Halfway!!

Well we are halfway now.This race is hard hard hard!The heat has been unreal, touching 41degrees at some points.trying to drink enough water and fuel the body has been tough and as a result no food means no energy.But nevertheless we are here and have survived….so far!Tomorrow is long at 143kms and the day after has the most climbing so we’re in for a challenge!on a positive the scenery is amazing, some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen anywhere in the world!Don’t think we’ll get a chance to update again until the end so hopefully the next blog is with our finishers medals!Till sunday…

We’ve arrived!!!

Landed safe and sound.Bikes are built and been tested with a small run down to Camps bay for a coffee.Cape Town delivered sun for us and our sponsered jerseys have arrived.Sitting here in Camps Bay and watching some of the best pro mtb riders in the world roll by.5 hour rides in the January rain seem a lifetime away. Lots of hard work ahead though but for now, its a short ride back to base camp for a shower and an sunset drive over chapmans to the brass bell in Kalk bay.I think we may even have a beer.Happiness…..

Off we go!

So the moment has arrived!all packed up,inventories checked a million times,bikes packed, think we’re good to go.whatever we left behind will have to get in SA.Zane batted his eyelids at the check in auntie and we’re through with 20 kgs over!Awesome.Now…a beer for the road….

The Fear!

This race has been an emotional roller-coaster and we aren’t even at the start line yet! Hell – 3 of us haven’t even made it to SA’s sunny shores yet!

The sense of excitement is building in all of us as the clock ticks down to the start. There have been a few lows during the long, cold winter training months (Did I mention cold?) Great laughs (usually at Zane’s expense – sorry bro!) A feeling of uncertainty at not being able to train in conditions that will replicate the race (Heat & dust – what are these foreign terms?) and then a quiet sense of confidence as the legs (& heart) respond well to key tests and hard training sessions slowly become a little less painful. Collectively these emotions are know as “The Fear!”

Bikes are almost 100% prepared. We have researched the deepest depths of the internet & interrogated anyone who might shed some light on what to expect. Tire choice, bike hardware & cycle clothing have been carefully chosen to get us to the finish. Last-minute orders of Energy bars & gels and Energy juice arrive after much consideration and field testing and lists checked and double checked to make sure nothing is forgotten.

The hard training is now behind us. We are now in the “Taper” period of our training programmes. This is the time when our bodies recover from those long, hard efforts. Shorter, higher intensity efforts replace our usual fare of long, hilly rides and we have a few more rest days than at any time in the last few months. This will ensure we get to the line with optimum fitness and fully fresh (mentally & physically!)

With 14 days to go there is not much time left. But just long enough to plug the charity we are supporting! We are trying to raise £707 (a pound for each kilometre that we will race!) and need all the help we can get!!! Please help us to raise some money for such a worthy cause – Vimba. Please head over to our Charity page to help us alone our way.

Stu

17 Days to go.. a quick update!

Well the last minute preparations are happening at a furious pace.. There’s seems so much to remember!! Every blog I read and every person I speak to suggests another must have item.. I’m going to need a 18 wheeler truck to get everything I need down to the start.

The last big training rides have been done, a few efforts up Sani Pass. Was fun staying at the backpackers with Murray, Helen, Don, Claudia and Claire. Although some people seem to be better at 30 seconds than others hee hee.. A really hard mtb race in Underberg on the Sunday (i’m seriously not designed to ride in mud, I seem to sink quicker than most other people) and a 4hour legendary ride with Murray and my dad following us in the car on Monday. We really felt like pro’s, thanks ballie

I spent my birthday waking up at 4am to fly to Joburg to get to a meeting in Secunda, but celebrated with a chocolate chip yogurt in the bed and breakfast.. The sacrifices that are being made are unheard of!!!!!! Although the 2 rest days have been great..

Just a note we are supporting a charity for the ride during the epic, please have a look and if you’re feeling flush then please support Vimba http://www.justgiving.com/vimba-cape-epic

The jerseys are being made after much debate about the sizes to get. Thanks Greg at Cyclesphere for helping us with these. We are going to be looking pretty sharp when we line up at the start. We’ve been given our prologue start time its at 9:14.40, so have look out for us on tv.  

I’m down 16kg from when we first decided to do this crazy adventure, so feeling good, just got another 3 or so to go and i’ll be race ready.

So thats the quick update done, no funny stories this time because i’m in serious race mode ha ha…

Cheers G

Thank you, Squirt !

A delivery from our ever generous and awesome sponsors arrived on my desk earlier this week. Some much needed bike wash, degreaser, headbands, stickers and the best lube you will ever find!

This stuff is honestly the best chain lube we have ever used, I’ll never use anything else again..

Dont just take my word for it,  check out this glowing review from Singletrack: http://singletrack.competitor.com/2011/01/bikes-tech/tested-squirt-lube_12744

Thanks again guys

Sore legs, tired minds and the last push!

Over the last few weeks we’ve been training hard here in the UK. We’ve seen every form of precipitation known to man, from freezing sleet to soft drizzle, thick gooey mud to black ice and snow, you name it we’ve ridden in it! We’ve had rides where our hands and feet have been numb for hours, we’ve huddled in more coffee shops and eaten more cake in the last 2 months than we usually do the entire year, although Stu usually keeps the cake diet up throughout the year(its all about consistency!). Stu and I have watched Zane change enough punctured tubes to fill the Kimberly hole and I’ve drunk enough energy juice to keep me going through to July. The people we live with have gotten used to us falling asleep at 7pm on a Saturday after 6hours in the saddle as well as the constant deliveries of supplies through the door. That new box of energy gel/bars just doesnt hold the same excitement for us that they did in November! No doubt its been a hard slog…. But along with all this self inflicted punishment has come levels of fitness usually reserved for July. Hills have become easier, accelerations are faster and now the 3 of us are able to inflict some pain on others that occasionally join us for a ride. As Stu likes to say, “Now we’re the hammer and not the nail!”. Its a good feeling.

 

We’re into the last push now. Training calls for 2 days in Wales this weekend for some much needed skills work and back to back mountain bike rides. We’re all excited and motivated to get this done now so we can start the taper part of the training, and reread the Cape Epic route descriptions for the 100^th time.

 

In other news…We’ve decided to try and raise some money for Vimba. Vimba are a charity thats doing some fantastic work for children in Zimbabwe. The charity has grown to the point where they now supply over 150 children with food and schooling. Vimba and the 4 of us would greatly appreciate a donation no matter how small to along them to continue and grow the good work they are doing. Go to http://www.justgiving.com/vimba-cape-epic/