Training Log Archive: nmulder

Low immune system has resulted in a throat infection. What a surprise.

0830 - Grabouw to Lourensford (Stellenbosch). Stage 8, final day. Had another brilliant day, racing against a good group of riders. Stage 48th and 62nd, Overall now 64th and 90th. Tm 3.29.27 Dst 62.0 Av 17.7 Mx 56.1

A fair result for Cape Epic. Realised early on that I wasn't as fit as I was hoping due to my 4-month injury at the end of last year. Our initial goal of a Top 50 was unrealistic due tot he increased competition, but a final position of 65th of so may not have been. Something to train for for next year. Note to self: will need new bike and new shoes. Found out when disassembling my bike that I had damaged my rear rim, probably around Day 4... oops.

C • New bike! 2

C • Congratulations 3

0700 - Hermanus to Grabouw (Oak Valley). The first proper 'short' stage at only 91km and 5 hours! We had a superb day. Started well and held onto our position. Stage 50th and 64th. Overall now 67th and 94th. Big jump up the board as we're finishing very strong. Tm ? Dst 89.21 Av 17.9 Mx 65.0

0700 - Bredasdorp to Hermanus. Stage 6. Another good day for us. We paced it well was strong on the climbs. We lost a few places after the final climb, but that was to be expected. Horrible dirt road at the end. Stage 58th and 80th. Overall 75th and 103rd. Tm 6.14.19 Dst 125.36 Av 20.0 Mx 60.1

0700 - Swellendam to Bredasdorp. The longest stage in the history of the Cape Epic, but at least it started out as a snorter. First 48km were done in just over 1.5 hours on good district roads. Then onto the sand dunes. Still a tough day, but we're now feeling much stronger. Horrible headwind at the end. Stage 76th and 105th. Overall 84th and 114th. Tm 7.05.43 Dst 144.36 Av 20.3 Mx 61.5

0700 - Riversdale to Swellendam. A so called easy day. Have now rider sections of this route up to 4 times, but still fun. Monster downhill at 42km where we got to 77km/hr (Mac got 85km/hr). Felt strong most of the way and our result improved. A few nasty 'epic' surprises at the end saw our average speed drop significantly over the last 20km. Tm 6.14.28 Dst 119.16 Av 19.0 Mx 77.3

0700 - Calitzdorp Spa to Riversdale. We went up Rooiberg Pass soon after the start, where Mac took strain. Definitely not an early morning climber. Then into the rolling landscape of the Little Karoo, however, we didn't seem to make up many positions. Mac's shock also gave trouble. Final downhill tar section saw me getting blown off the back again. Unremarkable day from a results position, amazing how much time you can loose when not pushing hard. I didn't feel too great at any stage due to recovery from heat exhaustion yesterday. Satge 115th and 166th. Overall 93rd and 129th. Tm 6.01.47 Dst 123.61 Av 20.5 Mx 63.4