Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Bicycling South Africa

Perhaps you started your skills training on the wrong foot. According to Erica Green, former SA Olympic cyclist and Level 2 coach, cyclists should master beginner skills before moving on to more advanced abilities. Through her experience as a coach, Green has realised that many basic skills are overlooked. “Skills can exist on different levels — beginner, intermediate and advanced. It’s important to learn each level of ability in the correct order, instead of trying to fast-track skill acquisition. You can’t ride down a technical course, or tackle an advanced skills course, when you haven’t grasped the basics.” To master cycling skills means to be in full control of your pedal stroke, take every single corner, and feel confident every time you swing your leg over the tube. Therefore, Green…

F One of cycling’s most celebrated climbs – renowned for its stark moonscape summit, where strong winds add resistance to an already-taxing, nearly 9% average grade – Mont Ventoux is located in the Provence region of France. The south approach from Bédoin is the famed ascent raced in the Tour de France, most recently in 2016. As you pedal the rolling terrain that leads to the start of the climb, you may feel the mountain is watching you. The early slopes deceive, but just after you pass the ruins of Les Bruns, a second-century Roman villa (about 5km in), Ventoux’s signature ramps appear. With no switchbacks to ease the grade in this section, about 10 kays at a biting 9 to 10% separate you from the flatter sections at Chateau…

• BEFORE YOU ROLL OUT “Drape a long sock filled with ice around your neck,” says mechanic Joël Nankman. If you’re using sun sleeves (summer-weight arm warmers, which protect you from UV rays as well as – or better than – sunscreen), wet them for extra cooling powers, says contributing writer Joe Lindsey. And wear light-coloured shoes, he says: “They reflect more sunlight and don’t feel as hot as darker gear.” • ON THE GO “Don’t stress about the heat – it’ll make you hotter,” says online contributor Lydia Tanner. “I shoot ice water through the top-back vents of my helmet,” says contributing writer Selene Yeager. “It seeps down my neck without running into my eyes.” When all else fails, says staff writer Caitlin Giddings, “Stop for a smoothie!” • POST-RIDE Ramp down…

THE JUMP IS FEARSOME, A STEEP WALL OF SOIL, frozen in a curl like a wave, motionless outside of geological time. But there’s a twist: It doesn’t crash down on you. You crash down on it. The consequences of said crashing aren’t exactly the same, but it feels close enough when you’re in your mid-40s and acutely aware of gravity and your lack of mastery of it. Acutely aware of being self-employed and purchasing your own medical aid. Acutely aware that a devastating injury could keep you from earning a living. The problem is my head. In my quarter century of riding, I’ve been mostly a roadie and XC nerd. I never raced BMX as a kid, never skateboarded. I even found trampolines a little freaky in my youth. My…

It’s not wise to change anything just before race day, but your bike doesn’t always co-operate. At the last minute your brakes go AWOL or your chain keeps slipping, or your gears won’t change – shift doesn’t always happen. We asked some of Joburg’s most bike-shop-savvy cyclists to give us the skinny on the best shops in the city for your emergency bike needs. DUNKELD CYCLES  281 JAN SMUTS AVENUE, DUNKELD WEST JOHANNESBURG Tel : 0113410627 Web : They're on Facebook - just search for ‘Dunkeld Cycles’ “The guys at Dunkeld are knowledgeable, and always willing to go out of their way to help you – especially when it comes to getting servicing done at short notice! Ex-pro Rich Baxter does fittings from the shop; and he’s one of the…

Whether it’s because of the location (about an hour from Cape Town CBD), or the summer temperatures, Welvanpas doesn’t get the credit it deserves. One thing’s for sure though: the trails are in the same league as (if not better than) anything else in the Western Cape. Each route (blue, yellow, black and white) starts at the Welvanpas farm, located between the beautiful Hawekwa and Groenberg mountain ranges, near Wellington. The place is known for its heat, and can easily hit figures in the upper 40s (that’s degrees Celcius) in the summer months. While the black route is more sheltered than the equally challenging white, the humidity in the forested sections is palpable. The notorious Aap d’Huez switchback climb and its 9% average gradient confronts riders almost immediately. Though it’s…

For every Nino Schurter there are 100 other riders working hard... The MTB World Championships took place in September, in Cairns, Australia. While it was a celebration of cycling for those involved, SA racers faced a daunting challenge – finding the funds to get there. Cycling is expensive, and the development of technology in the industry drives consumer spending, creating a healthy market for participants. According to consultants OC&C, the global market for cycling paraphernalia is estimated to be worth $47bn – five times that of golf. Cycling is no longer regarded as a cheap means of transport; a bicycle is now a lifestyle accessory. With this in mind, competition at the highest level is followed with interest, and supported, by brands desperate to market and sell to the audience…

FIRST THINGS FIRST: improving fitness, raising lactate threshold, and producing enough wattage to toast bread (or at least your riding buddies’ legs) takes time and hard work. There are no shortcuts. What’s often overlooked, especially with a big event like the 947 Cycle Challenge around the corner, is that there are small but significant gains you can make just by refining your technique. Working on these skills now can make you faster come race day. Here’s how you can gain instant speed. Sprint Faster Gear down a hair. One of the most common mistakes riders make when initiating their sprint is tossing it into a huge gear before they jump, which actually leads to a slower blast-off than they’d get out of a lighter gear, says cycling coach John Verheul.…

With a mostly flat and fast course, this race offers speed and thrills across its 100km and 40km courses. There are a few short climbs; most famously, the ones up Albrecht Street and Lucas Steyn Road, which will spice up the race – especially for those who fancy themselves as puncheurs , and want to stoke their pro fantasies with some attacking racing. The 40km distance joins the long route just before the Lucas Steyn Road climb. The 100km distance is a Premier Seeding Series event for the 2018 Cape Town Cycle Tour. 5 NOVEMBER, SA SCHOOL OF ARMOUR, TEMPE MILITARY BASE, BLOEMFONTEIN, 100KM, 40KM KWAZULU-NATAL LAKE ELAND CLASSIC November is generally a quieter time on the KZN race calendar, what with everyone focused on fireworks and…

Bread is a miraculous food — and not just because it’s chewy, warm, and delicious. In medieval times, before we knew much about microbiology, the rising of dough was seen as the action of a higher being. Yeast was actually known as godisgoode, and it played an integral part in the cornerstones of the diet: bread and beer. While the latter is enjoying a renaissance, we seem to have moved away from a reverence for bread. Consumers bought about a million fewer tons of it in 2016 than they did in 2006, but it doesn’t deserve the bad press: not only can this classic carb help you ride strong – supermarkets are stocking more flavourful and nutritious options for cyclists than ever. It’s time we gave bread the love it…

The final week before a race is the most confusing time in training. Most cyclists know that something must back off, but what and how to back off is unclear: do you cut training, or stop completely? Carbo-load, just do easy rides, keep up the intensity? Each rider is unique in this aspect – there’s no single one-size-fits-all strategy. Even for the same rider, the strategy that worked before might not work again. Here are a few do’s and don’ts, so your preparation can be adjusted to help you peak effectively for your next race. Volume and intensity Having built up fitness over the months of training for your race, the term ‘Use it or lose it’ becomes apt at this point: the body will only hold onto fitness if…

The year is 1997. A new race has been announced that will take riders through the heart of Johannesburg – the 947 Cycle Challenge. And the AIG team has a plan: 23-year-old Nic White will go out early and try to wear down the opposition in the chase, so that one of the top riders in their team can pull off the win… White, who had been plying his trade on the amateur scene in Europe for four years, had hit form that November, and was itching to race in Joburg – his own backyard. The purple jacarandas were in full bloom. The starter’s gun fired; and within the first kilometre, four riders – including a youngster called Robbie Hunter, who was causing the top riders at the time to…

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HITTING THE ROAD WITH THE DAWN PATROL HAS ITS ATTRACTIONS AND ITS CHALLENGES. THE DOWNSIDE IS YOUR ALARM BUZZING YOU AWAKE, WHEN YOU REALLY WANT JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES OF SLEEP. THE UPSIDE IS YOU GET TO RIDE BEFORE REGULAR PEOPLE WAKE UP, AVOIDING TRAFFIC. YOU CAN ALSO TURN THE DARKNESS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, AND SNAP A GREAT PIC LIKE THE ONE ABOVE – TAKEN AT THE TOP OF NOORDHOEK PEAK, IN CAPE TOWN. Share your good times with us on Instagram. Tag @Bicycling_SA with your ride photos, and next time it could be YOUR pic featured in an upcoming issue! (Remember to mention where the shot was taken!)…