ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
There aren't many UK cycling events that can boast of 28,000 entrants. I think you'll find that it is the Cape Argus event in South Africa!
Peaking at the right time.
- Thread starter Globalti
- Start date
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Enigma2008
Über Member
- Location
- Nottingham
There aren't many UK cycling events that can boast of 28,000 entrants. I think you'll find that it is the Cape Argus event in South Africa!
Ahhh... a sort of 'race'. Sounds like it's a mass start time trial with 'pretend' races within it and plenty of drafting to be had!! Still, if it gets that many people on bikes it must be good.
OP
OP
Globalti
Legendary Member
Well it's called a race and it's certainly a race for me; my target is to finish in sub-4 hours this year, weather permitting. The South Africans excel in these mass events; the Comrades marathon is the running equivalent. You have a timing chip so at the end you do get all the stats off the website; I've managed to finish in the top third of my age group and overseas riders group and the top half of men riders in the first two years. The Cape is a very exposed and windy place and you can get very strong south easterlies blowing in from the Indian Ocean and across the Cape Flats, meaning the wind is straight in your face for the first 20 miles. Three years ago the wind was so strong that they cancelled the race.
But I'm improving: yesterday evening I managed to grab a short run after finishing house decorating duties and after the snow had melted. Went round my usual 12.3 mile circuit, which climbs 750 ft and finishes with a nasty 425 ft climb and managed 14.8 mph average against two runs of 13.6 mph and 13.8 mph in January; for the first time I was able to climb the entire hill seated, which I put down to lower body weight and stronger legs.... all this achieved in the depths of winter too.
Here's the route:
But I'm improving: yesterday evening I managed to grab a short run after finishing house decorating duties and after the snow had melted. Went round my usual 12.3 mile circuit, which climbs 750 ft and finishes with a nasty 425 ft climb and managed 14.8 mph average against two runs of 13.6 mph and 13.8 mph in January; for the first time I was able to climb the entire hill seated, which I put down to lower body weight and stronger legs.... all this achieved in the depths of winter too.
Here's the route:
Attachments
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
It doesn't look like the Ribble Valley to me!But I'm improving: yesterday evening I managed to grab a short run after finishing house decorating duties and after the snow had melted. Went round my usual 12.3 mile circuit, which climbs 750 ft and finishes with a nasty 425 ft climb and managed 14.8 mph average against two runs of 13.6 mph and 13.8 mph in January; for the first time I was able to climb the entire hill seated, which I put down to lower body weight and stronger legs.... all this achieved in the depths of winter too.
Here's the route:
Attachments
jay clock
Massive member
- Location
- Hampshire UK
+1
OP
OP
Globalti
Legendary Member
Mountain biking is much much more popular in SA because the roads are so dangerous; they still hold mountain bike races and racers even wear lycra race kit. Anybody who goes road riding goes very early on a weekend morning or on private roads, around nature parks for example. For the first half of my trip I will be staying at a place called Fourways outside Johannesburg and on the Saturday one week before the Argus I will ride up the road to a bike shop called Cycle Lab, who run a massive road ride for about 500 riders going out in seeded groups at 06:00 until around 10:00 to avoid the heat and the taxis. It's good altitude training though the roads themselves are a little boring. You can also ride around Kyalami race track some evenings, which is even more boring!
Enigma2008
Über Member
- Location
- Nottingham
It's not important really but the point of a race is that others know it's a competitive race also, that alters the dynamics of the event somewhat. If the OP is trying to beat his personal time for the event then he's 'racing' against himself, that's fine too but it's not a road race as normally defined. I'm a pedant I know!!
I know this POV is common, but really, there is no difference between sportives and fun runs. They both are competitive in nature, even if not so very seriously, and only a small percentage of the participants are 'racing' per se.
This event seems in the London Marathon category, I suspect the top few hundred finishers will be taking it very seriously indeed.
OP
OP
Globalti
Legendary Member
It's the same in the big South African events like the Comrades Marathon or the Cape Argus Race; the big names compete and there is strong interest in the winning times. If you go into the Argus website you'll see that all South African riders are seeded formally according to their riding history and club pedigree; we overseas riders on the other hand are allowed to sign on as late as 24 hours before the race and are not seeded, we just start in two big groups of 200-300 each and ride our nuts off.
Enigma2008
Über Member
- Location
- Nottingham
Whether it's a race or not, the OP sought opinions on peaking in order to go faster than his previous best time (which averaged less than 17mph). The question to be answered is how often has training been at the target pace for the required duration/distance. Shorter duration/distance should be undertaken with more speed/effort. Use the time between now and the event to improve the sustainable pace. One long ride covering the distance each week, three/four shorter durations ridden at a quicker pace. The 'peaking' thing is about fuelling and tapering to be fresh and ready to go, that's been covered.
OP
OP
Globalti
Legendary Member
Useful info, thanks. The problem at this time of year is the weather, dark evenings and various family and work commitments; I will count myself lucky if I can fit in a 30-40 mile ride each of the next three weekends before I depart and ideally one of them a good 60 miler with 3000 - 4000 ft of climbing. A good ride leaves the leg muscles feeling tight and it's my belief that it is best to allow the muscles to recover completely but not to the point where they begin to lose tone, before stressing them again so my "training" consists of a weekend ride and a midweek mountain bike night ride or an hour on the turbo trainer where I give myself a hard workout, which I reckon is as good as a two hour mountain bike ride anyway.
In the last two years I have come out of Christmas and January feeling distinctly podgy around the waist and unfit having only done the occasional mountain bike trip. This year I have the heavier CX bike with mudguards as a winter trainer as well as a turbo with HRM so I'm feeling a lot fitter already. If that is enough to make me 6 minutes faster over the 68 miles, I'll be happy!
In the last two years I have come out of Christmas and January feeling distinctly podgy around the waist and unfit having only done the occasional mountain bike trip. This year I have the heavier CX bike with mudguards as a winter trainer as well as a turbo with HRM so I'm feeling a lot fitter already. If that is enough to make me 6 minutes faster over the 68 miles, I'll be happy!
