Jon Gericke

New Focus

2011-12-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you might have worked out by now that the focus has shifted from running Comrades 2012. I am now aiming for a sub-3 hour Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour in March. With that in mind, I have been on the lookout for a training programme to send me on my way. I have used my Polar fitness system but since then I have moved onto a Garmin device on my bike, and that doesn't have a proper programme. Then I found FitTrack. It's a South African site that supplies semi-personal training programmes for specific events. Some you have to pay for and some you get for free. I am on the 16-week, racer programme ahead of the Cycle Tour and let me tell you, it's going to be tough.

For the first time in my cycling "career" I am getting really tired. In the old days I would simply not ride the next day if I was feeling a bit low but with a programme, that becomes less of an option. Sure, there are rest days, but the point is to push the body harder and harder. That is where a good recovery drink comes in. I was lucky enough to be given "Rapid Recovery" from Evox, the energy drink sponsors of Western province rugby. Today, I tried it for the first time and was very pleasantly surprised. I have been using their Lean Pro for some time now and I love it. I have lost over 20kgs in the process.

I feel that Evox are the best value for money product on the Dischem shelves. The Mango Punch flavour Rapid Recover tub claims to have 20 servings, which is a full month's worth a the rate I am riding.

After a tough 2 1/2 hour ride, I am feeling great. Normally about now I would be lying dead in front of the TV and not feel like doing anything. I did that this weekend and I still regret it.

I guess the proof of the pudding is in the riding and tomorrow will be the true test. Will I be able to do the same thing again and not feel too bad?

I do have a few questions which I hope you will be able to answer:
1: Does one take a recovery drink after EVERY ride?
2: Does one really need one?
3: How much do you pay for your recovery drink?

Keep coming back to find out...

Lazy ASS!!!

2011-04-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

I have done nothing for a week. Okay, most of you have been on holiday, but I haven't. In fact, I have been working quite hard. I am going to blame the start of winter. The mornings are quite chilly these days and going for a run or ride is the last thing I want to do.

I woke up the other day realising how much I have to do ahead of this years Double Century which is in November. If I am to lead out the team, then I am going to have to put in some miles this winter. I want to do many 100km rides and even a couple of 200's just to be ready! Then there is this silly Comrades idea...

Help me get motivated, PLEASE!

Comrades 2012, Some Training Day

2011-04-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Got on my bike this morning. I haven't really ridden in anger since the Cycle Tour in March.There was that ill-fated mountain bike race where my brakes stopped working so that one doesn't count.

The ride was one of those where you think you aren't going to go far but land up going further than you thought was possible. I did the regular HP ride out Muldersdrift then up to Beyrs. Along there, down to Kloofzicht and back home. Short little 2 hours trip.

Tomorrow I need to run again.

Comrades 2012, Day 9

2011-04-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is tougher than it looks. I would love to be a pro athlete. Someone who wakes up and trains then eats, then trains, then goes to sleep. Work and life tend to get in the way of a real person. Big ups to those Vets who have real jobs and still compete with the best.

Today was an early shift at the Channel where we broke the news that a WGC event is coming to South Africa in 2012. I think that that is the end of the Nedbank Golf Challenge. I do hope that the first WGC event is held at Sun City. It is, by far, the best golf course near Johannesburg and it is just a great place to have a world class tournament. Any of the other Johannesburg venues just don't make sense to me. We will wait and see.

As for training for Comrades 2012, that went badly. I could have run, but didn't. Instead, I baked my new fantastic 3-minute-brownies. LOVE EM.

Tomorrow I will go for a ride on the bike. Haven't done that for a while and it should be fun.

Comrades 2012, Day 8

2011-04-11T06:22:00.001-07:00

Life is getting in the way. No training today. Maybe tomorrow.

loled.net :: funny lol pictures

2011-04-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

I tried this brownie recipe.

It seemed to work.

Let me know how it goes for you!

loled.net :: funny lol pictures

Comrades 2012, Day 7

2011-04-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

One week done towards Comrades 2012. I didn't train today. I was supposed to run 8.4km again but just had no motivation. There was the Grand Prix and then the Paris-Roubaiux to watch, so it was a very unproductive day.

I made pizzas and had some wine. But that is what Sundays are for.

Tough work week ahead with some fun training to come.

Comrades 2012, Day 6

2011-04-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Rest day today. Did some work in the morning and a birthday party in the afternoon that landed up being quite hard work.

My Nike+ coach isn't loading this evening, so I don't know how far I have to run tomorrow. Hope it's not too far.

While I am writing, I am watching the opening coverage of the Masters. Do commentators really have to refer to "a really great golf shot"? Surely, if he is playing golf, the it MUST be a golf shot. That is like saying that it was a great rugby pass, or a football save. Love commentators on TV, don't you?

Comrades 2012, Day 5

2011-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

I need to learn to pace myself.

12.5km today, or close to it, which isn't too bad for week one of training.

My problem is that I start way too fast. Looking back at my running on Nike+ I see I started off at around 5'45" a kilometre. My last few k's were run at 7'30". If I started at 6' a kilometre, then I should be able to maintain. It's not the fitness as much as muscle fatigue. It's a strange feeling. I am not tired, just sore.

Speaking of sore, I got my first foot issues today. The inside of my big toe knuckle felt like a little blister was forming on both feet. As I sit here, they are a little tender and red and this could be trouble later down the road. I am sure that they will harden up and toughen up but it was getting a little uncomfortable today.

One question for you: How do I look after my nipples? I have a fantastic Nike shirt that keeps me very cool. The problem with that is that my nipples tend to harden as I cool down. The shirt then rubs on my nipples and making it quite painful. Would a simple plaster work?

Tomorrow is a rest day but I will be in a conference all day for work. I was supposed to host my son't 10th birthday party but I guess he will always have another one. NOT!

Comrades 2012, Day 4

2011-04-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today the training programme told me to do 4.82km. I was joined today by GE whom I met at his new house. We lives in what we thought was a flat area. Not so much, as it turns out. Although, I must admit that it was flatter than Northcliff where he used to live.

Running with someone is certainly different. One tends to talk and breathing becomes more laboured. It was cool to forget that I was running and was with my mate.

I also found out on my Nike+ watch that I have run almost 90km since getting the gadget. It also adds up the weekly distance. From what I understand, that is how runners see how far they are going. Unlike cycling which tends to be time in the saddle, running is all about the distance.

I am also being followed on Twitter by @RunLikeCrazy. This guy did 52 marathons in 52 weeks!!!! Make me feel a little small.

Tomorrow is a tough day. 12.87km is on the diary. That is a long way. It sounds silly, but that's an eight of a Comrades!

Comrades 2012, Day 3

2011-04-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

Today is "rest day". It's athlete talk for a day that one doesn't have to do anything. If you read the books and the websites, it is the day that your body actually gets stronger after being punished the day before. Whatever it does, it means that I don't have to run today. I was thinking of going for a little coffee ride but the weather in Johannesburg is just plain yecch, so no.

My training partner, GE, is in too, which is good news. Now all I need to do is pull some more favours and I think we are a-away to run next year's race.

Tomorrow I am due to run 4.82km with a 13km run on Friday. Two days in a row is going to be fun.

Comrades 2012, Day 2

2011-04-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

They say it's a race that every South African needs to do. I am going to do it. But how?

My good friend and colleague, Perfect Pete, decided over new year that he wanted to get a six pack. Every man wants one because women think that it's sexy. So Pete started a blog to tell folks about his six pack plans and how he was going about it.I have decided to do that same thing. What I need from you is some motivation. Some comments, some help and some advice. If you have run a Comrades, previous experience is fantastic and anything you could tell me would be great.

My friend, Mike Finch, of Runner's World said that I am starting to train a little early. I believe that it is never too early to start training. On that thought, I have started a training programme from Nike+. I am sure that most training programmes are much the same but this one keeps track of just about every aspect of your run and keeps you motivated. I am loving it.

So I typed in the I would like to run a marathon and it spat out a programme for me to follow. If all goes well, on the 16th of September 2011, I will have run a marathon in pretty good time. The step from there will be to increase and run the Comrades, all 89km of it, in May 2012.

Today I ran 8.3km. It's a start. My legs are sore and I had to walk three times. Tomorrow is a rest day and then I am due to run 4.5km. Saturday is going to be a bitch as I need to run just short of 13km in one go. That will be the furthest I have run, ever!

I hope that you join me on my journey.

Oh, while you are at it, please click on one of the adverts on the this page. it costs you nothing but it does help me a little to keep this page and my lifestyle going.

Here is to running!

Practice what you preach

2011-04-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

Finally, people are starting to agree with me. It's not a popular opinion, people are very against change. One of the comments below the story says that changing a captain mi-stream ahead of the Rugby World Cup is not a good idea.

Simple solution really, keep Smit on as a "coaching consultant". If you watch a rugby match these days, you will see the kicking coach standing next to the kicker as he takes aim at the posts. Why not have John Smit run on every time there is a break in play with a water bottle. There he can made the calls, give those speeches and do everything he already does, just without having to actually play.

Practice what you preach: "The time has come for John Smit to step down as captain of the Springboks, writes News24 User Rugbymal."

Turn it Around - Together we can

2011-04-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting website today. Turn it Around - Together we can. It's a site where people can report a crime in South Africa. One would immediately that that is negative but if you look at it another way, it can be a good thing.

We get very little crime info from the cops and this is a good way of keeping track of where crimes in South Africa are happening.

One can also give tip offs on where a crime is going to happen, should you be in the know.

Check it out and let's start doing something about it.

Ban Bakkies for Life

2011-03-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was on the sports desk when the news came through that Bakkies Botha had been cleared of dangerous play against the Stormers in the Super Rugby match played at the weekend. On any shift, we have the output, that would be me, a writer and the anchor. We sometimes have more, but that is what we had last night. As a group we were shocked that Bakkies was cleared. It was the first time I had seen the incident in question when we ran the story. We showed a slow motion of the "tackle" for which Bakkies had just been cleared.

Trying to describe it here would not do the assault justice. Suffice to say, Bakkies grabbed his opponent around the neck and almost ripped his head off. Failing that, Bakkies fell on top of his opponent, nearly bending him in half with a chance of a broken spine of some sort. The SANZAR officer felt that it was not a dangerous tackle and Bakkies is a free man to assault another rugby player again next week.

Bakkies has a reputation for being a dirty player. He has been quoted as saying that the aggression on the field gives him goosebumps. Sadly, it's not just a Bakkies thing. I have been in a pub as the Stormers were playing a Super Rugby match and a fight broke out on the field. The men in the pub cheered louder than any other play on the field. South Africans seem to get off on the pain of other rugby players on the field.

As a schoolboy it was much the same. Blood was everywhere and bots were flying. It wasn't so much the A and B teams but the lower ranks where the dirty play would be found. This is the same for a player like Bakkies. Last night I wasn't allowed to say it on the TV but today I can say it here:

BAKKIES BOTHA IS A THUG AND SHOULD BE BANNED FOR LIFE!

The man is not a rugby player, he is simply a thug who tries his best to hurt other players on the field. The best rugby players in the World don't need to do that, they seem to have skill and fitness. Daniel Carter, Naas Botha, John Smit, Johnny Wilkinson come to mind. None of them have been banned from the game for weeks because of an assault on another player.

It's time that South African rugby pulled themselves towards themselves and fixed our already tarnished reputation.

My First Spruit Ride

2011-03-21T05:22:00.000-07:00

The graphic above is my first experience of "The Spruit" in Johannesburg. 29km of mud and fun. It is a very popular route and I had heard about for ages. When my mate asked me to join him, I agreed happily, then it started to rain. As a roadie I don't like mud. I prefer the speed and wind of a road bike, the challenge of a long climb and the joy of not falling down. Today was different.

We met at Fratelli's near in Blairgowrie and road up, as you can see in the map, towards the Botanical Gardens. It is a fantastic ride. There were other riders, runners, walkers and people walking their dogs all along the route. I had heard all those scare stories about bike high-jackings and it's sad to say that they must b true. If it wasn't for the crime along the route, which I did not experience, the Spruit could be one of the most amazing green areas in the World.

There were some tricky spots and the mud didn't make it any easier. At times we would just head off into the grass on the side of the single track to make for an easier ride. The technical section in the botanical gardens was a toughy and as I can't do roots, I would get off often. I discovered later that there was always an out from the tough bits, as people of all abilities ride the area.

On the decent from Alberts Farm, I fell down. I have an issue with my front wheel getting into a rut and I can't get it out. That same thing led to the second fall, right at the end of the ride. Why is it that we fall right at the end? I have a cool graze down my left side now, the chicks will dig it.

Along the way, we stopped for coffee with what felt like 30 other riders. It's a great way to experience Johannesburg in a completely different way. I even know now what the dirt tastes like.

Australia Lose

2011-03-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Australia lost to Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup. A match that didn't have very much meaning as both sides had already progressed to the quarter-finals. Are we surprised? I think not! Pakistan are famous for match fixing and Australia's history is also filled with a match-bet or two.

Now I am not saying that the match was fixed, but I am suggesting it. If I was an Australian, I wouldn't have cared much about yesterday's result. In fact, lookig at the tables, maybe a second place is a better finish.

I have long said that teams should plan their knockout phases better. How many times have we seen a team go on to win all their matches but lose to their "bunny" team in the final rounds? The Sharks have done it many times.

In a way, I think Australia's loss was a good thing, now they can go on to win the tournament. Like Shaun pollock said the other day, does one really want to go through a tournament unbeaten?

Cricket World Cup

2011-03-16T09:06:00.001-07:00

At wok today, one of my writers and I were talking about the ICC Cricket World Cup. Both of us agreed that we have no real interest in what is happening in India and Bangladesh as I type this. We are sport journalists; it’s out job to follow sport, so maybe that is part of the problem. We see so much every day that we become a little jaded. I imagine that the average sports fan will work from Monday to Friday and catch some sport over the weekend when his or her spouse allows them to. We, on the other hand (Darren) get to watch sport all of the time. One must also note that it’s not just one sport, it’s all of them.

Maybe this is why, with Champions League, Cycle Tours, Super Rugby and Six Nations on the go, the ICC Cricket World Cup comes in a lowly position in a sport bulletin. Sure, we cover South Africa and we have people in India but do we really care what is happening right now?

As I type this, Australia just beat Canada by seven wickets. That, by any stretch of the imagination, is a massive win. Especially seeing as

Australia

doesn’t really care what the result is as long as they win. I am sure, that had push come to shove, they could have won much more easily. Last night, South Africa beat Ireland by 131 runs. Another very one sided game. Again, unless it was your job, did you watch all 100 or so overs? I don’t think so.

The tournament is still 3 weeks from deciding who the World Cup winner will be. Straight after that the same teams head off to their own countries and play against in each in the regular non-stop world cricket season. It all seems so wasteful.

Can we not have a proper league system where all the teams play against each other all the time and a the rankings decide who the champions are? We have that already, in a bad way. India are the number one Test side and

Australia

are number one in ODIs. Do we really need a more-than-month long tournament to tell us Australia are the best? Even if they don’t win and someone else comes out tops, what does it prove? That Australia lost one game. They are unbeaten in three World Cup tournaments yet lose one game and they are losers.

The opposite is true.

South Africa

are on form for this tournament. Let’s pretend that they go on and win it. According to the rankings, the Proteas are still only the third best side in the “league”. That’s like saying Arsenal Manchester City are the best side in

England

because they went on to win the Carling Cup.

Let’s get over ourselves and watch some real sport and some real competition for a change with results that are exciting.

My Cycle Tour

2011-03-15T03:44:00.000-07:00

My Cycle Tour

Sunday was yet to dawn. One of the issues with having a good start time for the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour is that one has to be up really early. It was a 4:30 wake up call for me this time around. I filled up my water bottles and had a relaxing breakfast of my usual instant Jungle Oats. No matter what you read they always give you the same advice, don’t change anything on race day, not even your socks. I have taken that piece of advice to the extreme. I wear the same pair of socks for every race I ride and I only wear them for racing. After putting away almost one litre of drinks, I hopped on my bike to drop my tog-bag off at the finish with the race organizers. The finish was in the opposite direction from the start but it was a great way to do a little warm up and absorb the beginning of the vibe that builds up in Cape Town on Cycle Tour Sunday.

The day before, Saturday, I had gone for a little solo ride up Signal Hill. It is the traditional final time trial for the Giro del Capo which was not ridden this year, but I still went up the road and I felt good.

Sunday morning was going to be an interesting time as I was to meet Mike Finch, the editor of Bicycling magazine, and the two of us were going to ride together in the J bunch with a start time of 6:55. While I was waiting for him at my hotel, he sent me a message to say that he was running late and I should go to the start pens. Then the adrenaline kicked in. I dislike race starts at the best of times. There is too much sitting around and waiting. Riding to the start was also fun because of the number of cyclists on the road; normal road rules were already being broken. Why is it that whenever more than 10 cyclists get together red traffic lights don’t count anymore?

Arriving at my start pen with a good 50 minutes before the start gun, I made my way in. The fantastic marshals guided me to the right spot with one of them checking my start card, race number, bike sticker as well as if I had my timing chip on the bike. I am not sure what I would have done had I not had all four, but I did and into the pen I went. I am not a sociable character at the best of times and this was the same again on Sunday. I just enjoy watching the people and looking at the bikes; seeing how each person has their own starting routines.

The weather on Sunday was just perfect. A little breeze was blowing to keep the riders cool and I continued my hydration in the start pens. I was slowly sipping on a Powerade or Energade, can’t remember which one, but it was green and I realized I needed to pee. Not something different for me but the toilets gets very busy in the start pens and I ran out of time standing in the queue to get in. I forced my way back to my bike and as I grabbed it I noticed that my seat post was loose. On closer inspection, the whole post was wobbling at the connection point between post and frame of the bike. I thought it was just a loose clamp which I tightened but that didn’t help anything but by that time the countdown had begun and I was on my bike hoping that my seat wouldn’t fall off and off we went.

The first few kilometers were uneventful. I really dislike the start of the Cycle Tour. Eastern Boulevard is steep and it takes a while to warm up. The bunch flew past me but I knew I would get them later in the race.

By the time I got to the start of Blue Route my bladder couldn’t take the bouncing anymore and I had to stop to relieve myself. In the Tour de France, it is called a Natural Break and it is done on the move, I can’t do that, so I stopped and hoped that no one would look.

As I got deeper into the race, I noticed that I wasn’t comfortable on the bike and every time I tried to wiggle into the correct position my saddle would move with my. Climbing Smitswinkel was tough and the seat was moving backwards all the time. Every now and again I would hear a crack from the carbon fibres that were failing in the post. Looking down I could see that the whole post was offset to the left and my right thigh was rubbing the post. The seat would move up and down as I moved up and down and I couldn’t get the right power into my pedals as the seat stopped me from moving forwards or backwards. My back was getting sore as well.

As I climbed up Suikerbossie I was standing up and looked down to the saddle. The whole thing was wobbling as I pushed the bike from side to side. I contemplated stopping and fixing it but I was half way up the final climb and there were just those last 10 kilomtres of super-fast riding to the finish. I thought that if it had held out this long, another 10k’s wouldn’t hurt. They did.

Descending towards Camps Bay I hot a bump, the seat hit my rear and cracked for the last time. I was forced to stop and force the seat post further into the frame a full four inches deeper. When I got back on the bike I must have looked like a kid whose bike was too small for him. All my power was gone, it was uncomfortable and I as using the wrong muscles, add to that the seat angle was wrong and it was pushing into places that one doesn’t want to be pushed.

Despite my riding style, people would still not help me with some draughting. Oh no, they would rather ride behind the guy whose knees are hitting his ears than come and do some work.

I finished with a time of 3:34 but my moving time was 3:30.16 due to having to wee and fix my seat post. Next year I will kick ass and have a saddle that embraces it.

Mr Lange

2011-03-12T00:13:00.001-08:00

The month I started cycling, I bought a cycling magazine. I don’t remember which one but what I do remember is the man on the cover. Malcolm Lange was a young man wearing the HSBC kit and the cover story was about the amount of wins this young man had won in his career. I think the number was at around 200. As I paged through the magazine, I realized just how difficult the sport was that I had decided to take on.

My first ride was the Ride for Sight. I took a blind rider on a tandem for 70km. We had to stop many times along the ride for “ass-breaks” as I had never been on a bike before. It was a borrowed tandem that I only met that morning. Despite the pain, the dehydration and the sore legs I was hooked and I bought a bike that very week from Sportsman’s Wharehouse.

As the sport guy on SAfm I started getting involved with the professionals of the sport. In fact, the first time I started interacting with professional cyclists was as an IT journalist as Microsoft took over from HSBC as sponsor and that was when I met Malcolm Lange for the first time. I was stars-struck. Lange and his team were tanned, strong and small. Cyclists are built like jockeys; not quite, maybe a light-weight boxer. There is not an ounce of extra fat on a cyclist’s body but they eat!

I interviewed Lange about team tactics, race radios and how technology changes the sport that he loves. It was a long chat but due to the nature of modern media, I had to cut it up and edit it so not much was played. I remember him being very open and actually listened to the questions I asked him which was something I had never had from an interviewee who normally just want to spread the message they have been briefed to spread.

Time moved on and so did Malcolm. He rode for a number of sponsors, there was the famous fall-out with former team mates and then Team Medscheme was created. I am a fan and I there are times when I struggle to be in independent journalist. Team Medscheme and Lange Sport make a point of treating their journalist fans well. It helps because we tend to treat them well too. Many other sporting teams can learn a lesson from the way journos, the public and fans are treated by Team Medscheme and now Team Bonitas.

My training route out west of Johannesburg often leads me into the path of Malcolm and his team. Every single time they will slow down a bit and have a chat. They will always wave and they will always be positive. Post-race there is always a greeting, a hand shake or a smile even if they lost.

I was invited to join the team for the last Tour d’ Vino in which the team struggled but still, there was lively chat afterwards amongst the team and the fans who came along for the very wet ride. It was there that I learnt an important lesson in journalisms 101. Never ask a team what went wrong because they will tell you!

I have invited Malcolm to a studio chat on SAfm one Sunday, he came in. Pre-Cycle Tour interviews, he was there. Post-races interviews, he was there. I can’t remember a time when Malcolm said that he couldn’t make an interview or said no to anything I asked of him.

Malcolm is a true professional not just on the bike but of it too.

Sure, he might grind some people, like race organizers, but I feel that he is doing his job. When he complains about safety, it not just for him but for all the cyclists on the day. When he complain about prize money, it’s not just him but all the categories and all the riders on the day.

I thank you Malcolm for doing that photo shoot in that magazine; I thank you for introducing me to the sport that I love so much. I thank you for being the man you are and I hope that you remain in the sport that you have advanced so much in South Africa. May you have a quiet retirement an may you give the Vets category a run for their money as you relax and enjoy your family, your team and a ride along Hendrick Potgieter with me every now and again.

Steven Roche

2011-03-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

Last night I found myself giving cycling tips to Steven Roche. Mr Roche is a Tour de France winner and has won the big three in one year, the Tour de France, the Grio d’Italia as well as the World Championship. When he did it only one other man had done that feat. I was telling him about Mountain biking. I should have told him to just read my blog but I did get a little thrill as I was talking with him.

Last night, I was lucky enough to be invited to the VIP and Media dinner hosted by the Cycle Tour Trust slap bang in the middle of the Cycle Tour Lifestyle Week in Cape Town. As one of the organizers said on Friday, it’s a week when cyclists take over the city. At my hotel, a trailer truck arrived early this morning, carrying at least 150 bikes. The breakfast room was full of thin, not so thin and fat men and women with very little hair on their legs.

There was another first for me yesterday. I got my legs waxed on television. Tania Nefdt is the eNews Channel’s “tail ender” reporter. You know those funny pieces at the end of the news? She does those and she does them very well. I got a call from her early on Wednesday asking if I could join her and colleague, Lance Witten, to wax out legs for the channel. I agreed and went along for the laugh. I had already shaved my legs the night before, so the waxing wasn’t too bad but the fun bit was Lance who has never had a wax before. He was making so much noise that we attracted a crowd who wanted to know what was going on.

Lance and Tania didn’t make the dinner last night but some big names in cycling where there including those that put this world class event together and those that make it possible. I have been to a number of these high-profile events but I still get a thrill when I realize just where I am. The mayor, the sport MEC, Mr Roche and Dave Bellairs were rubbing shoulders with me.

The wine was flowing as it should in Cape Town. I singled out Steven, who recognized me from last year, which was a little ego boost. We sat for a good ten minutes just talking cycling. The sport is one of the few where professional cyclists will actually take the time out to talk with you. I have a feeling that rugby, football and cricket players are so up their own asses that the public aren’t important anymore. Cycling pros seem much friendlier. And that is the lesson I learnt from Steven Roche. No matter who you are and how important you are, always take time out for the little people.

On anther note, I had lunch with Liezel van der Westerhuizen and her boyfriend, Dean, on Wednesday. Liezel of Idols and Expresso fame. He always has time for me and she s also one of those that is willing to talk to people who recognize her. In fact, if you can find it, read her blog about her Ironman experience. She would stop along the route to greet people who shouted out her name. What a pro. She is doing Ironman again this year and I wish her, and Dean, all the best.

The Columbia Grape Escape; Part 2

2011-03-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

The toughest thing about mountain biking are the mountains. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true and if you think about it for a minute or two then you will soon agree with me. As a man who rides his bicycle often and has lost 23 kilogrammes in the process, I know a thing or two about bike riding. I have learnt lessons from some of the best riders in the country. Malcolm Lange, the ‘winningest’ cyclist in South Africa comes to mind. We have spoken before; we have even ridden a bike for a bit on the road. I think I even had a spin with Jay Thompson but he was so fast all I saw was some speeding spandex and that was the end of it. But what I learnt this last weekend was the toughest lesson I will ever go through.

Day one was the warm up and it looked easy on paper, 80 kilometres on “district roads”. What no one told me was that there were stupid mountains and we had to climb those stupid mountains. Not really plural, there was just one, but it was enough. Mountain bikers don’t like to take the long way around, oh no! They go over. The quicker the better is what they are thinking. I have seen the best and when I say quicker, I mean quicker but more about that later.

The weather was also a factor and I am going to stick with that as my excuse, along with being a lazy-ass roady. On day one there were temperatures of 43 degrees centigrade. It’s tough to do anything in that heat, let alone ride a bike at any type of speed. But I persevered; many times thinking that it was going to be my first and last day on the Grape Escape. Crossing the line was not a fun experience as it has been many times before. With less than 200 metres to go, I was cramping so badly that I could not ride any longer. I had to get off and walk. I did manage to ride the last 50 metres or so, but it was purely for show.

After a little rest I saw the pool at Nelson Estate wine farm and slowly worked my weary body into the cool water thinking that it would relieve some of the pain. It didn’t. Take this from me, when you have cramps and you want to stop them, do NOT go into a cool pool, they bunch up like little naartjies in your skin and hurt. The medic fixed me a little but I was still cramping that night, 6 hours after finishing. That includes the best steak and baked potato that side of the Cape Town Stadium.

Thinking that it was just a blip on the radar, day two was yet to dawn and I was in my car heading to the start of the second stage of the Grape Escape, a tougher 76 km from Nelson Estate to Boschendal. It included a tough hill or two, but I can ride up Chappies with a blindfold, so how hard can this be?

The weather gods were laughing at us. You though day one was hot? Day two was hotter with scorching sand, hotter vineyards and very little shade. That is one thing that will stick in my mind about day one and two. Despite the amazing forests, the great plantations and other vegetation in the Western Cape, there is very little shade when a mountain biking route planner has his evil cap on.

I had to give up at 60km into stage two only 15 km from the finish. Rob Jackson, the man with whom I was riding, told me that I would kick myself if I didn’t finish. I looked down, in desperation and, amazingly, made some quick calculations. At our average speed, those last 15km would take us another two hours. That would add up to 8 ½ hours in the sun, in the heat and in the saddle. Not something I signed up for.

At the top of one of the mountains was a little ambush marketing from AquaBella water bottlers. They had set up a non-sanctioned water point where they were handing out their own water to desperate riders. Right there and then I sat down and I would not get up. Rob left me and the very kind owner of the farm put me and my Giant 29er in the back of the bakkie and drove me to the next water point. In the car it took 15 minutes!

Unglamorously I made my way to the finish in the sweep vehicle and announced that I was done. No one really seemed perturbed by the information. It was almost as if everyone was expecting it, so it made me feel good that I had done 140km on a mountain bike over stupid hills.

On day three, I got to ride behind the overall winners, Kevin Evans and David George. It was an amazing thing to witness. These guys are machines. There is no talking, no laughing, no pain, or so it seemed. Simple process for them was to get to the finish as fast as possible. 2 ½ hours it took them to cover the 67 km last stage. There were riders coming in 8 hours after the start, and they are still the fit ones who didn’t bail the day before.

At work, we often hear that cycling isn’t a sport. If it isn’t , then it must be something else and if you can find a strong enough word to describe it, please send it to me as I don’t think it has been invented yet.

As for my MTB career, it’s on ice. At least until the next invite I get from The Cycle Tour and I say yes again because I will be back and I will beat that course.

Grape Escape, Stage 1

2011-03-05T20:20:00.001-08:00

I tried to ride my first Mountain Bike stage race this weekend. Actually, now that I think about it, it was my first ever stage race of any kind. My good friends at the Cycle Tour office called me up and told me about a new ride through the winelands of the Western Cape and asked if I would like to ride it. I jumped at the opportunity.

Knowing that I wasn't much of a mountain biker, I put in no training, thinking that my roady experience will be fine. David Bellairs, the man in charge of the race, assured me that it wasn't so difficult and who am I not believe him?

I went to the pre-race briefing and found out more about the race. Three days, lots of country roads with the last day going to be the challenge. I thought that that would no be a problem. Little did I know.

I borrowed a 29er from Barry McCullam, the brother of the Star's sports writer. It was a Giant and very very pretty. I got a number of glances from the other guys in the start pen on the opening morning. In hindsight, I think they were wondering why I was there but they did mention that my bike was good. So I felt very confident. Good bike, not bad legs and I was ready to go.

Day one started at Eden Bay in Blouberg. What an interesting facilty. Houses and shops and really expensive cars and good looking people. God news for the Northern suburbs of Cape Town. As the race started I was feeling good. Then the Mountain Biking started. My heart rate hit the roof but I felt that I had it covered. I would recover on the flats that I had seen on the route map. PFFT! Ja right.

The temperate hit 43 degrees and I was done. Check out the graphs of my ride here at GARMIN.

I managed to finish, but I was half dead. Stage two was still to come and compared to the first, this one was going to finish me up.

Really? You are riding a Mountain Bike for three days?

2011-02-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Part of my job is to line up interviews on the TV. One of those interviews was a chat with Dave Bellairs. He is the organiser of the Cape Argus, Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. Amongst other things, I hav seen the event named the World Fun Ride Championships. I like that one. Lance Armstrong was beaten by Malcolm Lange last year. Malcolm hung around after the race and was willing to speak to just about anybody, he is great that way. Lance was on his private plane before I was even finished riding the race.

But back to the point.

Dave popped into the studio to talk about the Cycle Tour entries and suddenly I was riding the Coronation Double Century, a 200km bike ride around the Western Cape. It was a great ride! So why not join Dave and his Cycle Tour office and ride the new Grape Escape.

It's a three-day Mountain Bike ride from Blouberg in the west to some place in Stellenbosch. I still haven't done the research, which is where my problem begins.

I have ridden two MTB races, now suddenly I am riding a three-day stage race with some of the biggest MTB names in the World. Am I ready? Not a chance. Will I finish? I give myself a 50-50 chance. Am I looking forward to it? You bet ya.

Confused? Yes!

2009-06-04T06:05:00.001-07:00

As I was driving to pay my fine that I got for driving too fast last month, I noticed this interesting speed-sign posting in Constantia Kloof. I decided that I would show you a little picture essay on what I saw. Maybe you can make sense of what the Road Agency are wanting the driving public to do.

View Larger Map

It all starts about 100 metres away from the traffic circle between Jim Fouche Road and Panarama Drive.

You will notice the 40 km/h sign in the foreground. Nothing much wrong with that. It is a residential area and there are a number of speed-calming circles ahead, so 40 km/h is expected. There is also a big hill coming up. But have a good look, you will see another speed limit sign some 20 metres up the road....

That's right folks. Not 20 metres down the road is another speed sign, this one saying that the speed limit is 60 km/h. This sign, as you can see, is barely metres away from the entrance to the traffic circle. One might expect a speed limit to decrease as the circle nears, but not here.

Look further down the road and you will notice another speed limit sign....

This picture is taken at the entrance to the circle, which according to the last signpost, has a limit of 60 km/h. I wonder what that next speed sign says....

You probably guessed it. Immediately after the traffic circle, the sign posted reverts back to 40 km/h. So there are three speed warnings in less than 100 metres. You can also notice a 40 sign painted badly on the road.

As I was walking back to my car, in the opposite direction, I noticed this signpost...

So, to recap: The speed limit, 50 metres from the circle is 40, then it increases 1 metre from the circle to 60 then as soon as one has driven out of the circle, it becomes 40 again. Meanwhile, people driving in the opposite direction are allowed to travel at 60 for the whole intersection.

Make sense now? Of course it does.