Below is a whole load of long-winded journalling from Facebook on the "training" leading up to the Argus Cycle Tour and on the day itself. Newest on top, as usual, starting mid-November when the Training Wheels programme began.
Correction!
10 March 2009 at 13:17 I now have my official time, which was 6:34:52, not 6:22 as I claimed in my rambling note. I realised in the bath later that of course my bike computer stops recording when the wheel stops turning, so the loo, refreshment and chain-replacing breaks were deducted.
Not that I think it makes any difference to anyone, but there it is for the sake of full disclosure!
Loads of pics and reports: Extreme winds buffet Argus Tour cyclists Wind havoc at Cape Argus Tour March 08 2009 at 04:00PM
Pictures Yay - made it!
08 March 2009 at 22:11 Phew. Phew! And did I mention: phew!
That was a ride and a half, but yes, I made it well within the seven-hour cutoff time. Thanks for all the support by email, Skype, SMS, Facebook message, phone call and presence (the latter being Sav and Almine, ensconced in their chairs and watching patiently in the blustery Simonstown area –and probably being sandblasted at intervals too). I also saw one or two friends from church along the way, and Paul Tyler looking out for Vera at the top of Boyes Drive. (Congrats Vera – glad you made it too!)
The much-feared blistering heat didn’t materialise, but instead we had a southeaster packing 55 km/hr, so I'm told. I took a train to town at 7 (by special favour of Metrorail) but it was so jam-packed with bikes by the time it got to us in Plumstead that I spent the entire trip holding the Green Mamba on its back wheel (and on my left foot, which suffered several flattened toes) while balancing precariously. And getting perilously close to flattening the guy next to me (who was doing the same hind-wheel balancing trick) every time the train lurched. Anyway, we made it in good spirits, if somewhat trepidaciously. (No, that 's not in the dictionary.)
The centre of town/foreshore area was chaotic. Many of the metal hoardings, notices and banners had been taken down because of the incredibly strong wind, and barriers were knocked over and scattered around the place like so much straw. Some of the remaining banners appeared shredded - all very festive. Cyclists and pedestrians alike were being blown over, and several cyclists were making their way home after seeing earlier riders blown off their bikes at the start. (Later we saw several porta-loos that had blown over (and some that were still falling) right next to the start line – and we heard that at least one of them had been occupied at the time. Eeeesh! More phew! Or foo! Or .. oh never mind.)
I eventually found my way to the chute for our group, UU, which included all the 'Virgins' – those 150-odd of us who were part of the Training Wheels programme and (mostly) wearing our proudly earned Training Wheels T-shirts, with VIRGIN Active on the front and Cycle Lab on the sleeve. Also in the group were a lot more experienced riders – several were doing their 21st Argus. A somewhat older (than me) woman next to me was wearing socks and Rockies-type sandals with her cleated pedals. There were new to me, so I asked whether they were comfortable for cycling in. Turned out she'd left her cycling shoes at home in Somerset West or Milnerton or some such. So she was planning to get as far as she could with the sandals and her little cleats pedals. Ouch. I had brought a tog bag with shower stuff and a change of clothes, thinking I could go to Point Virgin Active for a shower and change before going to the hospitality tent. Bad idea, with hindsight. It was a heavy bag, and the way to the tog bag truck was impassable. Eventually I found a marshall who offered to take my bag and chuck it into the truck. Relief.
The "UU-Now loading" board went up soon after I got there, probably half an hour before our starting time of 8:39. So we hurried up and waited… and waited, as groups lined up before us were repeatedly delayed by accidents on the outgoing stretch. (Did I mention that it was quite breezy?) We eventually pulled out at 9:30, cycling very slowly for about half a block, then all hopping off (if not blown off first) to walk for a goodly distance – a hundred metres? I really can't say. It was the kind of wind that sometimes causes pedestrians in that area of town to grab onto lamp posts and risk fluttering from them horizontally like so many flags. It was pretty scary at times, but having got this far, most of us continued. Quite a few were turning back all along that first stretch though. I figured I'd just do what I could to stay safe and on my bike and see how it went.
And so it went. Around Upper Claremont/Bishopscourt we suddenly found ourselves windless for a while – blessed relief! The people all along the route were wonderfully supportive, many clearly camped out along the road for the day. At one point in Claremont, five comfy couches were lined up in a row, with a sign: "Can you believe it – we have five couches!" Quite soon the wind hit again – and stayed a headwind practically all the way to Smitswinkel ( Cape Point), where it suddenly turned - or rather we turned. It turned into a tailwind, and several comments and songs of joy could be heard in the pack. We had tackled those last few climbs towards Smitswinkel in a huge, tightly-packed pack, all intensely focused on holding our line, not doing anything unexpected, like wobbling. Not easy when the wind suddenly picks up the cyclist ahead of you and shifts across your way. For once, my weight was an advantage – and I generally tried to find a hefty guy to ride behind, to shelter me a little. I think I got to Cape Point at around 3h30 into the ride – though it's not quite halfway. I figured the reduced wind (and at times tailwind) would help me catch up and beat the 7 hr deadline – but on the other hand there was fatigue to consider – and Chappies and Suikerbossie were unknown quantities to me.
Amazingly, I saw only three people falling off their bikes (once we'd actually got into the ride) – a guy lying across a lane just after Noordhoek, heading to Little Chappies. He was in pain but had no visible injuries – I suspect leg cramps. The next was a guy on the way up Chappies who had cuts on his face, and the third, just a minor tumble, was someone who came to a sudden halt in the wind on Suikerbossie, fortunately not landing on anyone else. Riders in the earlier, more competitive groups reported seeing many more (and more serious) accidents. Hope those people are OK.
Though I'd walked in other places where the wind was overpowering, I surprised myself by making it up both Chappies and Suikerbossie, plodding away doggedly in granny gear. On the winding switchbacks coming down Chappies (as on many other stretches that could have been delicious) marshals with red flags and megaphones asked us to slow down, which we generally did. And on many longed-for downhills we found ourselves pedalling hard downhill in low gears, as around Maiden's Cove and Camps Bay, I think. That area was quite scary too, with lighter cyclists being blown sideways or across the road or
Often I couldn’t quite figure out where we were, focused as we were on the cyclists around rather than on the passing scenery. Which is very beautiful when one has time to look at it.
Anyway, we finally made it to Sea Point, and a welcome poster saying "2 km to go". It seemed an awful long 2 km, with an incredible gust of wind that stopped us in our tracks on the level road, just when we thought we'd made it. But make it we did eventually – in my case, in about 6h22.
The announcer picked up on my Virgin Active shirt, saying that I was one of the Training Wheels participants and "a virgin no longer". (Um – thank you for sharing that.) Earlier, along the road, we'd got accustomed to supporters shouting 'Go Virgin!" - along with things like "Keep going, pink lady" (or "blue lady", or even "black man" - I think that was referring to his clothes rather than his race) or whatever brand had sponsored the shirt. Quite entertaining.
Once through the gates and with huge medal safely stowed in a pocket, I wandered around for a while, chatting to a guy who was waiting for his brother to come in, then left my bike at the bike park and went in search of real food (not another energy drink!) and the tog bag truck. (Sorry Andreas – I did stick my nose into the beer tent, but the music was incredibly loud, so I left as fast as I could. I thought I might just sniff a whiff of the beer for you.)
I couldn't find the Training Wheels hospitality tent, but did find the Herbalife one, where I was given a shake (which I didn't feel like but had anyway, for the protein etc and knowing that it was good stuff) and a glass of their new hydration product, H30, which is also an energy drink – but was nevertheless extremely palatable, even when I could not have handled anything else. (I had tried to get some of this before the ride, but the Herbalife warehouse had run out – the demand has been way beyond expectation. Will get some ASAP for future rides.)
While there, I heard that the rest of the race had been cancelled because there had been too many accidents and the risk to riders was too high. Must have been quite a difficult decision. Later, when I finally found the tog bag truck, I saw the buses and trucks that had gone up to Suikerbossie and elsewhere to fetch those still on the road. I really felt for them – imagine making it all the way to the top of Suikerbossie (from where it's almost all downhill) and then being denied the chance to finish. Especially considering that much of the ride was into the teeth of a gale. With sand added. The consensus among the more experienced riders was that this was definitely the toughest Argus they'd ever done. (Does that mean I have to do it again next year to see what it should have been like?) A few years ago they also cancelled because of weather – it was too hot for people to continue safely.
Back to the long saga of today: Having established that the gym whose shower facilities I'd been hoping to use was in the opposite direction to the station, I slung my heavy, uncomfortable and unnecessary tog bag onto my back and wheeled my bike to the station. About halfway along, I stopped to change from cleat shoes into running shoes, so the bag hadn't been entirely unnecessary. (On the other hand, if I hadn't brought it, I could have cycled to the station and wouldn’t have needed the running shoes…) And so one learns. Note to self…
The trains were once again pretty full of bikes, but at least I was able to put mine down on both wheels this time and stand next to it – which meant I could return calls received along the way – and pick up Woody's call when he phoned (at 3:30 Oz time) to see how it had gone. I've been very touched by the many people who called to find out how it had gone. Also very appreciative of the army of marshals, first aiders, physios, medics, driers, communicators, data capturers and other organisers who worked really hard to make this ride possible - and to try to make it as safe as they could. Afterwards they'd have gone around collecting all the protective hay bales, barriers and what not again. People have been so kind and generous with their good wishes and support, which is quite surprising, considering most of us were doing this ride just for our own sakes and not for worthy causes. (Though there were many of those too of course.) The cameraderie among riders was great too – we'd throw quick comments along the way, or get into longer chats when the wind was behind us.
Back on the train, the 8 or so bikes blocking the exits from the carriage made for some interesting challenges when people needed to hop off at the various stations. But all was well and the driver kept a lookout to make sure that the bikes and passengers that weren't meant to be offloaded had a chance to get back onto the train before he pulled away at each station. Carrying the bike down and up the subway steps and then up the stairs at home added a last bit of exercise, just to make sure I had enough.
Stats: Time: 6:21.39 (includes the last bit of wandering along the chutes); Dist: 111.49; Average speed: 17.5; Max speed 58:2 km/h; Calories: 1931 (how does it work that out? Bet it didn’t know about the wind!); Odometer: 802.0 (excludes the walk back from Sea Point to the station). Losses of chain: 2 – or 3? Always uphill, when changing to big 'granny' chainwheel. Fortunately I managed to stop in each case without causing any pileups.
Anyway, my geyser has now warmed up for a long hot bath, and I've boiled some eggs to make the "Moorleigh special" of mashed boiled egg with tomato sauce. Anything else feels too rich. GOOD NIGHT! Am I going to sleep tonight! It's been a long day on about 4 hours' sleep – if that. But tomorrow I see my wonderful chiropractor to sort out the knotty shoulders and back – yay!
Ready to roll!
07 March 2009 at 22:42 We're finally getting there – today was my last pre-race ride, and I took it easy, nursing knees that are threatening to protest. But so far so good.
I was very touched yesterday when several people called to wish me well. Thanks Woods! I hugely appreciated your calling from the other side of the planet and all your kind encouragement, even though I'll take at least twice as long as you ever did to complete the route (assuming I make it). I really hope we get to see you and Sally soon – miss you guys! Thanks also to Sally, Terry, the two Robs (probably not on Facebook though) and Alison for good wishes. And a huge number of strangers at the Expo and in various shops I've visited in the last few days looking for weird things for the ride.
It's been an eventful week, one way and another – having the bike serviced last week, then finding the back wheel flat. Cycle Lab guys very kindly changed that tube for me on Saturday morning & I was able to ride – but the chain kept falling off. On Monday I went back to the shop that had serviced it (Bridge) and they fiddled – but the chain fell off again the first time I tried to change to the top chainring. So off to Epic Cycles this time (they hadn't been able to fit in the service) and they did some more adjusting, but decided a new front derailleur was needed. By Friday afternoon it hadn't arrived and Lance had to leave for George … so they suggested Magnet Cycles. I decided to ride there, spinning along Main Road in low gears. Quite hectic in the heat, but it gave me a chance to try out the new UV-protector sleeves I'd bought at the Expo. It was incredibly hot – has been all week. Anyway, Kurt at Magnet had a suitable derailleur available and fitted it while I waited, saving me the long walk home & back. I popped in at Epic on the way home to let them know that all was well – great relief all round.
A short block later I noticed a devil thorn in the front tyre and absent-mindedly pulled it out at the traffic light – which set off a short but ominous hiss. When I got home that tyre was flat – my second in a week, after none for two years! So back to Epic to get some sludge. I changed the tube (now have two waiting for patches) and put sludge in both, which should be able to deal with any thorns and other minor punctures along the way tomorrow.
This morning's ride was pleasant though pretty hot – I think I only set off at about 9:30 if not 10. Just rode to Westlake through Tokai Forest (as usual), then down to Main Road and up towards Boyes Drive, but turning into the Westlake Golf Course(?) cycle lane to take me back through Tokai.Distance about 28 km. I disconnedted the computer when I got back to Gabriel Road as I'd realised that the waiting in traffic, dismounting etc was adding a lot to the time and lowering my average speed. Sure enough – the average went up to 22.2 – I think it's the first time it's been over 20, and I wasn’t pushing it.
When I got home I took a sweaty self-portrait in my Training Wheels cycle shirt and suddenly felt I was now officially Ready To Roll. A good feeling.
Went to Kommetjie in the afternoon (by Scuta!) to see a friend whose home I've been passing almost every weekend on training rides. On the way there I detoured to get some glue that will stick to polystyrene and some patching solution – the one in my puncture kit has dried up. Ended up getting a new puncture kit and silicone sealant – which doesn't dissolve polystyrene (good), but doesn’t stick to it either (not much use). I was wanting to stick a plastic peak to my (polystyrene) helmet, as I can't get a peak without buying a new helmet.
Back home rather later than intended, I picked up a pasta at St Elmos, which turned out to be mainly chilli and garlic, not the napolitana with asparagus & mushroom I'd ordered. Boo. So I tried to eat the pasta bits with as little sauce as possible. The set to work on the helmet. Had already made a peak from a large yoghurt tub and stuck on strips of velcro so I can get rid of it if it turns out not to work as well as I hope. So now I sewed velcro to the helmet with dental floss; big stitches so as not to weaken the structure. It looks rather weird but seems to work OK. Will see how well the velcro holds up against the wind tomorrow.
Still have to do my bottles, race number etc, so I'd better stop now – am supposed to get a fairly early night, esp as last night was far too hot for sleep. Am also developing quite a headache – hope it goes by morning! Here's wishing all 35 000 of us a great and safe ride tomorrow!
A long(ish) and windy road
28 February 2009 at 23:40 A REALLY long-winded tome today, so here are the stats, in case anyone is really following this… read the rest at your own peril!
Distance 87.31 km; Average speed: 18.1 (same as last week – but fighting the wind for much of the way); Max 54.6 – not sure where that was, as I was braking down OKW; Calories: 1471.5; Odo 656.5, Time 4:47:48.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The weather report yesterday predicted a 45 km/h southeaster today. Tomorrow (Sunday) it's only 35km/h, but a few degrees hotter. So I went with today. … I am now extremely smooooth, having been sandblasted thoroughly for many miles.
It took real dedication to go out today - or maybe it was just fear - fear of having a horrible race day because I kept postponing the training. I'd got to gym on Monday, but not again, having felt pretty feeble all week. On Friday (yesterday - feels like a week ago!) I eventually did the medical thing and got a prescription for a fancier iron supplement than the cheap tablets I've been taking. Not sure it'll make much difference in a week, but it's worth a try.
I'd had my bike serviced on Tuesday and was looking forward to a smooth ride - sans clanking and creaking. But then I woke up (at 4am!) this morning with yesterday's headache unabated and feeling distinctly migraine-ish. So I had a bowl of cereal. (The obvious thing to do at that hour, partly because when my body thinks I'm getting up it always manages to fall asleep particularly well; partly because I realised I might be too nauseous to eat later on. (And was right.))
Woke up again with the alarm at 5:45 and spent the next two hours or so debating whether to take migraine medication in addition to the painkillers. Migril does strange things to the blood vessels and drains all the strength from the muscles, as I discovered on a very embarrassing hike in Jonkershoek once. Eventually decided against it, as I really had to ride today, though not as far as last week. And it wasn't a "really bad" migraine (in which case there would have been no debate).
I'd remembered last night that I had run out of Perpetuem, but found some left-over CarboSupreme from the great Western Cape Bike Ride (George to CT) two years ago. It had had solidified into one tough chunk but was given short shrift by my very zealous high-speed liquidiser. This change in ride food meant much faffing with energy drinks, bars etc this morning, but finally I was ready and ran out of things to do to procrastinate any further.
Then I looked more closely at my freshly serviced bike and noticed that the back tyre was flat. Not just squishy, but so flat that it didn't even bother to hiss when I pressed the valve. Which was doubly strange because I hadn't even ridden it home from the bike shop but cadged a lift from a friend.
For a moment my day seemed a lot brighter as this might really be a valid excuse… then I remembered that I wasn’t looking for an excuse. Yarwell nofine. So I figured out how to use the yellow Chinese foot-pump I'd got for the Vuka and pumped up the tyre. And dawdled a bit to see whether it would go flat again. It didn't, but after half an hour it was definitely softer. It was the back wheel, with no quick-release mechanism, & replacing the tube was not something I wanted to try at home – just as well, as it turned out. So I finally rode off to Cycle Lab in Westlake (very familiar route by now) and asked some of the guys there to help me. Predictably, they ended up doing the whole thing, with me watching to learn. And did they battle! No way could I have got it sorted out myself, even though I had the spare tube.
Crowds of club cyclists had already returned from their early rides – with tales of ferocious wind on Ou Kaapse Weg etc. I debated the alternatives & eventually did go up that route – front of OKW (not quite in granny gear anymore, I was gratified to notice, despite headwind, which turned out not to be too bad after all) and down to Noordhoek on the other side. Unfortunately the usually stunning descent was spoiled by a long string of near-stationary traffic – not sure what that was about, so I rode my brakes all the way down, and mainly on the hard shoulder. With my tyres having been pumped to extremes by the guys in the two cycle shops, I found myself rattled to bits, especially on the shoulder, which is rougher than the rest of the road. I could feel my brain turning to jelly from being whacked against my skull at high frequency, so I pulled off onto a gravel patch and let out a bit of air from each tube. That seemed to help, though the rest of the ride was still pretty hard on the old bod.
A few minutes later, changing to top gear, I dropped the chain. I've become quite seasoned at this now, & it takes just a few seconds to put it back & get back on the bike. Which is fortunate, because the same thing happened six times today. Yho! That definitely needs re-setting, which means another trip to the cycle shop that did the service. The gears are also ticking and whirring and generally sounding unhappy – which makes me unhappy too: it sounds like my energy draining away…
Anyway, the route continued through Kommetjie - rough bit of road there on the hill, but lovely scenery all the way along the sea from Kommetjie & Slangkop lighthouse past Misty Cliffs & Scarborough, after which the road turns inland for a bit. That stretch from Kommetjie to Cape Point had a headwind all the way – and sandstorms for much of the way too. I rode with my right eye clenched shut and my left eyelid blinking and fluttering, and wished my cycling helmet had a full-face visor like the Scuta one. The sand stung quite painfully at times (a reminder of those 80's beach protests when the police "kept a low profile" in their helicopters, blowing sand all over us while we tried to enjoy our illegal 'picnics'). Who needs exfoliants when you can ride through a looong sandstorm? There was sand in my teeth, ears, eyes – and even caked onto my water bottle. (I hate to think what the chain & gears must look like … oops.) The good thing about fighting the wind and sand was that I didn’t notice how hard I was working to pedal against it. No gentle spinning here!
After the turn at Cape Point, the wind was mostly behind me, which was bliss. Soon after Simonstown I hit a few more dust devils and drifting clouds of sand, but that was the last of it. There was major congestion in Kalk Bay, especially around Holy Trinity Church, which was celebrating its annual Fish Fair. Lovely fish braai smells coming from there. I stuck to Main Road, riding on the pavement for the construction stretch in Kalk Bay. David Muller and the Margot-the-Delightful were cycling in the opposite direction and gave a cheery yell.
When I got home (3-ish), I was still covered in a streaky layer of sand, with little black clods in the corners of my eyes. I wiped off the worst of it on the balcony, took the longed-for migraine tablet and passed out (after dutifully doing the most essential stretches) on the dirty & disintegrating balcony couch while I waited for the geyser to warm up for a bath.
Balcony, bath, bed, with the usual weird hallucination-type thought games. I thought of all the sage advice we'd received about the importance of replenishing energy and protein in the first hours after exercise, but there was no way I could eat anything. Just managed to force down a few tiny sips of CarboSupreme – very sweet stuff, not good for nausea!
Finally surfaced at 8 pm & managed to eat a bit. And then, idiotically, spent the rest of the night at the computer. No wonder my brain freaks out now & then. Who can blame her.
Phew – what a tome! This is what happens when I write in a waffly-post-migrainy state of mind.
Night.
Cool weather, long ride - Sat 21/2/09
23 February 2009 at 14:59 Friday was our Training Wheels "graduation", where we all received some last encouragement and goody bags – including a cycling shirt, with another to come at registration. The people who organised this novice programme have been incredibly generous with their time and their gifts – I really appreciate that. So support Cycle Lab, Virgin Active and the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour!
Thanks to Steph's encouragement, I fell out of bed early on Saturday, intending to meet her and a friend in Muizenberg at 6:30. But it was still dark at 6 and I don't trust my lamp (it seems to die when it gets rattled on potholes), so I dawdled a bit and only left at 6:45. Headed along Main Road for a change, meeting dozens of fellow cyclists en route. At Lakeside I turned right up Boyes Drive & along that to check out the scary steep descent into Kalk Bay. It wasn't as bad as I remembered - I just took it very slowly.
Just before Simonstown I miscalculated the position of the bottle cradle, so the bottle (fortunately the smaller of the two I was carrying) got mangled between the back wheel spokes and the gears. I was going quite fast at the time but fortunately managed to stop (and uncleat!) fairly quickly and without mishap. Except that my precious Perpetuem (energy stuff) was leaking out onto the road. I decanted the remainder into the other bottle and continued along Main Road past Smitswinkel and into Cape Point. Unlike last time, I'd remembered my Wild Card and ID (Mountain Club card with pic) this time and was able to go into the reserve. The ride down to the Point itself was very pleasant - a few hills, some fairly flat sections - neither too killing nor too boring. By this time, though, my quads were feeling pretty depleted. So I had a fruit stick and a protein bar plus some more of the Hammer (Perpetuem) paste, and filled up my bottle in the ablution block. Then there wasn't much to do but get back on the bike. The ride from gate to point (parking lot) and back added 26 km to the ride - for future reference. From Plumstead to the entrance gate of Cape Point was 37 km (and to the point exactly 50 km). So I was now on 63 km.
The route continued past the ostrich farm, the various tea gardens & curio shops, Scarborough, Misty Cliffs and then in towards Immhoff. I took all this extremely slowly - most of the route in low gears as I just wasn't feeling strong and knew there was a long way to go yet. Back to Fish Hoek, then walked up from Main Road to Boyes Drive (does anyone ever manage to cycle up that road - it seems too steep to be possible. I've never managed to change gears fast enough around that corner at the bottom! At least this time I managed to uncleat before I came to a halt, unlike last time I tried this, when I ended up in an undignified heap – much to the concern / amusement of many people in cars opposite.) Then back along Boyes Drive, where I seemed to regain some strength, having gulped down the last of the Perpetuem and chewed a protein bar on the walk up.
I took advantage of the rather pleasant newish cycle track through Steenberg Golf Estate (or whatever it's called) to get back to the road through Tokai Forest. Was very tempted to stop at the Barnyard for some tea & munchies, but I was also watching the time, having heard that the Argus has a 7-hour cutoff... and I wanted to check that I could actually make the distance in that time. Stopping for tea would have flattened that possibility, so I pressed on.
I hit the 110 km mark at 1:30 pm, not too far from home; time elapsed: 6h45. Not much to spare! And that was with no crowds of cyclists to worry about and no Chapman's or Suikerbossie. So I have a long way to go if I want to enjoy the ride on the day and have a good chance of making the cut-off. (Stop sniggering, Woody!)
STATS: Total distance: 114 km; time (on computer) 6:17:28; time including breaks - 7 h (including carrying the bike up to the flat & relaxing a bit - I forgot to check earlier); Average speed: 18.1 km/h; Max: 50; Calories: 1746.3; Odo: 566.5.
That was a good ride; my longest so far. I do need to take more energy stuff for the road - get another of those little paste bottles (and organise some more convenient pockets - why do they put them on the back of the cycling shirt and not in front or on the side? I don't get that. Will see if I can't shift them.)
It was very tiring, but I was fine the next day - at least my legs were; my head hurt as it always seems to after unusual exercise. (No, not dehydration - I drank loads!) Eventually it became a migraine, so I took the usual stuff & slept like a log. I was very glad I'd decided to cycle on Saturday instead of Sunday – Saturday was cool & overcast; Sunday was hot again. Phew. Thanks Steph, even though I didn't get to see you guys en route, at least you got me cycling on the cool day! (And we all avoided getting tangled up in the Peninsula Marathon.)
Ride 8 Feb 09
08 February 2009 at 23:20 [Another long tome. These notes are really just a sort of journal for myself, so if you choose to read them, that's at your own risk of total boredom.]
After the gymless week, I set aside this (Sunday) morning to fit in a long ride - aiming at between 90 & 100 km. Note to self: if you go to the organic market & buy a large bag of plums the day before a long ride, do *not* eat half the plums on the same day! Especially if some of them seem a bit suspect anyway.
Last night was a video evening with the movie SIG (special interest group) I belong to, and I timed my (Scuta) ride there perfectly to get soaked to the skin in a sudden cloudburst in Claremont/Newlands. Quite pleasant after the sweltering day, though the ride home a little before midnight was pretty chilly.
Though I tried to get as much sleep as I could, things conspired to prevent that - including some suspicious noises and lights in a car outside, resulting in several phone calls around 1 am and later (false alarm - the car that seemed to be being stolen from our parking area didn't belong to anyone here).
When my alarm did eventually go off, it seemed really important to catch a bit more rest, so by the time I finally got going (somewhat delayed by the effects of the aforementioned suspect plums - or perhaps it was the roti & samoosas from the same market...) it was after 8 - and already HOT!
I took the usual route through Tokai Forest & headed up the front of Ou Kaapse Weg, then had that glorious freewheel down the back and down into Noordhoek. Not as fast as down the front, but 58 nevertheless, which is better than last time on the same route.
From Noordhoek I cut right through Masipumelele to Kommetjie, then up that hill behind Slangkop lighthouse (looks worse than it is) and along the sea past Scarborough & Misty Cliffs - my favourite views - the sea there is always the most incredible blue. By the time I got to the curio places at the top, I was once again feeling the effects of those plums... but I figured I should press on to Cape Point. My legs were feeling somewhat depleted by now - and the little toe knuckle was in agony despite some doctoring of that shoe since the last ride, so I had several reasons to be relieved when the entrance to Cape Point hove into view. I found I'd left my Wild Card (for free entrance to Cape Point's nature reserve) at home, so I couldn't ride inside (they say it's 24 km from the gate to the Point & resaurant). Next time. But fortunately the gatehouse has very pleasant "conveniences", so all was well.
I rested there for about 40 minutes, then headed back the way I'd come, but cutting across from Misty Cliffs to Immmhoff (skipping the Kommetjie corner, where the road is quite rough) and going along Main Road from Fish Hoek to Plumstead instead of tackling Ou Kaapse Weg again. (Too much of a good thing & all that. I don't think my quads would have made it up there again.) Altogether a pleasant ride - taken very slowly, as I was aiming for distance not speed.
Stats:
Time 5:02:00; distance: 95.52 km; Average: 18.9; Max speed: 58.0 km/h; Calories:1511.1 Odometer: 452.2 - at least that's 4 Arguses, so I'm not totally unprepared anymore!
We heard this week that Chapman's Peak (aka Chappies) will be opened for the ride - though very much at our own risk, what with threats of falling rocks etc. That's a relief, as the Chappies route is supposedly a bit easier than the Detour. No idea, though, when they will open Chappies for us to ride on. It's also a bit tricky getting back from there - the Hout Bat/Constantia Nek option is a very narrow road with sudden-drop shoulders, and the alternative via Camps Bay ... well, that lands you in Camps Bat, which is a looong way from home, and the only routes I know back from town are freeways. Maybe it's time to do some exploring by Scuta. The third alternative, of course, it to turn around in Hout Bay and go back over Chappies. Hmmm.
What I learnt today (apart from the plum lesson) is that my SPF20 sunblock appears to have expired. This was not a pleasant thing to discover halfway back from Cape Point, with a quite a stretch in the sun still to go. The sunburn is likely to be a bit ouch for the next two days or so. The fingerless gloves make for quite a weird tan pattern...
Training ride 31 Jan 08
08 February 2009 at 22:10 A bit belatedly: After a pretty hectic stationary cycling session at the gym the previous day (watching the Spanish semifinal of the Australian Tennis Open), I dragged myself out of bed earlyish on Saturday to get to the last training ride with our Training Wheels novice programme. As far as I remember, I lost the chain twice en route, which is my excuse for arriving late (again). We split ourselves up into groups of about six and had a choice between a 'long route' and a 'short route'. I went for the short, figuring that I could always add on more if I had energy left at the end - and getting there & back added 24 km to the official training ride anyway.
From Cyclelab Westlake we headed down to Main Road Retreat, then through Lakeside, Muizenberg etc to Fish Hoek, right at the circle and across to Noordhoek, then the long schlep up Ou Kaapse Weg. I'm not sure I've ever done it this way round - it definitely felt tougher than going up the 'front' (north?) and down the back. It seemed to go on forever, but I plodded up in granny gear and made it, stopping only at the top to wait for the other half of the group to catch up. (We had agreed at the Noordhoek end to take this bit at our own pace.)
I've usually been scared of the fast ride down the front - mainly because of the hairpin bend at the bottom - so was relieved when we decided not to attempt it in a pack but to go at our own pace again. As it happened, there was minimal traffic and few bikes just then, and I felt safe going a lot faster than I had before - max speed was 58.4, & I feel I can go faster next time, as the bend isn't all that tight - as long as one has space and doesn't get bunched in! I suspect riding the Scuta has helped me get used to higher speeds on two wheels - though I'm quite aware that I'm more vulnerable on the bicycle with the lighter helmet and no protection on legs & elbows. And presumably less powerful brakes, though also loss momentum, since the Green Mamba weighs a lot less than the Scuta's 85 kg.
Back at Cyclelab I decided against adding another ride, though I did detour a bit through Bergvliet on the way home.
Stats for Sat 31 Jan:
Distance: 53.55; Average speed: 18.2; Max speed: 58.4; calories: 862.9; Odometer: 356.7
Sunday 1 Feb saw us back at the gym for the last spinning class, which I did in the cardio area as usual, though they seem to have lowered the volume in the spin studio somewhat. This session happened to coincide with the Australian Tennis Open final between Nadal & Federer. When the 90 minutes were up, I couldn't leave those boys to battle it out without my support, so I kept pedalling - through the rest of that marathon match and the presentation of trophies - which was about 3 hours of pedalling. Phew! Fortunately I had a protein bar in my gym bag and a LiftOff tablet in my water bottle to survive that lot.
Feeling very virtuous after three consecutive days of hard work, I then promptly messed up my record by not getting to gym at all duing the week. Oy vey.
A longish ride at last!
26 January 2009 at 16:53 I finally got back on the Green Mamba on Saturday and took a nice long figure-of-8 ride. Up through Tokai Forest as usual, then diverted up Ou Kaapseweg (easy granny gear all the way), down into Noordhoek (at 54.4 km/h - next time I'll try to push that a bit, now that I've reminded myself that the road is quite safe for more speed), across the peninsula to Fish Hoek, down to Cape Point (where I took a 45-minute break to let my left pinkie toe knuckle recover from being mercilessly squashed by the shoe), on through Scarborough & misty Cliffs - stunning aquamarine sea there - cut left after the curios, past Imhoff Farm and back to Fish Hoek; same stretch of road again. I wimped out of the idea of going back via Ou Kaapse Weg or Boyes Drive ... too much of a good thing & all that, so I just headed home along Main Road at a fairly gentle pace. Was pleased to see the distance ticking over to 90 km just as I turned down from Main Road in Plumstead a block or two from my flat.
Distance: 90.4 km. Time: 4:45:54; Average speed: 18.9; Max 54.4; Odometer reading 303.1 - so this one ride added almost 50% onto the existing distance.
I guess I should make it through the Argus. Will make sure I take enough energy stuff - my legs felt rather depleted about halfway though, but were fine by the end (probably because there were no hills on Main Road!) And I'll take that shoe to be stretched - have promised my poor maimed little toe that much.
I did about half an hour's cycling and 2000m rowing at gym this morning, plus stretching and a few machines. If I can lose a few more kg by March, that'll be a few kg less to cart around the route.
Scuta has now ticked over 2500 km... - I'm enjoying both bikes muchly.
One heck of a hill
19 January 2009 at 12:45 Yup - the Training Wheels sessions continued on Saturday morning after a month's break. Some people had cycled religiously every day during the break. I ... hadn't. Ever. Anyway, we set off from Cycle Lab at a crawling pace, turned left at Tokai traffic circle (towards the forest & Manor House - and that nice tea place) - but then left again and onto a loooong stretch of hill that grew steeper. And steeper. After much doubt, sweat and concern about the likelihood of heart attacks, I made it to the top of that hill, thanks to the granny gear. Only to see that a very short downhill was followed by another long hill up to the left. Which may have been even steeper. Much self-talk about mountain goats, easy granny gears etc, more wondering about how much an ageing heart can take, but eventually I made it to the top where we gathered, caught our breaths and headed down again, clutching our brakes. It was rather gratifying to see some people still struggling up the first steep bit as we came down.
It's a looong time since I've felt that exhausted, but that's a useful training hill to know about (Zwaanswyk, though no sign of any swans) - just in case I ever get wildly enthusiastic and think I'm fitter than I was then. One guy came short on the way down and seemed to have landed on his head. Hope he's OK.
Distance: 39.2 km (includes the 12 km each way getting to Cycle lab & back); Max 47.8; Odo 212.7.
Ja, I guess I'd better put in some distance on the Green Mamba before tackling the Argus! At this rate I'll have done less than three times the length of the race in total by the time the day comes.
Then yesterday (Sunday) was the 'spinning class' & as usual now I pedalled outside the spin studio, but joined in the final stretches. I pushed myself hard & was pretty done in by the end (90 minutes later), but still went on to do some rowing, more stretching etc. Felt good - as it always does once the exercise is over!
I really appreciate the Training Wheels programme - there's no way I'd push myself to do these things on my own.
Training wheels start tuuurning again...
16 January 2009 at 20:21 Thanks, Woods, for those comments [on Facebook]. We've had a month's break from the novice programme, but start up again tomorrow. It's about 7 weeks to the Argus - oops! Anyway, there's a training ride at the crack of dawn tomorrow - have pumped up the tyres , which were bearing rather flat testimony to the lapse in cycling since mid-December.
Then a spinning class on Sunday. (Though I pedal in the cardio area just outside the spin studio - can't handle the incredible noise volume inside. Am I the only one whose ears still work?)
Haven't bothered to report on gym sessions - too boring. Though I have tried to fit in a workout on alternate days. Actually more like twice a week. Toodlepip till tomorrow. Hope I can get an early night.
A few updates
10 December 2008 at 17:38 I haven't written for a while, so here's my log of the last few cycling sessions:
Saturday 6 Dec saw us all back at Lakeside for another training session at CycleLab. As usual I was well warmed up by the time I got there after the 12 km ride up through Tokai Forest. It's gratifying to notice that the 'killer' hills are no longer so daunting & I don't need the granny gear for the hill after Saddler's Bend any more. So I must be doing something right. But slim and svelte I am NOT!
The group ride was fairly easy - both Steph & I were in the 'slow' group, which went v e r y slowly indeed most of the time. The main aim was to get us used to riding in a pack without gaps. Stats show this was the slowest, easiest ride yet - we're slacking!
06/12/2008 – Time: 2:10:12; Dist: 38.82 Average speed: 17.8; Max: 45.8; Cal: 572.4; Odometer:173.5
The actual outride was only abut 15 km; the rest was getting there and back. (So there are definite advantages to not having a car.)
Sun 7 Dec: The spinnning session was pretty heavy going, though I decided to spare my ears by pedalling in the aerobic area outside the spin studio. even there it was pretty loud. I dutifully pedalled as hard as I could (in the max heart rate range or one block below) fro the full 90 minutes, after which I was pretty pooped. Felt good though.
That was the last official session for the year, but I'll probably take a longish road ride tomorrow or on Friday. Went to gym last night and am heading that way again this evening. Once I'm there I quite enjoy it - it's the getting there that's almost impossible.
Burger Cyce Tour done
30 November 2008 at 21:11 Yup - it went well & I enjoyed the ride - and also the ride to and from Stellenbosch on the Scuta. Especially the ride there - early morning, cool & beautiful, with mist rising from dams and meadows. And minimal traffic, apart from cars with bikes on the back, heading for the same event.
All the 'Training Wheels" people were in one group - the last bunch to leave on the 44 km route. The long schlep up Helshoogte for the first 8 or 9 km was the worst, but I was pleased to see that I could make it up (albeit in granny gear) and didn't need to walk. Popped the chain off twice, but fortunately both times on a downhill, so it was no problem getting started again. It was generally a very enjoyable ride - with lovely scenery and not too many steep hills after Helshoogte. I was glad, though, that we were doing only the 44 km and not the full 98!
The finish was a bit puzzling to us ignoramuses - we went through a massive inflated arch & thought that was it ... only to discover that the actual finish was about half a block further down the road. Then we all milled around for a bit before discovering we were supposed to continue for another few blocks and around some corners to where they had medals & Cokes (or whatever - I was happy to stick with the water in my bottles.) I guess the onlookers were a bit bored by then and didn't feel like directing us.
Thanks to fellow Training Wheeler Steph, who took my bike to Stellenbosch and will return it on Wednesday. It was good to have someone to look out for along the way and to celebrate with at the end.
This time I put my bike computer in my bag to prevent it from resetting itself - but when I looked at home, all I got was the odometer reading - again! (Bad design there, since the reset button is so exposed that it resets for no reason...) So I have no idea what my time was, or my max speed, which I'd have been interested to see. I think it got to about 57 at one stage, but I can't read units while riding, so that may have been something else. Ah well, it matters not. Odometer now on 134.7, which means today's ride was a total of 48 km (excluding the bit to get from the car to the start, when I hadn't attached the computer).
Enough. Am glad to have made it though my first cycle tour without falling off, causing anyone else to come off, or having to walk hills.
Outride
29 November 2008 at 10:27 Note to self: Do not put the bike computer in your back pocket and then sit in a car...
Yup - it reset itself, but at least I have the odometer reading, which is now at 86.7. So today's ride was 32.4, most of it very slow as we were in a loooong single file weaving through Tokai Forest, around Bergvliet (discovered some new roads there) and back through the forest up to Westlake. Very enjoyable, apart from losing my chain at the bottom of the hill near Peddlars on the Bend & had to walk up most of the hill until it got reasonably flat enough to get back on the bike.
Kind Steph (fellow novice) has taken my bike home and will meet me with it in Stellenbosch tomorrow morning - and bring it back again afterwards. So at least I don't need to cycle to Stellenbosch and back either side of the race itself.
Wondering how Ray's Sani Stagger went this morning...
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more gym...
26 November 2008 at 22:30 No road cycling for ages, but I did push myself to gym again and pedalled as hard as I could for a solid hour.
Apparently the weather forecast for Saturday is rain.... I'm not looking forward to an outride in the pack in the rain. But better news is no rain forecast for Sunday - race day. Am not looking forward to attempting Helshoogte with a crowd of other novices. Trouble is, once you stop and walk it's very difficult to get back on the bike on such a steep hill. And it's a loooong one, so I could spend the entire morning walking up it.
Will try to amble up very slowly in granny gear. I'm allowed to do that - when my mom was my age, she had three grandsons aged 7, 5 and 3, so I can surely claim granny status and privileges!
I think there are about two dozen of us who are hoping to cycle the entire race 'right at the back' to avoid the crowds.
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Just gym
23 November 2008 at 23:28 I didn't get to cycle this weekend - too distracted by other interesting stuff, but did get to gym this afternoon, where I pedalled hard for about an hour. Am still feeling very unfit - I hit "high heart rate" in no time and spend the rest of the time there - or just below. Enjoyed watching some tennis & soccer while cycling ... that's the good thing about no thaving TV at home - gym becomes a way of catching up on entertainment! I also did some cycling & rowing at gym sometime last week - Thursday night, I think, but forgot to record it because I had such a holiday-day on Friday.
Burger on Sunday - am not looking forward to the schlep up Helshoogte! Nor have I figured out how to get my bike there and back yet, though I have a vague plan.
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Mini-holiday
22 November 2008 at 11:50 My odometer ticked past 1400 km yesterday - on the Scuta, not the bicycle!
I took a (Scuta) ride round Camps Bay way yesterday, after an appointment in Sea Point. It was a stunning day, & rolling up the jeans to walk along the water's edge made it a mini-holiday. We need to do these things more often! I had a light lunch at one of the beachfront cafes & watched the cloud suddenly come crawling down over the mountain - but when I got back to the city bowl it was all sunny again.
I popped in at AnglicanAids on my way home and found my former colleagues nose-to-the-grindstone as ever. And I was glad to have the day to bumble about. Life's too short to be tied constantly to a desk.
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Training Wheels Sunday 16 Nov
17 November 2008 at 15:44 Next on the agenda was a 90-minute spinning class yesterday. Of all the things oon offer at gym, spinning is my least favourite. (That's a kind way of saying I HATE spinning.)
The noise is deafening (& I had a headache from the previous day's exercise - today I have a headache from yesterday's exercise.. and so it goes until I get fit.) I took earplugs this time, which helped, and gave myself permission to do what I could and ignore the shouting from the front and the imagined hill climbs, sprints, breakaways etc etc. Heck, I have no intention of winning the Argus, just want to enjoy it and finish. But 90 minutes of non-stop pedalling on an extremely uncomfortable saddle is not my favourite way of spending a Sunday lunch time. Added to that, I was overtheating - my head felt like a pressure cooker, and the feeble fans on the front wall hardly managed to waft their little breezes to the middle, where I was sitting. Eventually I squirted water from my water bottle on my head and rubbed it through my hair - i imagined the steam rising with a hiss, but it wasn't audible in that din.
Anyway, no doubt all this is Good For Me, and since I've committed to this course, that means I will be doing these spinning classes whenever they come up on the schedule - but I'll be very surprised if I ever find myself there voluntarily. I enjoy the cycling, just not the trappings of noise and competitiveness. And the bikes in the cardio area have more comfortable saddles and let me watch TV at reasonable volumes.
Nothing scheduled for next weekend, then a ride on Saturday and the Burger on Sunday. Seems a bit crazy to exhaust us the day before a race, but that's the way the programme is.
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CycleLab Cycing Clinic 15/11/08
15 November 2008 at 17:21 A sore shoulder/neck from yesterday's tumble made it difficult to sleep, but I was up bright & early to cycle to Westlake for the session at 7:30. We divided up into groups that rotated through three sections: Theory (how to change hears properly, cornering, riding in a pack... can't remember what else); some practice on the road (just around the business park, practising uncleating & stopping, cornering, some signals - like patting one's left bum cheek to indicate that there's a parked car ahead! - safe following and overtaking) - this session was helpful as there wasn't much else for me to do but practise clicking in and uncleating at many stop streets! And learning that if I uncleat the right foot, I need to lean RIGHT! (Yes, I know, but somehow I've got it wrong a lot of times - and had the bruises to show for it. On the Scuta, I use the right foot to brake, so the left foot is the one that goes onto the road.) Then off to the puncture repair session, which wasn't really about puncture repair but about replacing tubes (and how to remove and replace wheels to do that). Some useful tips there.
We mooched around the shop for a bit - I was looking for glasses with interchangeable clear and shaded lenses, but discovered that the cheapest were R800... I'd rather put that towards the very nice office chair (back-friendly, custom-made, recommended by chiropractors etc) I'm considering and stick with the glasses I have, even though it means carrying a spare (clear) pair with me if I cycle in the afternoon & might end up coming home in the dark. The ride home was fine - I could feel the effects of the unaccustomed exercise yesterday and earlier in the morning.
Am still pretty bushed (after attending a very interesting environmental day at my church) and about to have a quick nap before heading out again to join a small group for a video. Not looking forward to the spinning class tomorrow!
Nevertheless, I'm enjoying this lark a lot more than I expected - some people there have hardly ridden at all, some have borrowed bikes with cleat pedals and are even less used to them than I am; the Cycle Lab people are very helpful and patient and there's a great spirit of cameraderie and welcome all round. In addition to the goodies given by Virgin Active last week (gym towels with zip-up pockets, water bottles and the 'red books' of tips etc and a record/programme to be stamped at every session), Cycle Lab has given us discount vouchers valid for all purchases from now until the Argus. Excellent PR all round. They have an ongoing cycling club - with beginners' training - that meets every Saturday morning - something to consider for after the Argus.
Stats:11/15/2008 –
Time: 2:56:11; Dist :30.43 Average speed: 18.5; Max: 48.7; Cal: 832.8; Odometer:54.3
Ride to Westlake 15/11
14 November 2008 at 23:28 Yup - I eventually got going around sunset, after setting up my little bike computer to keep track of distances etc. Up through Tokai Forest to Westlake Cycle Lab, mainly to check out the route for tomorrow morning & see how long it takes to get there, but also to getthe feel of the bike again after many months of no cycling.
I was really scared at first - the bicycle felt extremely weird, high and spidery after a few months on the Scuta - but similar enough to be confusing to my (mental & physical) autopilot, e.g . right hand means front brake on the Scuta but back brake on the bicycle - and I kept looking for rear-view mirrors! (Back on the Scuta after the bike ride, I kept wanting to uncleat my feet before putting them on the ground or pressing the (foot)brake. Guess I'll get used to the difference.)
The cleat shoes caught me out again, about a (long) block from my destination - I fell over when I stopped at the Westlake Boulevard robots with my left foot still attached to the pedal stub. Rather inelegant recovery as I had to swing my butt over the handlebars to get out under the bike. But fortunately nobody ran over me & I was able to cycle on. My shoulder took a jolt as I landed on my hand - another job for my excellent chiropractor this week! (Hello Lynda - be warned!) But I should be able to make tomorrow's training session.
Stats: Dist: 23.92 km; max speed 48.7; time 1:15; Av 19.1
Training Wheels
14 November 2008 at 13:58 Inspired by my nephew Ray in Underberg, who is logging his training runs as he prepares for some crazy run up the Berg, I've decided to do something similar with the Training Wheels programme I've joined. This is a programme for novices who have entered for next year's Argus Cycle Tour (Or Pick 'n Pay Argus etc, to be proper & correct). I suspect I'm about the least fit in the group (and one of the "oldies"), but since Cycle Lab & Virgin Active have taken it upon themselves to help us get fit enough to complete the trip, it seems to make sense to go for it.
So far we've had one orientation/spinning class, last Sunday. There were three challenges for me: the deafening noise level, the very uncomfortable saddle on the spinning bike (much worse than my own bike, the trusty 'Green Mamba') and of course the lack of stamina and strength in my legs, which have done little else than sit at the desk for the past few months.
Tomorrow we have an early meeting at Cycle Lab in Westlake - fortunately a resonably cyclable distance from here. Hope they don't torture us too much in the 2-3 hours allocated! And another spinning class on Sunday. Will take earplugs this time and sit at centre back, which is supposed to be the "quietest" spot.
But now I need to dust off and check out my bike and take a ride out towards Westlake to get an idea of the time it will take tomorrow. And try to get used to the cleat shoes and pedals again, preferably without falling over each time I need to stop suddenly!
Another challenge coming up soon will be how to get my bicycle to the beginning of the Burger Fietstoer in about two weeks' time. That's somewhere in the norther suburbs, and I'm definitely not cycling there and back - especially with the race starting somewhere around sunrise... Perhaps I can put some wide-winged training wheels on the Green Mamba and tow it behind the Scuta... or prevail upon others in the group who have double cyle racks to give it a lift there.
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