cylindrical Chamber Tool offers 13 different tools that use an efficient T-bar ratchet system. Each of the six 70mm tool bits locks into the ratchet at three different points along its length, allowing you to access difficult-to-reach bolts. At 95x25mm, the Chamber Tool is small and light enough to carry in your rear pocket (or saddlebag) without any fear of any of the tools opening and snagging on your shirt – or piercing you in a crash. FABRIC CHAMBER TOOL R700 OMNICO.CO.ZA…

Kelson Da Cruz is a Brazilian surfer living in Cape Town. Actually, that’s not quite true; he was a Brazilian surfer living in Cape Town. He’s still Brazilian, and he’s still living in Cape Town, but he gave up surfing when he fell in love – with cycling. Inevitably, he was naturally good at cycling, and then got better. Soon he was competing beyond his suburban weekend clique, competing in races – and doing not just well, but smashing it. Podium finishes. At the age of 45, Kelson was a little late to semi-professional cycling, but he’d found his gift. He was deeply enamoured by what he could achieve on a simple machine. “It’s only transportation,” I’d say. But Kelson just laughed: “You don’t understand, man!” You see, Kelson and…

A TIME FOR WINNERS 2:27:29 The fastest winning time, set in 2008 by Robbie Hunter. 2:16:40 The fastest non-winning time, set by Wimpie van der Merwe in 1993, riding the 104km route on a recumbent. 2:21:42 What Van der Merwe’s time would have been on the current route, based on his average speed of 46.1km/h. 3:01:25 The time set by non-professional racer Mark Pinder in 1982, which was faster than the time set by that year’s winner, the late Ertjies Bezuidenhout. 30 The number of sweep vehicles made available along the route. Fourteen are MyCiTi buses, and 16 are minibus shuttles. All are equipped with trailers for bikes. 219 329 The number of new entrants to have entered the race since its inception. 32 821 The number of finishers in…

IT’LL BE FINE,” HE SAID. I “IT’LL BE FINE,” HE SAID. I SWALLOWED HARD. IT WAS THE LAST THING I WANTED TO HEAR. WHEN THE LEAD ACTOR IN A MOVIE TELLS SOMEONE ‘IT’LL BE FINE’, YOU KNOW THAT IT’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF THINGS, BUT ‘FINE’ AIN’T ONE OF THEM. I was about to pop my tandem cherry, and I was nervous. It didn’t help that when I told my mate Chris about my proposed double-trouble adventure, his response was a spontaneous, “Ohhh boy!” Chris, who has ridden a tandem with his wife, hung up the bike for good after flying down Ou Kaapse Weg at almost 90km/hr. I was relegated to ‘stoker’ – the sucker on the back of the bike. My ‘captain’ – as the front…

SQUIRT DRY LUBE Developed and manufactured in South Africa, Squirt’s wax-based lube is 100% biodegradable, keeping your chain running smoothly without harming the environment. PRICE R90 SUPPLIER squirtlube.com ROCK N ROLL GOLD Designed for both road and mountain bikes, Gold creates a protective membrane to seal out dirt and moisture from your chain’s moving parts – for longer chain life, and super-smooth shifting and pedalling. PRICE R159 SUPPLIER nsquared.co.za BOESHIELD T-9 First, T-9’s paraffin formula flushes out grime; then it dries to a wax film that coats and protects your drivetrain, for optimal performance. PRICE R180 SUPPLIER boeshieldlubesa.co.za SMOOVE UNIVERSAL CHAIN LUBE Smoove claim that just one of their 125ml bottles of wax-based wonderment will last you up to 5 000km of riding. We may have to report back on…

Bar ends are to mountain bikers what hairy legs are to road riders… SORRY, CHRISTOPH SAUSER, BUT I’M NOT-SO-SECRETLY SUPPORTING KARL PLATT AT THIS YEAR’S ABSA CAPE EPIC. Maybe it’s because he’s the marginal underdog – or maybe it’s because he, like me, is one of the very few cyclists who still rides with bar ends. But I’m not sure that Karl has to put up with the ridicule that I get for my bar ends. I guess it helps when you’ve won the Epic five times – no-one questions the equipment you use, or your methods for winning. What I’ve been subjected to because of my protrusions borders on harassment. Even my 22-year-old son continues to question my use of extensions, while the rest of my regular mountain-biking crew…

KEEPING A PROMISE I learned to ride when I was nine years old, so I could join my dad and sister on an annual bike tour. But weeks before the event, I crashed and broke my arm, so I rode the tour on a Bike-A-Long trailer bike attached to my dad’s bike. We agreed that we wouldn’t walk any hills. One day during the event Dad’s derailleur broke, leaving him unable to pedal. But I refused to get off the bike – I wasn’t walking! He would run the bike to the cusp of each climb, then coast down, while I sat firmly in the saddle, pedalling as hard as I could. To this day, when the weather gets harsh and the hills become steep, it’s the determination and stubbornness…

I felt guilty, because I was about to make the same promise I’d made to someone else five years ago. ALMOST EVERYTHING IN MY A LIFE SO FAR HAS HAPPENED UNEXPECTEDLY, AND MY WEDDING DAY WAS NO DIFFERENT. Benno and I found a wedding venue we both liked, but it was only available in 2018. So when the manager jokingly said, “We have a cancellation date you can have – in a month’s time!” Benno said we’d take it, without hesitation. I went into full-on panic mode. And then started planning. The two weeks before the wedding were absolute chaos: our baby Thomas got sick, all the family and friends started arriving, and I needed to find the time to train for the Epic. I felt like a zombie, and…

Firstly, don’t leave it in your car. Chain it safely to a very public immovable object, running the chain through the frame and back wheel; then remove the front wheel, and take it with you. Pray. A quick hack is to strap your helmet between the spokes of your wheel. This will slow a thief down – hopefully, long enough for you to stop him. Racing bikes can be more tricky, because you don’t want to risk damaging them with a chain or bike lock – so the best option is to have the bike with you at all times. If I stop for a coffee and the coffee shop gives me a hard time about the bike, I just move on to another place, where I can have it…

Everyone knows someone who knows someone else who has a friend who did a sub-3 on a mountain bike with knobbly tyres. But we actually tracked ‘someone’ down: Martin Nel, who achieved the feat on a carbon Giant XTC hardtail. “Gearing on that bike was a 2x set-up with a 39x26 ratio on the front and 36x11 at the rear. The only change I made to the bike was to inflate the tyres to three bar. I was seeded in A, but elected to start in C – the racing guys would have killed me, with my gearing. As it was, I really suffered trying to keep up with the bunch just after Smitswinkel; my cadence was in the 150s at times.” Nel says a large part of achieving his…

STOKER Pros You can relinquish all responsibility to your pilot. You can switch off and admire the view (but don’t forget to pedal!). When the heavens open, you’re largely sheltered from the rain. Cons You’re at the mercy of your pilot. NO control over speed, pedalling, cadence, steering or braking! You sit close to the pilot – it takes getting used to, and can feel cramped. PILOT Pros You’re in total control! Seating position mirrors that of a normal bike, making transition easier Uninterrupted vision and views of the road. And eye candy. Cons You can’t see if your stoker is stoking! You bear responsibility for the stoker’s safety. Being in front, you catch all the wind, rain and road debris.…

FEATURED RACE FEDGROUP PEPLETT ALL ALONG THE COASTLINE Offering stunning scenery and amazing trails all along the coastline from Port Elizabeth to Plettenberg Bay, the PEPlett has a way of distracting you from the hard work with its visual appeal. Now in its fifth year, there are two options to go for: The Lite One (240km) or The Tough One (320km). While distances vary from stage to stage, each option offers the same mixed bag of great singletrack, windy gravel roads, jeep track and man-made bike-park trails. Previously the routes were kept short, to accommodate the Lite participants. But this year the organisers were able to expand the route, creating a longer experience for those doing the Tough One. Both events allow you to enter solo or as a team,…