Newsflash: New Zealand is stunningly beautiful! After a few long flights from CPT, JHB, Sydney to Auckland, we stayed right on the water (above) for a few days with Princess Hotstuff’s friends. During high tide I swam in the estuary and channel amoungst the boats. Water was surprisingly warm.

Unpacking some cool new toys. The Specialized Compak AirTool travel pump for tyre and suspension is not only long overdue for traveling, but also beautifully engineered from all aluminium. LOOK S-track pedals & since we’re in the “worlds best fly fishing country” travel fly rod.

Brand new bike: I chose the Specialized Sworks “Epic” over the “Epic World Cup” model. This bike has a bit more suspension, the handling a bit more stable, and if I need to, I can put a double chainring on there.

First things first, I pre rode this legendary course a number of times. The Billy T single track is incredibly fun, and I wish the whole 25km bike course could be this much fun…

Grippy soil, flowing, well built trails,

Some interesting sections- VERY different from South Africa’s jerky, rocky trails.

Dont trip over the scenery. Green Lake.

Images straight out of childrens books…

Race venue.

Not called “Blue Lake” for no reason. The run is 2 laps around the lakes under a canopy of huge fern trees.

Cool new goodies- Hoka One One shoes, Thule bacpack and iPad cover & Columbia rain jacket– for the infamous NZ weather.

Leana (Vlooi) de Bruin, Princess Hotstuff (Liezel Wium in her Netball days) and Irene van Dyk.

After a few days training on the course in Rotorua, we went to Hamilton. The highlight was watching Princess Hotstuffs’ old teams (Magic vs Pulse) and her “old” teammates playing a super exciting Netball game- live on TV in front of a packed stadium. The game is huge in NZ!

The lowlight is a costly trip to the eye doctor. I had the pterygium sliced off my eye excatly 6 weeks ago and since then my eyes has been super sensitive to light. Like REALLY sensitive- not being able to drive or be in the sunshine for even short periods. Fortunately its been rainy and cloudy and this course is 99% shaded by tall fern trees.

Race day tomorrow.

Meet Caveman for Q&A, “drinks and nibbles” at Specialized dealer, Echelon Cyclery Auckland NZ on Monday April 14.

Caveman getting rid of frustration.                                                                   Pic by  Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust

A week after a disastrous day long cramping episode* at XTERRA Grabouw, I had much pent up frustration to get rid of.

*Cramps caused by Magnesium shortage. Will be taking Mg supplements for the rest of my life. (Normally I dont take any supplements at all)

And of course, “I LOVE RACING!”

Having finished 2nd (to Mannie Heymans) and 1st (on a prototype Specialized 29er) in 2010 at this event before, I was eager to hook it and see what comes out. The race was loaded with serious types getting ready for Cape Epic.

The 1st 15km was flattish (Caveman terrain) so I started like it was a 55km TT.  The field strung out nicely and what I lacked on the climbs, Christophe Sauser made up.

It was all fun and games till I started losing air pressure in the rear tyre from a small sidewall cut.

Rear tyre getting dangerously flat. Johnn Rabie, Erik Kleinhans and Kevin Evans following.     Pic by Greg Beadle

Pic by Greg Beadle

I could see the 1st aid station, and was hoping there would be a spare wheel at the Tech Zone. When I realized the Tech Zone is not till the 2nd aid station 10km further, I stopped and “bombed” the tyre- tilting it on is side (with the sidewall cut at the bottom) so the sealant would fill the cut. In hindsight I should have plugged the hole http://cialisviagras.net/.  Its the 2nd time in 3 races that I has to reach for the tools in the SWAT* box this year. I like the SWAT box a lot, but I hate having to use it!  *SWAT = Storage Water Air Tools- located between waterbottle cages on Epic bikes.

Aired up and at it. Its amazing how the lactic acid pools in your legs while fixing a flat. The next few km feels like an eternity.   I stopped and aired a few more times, and rolled into the Tech Zone on the rim. Fortunately Specialized had some wheels and Dylan quickly had me on my way again.                         Pic by Greg Beadle

Pic by Greg Beadle

Stunning vinyard racing and good cornering technique: Drop the saddle, (Command Post) lean the bike, keep body weight over the pedals, look at the exit, finish braking before the corner.

Pic by Princess Hotstuff

Strava file:

Somewhere along the way the leaders were taken off course, of those behind them some waited – and gave them a head start- some didnt, so the results is not what is would have been. Just like last year.

I’m amazed how the biggest MTB race in the country can have something like this happen 2 years in a row…

I think the podium would have been something like Rabie, Evans, Sauser.

Argus MTB “results”

Ah well, it could have been worse…

Pic by Greg Beadle

How NOT to “support” your child.

I’m not going to wax “Pro Triathlete” here and go on about what it takes to win races. (Saving it for retirement)

Instead I want to talk about kids and sport. Because I believe these principals form an integral part of my sport psyche, and why I do what I do, and why push myself.

We dont have kids yet, but both grew up in a sporting families. I learned to walk in the discus circle where my parents taught high school kids track and field. (Athletics)  I rode my first 2 wheeled bike at age 3 on a golfing green.  I cant remember ever “becoming an athlete.” I’ve always been one.

I had a lot of fun growing up. I played every sport I could. Rugby, cricket, tennis, judo, running (1500m and Cross Country) archery, BMX racing and some casual dirt bike riding in the bush.

My least average sport in primary school was distance running. At that time, a “great distance running coach” started teaching at our school. To make a long story short- till this day I’ve never hurt as much as I did during those training and racing days. As 10- 13 year olds, we often ran twice a day, puking at the end of a training session was a badge of honour, and at the tender age of 11 I had my 1st proper running injury, and started heavily investing in the Physiotherpy industry. (Wonder what my stocks are worth by now?!)

And then there were the head games: Before one important race,  the coach once took us around the 400m track, made us look down each stretch, and tried to convince us each section was downhill. When he proclaimed the last section of the oval track was downhill too, I chimed in: “but its impossible- a round track cant be downhill all the way.”

Needless to say, my  friends and I hated and feared racing- we got so nervous before events, some puked before AND after racing.

At the age of 13 I was so over running, when I saw a picture of a triathlete in the newspaper, I saw escape from the pressure and the oval track and promptly bought my first half a road bike for R800. (US$80) (my mom bought the other half) Raced my 1st triathlon (Sprint distance) at the age 14. It took me a year to switch over to triathlon, because I had to learn to swim first!

Which I think qualifies me to talk about Kids and sport:

1) Make sure the kids have fun.

If kids learn to LOVE sport, they’re likely to do it forever and ever.  Just depends at which level. Probably to be dertermined in adulthood, by their talent, time and personality. I’m using “sport” loosely here. It can be any activity. I’d want my kids to do (some) sport their entire lives. Man is not made to rotate between the couch, office chair, car seat, bed and bar stool… I’d strangle myself with my tie in the first month.

2) Teach skills.

Its proven that kids (under 18) learn skills faster and to a greater extent than adults. Those guys doing tripple back flips on motorbikes didnt learn to ride bikes some time after varsity.

Once kids have skills they have them forever, and can later choose to pursue sport at a higher level if thats their wish- once they are old enought to start structured training.

There is waaaaay too much emphasis on kids winning. Swimming, rugby and tennis (and apparently MotoCross) parents are notorious for pressuring kids to PERFORM and WIN.  When I meet kids after their race, I ask them “did you have fun?” or “which part did you enjoy most?”  Guess in which mental state do I race and train at my peak? When I’m enjoying the process. Sure, there’s pain, but racing at this level, pain is part of the process and a sign that you’re doing it right. If I didnt enjoy what I was doing, I wouldnt be here at age 40 and certainly wouldnt be winning.

Show them how in a relaxed and playful way.  But it has to be fun. The moment there is angst or tears, switch to something else, (skillset or activity) you can always return later once their “stoke” has returned. If you dont have the skills, find someone who has. Or even better, get the whole family in and learn together…

3) Grow confidence. Start with something easily attainable, (make sure they have the skills and fitness to accomplish it easily) then gradually let them grow at their own pace- as they keep learning skills and gaining fitness. Praise them for learning and having fun and “playing nice”.

Make it a playfull game instead of a “lesson” or “dad is going to yell at you till you get it right” session.

Encourage them without heaping pressure to achieve. The key here is the process, and not the result.  And above all- Stay away from “winning”. They can do that when they’re grown up. If THEY want.

IF your kid is a fast, fire breathing racing snake, you have to work very carefully. You want to encourage the growth to keep it fun, but also help your child learn and train with a little more structure and guidance. Have a few chats with a scientific coach to get some outline of how kids train.  (its less than you think!) Even better, join a group under good guidance. If you dont have one, wait a year or 2, I’m to starting up a kids learning center soonish.

4) Teach values: Teaching your kids good values is more important than teaching them skills or a sport.  Values is something they will carry through their life and should be the foundation. But sport is probably one of the best tools to lay this foundation with.  There are  many values, but I’d like to highlight a few:  Good sportsmanship, taking responsibility for yourself and equipment, respect (for yourself, your teammates, your coach and for your opponents), sacrifice & reward- what you put in is what you get out, “cheating – no matter how small – is never an option”,  thankfulness – for the opportunity, event, organisers, participants and volunteers who made it possible for you to participate, and whichever values you’d want to work into your childs’ moral fibre.

Next blog: 1 day till XTERRA: Hydration and fuelling

“Tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition”- Wiki.

At this stage, no training – or specific training session – will make you any faster on race day. The only reason I dont spend all week in the hammock is beacause 1) I need to learn the course and stay updated with changes, 2) you need to do at least, some light training to stay loose and flexible.

What tapering does: (I’m not a sport scientist, so this is the Caveman-ed down version)

– You get fresher. Duh. (3-4 days hard taper for “normal” races and 4-6 days for “big” races. Add 1 day for every 5 or so years over 35.)

– Tapering restores glycogen and hydration levels. No carbo loading or over-eating needed. Just eat and drink like normal- the lower training volume & intensity will take care of the rest.

– Resting heightens mental alertness. Good time to do taxes, catch up on creative writing or learn the guitar.

– Gives you time to do other stuff. Like day dreaming about winning…

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