94.7

Don't have any specific tips. I didn't follow any specific training program (because I don't have any) and now I'm just doing a lot of endurance work (difficult with this rainy weather we've got nowadays). Wouldn't mind any tips on energy boosters, drinks, etc. I work an 8 hour day and work at home in the evenings as well. Only get about 4 to 5 hours sleep at night.

Hey Roadster,
About your energy boosters....

I use a combination of Powerade and Gu for my races. Gu every 45mins or so and Powerade gulps when I can (About 3.5 litres for 94.7). It seems to work OK, I can't say I feel like Lance on the climbs when I use it but its better than the Energade/Corn Syrup combination I used to use!

Before races I also have a good breakfast. I find I'm up fairly early on race day (Butterflies flying formation in my Ascending Colon!! 😄 ) so I eat as much as possible, low fat... One egg (Protein) about four slices of bread with jam and a banana or two. I supplement this with about 500 ml Carbo drink (Powerade or Energade Megalode). No tea or coffee as much as I'd like to, or I'll be doing some unscheduled pit stops. I make sure that I eat at least 2 and a half hours before my start time. Also a banana while I wait at the start helps.

Another thing I found which may help is a product made by PERC called Carbo Boost Stack. Its a carbo drink with Creatine all in powder form. You'll have to check the effects of creatine on your system on long rides before you try it in a race. Many people complain of cramps due to Creatine, but it doesn't affect me this way. I also only drink (250ml) in the last 30-45mins of the race when I may need the extra boost in my legs.

I've tried the energy bars available but they only seem to give me a boost and then drop me to below the energy level I was before I ate it. So I've given those a miss.. :P

Hope this helps in your search for spare muscle glycogen! 😉

Thanks, Acid. This info will really be helpful. I only eat a small bowl of Kellogg's before a race and during the race I take two water bottles along, one with water, the other with Vitrace energy drink, that's all. Maybe that's why I always suffer from migraine after a big race: drinking not enough fluids.

Well i dont know about food for racing as my races are 50k and fast (no time for food) i eat before untill im full (not stuffed) and drink a water bottle before.

for my longer rides i find the best/chepest/effective food is

1. Bannanas
2. Choclate (Dark)

if you space the chocky and the bannanas out and dont eat them all at onece ;D through out the ride it suppies constant energy.

i find power bars are an OVERSTATEMENT. and expensive 1 powerbar = 2.60 or so. and a cooking chocalate slab 10 times the size of the power bar is 2:00 and i find the chocky better.+bannanas helb absorb the choky iv heard ;D

Quoted post said:

Hey Roadster,
About your energy boosters....

I use a combination of Powerade and Gu for my races. Gu every 45mins or so and Powerade gulps when I can (About 3.5 litres for 94.7).

yep, agree with you. I use the GU Energade combonation (prefer the energade taste). U every 45 minutes and then gulp energade ever so often.

I had a doc anaylise the contents of GU he said it should last about 45 minutes.

Personaly I cant get anything solid past my mouth when I'm riding. My mouth is dry and energy bars, bar ones, banana's just dont go down.

Hi Ouzo,

Are you the same Ouzo from the Cyclelab messageboard?

Speaking of dry mouths, wanna real challenge? Try eat a banana at the top of Hyde Park Hill (I think I still have a piece lodged in my left lung) ;D

GU warning: Stay away from the Chocolate outrage flavour if you ever want to enjoy a chocolate again!!! sweeeeetttt!! :o

How about some 94.7 tips from you Ouzo

See ya!!

;D yup, the one and only. hehehe.

Only GU I use is vanilla. I like orange too, but dont like the taste of the rest. Chocolate has to be the worst.

94.7 tips.

* Save your legs at the begning of the race, you'll need them for Grovenor Crossing and Hyde Park Hill.
* If it's even warm out side, drink alot. You dehydrate easily on all those hills.
* Keep you speed down on Pook's hill, there is a nasty bridge at the bottom that will easily send you flying.
* After the climb at the zoo it's pretty much easy sailing until you get to just before Kyalami. Be sure to rest up on this section. (oops, forgot about the little climb up Katherine).
Ok scrap the last point, Thinking about it now, there are a few short hills that will cramp you up easily.

* Last but not least. Try and find some sort of a bunch. Even slipping one person will help. You need all the help you can get in this race.

I've done it 3 times. I have never encountered a group larger than 2-3 people. Last year I slipped one guy for about 30km. That helped alot.

this is a tough race. Dont kid yourself. You need alot of will power to keep going.

Andrew has a whole page full of tips of which ouzo has named a couple. 😉

Apart from all that's been said the best way to train for the short tough hills is to go and do some. It's a great interval workout which your heart's going to need with all the up and down of the 94.7

The best food I've found is raisins (which you can take a little at a time throughout) or if you can manage fruit cake. make sure yuo start eating early on in the ride and do it consistently through the race. Any of the carbo drinks are good so whatever works for you. Just experiment with the combinations lots before the race and not on raceday.

I use Vooma for instant energy and carbo-load and fill my bottles with Winners Fuel.
I also use Creatine on a cycling basis.

Good practice is to eat at least an hour to 2 hours before your race. I eat Jungle Oats, as it is a good carbo meal and stabilises your blood sugar.

Roadster: Here's my routine. I'm not saying that it will work for you, but I'm sure that it's a pretty good starting point to build up your own preperation.

• During the last four days leading up to the race, I start taking it easy. I do mild training rides with a few quick sprints here and there. Nothing hectic. I call these my active rest days.
• The day before the race, I do a nice and easy 10 k ride at talking pace. I use this ride to check the brakes and flick through all the gears and check that they are working fine. After that, I don't touch my bike until the next morning.
• I start carbo-loading three days prior to a race.
  I usually eat lotsa pasta or rice, brown bread, vegies, chicken and fish through-out these days as main meals.
  I then snack on yogi-sip and lotsa fruit.
  I try and avoid oily or fatty foods and take-aways.
  Apart from my meals, I also use a carbo-loading drink as per the instructions on the label. I'm currently using Winners Fuel which seems to be working fine. I've also used Energade MegaLoad before.
• The evening before the race I have a good mug-full of my carbo drink and then hit the sack for a nice sleep.
  No funky-munky on race night! ;D
• The morning of the race I have a serving of Jungle Oats with milk at least an hour and a half before my start. Jungle Oats has a low glycaemic index (GI), which means that it won't mess around with your blood sugar. This seems to be working for me. You should experiment with different eating times during training rides to see what works for you.
• I take a sip from my ready-made carbo drink every 15 minutes during a ride. Even if I'm not feeling thirsty, I take a sip. I also carry a banana with me which I eat midway through a long ride.
• and then I use my Vooma! Every 45 minutes or so I gulp one down with some fluid.
• After the race, I have lotsa Energade whithin 15 minutes after the finish.
  

My other tips are:

• Avoid spicy foods and take-aways the week before the race. It can upset your stomach and ruin your race.
• Don't carbo-load for every race. Choose the big ones and load for them only.
• Don't try new products on race day (like Sean mentioned aswell). Try anything new on your training rides.
• Prepare your bottles the night before and store them in the refrigerator overnight. Drinks are absored easier
  when they are cold.
• Don't fill your bottles with just water. Get yourself a proper sports-drink like Fast Fuel, Winners Fuel, Vitargo, Megaload etc. and prepare as per the instructions.
• Most important: SMILE!

Quoted post said:

No funky-munky on race night! ;D

Don't you mean the night before? ;D

Good advice for all the rest.
Another thing I do is to pack all I need the night before so I don't have to remember anything in the morning.

For last year's 94.7 I left my race number and transponder at home :o. Fortunately I was boarding with a friend and I called him so he brought it to me but I still had to ride from Kyalami to the highway (lots of hills) to get it because of the traffic jam. I got back just in time for my start but I was very well warmed up compared to the rest of the group starting in the miserable weather.
The moral of the story is to prepare everything the night before.

It's up to you to work out your own routine especially how long to eat before the race. If i eat 2 hours before the start then my stomach is ready to go just as I'm supposed to be racing. That is not a pleasant experince.

Quoted post said:

Don't you mean the night before?  ;D

Good advice for all the rest.
Another thing I do is to pack all I need the night before so I don't have to remember anything in the morning.

Yip, NO funky-munky the night before the race! Three days worth of carbo-loading - all gone!

Good advice regarding pre-race preperation. I pack my race kit and pin my race number to my jersey all the night before. All I do the next morning is rack my bike to the car and head off to the race with some load music.

Quoted post said:

Yip, NO funky-munky the night before the race! Three days worth of carbo-loading - all gone!

Three days worth of carbo loading VO2??
You didn't mention Viagra as part of your supplementation program. :o  :P :o :P :o :P ;D

hehe...makes me ride so much harder. ;D

I don't notice much of a differdnce one way or the other. My resting HR is usually a bit higher after night time cardio work ;D

These last 2 weeks every one should be doing intervals and high intensity with lots of rest and recovery in-between. Who are all these people who've appeared on the roads in the last week or so? And they wonder why they suffer up William Nichol :🙂

Are you seeded in the A-group for the 94.7, Sean?

The internet says my race number is A01025 and start at 06h20. 8)

Yesterday I rode up Sylvia's pass (Bruma), then up Linksfield ridge and did the Modderfontein hills on the way home. Pretty hard ride when you attack the hills and get the HR above 90% for long periods.

I just wish I had the form I was in a month ago before the rain 🙁

Quoted post said:

These last 2 weeks every one should be doing intervals and high intensity with lots of rest and recovery in-between.

SeanL what intervals are you doing in the last two weeks, please give me an example to work off. I've had a upper respiratory tract infection which is clearing up now. I did a few rounds at Kyalami yesterday but I felt a bit sluggish, as if I've lost leg speed.... any suggestions ???