94.7 - General Discussion

Vo2

Looking good!

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

Yup, hope to finish before it get to hot too. Nothing worse then sweating it out in midday sun.

Guest

Looks like it'll be much the same as last year. I remember putting on tracksuit pants and Drymac after the race.

Vo2

If it does rain, lets hope that our photos look something like this: ;D

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

Wish my legs would look like that

Guest

Speak for yourself. I plan to keep my bike on the road even if it's wet  ;D  :P

Guest

Do you like the muddy leg look ouzo?  ;D

Seriously, all it takes is more time on the bike

Vo2

Give me Ullrich's legs and I'll be content ;D

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

Jan's legs that get his 79kg body of his up those hills on your body would make you an Armstrong beater  ;D

Vo2

My point exactly!

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

I'm happy with my legs but I'd like Indurain's cardiovascular system to drive them  ;D

Vo2

That's no maybe!
Last years 94.7 was a 6½ hr lesson for me! I blew a wheel @ the 40 km mark, only to blow again 10km later (only carried ONE spare). Determined to finish the race, I walked/rode the remaining part of it. Believe me, riding on a flat tyre is not funny! I missed the Zoo/Bar One cut-off by about 5 seconds, but the dudes pulling the riders off the rode were too late to stop me. I just zipped past them. I remember someone shouting: "Hey, stop! You won't make it in time!" But I was determined!
By the time I got back to Kyalami, the race organisers were starting to pack up. My family were worried sick. One thing I do know, I did'nt come in last. I actually past about 100 riders on the way!
On the way home, clutching my medal in my hand, I quitely made myself a promise, which, by the grace of God, I have kept until this day: Never to bail out of a race because my legs tell me I must. If, in my head, I can make it...I will!

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Vo2

Just checked the weather forecast for Sunday - the best thing about it: NO wind in the morning! Hope it stays that way!

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

My 94.7 last year was also pretty interesting.

I think I mentioned somewhere in a race preparation thread about realising I didn't have my race number and transpondent with 45 minutes to go until my start time. Got a friend to drive to Kyalami but he was stuck in the traffic jam so I had to ride back to the N1 (nice flat ride that... NOT ;D ) and get it from him.

I got back just in time to sneak past the officials into my group 'D' at the start with 2 minutes to go. Fortunately I was nicely warmed up from my long excursion but was right at the back of the group. It took me 4kms to catch the front of the D guys who had broken away. I'd stayed in my big chain ring up those first 3 hills and when I caught them on the 3rd hill going up to the stop street, they were going quite slowly in comparison so I dumped it into the small ring. Well, the chain didn't exactly go into the intended small ring.  : It preferred to wedge itself between my bb and the inside of the spider (the five pronged effort that holds the chain rings and crank).

Swearing profusely, I sat for about 3 minutes trying to disslodge the chain. It finally came out and I was on my way again but the group was long gone. There were a few stragglers around but no one strong to ride with. So I went as hard as i could but on the climb just after "Teasers"  ;D on the old Jhb Rd, the chain did the same thing. This time not so bad and I got going in about a minute or so. It had started to rain quite nicely now which meant that I caught some reasonably strong groups going slower than usual. I sort of formed a small chasing bunch with some of the stronger riders but they all sat behind me and refused to work, except for one small guy who towed me up the hills.

We eventually caught the main D group just before the Indaba hotel and I rode with them the rest of the way. I was quite buggered after chasing for half the race and not being able to use the small chain ring. All went well (apart from the gear hassles, they sort of came right eventually after i played with the cable tension) until the climb up Catherine 15kms from the finish when I realised I had a slow puncture in my front wheel. Instead of replacing the tube I decided to stick it out (because my back muscles tend to seize) but that meant I couldn't get out of the saddle anymore.

I rode the last 4kms around the track with a completely flat tyre but still ended up with a 3:12 time, about 9 minutes behind the leaders of the D group.

Lets just pray for a better race this Sunday.