AmaShovaShova 2002

Anyone else doing the AmaShovaShova on the 27th October?

 

I'm doing it for the first time. The advice people gave me is that, even though Pietermaritzburg is at a higher altitude it's not going to be that easy - there are quite a number of ups ad downs. At least the downhills overall will be longer than the uphills ;D<br /><br />Lets just hope the rain and mist stays away.

 

I'm also doing for the firts time. I was told to take it VERY easy over the climbs in the first 18kms.<br /><br />I was told that if I managed to do the Race for Victry in just over 3:30 I will be able to do the Amashova in sub 3. I will not push it or try my luck and will be happy with a sub 3:30.

 

I will be there with all of you. I'll be starting at 07h32, race no SL3546. I'm not expecting much from this one and am treating it as pretty much training (given how much my training fell away after Tour De Gold) and so won't be taking it easy this week in prep. It does look a bit up and down, but then again, so is all of our cycling here in J"bug and the average downhill should help. I'm also aiming for a sub 3h30, be a bit bleak if I can't get that.

 

I'm starting at 7:02 race number IL1663. Look for a Cresta shirt on a red C'dale.

 

Means I'll have to look for the Cresta shirt and Red Cannondale at the start or the finish, unless I'm planning on doing a sub 3hr. At the same time though I think your claim of aiming for 3h30 is likely to be a cop out. No offense meant but you sound stronger than that, make a more realistic aim for yourself, go for 3h10 or something. My 3h30 would also be a cop-out if I had carried on training hard, and realistically I'd like to try for an average of 30 kph which would only be possible if I find a strong group to help me. Until I have enough races under my belt I am resigned to working on my own most of the time. (This will be my second race, 94.7 the third, so I'm expecting to be in the seeded categories by early next year and I'm trying to aim for the Argus as my first serious attempt as it should be the first race where I will start with a large number of equivalent riders). I'd be keen if we get some rain and mist up the first 20km's while we don't need to worry about traction. After that with a lot of downhills I'll be perfectly happy to sweat a bit in exchange for not going down and losing parts of one of my favourit organs (the skin, for those who didn't know, is the largest organ on/in the human body)

 

Would also like to reach Durban with my... well, this might come out funny so end the sentence here ;D<br /><br />I'l be starting in BL (based on Carousel index of 19 - that was flat though). So, what's the implications of rather starting in CL or DL where I will be more comfortable? When will they start the clock for me? Hopefully when I start not when BL start.<br /><br />I'm also taking it as a training ride - will rest Saturday and maybe Friday.<br /><br />Did a 120km (actually it was 116km) ride from Sunninghill to the Vaal dam with our club yesterday - will definately do nothing today.

 

Are you with Club 100 Jaco? I heard they were going out to Vaal Dam, got some friends who cycle with them.

 

Have'nt been training as much as I should, but hopefully I'll be arriving in Durbs in under 3hr25 (my time last year). I don't think I'm nearly as fit as I was last year, so I'll just have to suffer at the back of my group and try and stay with them.

 

Jip, joined them beginning of Sept. It was actually a nice ride - apart from the wind that was really strong at times... and never from behind.<br /><br />So V02, BL are probably A riders that will be way to strong for me. Given last year winning time (Malcolm Lange in 2:17) I'll have do the race in 3:10 to finish with an index of 28. So, do you perhaps know what group will be suitable for such a time since that is what I'll be aiming for?<br /><br />

 

Hmm, from the looks of the route it seems like a good race to be in a group, if you can stay with them up the hills you should be laughing downhill. Looks like there will be a fair pack of us down there, always nice to know

 

Just checked the weather for Sunday. PMB looks ok, but the wind looks like it's gonna pick up as we get closer to Durbs.

 

Looks like we got a good turn out. ;D I'm in LL starting 7:11.<br />If you see an old guy, silver bike, &quot;silver&quot; beard, red helmet, and Mean Machine shirt: say &quot;Hi when you pass! ;D

 

What you aiming for Old Timer? I start 16 minutes behind you and am aiming for 3h30 (only my second race so not seeded yet).

 

Rhodent<br />I'm looking for a sub 4 as a prelude to the 94.7. You'll catch me no problem! (Otherwise YOU have a problem ;D hehe. I'm giving you 50 years! ;D)

 

Ahh, but I hear you are retired O-T, so you have an extra 50 hours a week to train? I think my little party habit is also holding me back...<br /><br />But I do hope I can catch you if you're aiming for just sub 4

 

Damn O-T I forgot to look out for you, I was trying to look out for you but I was passing so many people it got tiring ;D. I'm beginning to get irritated with this unseeded thing, ahh well, only one more unseeded race to go (94.7, ah bugger, don't look forward to working my way through the crowds). Did the race in 3h03, and it was even easier than I expected, every time you finish an uphill there is a downhill to recover on. Just a little tough without people to work with

 

I agree Rhodent, I only started road cycling in June so I don't have a seeding either : (Should have one after the 94.7 as well). It's absolute murder trying to work your way trough the 'hordes' ;D they put me in RL and at the 85km mark I was passing guys from JL ;D. Did the race in 2h50 this is one race I'm definitely going to do again next year.

 

Well done Goat, pity you didn't start a group later (I started in SL) I would have enjoyed being towed along for the first half (After which I would have probably been dropped). At least maybe then I would have gotten through 3 hours. I can see why the top guys like it, it must feel like a warm-up ride to them, 2h08 was Lange's winning time.<br /><br />Ok, as an example of how bored I am at work, I've just figured out that I had to pass something like 1200 people on my way to the finish. Now if I found that irritating (5 people riding abreast into the wind preventing anyone from passing unless they go out into the traffic) I can imagine how the 94.7 is going to feel (Ah well, all now in preparation for the Argus, where I should finally be seeded)

 

This was one of the nicer races I did in my short cycling career (for a lack of a better word) - if you can call it that ;D<br /><br />As expected I was dropped by the B group within the first 10km and had to wait for the C group with whom I rode for quite a while. The last 20km was great and I finished with a time of 2:58.<br /><br />Mampara, I might of seen you (red Cannondale with Cresta kit). You were passing through the last robot just before the finish (around 10:00). But then, about 10 min later, another rider also with Cresta clothing on a red Cannondale passed there?!?<br /><br />Saw something really sad on the N3 north driving from Umhlanga to the start. At the tollgate, some guy in a bakkie drove into the back of a car with to bikes on a rack! Needless to say the bikes where stuffed. I felt sooo sorry fo those people.<br /><br />As a was walking away from the Medwood Gardens a guy was walking ... and who was it ... Malcolm Lange. Spoke to him for a while ... he quite friendly and seems to be very modest.