Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2020 i Bicycling South Africa

AT FIRST, I WAS IN DENIAL. // Could this really be happening? Then I got angry – but there was no one to blame. Then I bargained with myself: maybe I could just do some online HIIT classes, and leave the bike alone? // BUT IT’S NEVER THE SAME, AND IKNEW IT. // Instead, Igot depressed. I couldn’t even get on the indoor bike for a few days. I missed riding outdoors with friends – feeling the wind on my arms and face, the smells, the freshness, the coffee chats… would life ever be the same? // SO I WATCHED MY STRAVA AND INSTAGRAM FEEDS, seeing see tightly-bound weaves of red lines as others shared their ‘indoor’ sessions with apparent glee. “Building More Watts”, “Indoor Super Session”, “Music On, Watts…

CONFESSION: EARLY IN MY RIDING (and writing) life, when people would lament that they were gaining weight despite the fact that they were still riding, training, and eating the same, I kind of didn’t believe them. Like so many trainers at the time, I believed the old saw that adults gain weight over time because they become more sedentary. Case closed. That’s just simply not true. Sure, life gets busy. Jobs, relationships, family, friends – all those obligations can put the squeeze on riding and training time. But even if you don’t change a thing, you change. You can ride, race, and train just as much, eat the same sun-up to sundown, and still find your kit getting increasingly snug. Believe me, I know. And it’s not just you. In…

EVEN BEFORE I SIGNED UP, I KNEW I WOULDN’T win this year’s Zwift Academy competition. This worldwide virtual riding contest would award one man and one woman – out of 68 603 participants – a spot on a pro team, based on measured performances. And sure enough, when the list of 10 women who made the semifinals was announced, Iwasn’t on it. “I hate being average,” I said to a friend when the results came out. Average is boring. Being average doesn’t get you praise or external validation. Bike racers like Marianne Vos, who’s known as the finest cyclist of her generation, and Katie F’ing Compton, a 15-time US cyclocross champion, and Jolanda Neff, a 12-time cross-country mountain bike World Cup champion, will go down in the history books. Meanwhile,…

IF YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, THERE’S A LOT OF NEW AND EXCITING STUFF HAPPENING IN THE WORLD OF BICYCLES. Gravel bikes are redefining the drop-bar experience. Off-road touring bikes, or what I like tocall super-gravel bikes, are becoming extremely capable of getting us off the tar and further into the wild. E-bikes are evolving at such an astonishing rate, it’s hard to imagine life without them. And mountain bikes, whose geometry rules are in the midst of a major rewrite, keep getting longer, lower, and slacker. In almost every category, cycling equipment is evolving as brands continue to experiment with and improve the machine we love so much. Almost every category. There’s still one kind of bike that’s been virtually locked in amber for about 20 years: the halo of our…

1 / SMART TRAINER These bike trainers communicate wirelessly with Zwift to adjust resistance based on road incline and other factors. Go with a direct-drive trainer (where your rear wheel is removed) for realistic ride feel and super-accurate power. 2 / GAMING PC Data-driven, Zwift gives apersonalised approach to training by offering workouts, training plans, a customisable calendar, and performance analytics. 3 / BIG SCREEN Plug that gaming PC into a screen that rivals your bike’s wheelbase, and enjoy all of Watopia’s beautiful landscapes in pristine detail. 4 / STRONG FAN Stay cool so you can make your best effort. I prefer fans like the Stanley Blower or Wahoo Headwind that put out a lot of air in a focused area.…

After completing the 2018 Tour of Ara, a race through the Karoo on vintage road bikes, Lynnae Endersby (38) fell in love with riding old steel on gravel. “There’s just something about it,” she says. “Each bike has its own personality.” She decided that her ultimate all-road bike would have a retro steel frame and modern components, blending the romance of the past with the reliability (and gear range) of the present. “My Alpina road bike comes from the early 1990s, but it can only take 28mm tyres,” Lynnae says. “To gain more clearance, I realised I’d have to look for a frame from an earlier era. After weeks of scrounging internet classifieds, Ieventually found this beauty –a Peugeot Aero Executive from the early 1980s – at a swap and…

FLOYD LANDIS IS UP TO HIS EYEBROWS IN CANNABIS. Actually, higher than that: most of the plants in this 4 000m2 patch, rich and lushly green, stand a good head or three taller than the former pro cyclist and disqualified Tour de France winner. On this warm Thursday in mid-September, Floyd and two colleagues are making the rounds of Amish farms in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, checking on their crops. The plants are the same species, Cannabis sativa, that produces the marijuana people smoke to get high. But they are technically special strains of hemp bred to have low concentrations of THC – the chemical responsible for the marijuana ‘high’ – and high concentrations of CBD or cannabidiol, the substance used in the creams, edible gummies and tinctures sold by…

AROUND THE WORLD: Mark Beaumont, 78 DAYS 14 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES (FOR THIS RECORD THE CLOCK DOESN’T STOP FOR FERRIES, PLANES AND OTHER TRANSFERS, BUT THE RIDERS MUST RIDE AT LEAST 29 000KM). FASTEST SPEED ON INDOOR ROLLERS: Bruce Bursford, 334.6 KM/H. FASTEST SPEED MOTORPACING: Denise Mueller-Korenek, 296.009 KM/H, BEHIND A 750KW DRAGSTER. FASTEST EXCLUSIVELY HUMAN-POWERED SPEED: Todd Reichert, 144.17 KM/H, IN A FULLY-FAIRED RECUMBENT, FROM A STANDING START. ALL-COMERS’ HOUR RECORD: Francesco Russo, 91.556KM IN A FULLY-FAIRED RECUMBENT. FURTHEST IN 24 HOURS (ROAD): Christoph Strasser, 896KM, AN AVERAGE OF 37.3KM/H. FURTHEST IN 24 HOURS (TRACK): Christoph Strasser, 941KM, AN AVERAGE OF 39.3KM/H. RACE ACROSS AMERICA: Christoph Strasser CROSSED THE US IN 7 DAYS 15 HOURS, TO WIN THE 2014 RAAM AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 26.4KM/H (THE CLOCK…

it’s clear that Alan Winde and Iare not going to actually ride on our ‘on-bike’ meeting. Four kays each from our respective homes will have to be enough for the day (plus the four kays back), as our ‘10-minute’ chat about the origins and future of the Cape Cycle Routes project is running him dangerously late for his next appointment. We thought two hours would be enough; we should have known better. When he’s not running the Western Cape, as its Premier, Winde is one of us. A cyclist: from the Fizik duds to the Met helmet, and everything in between. Long before he was a politician, and shortly before cycling became cool the first time, he founded Knysna Cycle Works; and he has 12 Cape Town Cycle Tours under…

The first thing people ask you when you tell them you have an e-bike is whether it’s been chipped. ‘Chipping’ an e-bike refers to deactivating the speed limiter, or modifying it to increase the limit. E-bikes in South Africa are limited by law to 25km/h. In other countries, like the US, the limit is a bit faster, at 32km/h. Once you reach the speed limit, the motor no longer offers pedal assistance. “The faster US limit might make more sense, especially for a road bike,” says Lionel Dippenaar from Omnico, the local agents for Cannondale. “But unfortunately, there’s no way to change it – legitimate or otherwise. We strongly discourage people from tampering, as doing so will void the warranty.” Now you know. Remember, you bought an e-bike, not a…

LET ME EXPLAIN (1) Myfavourite time of day to ride or go surfing is sunrise. Nothing is better than getting up before the enemy. Discipline equals freedom. (2) As a youngster racing, I was results-oriented. But after completing a long tour across the US, the journey became the reward. (3) Descending unearths a side of my soul that brings me alive. When I run out of gears, I run out of fears. (4) The will must always be stronger than the skill. My worst days on the bike have turned into the best. (5) Spin to win, baby! (6) Nothing beats slapping a mechanical SRAM shifter into submission. It’s a soulful connection. (7) There is puristic elegance in simplicity, a soulfulness in brevity. In a world of noise and distraction,…

CREDENTIALS CERTIFIED CYCLING COACH, CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER, PRO MOUNTAIN-BIKE & GRAVEL RACER WINTER TRAINING RECIPE FOR SUCCESS HEAVY LIFTING, HOT YOGA, INSIDE ROLLER TRAINING SESSIONS, AND FAT BIKING GO-TO JERSEY-POCKET TREATS WHOLE DATES OR ROLLS 2020 GOAL FINALLY PULL OFF AN EVEREST RIDE TYRE SIZE ROLL 35-38C TYRES PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS. THEY TAKE ME FROM TAR TO DIRT ROADS TO MILD SINGLETRACK IN THE SAME RIDE, NOT SACRIFICING FUN ON ANY OF THOSE SURFACES.…

CREDENTIALS CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER, CYCLING COACH HARDEST RIDE EVER SECOND DAY OF THE DOUBLE TRIPLE BYPASS EVENT IN COLORADO BEST RIDE EVER ANY RIDE I DO WITH MY FRIENDS. IT’S SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE WHEN YOU’RE WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN MAKE YOU LAUGH AND SMILE. THE KAYS AND TIME FLY BY. GO-TO BIKE LIV AVAIL ADVANCED PRO FAVOURITE PIECE OF GEAR GARMIN EDGE 820 SOUL ROUTE ANY MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE THROUGH THICK FOREST TREES AND NO ONE IN SIGHT CYCLING PHILOSOPHY FAILURE IS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY.…

@j_stotty_82 Nail your comfort. Nothing is worse than niggles while riding and not being able to focus completely. Get your fit dialled in, and those tough training sessions become the only point of focus! @Bradford_smith Ride with faster friends! @Beachcruisersale Double shots of espresso. @64villages bike-lodge I probably raised my speed by over 25 per cent when I zoned in on the cadence counter – I work to stay within the range of 90 to 100 rpm. I’ll change to a stiffer gear, then do three hard pumps to raise my rpms back into optimum range after the gear change. This really works. @Allenigawa More kays. More kays. More kays. @Andylangston2 Ride lots. Ride really hard for a while. @Jonathanvazqu3z Charge up some earbuds and let the music do all…

TABATA INTERVALS JUSTIN WILLIAMS Pro road cyclist for Legion of Los Angeles. Winner of both the US road race and US criterium national championships in 2018. Producing power starts with getting comfortable doing really explosive efforts. But a lot of people spend too much time staring at their computers instead of training their mind and body to understand what certain efforts feel like. I do a lot of group rides where my brother Cory and I take turns leading each other out and then sprinting for city-limits signs. We usually do it towards the end of a ride, because your body is tired so it will try to recruit as many muscles as possible. Then when you’re racing, you fully understand your talent and how to implement it. – AS…

MOJI ULTIMATE HEAT PLUS MASSAGE BUNDLE Pop it in the microwave for the feel-good effects of a massage plus soothing warmth. ELIXINOL CBD HEMP OIL CAPSULES Whole-plant hemp oil extract with a full range of cannabinoids, terpenoids and essential oils. AMPHP PR PERFORMANCE & RECOVERY LOTION Made with sodium bicarbonate, which helps reduce fatigue and post-workout soreness. SELECT CBD MUSCLE RUB CBD plus homeopathic arnica, tea tree oil, vitamin E and menthol, for a punch against pain. GU ENERGY ROCTANE ULTRA ENDURANCE BCAA CAPSULES Branched chain amino acids help improve post-exercise muscle repair.…

ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN / WORLD ROAD CHAMP, AND SERIOUS MILEAGE-MONSTER. ALEX DOWSETT / FORMER HOUR RECORD HOLDER; SHARES INTIMATE POWER DETAILS. CHRIS FROOME / STILL THE ONLY SAFFER TO WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE. REINARDT JANSE VAN RENSBURG / ONE OF THE PROPER HARD MEN IN THE PRO PELOTON, AND ONE OF OUR FAVOURITES. EGAN BERNAL / DEFENDING TDF CHAMP. WEEP WHEN YOU SEE HIS CLIMBING STATS. LUCINDA BRAND / ROAD AND CX SPECIALIST. A PEEK INTO EXACTLY HOW BRUTAL CX IS. ALEXANDER KRISTOFF / THERE’S NORWAY YOU WANNA MISS THIS ONE: CHECK HOW COLD HIS RIDES GET! ASHLEIGH MOOLMANPASIO / THE QUEEN OF ALL THINGS CYCLING IN SOUTH AFRICA (EVEN IF MOST OF HER RIDES NOW HAPPEN IN SPAIN). ROMAIN BARDET / THE BIG FRENCH HOPE, AND ALSO A…

THE CROSS CAPE Plett to Stellenbosch The big daddy of the Routes – and a monster, if you try it all in one go. More appropriately a multi-day, even multi-week journey from sea to forest to desert to farmland to vineyard, via all the back roads you normally dream about from your car on the N2. 742km, 10 461m, 8-18 days THE CEDERBERG CIRCUIT Clanwilliam to Clanwilliam A trip back to simpler times in this ancient mountain chain, with opportunities to relax, swim, view rock art and explore on foot from the many oases in an otherwise stark, brutal environment. Summer for the brave and prepared; for the rest, tackle the Cederberg in spring or autumn. 247km, 3 583m, 3-6 days THE OVERBERG MEANDER Swellendam to Grabouw Quiet roads abound…

PRICE: R41 900 SUPPLIER: GIANT-BICYCLES.COM For R10k less than the Merida, you get this stealthy hardtail with a slacker head angle and a longer-travel 120mm fork, plus 27.5-inch wheels wrapped in 2.6” Maxxis rubber. It’s the trail cousin of the XC-focused Merida, designed to be abit more capable on downhill singletrack, or when the road gets rocky and sandy. It’s a less refined bike, however, with a Shimano Deore 9-speed drivetrain and a relatively miniscule 11-36T cassette. You rely more heavily on the Giant SyncDrive Sport motor (made by Yamaha) as a result, which in turn drains the 500Wh battery more quickly. Still, if you want an e-bike for punchy trail rides that doesn’t cost the earth, the Fathom E+ is definitely worth a look.…

If your shoes are so stretched you have to ratchet the closures to the tightest setting, or if the soles are so flexed out that your feet flop on the pedals… consider treating yourself to a new pair. Whether you want power on the road, protection on the trail, or all-day play at the bike park, here are six we recommend (and most are available for both men and women). Plus, our best tip for finding the right position for your cleats! 1 FIZIK INFINITO X1 R6 360 MAX POWER FOR MOUNTAIN AND GRAVEL These are superb race shoes, designed for cross-country mountain bikers and gravel riders for whom every watt counts. (And for whom money is no object…) The shoe features a full carbon sole and an…

I’m starting to get those first fluttery intimations that I might be finding some form again, and it’s got me thinking about the last time Ifelt really fit on a bike. I had to look up the date – 13 August 2016 – but I remember so much about that ride with so much clarity. I should tell you that as a training resource, I’m not much use. I haven’t formally trained for anything in almost two decades. Iused to have coaches and plans and everything, but somewhere in there the demands of my life and my job got me to a place where I couldn’t stomach the idea of a bicycle ride being another number to hit, another obligation, another performance goal. But I still loved feeling fit on…

1 / RUBBER HEX DUMBBELLS Keep a few sets of weights at home to get your strength work in – no gym required. The contoured grip of these dumbbells provides a comfortable hold, while the hex shape prevents them rolling around. 2 / FITBIT VERSA 2 Track your activity and kilojoules burned on and off the bike – as well as steps, floors climbed, sleep cycles, and more – to stay one step ahead of creeping weight gain. 3 / INSTANT POT DUO Healthy eating starts at home. The much-beloved Instant Pot makes cooking lentils, beans, whole grains, and protein (even frozen!) quicker and easier. Pro tip: rice cooked with coconut oil (1 teaspoon of oil to every half cup of rice) and refrigerated…

The equipment your avatar uses affects your in-game speed on Watopia, so use your Drops (Zwift’s virtual currency) wisely. For beginners, the Specialized Allez Sprint is the most attainable aero frame, and it’s one slippery machine when coupled with the affordable Zipp 808 wheels. Want the best climbing bike? Go with a Specialized Tarmac Pro paired with Meilenstein Lightweight wheels from the prize spinner atop Alpe du Zwift. (If you’re lucky, it’ll only take you a few tries to get the wheels. It took me 13!) entertaining, including a road sign warning of ‘Sand’ (you’re surrounded by it). When I’m looking for a hard, hour-long effort, I choose the Road to Sky route and climb Alpe du Zwift. Even if you’re not a climber, you’ve got to tackle the Alpe…

This is the 120mm fork you’ve been waiting for MARZOCCHI BOMBER Z2 | R9 995 | OMNICO.CO.ZA You might recognise the name Marzocchi – their Bomber Z1 was a legendary fork that arrived on the scene in 1997, and changed the game. In a world of lightweight, spaghetti-stanchioned forks with short, teeth-jarring travel, it was the total opposite: super-plush, and built to soak up big hits. It was heavy, sure; but it foreshadowed the suspension of the future. However, despite attaining instant cult status with the Z1, Marzocchi never enjoyed the success of fellow suspension pioneers RockShox, Manitou and Fox. They faded from the scene, and so did the Bomber… Now, more than two decades later, the Bomber is back – and it’s better than ever. We tested the new…

IT'S NORMAL TO want to ride faster. Not only can you go further and feel stronger, but you also enjoy the satisfaction of keeping up with speedier friends, racking up a shiny case of new personal bests, and accomplishing more on the bike than you might have expected. That progress, as you smash through your former limits and set new PBs, is profoundly transformational – and it can leave you feeling unstoppable. But pedalling at the same pace day after day just won’t get you there. Here’s what will. These high-intensity interval workouts hit the five essential pillars of cycling fitness, from honing your top-end speed to giving you the engine to ride all day. Add one or two of these quick workouts to your regular riding routine each week,…

ATTACK INTERVALS CHLOÉ DYGERT Pro road and track cyclist for Team Twenty20 and Team USA. Six-time World Champion in the time trial, individual pursuit, and team pursuit. After spending the winter building your base, threshold training is one of the biggest parts of reaching that top-end fitness. I rely on my coach Kristin Armstrong for my training plans. She knows me and my body so well. For threshold, the only things we really do are pyramid variations, typically pretty long intervals. How many and for how long are based on what I’m doing at the time. When you’re doing those intervals, it’s important not to blow yourself up after the first few minutes. You might feel good early on and want to push, but you have to be mindful about…

The Hour – the rawest number in cycling – seems simple. Get on your bike, ride around a track, and see how many kilometres you can cover in 60 minutes. Since Frank Dodds covered 26.5km on a penny-farthing in 1876, cycling has been entranced with this mythical mission. The first official record belongs to Henri Desgrange, who managed 35.3km and would go on to found the Tour de France. But it has been tackled regularly since, with many of the greats on the all-time list: Team NTT’s Victor Campanaerts, who rode 55.089km in Mexico in April 2019, is the current record-holder. For two decades, the South African hour record belonged to James Louter: 45.490km. Then, in late 2018, a 38-year-old Pretoria lawyer took to the rough concrete of Hector Norris,…

I’ve ridden 60km – a solid morning out so far. I left the southern suburbs of Cape Town in the dark, and rode to Cape Point. And not just to the reserve entrance gate, which you go past on the Cape Town Cycle Tour – all the way to the point itself. I feel like I’ve achieved something! It’s still early, and I’m the only one here. The parking lot, usually bustling, is empty. A baboon stares at me from his vantage point on top of the bathroom block, and a seagull squawks from somewhere over the misty Atlantic. There’s just one problem: the battery on the Cannondale is still full. Each of the five little indicator blocks on the Bosch Purion display is still there, a digital mob that…

Before you can take your new shoes for a spin, you have to instal the cleats. But where to start? According to Dave Ripley, a bike fitter with US-based 51 Speedshop, you should install the cleat as far back as the shoe will allow, with neutral alignment through the centre of the shoe. He adds: “This placement sets up your femur with as much mechanical advantage over the drivetrain as possible; and from there, very few people will need modification based on foot-specific issues such as a collapsed arch or different-sized feet.”…