Full Sus February 2015 by Full Sus #MTB

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@FullSussa

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February 2015, Vol 21

FullSussa #MTB

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Tankwa Trek

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Epic4OneSight

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Cakie-dog chasing her friend and builder of her favourite trails, Hylton Turvey.

Swen’s Tech Zone

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Origin of Trails

Attakwas

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A Mountain Biker’s Best Friend

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dogs are better at running than others, but they all enjoy running. When you take them out into a wildish area, ﬁlled with amazing sensory stimulation, they tend to be far more doggy instinct orientated than if you take them to the park. They behave differently, they behave less like pets and more like untamed animals, and that requires thinking ahead when you’re riding. Planning which way to go to avoid main roads, to avoid a farm with cows that roam, to avoid the muddy patch where they love to just ﬂop and get covered by gunk; they will do everything you don’t want them to do, hence planning is a key factor.

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rank, our Dalmatian X Bull Mastiff, has managed to catch a juvenile jackal and our other two dogs (Cake, a whippety Africanus, and Skollie, a caramel coloured mixed breed with big ears and a white snow drop on the end of her tail) have caught up with him and joined in the fray. The jackal is screaming in pure falsetto (literally, who would’ve thought jackal’s sound like children screeching blue murder) and the dogs are in what might be termed a “blood lust state of utter madness”. Mark manages to somehow get Frank to drop the poor jackal, and he regains control

of the situation. However, by this time I’ve also got involved, the jackal has buggered off as fast as lightning and there is a gash on Frank’s nose. Blood and spit is all over us, including our riding gloves. Only an hour later when we’re heading back to the car do we debate the fact that jackals are one of the few animals that can carry rabies. Awesome. I can officially tell you that rabies shots cost 420 bucks a pop, the ﬁrst one is free, and then you need to pay for the next four. They also hurt like tetanus shots. And the moral of the story is that the concept of “trail dogs” is a big fat lie. When you take

dogs running on a trail that does not mean they stick to the actual trail. In fact, when you take dogs onto public trails, it comes with a heap of responsibilities that you need to recognise before you can actually enjoy having doggie companions when you’re out riding. This article is to explain the main considerations when wanting to turn your dog into the mythical “trail dog”.

Instinct: Think like a dog, plan ahead to avoid drama All dogs are born to be outside, to hunt, and to be in a pack and they are most deﬁnitely born to run. Some

Water: The pups need water more than you do KATH FOURIE

“FRANK! STOP! NO! FRANK! FRAAAAAAAAANK! FRAANKAAARRRGHFAAARRRKKK!” The absolutely desperate cry of Kath Fourie’s partner Mark, as his voice garbles into a non-sensical hysterical roar. Mark throws his Santa Cruz Nickel to the ground and sprints into the pines chasing a black dog with white spotty paws.

Having dogs out on a ride with you is like having kids. They have needs (the first need is always to poop immediately as they get out the car) and you, as their human, have to tend to those needs. Three dogs drink a heap of water, and if you are going on a ride that doesn’t take them past a stream or dam it is a very good idea (not even a maybe, it’s a must) to take a full hydration pack of water for all of you (3 litre bladder). There are some very nifty folding drinking bowls that you can flatten and slide into your pack that weigh nothing. They make the world of difference to your dogs who then don’t have to attempt drinking out of your cupped hand as you hop around in small circles trying to raise the hydration pack high enough to get the water flowing, while

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FS Editorial

Shayne and Richard Pieterse in action in the Full Sus kit at FNB Wines2Whales

Rested and raring to go!

y now all of us are back into the swing of things and we are furiously working to get back into our ﬁtness routine and trying hard to work off the remnants of furious festive feeding. It might be my imagination but the year seems to have started with a real air of positivity with new goals and new trails in mind! I have a good feeling about 2015. With the New Year there will be a few changes at Full Sus, again all positive, Rochez O’Grady our regular nutritionist is leaving the team and is heading to South America to chase new trails – we wish you luck Roachie! While we are going to miss Rochez, we would like to welcome Di Carolin to the team. Di is our newest columnist who will be looking at MTB from a women’s point of view, she will be covering everything from starting out, gear, tips to events, skills and fashion, so a regular ladies page in the midst of a testosterone driven publication. Full Sus is completely behind ladies in the sport and love that so many ladies read Full Sus regularly – Di’s column is your space! Seamus completed his ﬁrst Attakwas, which is normally the

ﬁrst race for many on their year’s race calendar, well done to him and to all the others who ﬁnished this Epic training ride. It’s a tough race, although you wouldn’t have thought so if you saw Christoph Sauser and Ariane Kleinhans power to victory. It would be amiss not to mention the ABSA Cape Epic taking place from 15 – 22 March. The buzz around the world’s premier stage race has begun, with a lot of hype being around the Table Mountain prologue starting at UCT this year. The world’s best racing on SA’s most recognised heritage site is sure to be an awesome spectacle – I have my spot picked out already! Remember to visit www.fullsus. co.za and download our stage race calendar or check up the MTB events coming up on our calendar. It’s great to have a ride or two planned as motivation and we are lucky to have an event on pretty much every weekend in the year My wish for this year is that we stay safe while riding. It is our responsibility to look after ourselves. We need to be visible on the roads (we all train or commute on them), obey the rules of road and trail, be

JETLINE ACTION PHOTO

sensible and know your limitations. But my biggest wish for this year is that we all work on our manners, not only while social riding but particularly at organised events. Be tolerant! Everyone has to start somewhere and despite wanting to improve your time or beat a mate, unless you are potentially going to ﬁnish within the top 10 in your category there is no reason to behave poorly (that goes for the top guys too but hey us mortals are not

likely to ever get in their way). Safe riding, have a brilliant 2015, and see you on the trails!

Scan to download the Full Sus 2015 Stage Race calendar, or visit www.fullsus.co.za/2015-stage-racecalendar to download it to your computer.

SUS the winners Over the festive season we asked you, the Full Sus readers to tell us where the best place you rode you bike this holiday was. The entrants went into a draw to win a Junglenow hamper and the lucky winners are as follows: Jorg Knorr (Gordon’s Bay), Chris Knight (Kommetjie), Daniel Pulker (Sea Park, Port Shepstone), David Langford (Boksburg) and Colin Simms (Vanderbijlpark), congratulations guys – we hope you enjoy the prizes!

SUS the Local Bike Shop: Budget Bicycles (084 236 2959) We would normally write a bit on the local bike shop but JJ Maritz did such a good job of it we thought we’d share his reasons for why his LBS is the best…

My local bike shop is a small shop in Despatch (Eastern Cape) called Budget Bicycles. It’s a small business owned by Marius Erasmus and his wife Natasha. Don’t be fooled though, it might be small, but they have everything you need and some things you think you will never need... until you do. Beside from being a sub three hour Argus racer, Marius is also an ace bike mechanic and actually uses a toothbrush

to meticulously clean your bike after he serviced it. The amount of effort he puts in to make your bike look and ride like it just came off the shop ﬂoor is crazy. And don’t get me started on how cheap they are. Man I feel so bad when he tells me the price of a full service that I scold him and force him to charge me a bit more… Natasha is so clued up on bikes, it’s scary (and a bit intimidating) and she makes a great cup of coffee. She won’t let you leave the shop without a caffeine rush so bad you’d be ready to take on the Trans

Baviaans, wide-eyed, right then and there. I’m pretty sure that (and this is my humble opinion) these small LBS’s are the heart and soul of the cycling world... I personally would be lost without Marius and Natasha. I’m sure they would appreciate any sort of publicity, but as humble as they are they would never expect or ask for it.

You can ﬁnd them on Facebook at Budget Cycles or drop by the shop at 8 Moreson Street, Despatch.

CALLING ALL BIKE SHOPS To get your bike shop featured here all you have to do is ensure that all your clients get a copy of Full Sus and enter the competition. The shop with the most competition entrants wins!

SUS The team Publishing Editor: Shayne Dowling shayne@integratedmedia.co.za Content Editor: Seamus Allardice seamus@integratedmedia.co.za Art Director: Megan Knox megan@integratedmedia.co.za Advertising: Shayne Dowling Sales: Jess Nosworthy jess@integratedmedia.co.za PR & Promotions: Ashley Attwood ash@integratedmedia.co.za Regulars: Meurant Botha, Stirling Kotze Snr & Jnr, Jacques Marais,

Dr Mike Posthumus, Rochez O’Grady, James Thornhill-Fisher, Sarah Walker, Jeanne-Louise Wiese, Erik Kleinhans & Diana Carolin Rogue Contributor: David Bristow Photography: Ashley Attwood, Oakpics.com, Cherie Vale Newsport Media and thinkstock.com. Contributors: Kath Fourie and Steve Smith. Printing: Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd Published by: Integrated Media Disclaimer: The views expressed by the contributors and columnists do not necessarily represent the views of Full Sus or Integrated Media.

Head Office | Cape Town Tel: 021 685 0285 Address: Suite WB03 Tannery Park 23 Belmont Road, Rondebosch, 7700 Postal Address: PO Box 259, Rondebosch 7701

Full Sus ALLIANCE PARTNERS

COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS: The Prize/s is as indicated, no alternatives or cash will be provided. The decision of Integrated Media will be ﬁnal and no correspondence will be entered into. Under no circumstances shall Integrated Media or its appointed representatives and the prize donors be liable to anyone who enters these Prize Draws for an indirect or consequential loss howsoever arising which may be suffered in relation to the Prize Draws. By entering these competitions you make yourself subject to receiving promotional information. Entrants are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions. Prize Draw Rules: The prize draw is only open to residents in South Africa. Employees of Integrated Media and their respective advertising, media and PR agencies, as well as the family members, consultants, directors, associates and trading partners of such organisations and persons are ineligible for the draw. Prize style and colour may vary.

FS A Mountain Biker’s Best Friend

Over-exercising: Injury Now, you might be really enjoying your ride and keen to push it for a few more kilometres, but you have to put your pups ﬁrst. The problem is dogs love their humans so they will just keep going and going until they fall over. There are a number of injuries that they can get, from heat-stroke to tendinitis to arthritis and the outer part of their pads can get ripped off. Owie. Mark and I shamefully have done that once before on a 15km ride, but it wasn’t that the ride was too far for their ﬁtness, it was that they hadn’t been conditioned to the terrain and the wet weather of the season. Just be sensible, you might be feeling like you’re on it and ready to take every KOM on the ride, but Rover may just be the one you really dethrone by hurting his body.

Irritating other people: Not everyone likes your dogs as much as you do Believe it or not, not everyone thinks your amazing trail dogs (who weave in and out of your bikes and bark at you to get you riding while nipping you through your shorts) are awesome. Sad, but a very true fact. You have to keep your dogs out of other riders (and walkers and runners) way. Not only will they cuss you as you ride

Three very well behaved dogs. Until that tail-gate drops...

“The joy we get from seeing their woofy, cheeky faces light up as they “sit, paw, shake…wait…okay go!” and fly off the tail-gate of the bakkie, is immense.” Human shit: The Grumpy Boyfriend There are other wild animals that make potty along the trails, and they care not whether your canine friends are drawn to their excretion. We have learned to pay extra special attention to Frank when he veers towards bushes all of a sudden, or makes to ﬂop onto his back. Once, when they still lived in Jo’burg, Mark took the dogs to a jump building session in some veld, and Frank rolled through a very loose human stool… so loose that Mark had to pour sand across his back and scrape it off with a stick once the sand had absorbed some of the moisture. When relating the story, I have heard him describe it as “gritty chocolate icing”.

Chasing animals: Oh No We’ve had an introduction into this one via the rabies tale earlier, but our pack will chase anything. Literally. If they don’t ﬁnd an animal to harass, they chase each other instead. Sometimes whatever they have found is much quicker and much bigger, and they give up fairly quickly. We are still annoyed and still frustrated with them when they do this (aside from the jackal, they have only ever caught some Delta Park bunnies in Jo’burg), but one does understand it’s pure instinct that drives them. They listen exceptionally well at home or at the local dog walking area, but put a scared beastie in front of them and they turn into nutters.

Too ﬁt: shoot yourself in foot It is really awesome having a crew of fuzzballs to ride with, the excitement

on their faces when they realise they’re going somewhere on the back of the bakkie is just lovely. When they kick your ass down the singletrack and race you like they need to win if it’s the last thing they do, it’s delightful! But when they are easily running 15km and it’s not even touching sides in terms of burning up their energy, you have basically created a trail doggie monster. You know those runners who get addicted to distance, and if they don’t run twice a day most days they’re a misery? Ja, that’s what the dogs become like. If they don’t get a really good hit of trail, they take it out on you… by digging up your garden, dragging their dog beds around the yard and waking up at 4am ready for breakfast and play time. There will be days when it’s freezing and wet, you’re tired and you know the trails are going to be less than optimal, but you will go anyway just because the trail doggie monsters will not let you sleep through the night otherwise. So, I guess it does wonders for your ﬁtness too.

But even with the responsibilities: I wouldn’t change it for anything Once you’ve got used to the typical things that go wrong, preparing for a doggy ride, knowing that the ride is not about you, it’s about the dogs you get into a rhythm with your pack and riding becomes something else. The joy we get from seeing our animals doing what they are genetically designed to do, and seeing their woofy, cheeky faces light up as they

KATH FOURIE

Your dogs are going to get ticks in summer. Absolutely no doubt. Skollie (she has that name for a reason) seems to attract ticks more than the other two dogs. It’s important to get your dogs onto a tick repellent system whether it’s an oral tick repellent, a tick collar or a tick repellent spray. All dogs react differently to each of these methods, and some people aren’t so keen on letting their dogs ingest stuff that can kill ticks, but you have to choose a method. It isn’t fair on the dogs if you take them to running paradise and then let them die of biliary. Na-uh. We ﬁnd that our dogs swim a lot, so we need to apply the spray on tick repellent more often than it recommends. I found a tick on Skollie’s poepol the other day, and it was embarrassing for both of us. Avoid the awkies moments with your dogs, get tick repellent.

Skollie, about to get dunked.

KATH FOURIE

Ticks: Biliary

KATH FOURIE

squeezing the mouth piece with the other hand. It’s a fail, you look like a hunchback leprechaun having an epileptic fit, and you spill most of the water, so rather pay the R25 for the fancy plastic bag that turns into a bowl. We have got our dogs figured out now, and they need to drink about every 5kms. If we are going on a big ride, say 25km, we plan to go past a dam or deep stream so they can cool down and drink a heap. A useful sign to know when your dogs are actually thirsty is when they attempt to drink out of tiny, filthy puddles. Or if they have “spade” tongues, dragging along the ground. That is not a good thing.

away yelling: “Sorry man, they’re so unruly, sorry hey, for realsies!”. Your wild pack can also cause injury to other trail users. Ever seen someone veer off the path into a tree as your dog heads straight for them coming out of a blind corner? You don’t want that. Luckily the worst we’ve had are death stares, headshakes and one or two telling comments on Facebook. Key to avoiding irritating other people (and lawsuits) is to plan the time, the day and the place you take them running with you. For example, taking them along The Spruit on a Sunday morning would be suicide. We are lucky to live in an area that has trails where bumping into people is pretty rare, but even so, we don’t take them to the trail head on a busy Sunday morning where we know there is a good chance we’ll cross other riders’ paths too often. Oh, and don’t ever take them to a pump track. Very bad idea. It’s like playing Russian Roulette every time you go round the track, except your chances of being shot are multiplied by the quantity of dogs present.

MARK MILLAR

from page 1

The best 25 bucks you’ll ever spend: the plastic fold up water bowl

Ultimate cool-down: after-action-satisfaction dam swim

“sit, paw, shake…wait…okay go!” and ﬂy off the tail-gate of the bakkie, is immense. Cake is sitting on my lap as I type this piece, draped over me like a skinned fox, passed out with happiness after a Friday evening brush-cutting trail with Mark. They are pretty lucky pups, we often say that when we see the many dogs around our neighbourhood who never leave their yards, but it has to be said, I think Mark and I are the luckiest of all.

Kath Fourie is a downhill racing, thesis smashing, doggie training star. She’s currently working from 4:30am to 7am on her thesis, putting in a 8 to 4:30 shift at work, then she has to take her canine pack for a run and get back to her thesis for another two and a half hours after 8pm. Look out for her and her KOM chasing pack on the trails of Howick. She accepts both compliments on her writing and beers from Full Sus readers, but she’d probably prefer a beer.

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Axis A40 Prize Bike

As you read last month, the Axis A40 was won by JJ Maritz, who very kindly donated it to the ACEThe Suﬀerfest Lesotho MTB Team. News from Lesotho is that the bike has arrived and been given to junior team rider Success Patrick Manasi. His previous bike was a very old, fully rigid, Specialized Stumpjumper 26er so he’s exceptionally chuﬀed with his new ‘girlfriend’. The Lesotho MTB team manager Mark West says: “Success has been a very consistent rider in the junior/ youth age group for some

First Giant Concept Store in SA Opens and gear section, a Right Ride Bike Fit studio, plus a host of Giant and other top cycling component and gear products.

Drop by the store at the corner of Wellington Road and Oxford Street in Durbanville, or visit their website at www.giantdurbanville.co.za, and follow them on Twitter at @GiantConcept.

time and 2015 should prove to be his big year in the junior division now that some of his close rivals will have moved up”. We hope that Success and the Axis A40 have many great rides and races together, and we’ll be keeping you updated on his and the rest of the ACE-The Suﬀerfest Lesotho MTB Team’s progress on the race scene this season. And more importantly we’d like to extend our thanks from Full Sus, Success and the Lesotho MTB to JJ and the good folks at Scott Sports South Africa! Bicycles change lives and we’re sure this one will help Success live up to his name!

Success Patrick Manasi with his new Axis A40 ‘girlfriend’

GIANT DURBANVILLE

Giant Bicycles’ first concept store in South Africa opened in Durbanville in December. Known as Giant Durbanville the store is owned by Hannes van der Walt, and run by Leon Jansen and Johan Cilliers. As the first Giant concept store in SA it’s an exciting place for fans of Giant and Liv bikes. The store features a comprehensive range of Giant’s road and mountain bike offerings, a ladies specific Liv bike

News FS

Success has now retired his fully rigid 26er.

Join the full sus group on Strava If you’re looking for riding inspiration and a bit of good natured competition, join the Full Sus Strava group. To join the club go to www.strava.com/clubs/ FullSus or search for ‘Full Sus’ in Strava’s Explore Clubs menu.

Max ‘Waxhead’ Menzies has been clocking up the kays week in and week out so far, climbing near to 4 000m in the week before this was written. Do you think you can do better? Join the group and prove it. Because remember if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen! ACE THE SUFFERFEST LESOTHO MTB TEAM | BOTH PHOTOS EWALD SADIE

Reader Test Day

On the 14th of May Full Sus will be hosting our ﬁrst reader test day at Delheim Wine Estate, on Stellenbosch’s Simonsberg Conservancy. It’s set to be an afternoon of epic trail riding and bike testing. Yes that’s right – you’ll be able to test ride a variety of top end bikes from a number of bike manufactures, on the same trails, back-to-back. So if you’ve ever wondered if your riding style is better suited a Santa Cruz Tall Boy or a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR then you’d better join us on the 14th of May. The Reader Test Day will include a light lunch, refreshments, bike test rides and access to the Simonsberg Trail network for the day. Keep an eye on the Full Sus website, social media channels and in upcoming issues for more information on this awesome event.

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FS News

Paarl Media OMX Pro Team

To ﬁnd out more about the team visit the oﬃcial website

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Pro OMX

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Mariske Strauss’s Orange Monkey Pro Team has undergone a transformation for the 2015 season with Paarl Media (the printers of Full Sus) coming aboard as the title sponsors. The move sees the team rebranded as the Paarl Media OMX Pro Team and they’ll once again be competing on the UCI MTB World Cup series and other UCI accredited MTB races around the globe as the team strives to reach their goal of being the top UCI MTB team in the world by 2020. For South Africans the exciting news is the addition of the very talented Cherie Vale to the OMX pro-rider roster. Cherie has been a top local performer despite holding down a very time consuming day job for years, so it’ll be great to see her levels rise as she can now fully dedicate herself to her sport. Mariske will also be riding in OMX kit for 2015 and in another bit of SA related news the team will be racing the South African/German Silverback bicycles.

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Team ke aris

www.omxprobiketeam.com

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Full Sus has negotiated a stellar deal for Full Sus readers with SA Alpine Addiction for their 2015 tours to Portes Du Soleil in the French and Swiss Alps. Exclusive deal for Full Sus readers is R27 500 for an eleven night, ten days of riding trip, including ﬂights, accommodation, breakfast and dinner at the chalet, all lift passes, and transfers between Geneva and Morzine/Chamonix, plus a Full Sus goodie hamper of must have items for any Alpine mountain biking adventure, valued at R500. That’s a R1 500 in savings and added value, especially for you, just because

we love our readers so much! The 2014 trips were a great success and everyone we’ve spoken to about them are still frothing from the great riding – nearly six months later, so you’d be foolish to miss out. And if the thought of ski-lift assisted ascents and miles upon miles of manicured singletrack down to the valley ﬂoors doesn’t make you go weak at the knees you need to reconsider your mountain biker status. The trails of Portes Du Soleil aren’t all double black diamond, so you won’t need a downhill rig to have the best time of your life in the Alps. A 120mm trail bike will serve

you perfectly well and you’ll soon be upgrading from the fast and ﬂowing blue lines to the rad red lines, complete with jumps, drops and rock gardens. You’ll come home with a permanent grin and skills it would have taken you a year of riding to develop in SA.

For more information and all the terms and conditions sus out the SA Alpine Addiction website www.sa-alpineaddiction.co.za or give Karl Ebel a call on 072 111 0208 to chat about what they have in store for the 2015 tours in more detail.

ASHLEE ATTWOOD

ALL PHOTOS BY SA ALPINE ADDICTION

SA Alpine Addiction Tour Discounts for Full Sus Readers

Chris Nixon Cycling Academy

Chris Nixon opened a bike park on Constantia Uitsig wine estate during December and we dropped by in January to take photos for the Trek Remedy bike review and to have a look around. The bike park features a pump track, jumps and drops, which have all been mechanically sculpted and compacted. When we visited there were a horde (undoubtedly the correct collective noun) of groms tearing around the trails, and we’ll deﬁnitely be back to ride the track too. Chris is also oﬀering skills coaching at the bike park, so should you or the young riders in your family want to take your riding to a more advanced technical level you can give him a call on 084 777 7802 to book a skills session or two. For day visitors permits are R30 and the park is open daily. Like the Chris Nixon Cycling Academy page on Facebook to stay up-todate on new track expansions and for photos and videos for riders in action in the park.

FS Gearing up for the Epic

Steve Smith on his beloved “cross” bike in the 2014 sani2c

The Voice(s) of Reason W

hat? The Epic? Not a chance. No, totally not my vibe. I’m more of a soul mountainbiker. A purist. Steel-framed singlespeed 29ers and cyclocross bikes are what I’m about. I don’t race either. I ride. And I do it because I love riding bikes – that’s the sole motivation I need. Right. Only not. Because here I am looking at a shiny new Cannondale Scalpel over the top of my computer screen. It happens to be my, shiny new Cannondale Scalpel and of late the two of us have been spending some quality time together. Yes, for all my merino-wool-wearing, Reynoldssteel-worshipping retro cyclist sentiments, it turns out I will indeed be competing in the mother of all mountain bike races from the 15th of March. And the really surprising bit is the all-of-two-seconds it took me to say yes to Craig Kolesky’s invite. Craig: “Hey Steve, how’s it going?” Me: “Craig! Hey, all good bru!” Craig: “So… do you want to do the Epic with me?” Me: “Okayyyyyes!” That’s what my mouth was saying. Large parts of my brain, however, were going “Wh... hey! No! No! WTF are you doing?” Cue following weeks of hand wringing and angsting. WTF was I thinking indeed. Doing the fairly

manicured route of the 3-day Sani2C Race on those steel bikes was one thing, but the Epic is another ballgame altogether. Over its eight gruelling stages I’d need all the help that the lightweight carbonﬁbre and suspension would provide. Craig’s Team Nikon/OneSight invite included the Scalpel courtesy of sponsors Omnico, as well as an entry into the race. “What an opportunity, bru!” said one voice. “This is bucket-list shit for any mountain biker”. “Sell-out!” said the other voice, “Ja, go and join the herd of MAMILS. You’ll see that’s not really you.” I had made a commitment though and here I am. Three months in and, to be frank, I remain a tad conﬂicted. The two voices have developed into an outand-out slanging match after Voice No. 1’s “Your mama was a MAMIL!” jibe (which, on one level, is hard to argue against, but insulting nonetheless). Plus all this training is… really hard. It’s hard in two ways. One: the sheer amount of riding you need to do is hard. Finding space between a fairly demanding job and a family means a lot of waking up at 4:30am

JETLINE ACTION PHOTOT

Next month rigid-fork-singlespeeder-slashcyclocrosser Steve Smith will be doing the ABSA Cape Epic for the ﬁrst time… on a carbon dual-susser. He is nervous. And conﬂicted.

We’re talking in the region of 15 to 20 hours a week in the saddle. They’re on tailored training programs and say stuff like “Something something Watts” and “something something zone 2”. I nod, but I have no idea what they are talking about. I don’t ride with a heart rate monitor, power metre, or training program, relying instead on my body to tell me when we’re nudging the rev limiter, Stravatimes (obviously I have Strava!) to indicate any improvement in my performance, and a basic training regimen of 50% long and slow rides, 20% shorter race-pace rides, 20% slow recovery rides, and 10% dreaded hill intervals. Based on the advice of some other folk who have done the Epic, I’m targeting 10 to 15 hours a week. They’ve warned me against overtraining and being knackered by the time March rolls around. “Ten to 15 hours a week is enough”, “Rather ride yourself into the race over the ﬁrst four stages and then accelerate from there” and “You don’t want to start hating your bike” are the key pieces of advice I have kept. Besides, I’m riding with Mr Craig Kolesky – not only a cyclist who has completed the last two ABSA Cape Epics but one of the most organized individuals I know – and he reckons our training is on track. And I’m still riding my singlespeed and cyclocross bikes once a week, which, for the moment at least, is providing Voice No. 2 with some gratiﬁcation. I’ll let you know next month who was right…

to get in a quick 50km before work, long 100km plus weekend rides with a minimum of 2 000m climbing and, worst of all, the weekly hill intervals session. This last bit is immensely kak and it goes like this: do a 20 min warm-up getting to your chosen hill… blast up the hill for 6min at max heart rate… and then coast back down taking a 5min rest. Do that six times in a row. It’s not fun. It’s also when Voice No.2 is at its most irritating. “You see? You see? I told you this was a bad idea. This isn’t cycling. This is self-flagellation. And you’re not even Catholic.” The second hard part is figuring out just how much training is the right amount of training. Opinions seem to differ quite a lot, which doesn’t help. Take my four mates – they’re also doing the Epic for the first time this year and they are piling on the hours.

"I'm more of a soul mountainbiker. A purist. Steelframed singlespeed 29ers and cyclocross bikes are what I'm about."

©NICK MUZIK

Steve will be riding the 2015 ABSA Cape Epic with Craig Kolesky and the EpicOneSight charity

Steve Smith is the editor of Car Magazine by day and a devoted cycling purist (read hipster) by late afternoon. He’s riding the 2015 ABSA Cape Epic with one of SA’s top photographers, Craig Kolesky, for the charity: OneSight. Follow Steve’s training and race progress on Twitter at @SteveSmithZA.

FS The Next Big Thing

It’ll take some hard work to earn this view on day two – from the top of the Merino Monster.

Are you

Tankwa Tough? ZOON CRONJE | NIKON

Now in its third year the Du Toit Tankwa Trek is kicking on from a race of sheer natural beauty, singletracks and superb Dryland organisation, it’s becoming the next big “Must Do” MTB event and it’s easy to see why. to forgive as any rider conquering stage two has earned the right to tell a war story or two around the Kaleo campﬁres.

Stage One

The routes are just half of it though, for on the Tankwa Trek riders will be camped around the wedding venue of Kaleo Manor in the Kouebokkeveld and they’ll be treated to all the bells and catering whistles we’ve come to expect from a Dryland race. But if you’re reading this and you haven’t managed to secure an entry there’s a bit of a problem… you’re going to be missing out. Well yes and no. The Tankwa Trek is one of best covered MTB events in the country. Full Sus will be providing daily race reports. Oakpics and Zoon Cronje will be there to capture every moment for posterity and Bigshot Media will be producing a television production for SuperSport. Plus with wi-ﬁ in the race village (bear in mind there is hardly any data coverage anywhere between Ceres and Pofadder so it’s a very handy technological oasis)

Stage Two Stage two takes in the Ceres Valley and the formidable Merino Monster. It’s been carefully planned by Mauritz Walters, who riders will probably be cursing as they tackle the old Tronsberg Pass followed by the Monster in quick succession. The impish Walters might well be testing if the city folk are tough enough for the Bokkeveld, but he’s not difficult

63km (860m of climbing)

Format: 3 stage, clover leaf format stage race. Venue: Kaleo Manor, Kouebokkeveld (32km from Ceres) Website: www.tankwatrek.co.za Who to Follow: @tankwatrek, @dryland1, @TeamBulls, @TeamRECM, @oakpics, @bigshotmediasa, @ZoonCronje & @FullSussa. Stage three’s singletrack is one of the best adverts for mountain biking in SA, as Cannondale Blend’s Waylon Woolcock discovered in 2014.

Stage Three Stage three is the brain child of Charl van der Merwe and after a 26km liaison it’s hand-cut and hand-built singletrack all day (pretty much). If there ever was a global advertisement for mountain biking in the Western Cape it’s the trails of stage three that should be used. Van der Merwe’s trails will have riders squeezing energy they didn’t know they had out of their tired legs and booking their spot in the 2016 Tankwa as soon as they cross the ﬁnish line.

where are we? Kaleo Manor is the warm heart of the Kouebokkeveld. It’s located 32km North of Ceres in a corner of South Africa that’s very easy to fall in love with. It’s also a great base for mountain bikers outside of the Tankwa Trek, just remember to negotiate trail entries with the relevant farmers. every socially conscious rider and team manager will be Tweeting, Vining and Instagramming the sights and sounds of the race straight to your phone. Live video streaming is only a couple of pros and some international exposure away, so look out 2016 – because the Du ToitTankwa Trek is very

More than the trails

A F R I CA Western Cape

Stage one is pure mountain biking as envisioned by the Hanekom brothers. Hannes and Sakkie are two of the most formidable amateur racers on the local mountain biking circuit and their loop through their backyards of the Witzenberg Valley shows off what they love – tough climbs, technical trails and ample rewards for the strong and the brave.

Dates: 13 – 15 February 2015 Distances: 88km (1 890m of climbing), 91km (2 300m of climbing) and

WWW.OAKPICS.COM

n the December/January issue of Full Sus we proﬁled the exquisite Garden Route 300, which is packed with forest singletacks, the Du ToitTankwa Trek couldn’t be more different in the terrain it asks entrants to conquer. With the orchards of the Ceres and Witzenberg Valleys providing the backdrop for the ﬁrst two days and the rugged Kouebokkeveld Mountains never far away it’s a race of epic beauty and, notably, a race of tough challenges. It’s a race that embraces the heat of the Karoo rather than the humidity of the Coastal Forests, but it’s also a race that offers an unforgettably riding experience. Each stage is as different as the men who designed them.

SUS the Du Toit Tankwa Trek

Kaleo ◆

Cape Town N2

deﬁnitely the next big thing on the SA MTB Calendar. And with a waiting list nearly 300 riders long, it’s easy to see why it’s doubtful that the Du Toit Tankwa Trek will remain a sand alone event in 2016. So keep an eye out a Tankwa Ride or Adventure on our stage race calendar.

FS Trails

Rein’s RIDI N G

Rein’s Private Nature Reserve is about as far off-the-beatentrack as you can get along the rugged southern Cape coast. So pack the car, saddle up and set course for Boggomsbaai and the Oyster Catcher MTB Route for some kick-ass cranking. Photographs and words by Jacques Marais.

Local Buzz: Vleesbaai, Gouritsmond, Fransmanshoek, Boggomsbaai… the mere mention of these tiny dorps conjure up images of secret surf breaks with kilometre-long rides and fynbos hiking trails traversing a tempestuous Indian Ocean shoreline. Few people know about the kief mountain biking you can do here, so let me elaborate, bru. Rein’s Private Nature Reserve is

situated along the old Stilbaai Road, approximately 8km after you cross the Gourits River. Turn left and pass through the gates, and slow down right away as the eland and zebra here have right of way. Previously known as Gourikwa Nature Reserve, the German owners had built a veritable village here, with family homes, an old church, conference centre and restaurant rising up along the sea shore.

"This will bomb you into the upper ridges of the reserve, with a good 60km of jeep tracks traversing the fynbos ridges towards Stilbaai." 12

Unfortunately, they seem to have hit on some hard times, with some of the facilities and homes boarded up, or in a state of disrepair. Don’t let this put you off, though, as there are at least two dozen beach cottages to choose from. All of them are both comfortable and affordable, and therefore offer a perfect base for selfcatering families in search of a solid combo of headspace and adventure.

Trail Low-Down: I had limited time to explore all the riding options here at Rein’s, so will stick to the main routes surrounding the central area. Start off from the parking area near the church, and crank to the gate for a warm-up

session along the gradual 5.2km ascent towards the main gate. Once here, retrace your route along the initial climb, looking out for the first track to your right off the tarmac (7.1km). This will bomb you into the upper ridges of the reserve, with a good 60km of jeep tracks traversing the fynbos ridges towards Stilbaai. I opted for the next sand track (7.3km), to loop left parallel to the tarmac. Keep an eye out for the power lines if you lose your way, following the jeep track which eventually T-bones with the Scenic Drive Route (8.6km). Turn left here onto a gravel track bombing all the way back to the tar road (9.6km), and keep right until you reach your starting point at the parking lot (10.5km). Get ready for a fast and flat section, turning left along the coast towards the easternmost boundary of the reserve (14.7km). Good surface and a flat coastal trajectory will feed your need for speed as you turn around at the gate pillars to blast back past the restaurant (18.5km), which is now sadly closed. Keep cranking along the coastal route past the old church and the turn-off to the parking lot, passing the self-catering ‘fisherman’s cottages’ on your way to the distant lighthouse (21.3km). Another kay or so will get you to a closed gate, so instead look out for a sign to your right, indicating the scenic drive, and crank into an uppity little ascent along a firm gravel jeep track. Keep an eye out for bushbuck and eland as you loop slowly to your right and keep your weight well back to negate a face plant on the occasional sandy patches. All in all, this is easy riding for any average mountain biker, with only minor technical obstacles (other than sand, sticks and the occasional puff adder) to worry about. After 4km, you pass under the power lines you exited on during your first loop (25.4km), with just on 2km of riding back to the finish, for a total riding distance of 27.3km. If you’re keen on getting stuck into something more substantial, head onto the upper trail, or exit from the Rein’s gate and turn left onto the gravel road to Stilbaai. There are many days of potential cranking along these quiet back roads.

Getting there: Follow the N2 from Cape Town towards Mossel Bay for just on 8km past Albertinia, then turn right on the R325 towards Gouritsmond. Take the ﬁrst right turn (around 20km along this road) and continue until you see the Rein’s Nature Reserve sign on your right. Enter through the gates and drive for a further 5km to the caretaker’s cottage.

Trails where are we?

U SO N1

T H AF R I

In the heart of the Southern Cape, the coastline between Blombosch and Mossel Bay, is one of the most archeologically signiﬁcant regions in the world. The Blombosch and Pinnacle Point Caves have some of the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens activity dating back nearly 200 000 years. Rein’s Private Nature Reserve is a good base from which to explore the Pinnacle Point Caves in particular.

Western Cape Port Elizabeth

Mossel Bay ◆ Rein’s Private Nature reserve

SUS the Rein’s MTB Trail

www.mapstudio.co.za

Grading: Intermediate (Sandy) Duration: 2hrs (Coastal Circuit) Conﬁguration:

Access: Entrance reserved for

Circular/Return: 27.3km

signal near Cottage #25

Start Point: Reserve Parking Area Terrain: Gravel roads and

Accommodation: Self-catering

sand tracks

need; clean and secure

overnight guests

Cell Reception: Very limited

cottages with everything you

Post-Ride Beer: Bring your own,

www.sandpiper.co.za

and enjoy on the deck overlooking

Local Contact: Call Fred Orban

the ocean.

at Sandpiper Sports Centre

Must-Do Event: No MTB events,

(082) 550 4788

but check out the trail run options

GPS:

on www.oystercatchertrail.co.za

S 34°23’00.00” / E 21° 45’00.00

Jacques Marais is the South African trail guru. If he’s not scouting a new MTB trail he’s trail running a new route in the Drakensberg. His new book More Top MTB Trails has just hit the shelves of all good book shops and you can purchase a copy for R250. Follow him on Twitter @JacqMaraisPhoto

FS Ride Report - Origin of Trails

ALL PHOTOS BY CHERIE VALE | NEWSPORT MEDIA

The pro’s (including Theo Blignaut, Waylon Woolcock and Candice Neethling) enjoyed a couple of very chilled days on the bike, stopping for photos and snacks at every opportunity.

Ice-cream & Beer Racing Erik Kleinhans calls November Ice-cream and Beer Season and it seems the Stillwater Team largely agree as the second Pennypinchers Origin of Trails stage race was geared towards fun as Seamus Allardice discovered.

he first edition of the Origin of Trails drew a bit of flak for being too difficult for that time of the year. By November most of us are pretty tired and that’s got nothing to do with fitness, it’s purely work related – the end of the year was chaotic for Full Sus and I’m sure it was for most of you too, there’s a massive list of things to do and time seems to speed up as the end of the year approaches. So the last thing most of us feel like is suffering on the bike – there’s enough of that in the office thank you.

Day One

For Day One of the 2014 race I feel Stillwater Sports and Entertainment got it spot on. The opening kilometres of the route were dominated by some fairly tough climbs, but on fresh legs in the cool of the morning they were perfectly manageable and, after all, you have to climb to have the fun of descending! Dropping through

the top section of the famed Canary singletrack before making our way down Never-ending Story was totally worth it. More Jonkershoek fun followed before a trek up a very rocky climb (read: hike for 95% of the ﬁeld) heralded the start of the real virgin singletrack fun for the long route riders. The fresh trails of Dornier Wine Estate offered loamy terrain, fertile and fortunately soft for the odd rider taken unawares by trail builder and route designer Corrie Muller’s bridged berms. A rider ahead of me managed to awkwardly assault the main feature of the Dornier section, his body position into the berm was too upright causing his tyres to slide out dramatically before his bars arrested his slide when they wedged between the slats of the bridged berm. Fortunately no damage was done beyond his ego… Day One ended with a run through G-Spot, everyone’s favourite Stellenbosch trail, before reaching the Markötter Fields where a lavish

A F R I CA

where are we?

Origin of Trails is designed to showcase as many of the Stellenbosch singletracks as Cape Western Cape possible and raise funds for trail Town building and maintenance. In 2013 Stellenbosch ◆ it took in Banghoek, Jonkershoek N2 and Bottelary Hills. In 2014 it was Jonkershoek, Dornier and Banghoek. For 2015… you’ll have to wait and see…

ORIGINS OF

Riders racing down the amazing Bartinney Skyfall singletrack.

lunch, beers and, of course, some Ice Cream Community artisan ice-cream awaited. I spent the day riding with Biking in the Bosch’s Jo Dobinson, which helped the kays click away quickly as we chatted about everything mountain biking and bounced ideas for 2015 around.

Day Two

Day Two was a little less ice-cream and beer and as it turned out I was pretty happy to downgrade from the long route to the 40km in order to ride with first time racer and Full Stride Biokineticist Tammy Reader and her husband Paul. Paul was back on the bike for the first time after dislocating his elbow in a MTB crash a few weeks before Origins. Setting off at the back of the field we unfortunately had a bit of a stop start descent down the highlight of the race, the Bartinney Skyfall singletrack. Despite the hold-ups it’s clear that Skyfall is the best singletrack I’ve ridden in the area; it’s manicured, with sturdily

constructed retaining walls on the downslope side, perfect berms on each corner and I’m not sure how many switchbacks dropping into the Banghoek Valley. While the 40km route turned back to Stellenbosch the long route riders took in a tough extended rock garden section, which by the sounds of it was not well received by some members of the ﬁeld. For those of us taking the easy way out there was a jaunt through Kylemore, though I must admit to casting more than one envious glance at Vanessa Haywood’s new BMC Fourstroke FS as we climbed towards water point three. From there it was up Old Helshoogte, under the main road and onto the steep (very steep) slopes of Botmaskop. For an end of November race maybe an easier return to Stellenbosch would have left everyone feeling a bit better – but there is method in the madness too, it does encourage post-race icecream and beer consumption!

"It's clear that Skyfall is the best singletrack I've ridden in the area."

SUS the Pennypinchers Origin of Trails 2015 Dates: 27 & 28 November 2015 Distances: 2 x 65km, 65km & 40km or 2 x 40km Website: www.stillwatersports.com

IT’S TI ME TO FLY When it’s about getting from point A to point B quickly, grab your Superfly and start hammering.

Sup erfl y | trekbikes.com

D istributed by D H B Di s tri bu ti o n (P T Y ) Ltd Email: info@d hbd i s tri bu ti o n .co.za Tel : 021 202 27 3 0

Co m Lif e s e C ee yc u s le at Ex th po e !

FS Bike Review

P ERF E CT

TRAI L BIKE

– We have the Remedy What has wide tyres, lots of travel and will have you grinning from ear to ear? Seamus Allardice found out it’s the remedy for all your trail riding queries; it’s the Trek Remedy 9.8. Photography by Ashlee Attwood.

hen you get offered a bike for the holiday you jump at the offer – even if it’s a 140mm travel 650b, and you’re going to be spending your hard earned vacation in Stilbaai, where the gravel roads are long and the singletracks are very, very few. In fact you do the right thing and drive up to the fantastic Garden Route Trail Park and really put it to the test. That’s just what I did. And neither bike nor park disappointed! The ﬁrst thing you’ll have to get used to with the Remedy is the envious glances, even at the GRTP where trail superbikes are a dime a dozen. Comments like, “I love the look of it, it just looks right” were the order of the day as I enjoyed a coffee and waited for my lost riding partner to discover his sense of direction. Once on the trails though I had no problems with rider envy because I was having too much fun to notice anyone else. The Remedy is balanced, light and even forgiving to ride (I dug a foot into the side of a trail and got myself hopelessly out of shape on a jump without suffering the consequences I’d usually expect in those situations on my normal ride). The super wide bars (750mm) and the short stem work in tandem with the mid-sized wheels to provide a remarkably nippy ride, especially considering the near monster wide 2.35 inch tyres while the Fox CTD suspension front and rear is tuned to perfection for Trek’s Full Floater suspension linkage. Rudolf Zuidema, Trek SA’s ops and marketing manager, told me the bike feels bottomless and while I don’t have the skills to push it to the levels where it might begin to bottom out I can see why he’d describe it as such – the rollers, little jumps, and the myriad of corrugations on the gravel roads around Stilbaai were all soaked up with ease by the Remedy. The 2.35” tyres inspire so much conﬁdence on the trails, and the wider

rims seem to help with that too. The Bontrager XR 3 and 4 Team Issue tyres grip like crazy and devour corners. The wider tyres have another benefit in that they float over sandy sections on the trails with ease, making the Remedy a great bike to ride on trails built in the sandy soils of the Western Cape coastal fynbos. Equipped with 2x10 Shimano XT gearing the Remedy has ample gears for the steepest climbs, while the XT brakes (180mm rotors front and back) and RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper seat-post have descending covered. In fact going back to a dropper post-less bike is going to be tough… There are a couple of things I’d change if the Remedy was my own. Firstly the Bontrager Evoke 3 saddle is too narrow for my ischial tuberosities and a saddle in the region of 145mm might be a better fit for more riders. But saddle width and your ischial tuberosity width is something I’d encourage you to look into before you purchase any bike, so that’s not a major drawback on Trek’s part. The second is the grips, the Bontrager Rhythm grips are a bit harsh on your hands and I’d have replaced them with a set of chunky ESI grips. Despite the 140mm of travel the

“The first thing you’ll have to get used to with the Remedy is the envious glances, even at the GRTP where trail superbikes are a dime a dozen.”

SUS The Trek Remedy 9.8’s Geometry 17.5 Inch frame: All measurements in mm or ° Seat Tube ............................419 Top Tube .............................582 Head Tube ..........................100 Seat tube angle ............ 67.5° Head tube angle ........... 67.5°

BB Height ...........................338 Chain Stay .........................435 Wheel base .........................1131 Standover height .............758 Stack ....................................694 Reach ...................................394

Remedy isn’t limited to trail riding; I did a few 50km rides on it where the predominant terrain was district gravel or suburban tar roads. The Remedy’s 650b wheels, wide bars, and slack head and seat angles make it a comfortable ride on the road, especially for riders who prefer a more upright riding position. If you are planning on riding in a group however you might ﬁnd the extra rolling resistance of the smaller and wider tyres an issue when

trying to keep up with riding buddies on more marathon-orientated 29ers. So it’s not the ideal bike if you can only afford one bike and most of your riding is going to be on district roads rather than on the mountain. But if you’re more interested in shredding trails than clocking up the kays then it’s the perfect machine for you, or in an ideal world it’s the perfect second bike for trips to one of the ever growing number of trail parks around SA.

FS Coaching Improving your

TORQUE

Training to improve your strength does not have to happen in a gym, so in this issue Dr Mike Posthumus brieﬂy discusses how to improve your leg strength on the bike and why it is so important.

hen measuring the performance of your car’s engine, one of the critical measures defining the engine’s capacity and power, is torque. Torque, measured in Nm (Newton metres), is an angular force. Just as torque, or force produced is an important defining factor in your car’s engine, so is it a

FS Nutrition

Realistic Resolutions “Welcome back from your holiday!” writes Rochez O’Grady who’s been back at work for a while and has big plans for 2015. With that in mind she’s penned her nutrition column on making realistic eating resolutions this year.

’ve become weary of setting resolutions as we end up getting to mid-year and they often seem to fall by the wayside. Not because we aren’t strong enough to stick to our convictions, but because perhaps they were a bit unrealistic or life just accelerates too quickly and before you know its January again. After a relaxing holiday (and some overindulging), it’s easy to feel like you want to detox and get back into shape. In reality this can actually set us back as we will be able to keep it up for two weeks and then slip into old habits. But I’m deﬁnitely not saying that cutting out alcohol for two weeks won’t help your liver

critically important factor in cycling performance. In cycling terms, torque is the amount of force you push onto the pedals during each pedal stroke. Torque is critically important for cyclists because power is a product of torque and speed (cadence). Therefore, if you improve the torque you are able to produce at the same cadence, you will by definition, improve the power you are able to produce. Several professional cycling teams, athletes and coaches include specific structured training sessions to improve torque. This training has been referred to as “over-gear” work, torque intervals, big gear intervals, simply low cadence intervals. Generally, when climbing intervals are performed near maximally at a cadence of 40 - 60 rpm, the force the athlete applies through the pedals is approximately twice as high as it would be if the power was generated at a cadence of 80 - 90 rpm. Therefore, performing such low cadence intervals has specific potential to improve your torque and therefore power production. Recent research studies have started investigating the effect of performing these torque intervals. It was recently shown that performing low cadence intervals (60 rpm) were more beneﬁcial at improving cycling performance, when compared to performing the same intervals at 100 rpm. A further study investigating the

recover. And it certainly will help you feel a whole lot better. It’s not all doom and gloom though; a different approach can help us make some lifestyle changes. Let’s look at motivation, first. Wanting to be thin and look good is not something that drives a lifestyle change. Motivation comes from wanting to be healthy so that you feel good, have energy and to prevent diseases in the long run. No one can be perfect - not even dieticians. We all like to eat the unhealthy options every now and then. It’s what we do the rest of the time that’s important. Before setting a resolution ask yourself why you want to be slimmer, healthier or fitter. Delve into that question and find what is really motivating you. Once you’ve found that motivation remind yourself of it when you’re making breakfast or packing in your lunch and snacks for the day. Remind yourself of it when you have the option of opting for a healthier order at the restaurant. Then it’s about actually starting to listen to your body. Your body tells you when it’s hungry and when it’s getting full. We just need to listen and not override our hunger by using the ‘I am too busy’ or ‘I didn’t have time to take food to work with me today’ excuses. The best way to boost your metabolism, keep your energy levels consistent and prevent getting too

longitudinal performance measures of professional cyclists across a season. This study found that low cadence strength workouts improved performance during a season. Further, the study also found that successful athletes not only performed more strength workouts, but also performed them more intensely. This therefore highlights that to get the most out of your training you not only need to perform torque intervals, but you also need to perform them intensely.

Here are some examples of sessions you may want to try to incorporate into your training: ◆ Warm up for 20 min in zone 2 and 3: ◆ Follow this with 6 x 4 minutes in a high gear and at a low cadence. ◆ Use a gear which you can only just turn over. ◆ Keep your cadence at 40 - 50 during the high gear efforts and at 90 during the rest periods. ◆ Rest 4 min in zone 2 between each high gear effort. ◆ Warm down 20 min - zone 2. ◆ Warm up 30 min zone 2 and 3: ◆ Follow with 3 x 10 minutes of seated climbing on moderate gradient. ◆ Keep cadence low (50 - 65) and gearing low (e.g. 39 x 23). Keep intensity below zone 4 at all times. If necessary use a lower gear but keep cadence low. ◆ Recovery of 10 minutes - zone 2 between climbs. ◆ Warm down 30 min zone 2.

hungry is by having 5 to 6 smaller meals a day. Usually every three hours is when we get hungry. This is a great starting point, try setting up these “appointments” with yourself. It’s not always going to be easy and sometimes you are going to have the odd day when you only get to eat lunch at 3 p.m. It’s fine, as long as you’re slowly becoming aware of it. It’s not about being good or bad, but to finding solutions to what might be taking priority above your health. Once you can identify what is preventing you from being healthy you can change it. Be curious, not critical to ﬁnd out where you can improve. A great resolution is to start being kind to your body. This includes listening to when you’re hungry and when you aren’t. Encourage yourselves to make

New Year’s resolutions loose weight get ﬁt ride the Cape Epic

Ask Dr Mike Have you got a coaching question you’d like answered? Full Sus would like to help you get the most out of your riding in 2015 and Dr Mike Posthumus has offered to answer your scientiﬁc and cycling coaching related questions. Email your questions to sussed@fullsus.co.za with the subject “Coaching Questions” and Dr Mike will select questions to discuss in upcoming issues of Full Sus.

Dr. Mike Posthumus is an accomplished academic with UCT’s Exercise Science and Sports Medicine faculty and a coach with Science 2 Sport. He was a provincial rugby player before switching togs for cleats and taking up competitive mountain biking. He has an exceptional knowledge of training periodisation and scientiﬁc training principles. Find out more at www.sciencetosport.com lifestyle changes through selfacceptance. Once you’ve accepted your body for as it is right now, you can move forward and make healthy lifestyle changes sustainable.

Rochez O’Grady (pronounced r-OH-shay) is a registered Dietitian and runs her own practice called MunchWize. She focuses on educating and motivating her clients in practical ways to follow a healthy lifestyle and achieve personal health goals. You can ﬁnd out more about MunchWize at www.munchwize.co.za or ask Rochez your nutrition related questions at rochez@munchwize.co.za.

"Perhaps they were a bit unrealistic or life just accelerates too quickly and before you know its January again."

nd ce

ing ve al nd

2015

Have you made your 2015 mountain biking resolutions yet? If not Sarah Walker is here to help being a measured approach which should see you reaching new heights on your bike – without having to spend weeks on her physio table…

t’s the start of a new year! You are standing on the start line, where is your mountain biking journey for 2015 going to lead you? Do you have any resolutions for this year? Perhaps you would like to share one of mine: No injuries for 2015 please! The recipe is simple: learn from mistakes of 2014 and plan ahead for less mistakes in 2015.

Grab a pen and paper; take a seat, its planning time. Think about and write down your goals for your mountain biking this year, whether it be certain events ticked, race PB’s, or building up to being able to participate in a certain event. With your goals in mind, highlight MTB events for your year, taking into account how ﬁt you (really) are at the present moment. 1. Equipment check – is your bike in good working order (when last did it go in for a service?) and correctly set

Physiotherapy

up for you; cleats and helmet check; comfortable cycling gear. 2. Routine – what days do you have available to train and how much time on those days can you spend training? 3. Nutrition – what you feed your engine will affect your performance enormously, it is worth seeing a sports nutritionist for professional advice. 4. Body check – book an assessment with a sports physio or biokineticist to screen you for weak, tight, unstable problem areas. Areas that we focus on are: ◆ Posture (certain posture types result in specific areas of tightness and weakness) ◆ Flexibility ◆ Range of movement of all your joints and spine ◆ Static and dynamic stability of your joints and spine ◆ Dynamic muscle strength for cycling movements ◆ Dynamic muscle power for cycling movements ◆ Balance right and left ◆ Coordination and dynamic stability at low and high speed cycling movements Results of this screening are used to build a cycling conditioning programme specific to your needs. 5. Training Programme Speak to a professional regarding what type of cycling training to do, how long and how often. With quality training you will find you spend less time on the bike and have better results.

Plan Your Year To help plan your riding year Full Sus have put together the 2015 stage race calendar. You can download it from www.fullsus.co.za or sus it out by scanning this QR Code. Sarah Walker is a is a sports physiotherapist who has been involved with treating cyclists for 15 years. She’s worked at many MTB stage races around the country and from her Cape Town practice sees many a sports person. She teaches Pilates and is a ﬁtness trainer for tennis academy. Sarah believes that a thorough sports speciﬁc assessment followed by a well-planned exercise programme to treat the cause of the problem is the key to gtting her patients back to full health and sporting success. Go to www.walkerphysiotherapy.co.za for more info or send your questions to sarah@walkerphysiotherapy.co.za

“Voete soos ’n Ribbok” Have you explored the trails at Rhebokskloof Wine Estate on the Paarl Mountain yet? Over the festive season Jeanne-Louise Wiese did just that and was thrilled by what she found.

aarl and its surrounding trails have become one of our favourite mountain biking spots for an adrenalin-driven weekend out in the countryside. Us city dwellers have this natural tendency to want to feel free and embrace space around us, to breathe the fresh air and to see all that is green and colourful. The thing that makes this area special is that it caters for the adventurous, the family-orientated, the laidback rider, and the alternative sports enthusiast. One can easily ﬁll your weekend with a show at the Ou Meulteater (or Old Mill Theatre) on the Friday, a MTB ride at Rhebokskloof and Paarl mountain on the Saturday morning, lunch or dinner at Juno’s and watching a game of polo at Val de Vie on the Sunday. Now that just about covers all my activity needs in one go. I am lucky enough to have the in-laws living in Paarl and love any

excuse to go enjoy a warm hearty home cooked meal. On one of these weekends we discovered that Rhebokskloof Wine Estate has been hiding some of the best singletrack trails in the Paarl valley. The nice thing about these trails is that it was designed in-tune with nature, and they cater for all levels of ﬁtness and

"The nice thing about these trails is that it was designed in-tune with nature, and they cater for all levels of fitness and technical ability"

technical ability. Plus Rhebokskloof also provides alternatives for the rest of the family like horse riding, trail running, quad biking and wine tasting. Rhebokskloof is located in the area called Agter-Paarl on the slopes of the famous Paarl Rock which lends itself to cool afternoon breezes which is favourable for both mountain bikers and wine grapes. The conservation of the property and development of the trails is a result of the focused management of the estate by the current owners who purchased the farm in 2006. The history of the farm dates back to 19 August 1692, when Simon van der Stel awarded a free grant of land to Dirk van Schalkwyk. Since then the farm has exchanged hands several times, been split into smaller portions, reclaimed again and buildings restored to their original glory. Trails twist and turn along the

Training partners – choose fellow cyclists who will motivate you but not outride you, who have similar goals in mind and whom you enjoy being with. With some smart planning and preparation, 2015 is already looking good!

Conservation

JEAN-LOUISE WIESE

n emic ise

Here’s to an injury free

southern ridge of the farm through threatened Renosterveld, Strandveld and Fynbos habitats. These habitats offer around 1700 unique species of vegetation and is linked to the Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve to the South. This connection offers unrestricted movement corridors for the diverse fauna (wildlife) that roam these hills. The trails at Rhebokskloof are about 20km in length and can be extended by riding into the Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve from there. Some tough climbs offer cyclists the opportunity to admire the panoramic views of Wellington, Table Mountain, Paarl Mountain and the Drakenstein mountains. From these look-out points you realise once again how vulnerable the environment is and how lucky we are to enjoy these natural environments that we should protect for all the cycling generations to come.

Jeanne-Louise Wiese is a Senior Environmental Practitioner for engineering, management and specialist technical services giant Aurecon. As an avid MTBer she has the good fortune of consulting on the Provincial Department of Transport to upgrade and maintenance programme for gravel roads, so she gets to visit secluded areas and take her bike along.

FS Swen’s Tech Zone

HIGH SADDLE

Dropping the fun into your ride In the ﬁrst of his series of columns on the technology built into your ride that helps you shred a trail, Swen Lauer descends into this year’s must have component – dropper seatposts.

t used to be a mission to put the saddle down every time I wanted to ride a singletrack, downhill or hit a jump. But over the past few years I have been using a dropper seatpost and it has made riding so much more enjoyable. As a performance and skills coach I see riders confronted with difficulties with regard to saddle position on a daily basis. This leads to uneasiness and crashes, especially when manoeuvring around obstacles, riding around corners and or going downhill. A dropper post not only improves on your safety on the bike but also lets you have more fun while riding. In my ﬁrst article for Full Sus I want to present the product and the associated riding technique from a different perspective. In the case of the dropper seatpost I want to show the inﬂuence that saddle height has on bike handling. For my test I used the KS LEV dropper seat post with 100mm travel and a handlebar mounted lockout (weight: approximately 530g).

LOW SADDLE

CORNERING

Note how it is easier to get your weight over your back wheel and kick off with your other foot with the saddle in the dropped position

“A dropper post not only improves your safety on the bike but also lets you have more fun while riding.” How dropper posts help on the trails: Note how Swen leans the bike over when cornering through a tight berm with the saddle dropped. Try to get your inside elbow as close to extended as possible and your weight driving through your extended outside foot. HIGH SADDLE

LOW SADDLE

By lowering your saddle it frees you up to move your weight as far back as possible when negotiating a steep drop

Pros and Cons of dropper posts Pros: Adjustable, more legroom, easy to mount on uphill, safer riding. Cons: Added weight of 200-350g, look, cables and remote.

Alternatives to the KS LEV RockShox Reverb – hydraulic actuated by a handle bar mounted remote

Crank Brothers Kronolog – mechanically actuated by a handle bar mounted remote Specialized Command Post – mechanically actuated by a handle bar mounted remote Giant Contact Switch – mechanically actuated by a handle bar mounted remote Fox D.O.S.S. - mechanically actuated by a handle bar mounted remote

CORNERING: Better weight distribution Easier to lean the bike into corners More weight on outside pedal Faster side to side transfer of the bike Coaches Tip: Put your weight on the outside pedal and lean the bike inside. Push the inside of your handlebar into the corner by straightening your inside arm and bending your outside arm. WARNING: Don’t make the mistake of pushing your shoulders to the outside of the corner. Only the bike is tilted, the upper body remains neutral. DROPS: Better weight distribution, easily move the bum backwards More freedom of movement for legs and bum Easier to reach the neutral riding position Coaches Tip: Get your bum as far back as possible. Don’t break with the front break.

Uphill start: Easier to mount Better traction due to low centre of gravity Coaches Tip: Put the saddle down and shift into the right gear. Start

riding seated with steady controlled pedal strokes. Move your upper body forward to bring a little weight onto the front wheel. Dropper posts aren’t just for all mountain riders; in 2015 you can expect to see dropper seatposts on some hardened weight-weenies, like some of the UCI XCO World Cup campaigners’ bikes. The beneﬁts to your riding will far outweigh the added weight to your bike.

For more photos and tips on how to utilize a dropper post scan this QR code.

Swen Lauer is an International UCI certiﬁed MTB performance and skills coach with over 35 years of BMX and MTB riding experience. Before starting his coaching business, SWENLAUERmycoach, and his PEDAL2MEDAL bikeschool in Stellenbosch he operated his own bike label, Pure Power bicycles, in Germany. He’s currently coaching top mountain bikers like Ariane Kleinhans, Jennie Stenerhag and Cherie Vale. Follow Swen on Twitter at @swenlauer.

FS Ride Report - Attakwas

Linus van Onselen navigates one of the wetter sections of the Attakwas valley, caused by the torrential downpour two days before the race.

Noted, but it’s easier said than done. starting in e batch with most of the other first timers i soft peddled with the bunch as we traversed the hard packed farm jeep roads towards the Outeniqua Nature reserve, but for some reason – i’m guessing it was the nerves – i just couldn’t keep my heart rate down. every time i checked my monitor on flat roads it was up near 160 bpm… by water point two at the start of the attakwas mountain section i

Race Tips and More Online There is so much and more to say about the Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge but there just isn’t the space to say it here, so if you’re keen to read on, go to: www.fullsus.co.za/atta/ to find out more about this amazing but tough race.

The early phases of the race are all about restraining your impulse to race and enjoying the Klein Karoo scenery.

where are we? The Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge crosses from the little Karoo to the Garden Route coast It’s a race of diverse scenery from sparse Karoo scrub to Karoo Mountain fynbos, and pine plantations to coastal pastures. It’s a hard race, but it’s one I’d strongly recommend to any mountain biker – with the Atta under your belt you’ll feel ready for just about anything.

“Take it easy for the first 60km.” “Leave lots in your legs for the district roads at the end.” “Don’t race the Attakwas section.”

was feeling good. From the route profile i knew this was where the proper climbing started. the road surface also change for the worse between water points two and three. the jeep tracks became increasingly rugged and while the valley floor sections were bumpy but fast the climbs and descents were very rocky. this made it difficult to take it easy as the terrain keeps you working even when you’re freewheeling. at the highest point of the race i stopped for a chat with steve smith and craig kolesky, took a few photos of other riders posing with the “king of the attakwas” sign and then got going again. teaming up with craig and steve the first district road phase wasn’t too bad. the rolling hills and the hard packed gravel roads made for easy going, but then the monster Di carolin had warned me of appeared through the trees at the far end of a valley. the monster was a long, fairly steep (i have a feeling that none of the climbs in the second half of the race would be that bad on fresh legs) climb up through a pine plantation. i slogged up it as far as i could and then dismounted about 300m from the top and pushed out the rest with the vast majority of the riders around me. Getting off my bike must have triggered something psychologically because after that i struggled for rhythm. i kept following Di’s advice and soft peddled the downhills to keep my legs turning over – which worked because i never cramped once in eight and a half hours. but on the remaining flats and hills I just couldn’t get any force into my pedal strokes. by the time mia and Hein came past i was not doing well – to say the least. but seeing them gave me a massive lift and i found that riding with them i could easily keep up, so my ails were certainly more psychological than physical. i rode with them for a few kays and even did a turn at the front of the bunch but then the elastic

AF R I C A Oudtshoorn

oments earlier i’d been in a desperate hole, but the sight of familiar faces got me out of my slump and i jumped onto mia’s wheel, commenting as i did on how strongly the two of them were finishing. With a smile mia responded: “Ja, but men don’t know how to pace themselves. they’ve got ego’s...” as i write this i know she’s right, but on the day i thought i’d done well pacing my race. but let me backtrack a bit more first: When you tell old hands at the attakwas that you’ll be attempting your first atta the advice is all the same.

pHOtO craDit

somewhere around the 100km mark mia and Hein mocke came cruising past Seamus Allardice, with Hein at the head of a small peloton tapping out the pace and mia looking comfortable on his wheel. behind her the ragged line of riders hung on for dear life knowing if they fell off the pace the last 20km of the attakwas extreme mtb challenge would be hellishly tough.

all pictures by Oakpics.cOm

Men don’t know how to pace themselves

snapped when we hit a steep climb which only mia, Hein and one other rider in the group managed to ride out. From there on out it was me against the road, solo to the finish for 15km or so, passing the odd rider and being passed – but never able to team up with anyone of a similar strength. but i was beyond worrying by that point, it was just head down and keep peddling my little squares in a gear very close to granny. Without much warning suddenly a little board appeared at the side of the road saying simply “6km”. i didn’t let myself believe it could mean 6km to go. but then sure enough a while later there

Western Cape George ◆ Grootbrak Rivier

appeared a “3km” board and i let my spirits lift slightly. Dropping out of the hills above Great brak, craig and steve caught me and i again found the reserves to give chase – rolling onto the long awaited finishing straight just behind them. i don’t usually take medals at the end of a race, but i took the attakwas extreme mtb challenge medal and it’s up on the inside of my cupboard already – until next year when i break 8 hours… and as for pacing and ego... well next year i’ll be riding with a lady, because i’m clearly hopeless at managing my own race!

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PERFORMANCE

200 Lumen LOW Mode is fine for tar and dirt roads, as well as nontechnical jeep tracks. Great for day time visibility when commuting. 750 Lumen MID Mode is good for jeep tracks and most single tracks. 1250 Lumen HIGH Mode is needed for when you’re ripping up that technical single track.

SAFETY COMES FIRST

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With the days getting shorter, more and more of us are starting to cycle early morning when it is still dark or dusk. Having proper lights in the front, to see where you go, as well as a decent red light in the rear, is a must for any cyclist traveling on public roads.

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FS Kleinhans Muesli

Die behoud van daardie al te belangrike balans

Dit is belangrike om die kans te vat om ‘n paar foto’s nou te neem terwyl daar tyd is in die oefen seisoen.

“Daardie eerste week van ernstige oefening is gewoonlik net eenvoudig depressief!” skryf Erik Kleinhans. Na ‘n prettige, sosiale en opwindende rustyd met baie minder ﬁetsry en geen struktuur, voel dit asof jy al jou motivering en ﬁksheid verloor het, en dan, skielik in ’n oogwink is dit terug en voel dit weer asof dit die mees normale ding op aarde is om vir vyf ure in die saal te sit, maar hoe hou jy die opwinding en die adrenalienvlakke hoog!?

ank terug was die eerste en enigste rede hoekom ek begin fietsry het suiwer vir die genot en sosiale aspekte daarvan, veral in my Universiteitdae, waar ons ‘n groot groep aktiewe ryers gehad het by die Maties Fietsryklub. Natuurlik, die kompeterende gees was altyd daar en dit het beslis meer prominent geraak hoe meer ek begin het om vir wedrenne in te skryf, maar niks is nog steeds beter as om op ’n fietsrit te gaan met spanmaats vir ’n koffie in Franschhoek of ‘n bier na ‘n sonsondergang-bergfietsrit! Om my fiets te ry het gevorder tot iets groter; my werk. Nou is daar verwagtinge om blootstelling aan ons borge te verskaf; ‘n wilde bos rooi hare of ‘n vriendelike persoonlikheid

bring net soveel dekking vir RECM; soos almal in die wêreld moet daar hard gewerk word om jou brood te verdien; prestasie is vir ons die sleutel om die bemarkinggeleenthede vir ons borge te skep. Nou met die grootste oefenmaande agter ons, hoe bestuur ons ernstige fietsryers ons lewens om ons geestestoestand gesond te hou? Dit werk anders vir elke tipe atleet, net soos jy verskillende persoonlikhede in elke werksomgewing kry, is sommiges werklik gefokus met ‘n baie gestruktureerde oefenprogram en skedules, sommige ryers rig hulself af, terwyl ’n meer ontspanne benadering vir ander die beste werk met sosiale aktiwiteite wat hulle help om hulle gedagtes van wedrenne en oefening af te kry. Ek het gevind ek benodig ’n vorm van balans in my lewe! Ek het die streng oefeningstruktuur met spesifieke oefensones uitgelê vir elke dag se fietsry, maar op die ou einde beland jy amper altyd op jou eie op die pad, want niemand anders is op dieselfde program as jy nie en jy kry vierkantige pupille van heeldag na jou Watts op jou Garmin staar. Net so het ek ook ondervinding aan die ander kant van die skaal met ‘n baie ontspanne benadering tot dit alles, maar dan staan die deur sommer maklik oop om op ’n manier uit jou oefening te kom, veral as jy net so ‘n klein bietjie moeg voel. Dit is nou my vyfde jaar om te oefen en gementor te word onder toesig van bergfietslegende, Christoph “Susi” Sauser, en wat my nog altyd die meeste omtrent hom beïndruk is sy toewyding en vermoë om die motivering hoog te hou na ’n professionele loopbaan wat reeds oor meer as 20 jaar strek. Miskien meer as sy oefeningadvies, het sy balans baie meer van ‘n impak op my lewe gehad as ‘n fietsryer.

ERIK KLEINHANS

‘n sosiale middagete in die middel van ‘n lang oefening rit help om die balans te behou.

Eerstens, is dit net wonderlik om ’n maatjie te hê, soms kan mens net nie aan die gang kom nie, maar dit maak ’n groot verskil as jy weet iemand wag vir jouDis nie net dit nie, ek verkies dit soveel meer om saam met ander te oefen, lighartige mense wat hou van wat hulle doen, daar is altyd ‘n paar grappe of iets interessant om oor te praat, veral op die langer minder gefokusde ritte. Ek en Susi het goeie maats geword, dit help natuurlik om op dieselfde oefenplan te wees, en saam met die Songo.info se seuns, Sipho en Azu, is oefen altyd pret! Natuurlik het ons ook ’n plan, en ons voer elke laaste oefensessie uit, net op baie rare geleenthede sou iemand ’n sessie mis. Die oefening sluit ook ons intervalle in waar ons wel gebruik maak van ons kragmeters vir verwysing hoe dit gaan met die sessies, maar ons ry nog steeds bietjie uit gevoel, effens meer op die “old-school” manier, die spoed is dalk stadiger op Blou Maandae, maar as almal skerp voel, maak ons seker dit tel! As ‘n professionele ﬁetsryer het mens ’n bietjie meer vrye tyd op jou hande, maar oor die algemeen is jy te moeg om enigiets te doen en rus

is natuurlik van kardinale belang, maar met geen vorm van ’n sosiale lewe kan dit mens stadig maar seker al hoe dieper in ’n gat in laat beland. Afhangende van jou persoonlikheid natuurlik, maar ‘n uitstappie na die strand, ‘n staptog teen Lions Head, ‘n braai saam met vriende, ‘n nuwejaarswyntoer en ﬁetsrit of ’n das en baadjie aantrek vir die L’Ormarins Queens Plate kan baie beteken sodat jy bly besef daar is ‘n wêreld daar buite jou klein ﬁetsborrel. En die belangrikste, tesame met oefen saam met jou maats, is dat jy moet aanhou lag!

Scan this QR code to read the article in English on www.fullsus.co.za

RECM se Erik Kleinhans is een van SuidAfrika se gewildste bergﬁetsjaers. Hy het sy vrou, Ariane, diep in die Kammanassieberge op die 2010 Cape Pioneer Trek ontmoet. Volg hom op Twitter by @erikkleinhans.

Re-Inventing the Wheel No, this is not another article about the intricacies between 26er, 650B or 29er bikes, nor is it about the more ﬁgurative meaning regarding the inefficiencies of redesigning products that already work perfectly well, this month’s title for SJ Kotze’s column is actually very literal.

t the shop we have noticed that more and more mountain bikers have taken a page out of the roadie hand book, in that many of us regard our wheels as the most important upgrade on our current mountain bikes. And with all the recent changes in the sport, mountain bike wheels now come in many shapes and sizes, uses and speciﬁcations. So what do you need to know to make the correct decision when buying or building your next set of spinners? Your wheels are made up of three major components. The nipples and spokes, rims and hubs need to be chosen to be compatible with each other, your bike and your brand of brakes and gears.

The Nipples & Spokes Nipples come in different lengths and thread sizes with the most common being about 12 to 14mm long with a 2mm thread. They are also available in 2 materials, Brass and Aluminium. Brass nipples are a little heavier, much stronger, and most importantly they are much more resistant to corrosion and seizing. Aluminium nipples are lighter and therefore they are regularly spec’d by manufacturers on their original wheels. Unfortunately they do strip easily and are prone to corroding and seizing, especially if you live near the ocean. So in other words, go for black brass nipples if

you can find them. Spokes can be bladed (flat in the middle), butted (thinner in the middle) or straight gauge (one round thickness). Butted spokes are actually torsionally stronger, plus they are lighter too so they are worth choosing, especially from top manufacturers like DT Swiss, Sapim and Pillar. Spokes can have different heads (straight pull or J-bend) to fit the hub flanges and they can have different thread thicknesses to fit the nipples. Then, spoke lengths are different for the drive and disc side and for the back and front wheels with the exact lengths determined by means of some pretty smart trigonometry using the measurements of the chosen hubs and rims. Thankfully, some very good plug and click online spoke calculators exist. And remember, even though some road bikes and classic bikes may have silver or white spokes, mountain bikes should only ever have black spokes.

The Rims Oooooh, the rims. This is where things have become really exciting over the past few years. Only 5 years ago 19mm (internal) wide rims were the norm. But by today’s standards, even rider favourites such as the Stan’s Crest and Stan’s Arch EX at 21mm (internal) width are considered narrow. Why the change? Simply put, narrow rims are a relic left over since the original move from road to mountain biking. Wider

Stirling Revolution FS rims provide a stiffer wheel, a better tyre proﬁle and improved tubeless consistency. Narrower tyres will swell more on a wide rim providing extra volume and a tread surface equal to a wider tyre on a narrow rim. Plus, using a narrower tyre reduces the overall weight much more than the small additional weight of the wider rim, making it the ideal cross-country choice. This is why the American Classic Wide Lightning has been so popular among marathon racers. And if you think a narrow tyre look good on a wide rim, imagine how great a wide 2.3” or 2.4” Enduro tyre looks on a wide rim. Plus you get the beneﬁts of a stronger wheel, lower tyre pressures, more grip and less burping. Most rims will have a bead (lip) with a small hook to hold the tyre tight on the rim but manufacturers Roval and Enve have changed the game by introducing hookless bead carbon rims. Inspired by tubeless off-road motorbike wheels, the hookless bead holds the tyre equally well, is less expensive to mould and is much stronger against impact damage when compared to a hooked bead. So if you can afford to spend at least R5000 per rim, wide hookless carbon rims are the best upgrade you can make for 2015. Just don’t let your carbon wheel get too close to your vehicle’s exhaust pipe because the only thing bigger than the explosion will be the bill.

The Hubs The hubs are a critical part of the wheel choice, and on aluminium wheels they will make up the majority of the cost. The front hub is pretty simple, just make sure it has sealed bearings and the correct axle adaptors for your fork. Just remember, choosing smaller bearings will mean a lower weight but also a shorter lifespan. The rear hub however is the mechanical work of a genius and so just choosing the correct axle requirement is not enough. The boxes you want to tick are good sealed bearings in the body and freebody, a respectable overall weight, and a reliable fast engaging freebody system for when you really

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put the power down. Shimano hubs are the most agricultural of the modern options. Rolling on ball bearings and using an unserviceable freebody system make them the budget choice. For a little more moola, sealed bearing multipawl Taiwanese options such as Bitex and Novatec are an excellent choice. But if you want the ﬁnest in bearings, pedal engagement and build quality, then your best options are Hope for lifespan and reliability, American Classic for low weight or DT Swiss for both. The Rolls Royce of rear hubs are Chris King hubs, but realistically they’re too expensive and too heavy to recommend.

Laced and ready to Race Now that you have chosen your favourite parts, make sure that they are expertly laced together, tensioned and trued by a pro. Once assembled, a tyre is ﬁtted, usually tubeless with the appropriate valve, tape and sealant, and the wheel is re-tensioned and trued for a second time. This is because an inﬂated tyre imposes opposite forces to the rim that may slacken the newly tensioned spokes. Mount the rotors and cassette, set the tyre pressures to your personal preference and install your new wheels onto your bike. Check that everything is spinning and stopping properly so that you can go hit those trails and brag to all your riding buddies.

The Stirling Revolution column is penned by the father and son, LBS owning, pair of Stirling “Senior” and Stirling James (SJ) “Junior” Kotze. With years of industry insider knowledge they’re your, and our, link to the retail side of the bicycle trade – and while they might upset the odd sensitive reader their insights prove invaluable time and time again.

FS AmaRider

Tools of the trade While most people are convinced that there are some nifty machines involved, most South African trails are built by good old mattocks, shovels and rakes. So this month Meurant Botha provides some advice on the tools of the trade.

The initial cut Depending on foliage denseness, one will either make the initial cut with a petrol driven brush cutter or a chainsaw. If you are dealing with low grass, it is best to go straight to hand tools like spades and picks/mattocks to clear the tread. The spade you need is the Lasher no2 as they are well balanced and last a fairly long time. Don’t bother with shovels for breaking earth, they are designed to load coal. But ﬂat head shovels make for great compactors, especially when shaping dirt jumps. The mattock/cutter combination is our most versatile tool as it can break

e s ac ill Swis hans w ills n i k e s l pic ne K Aria ing her E nkwa it Ta pen shar e Du To ruary. h b at t in Fe Trek

Oakpics is a Strand based photographic company. They shoot a vast array of events, covering everything from wild horses to weddings. But it’s in MTB that they’ve carved out a niche as one of the leaders in the ﬁeld. If you spot them on the trails, usually when you’re picking yourself up after an unexpected brush with the ground, you can purchase the photos directly from their website. Or book them to shoot your event. Call them on 021 854 8723 or visit www.oakpics.com.

earth as well as cut roots. Be careful when using the mattock as a lever to dislodge rocks or roots as they do have a tendency to break off. When they do break the cutter still makes for a robust axe. The biggest issue is the longevity of the mattock handles which can snap in no time, mostly due to using the tool for the wrong job… I’ve resorted to raiding the pawn shops for tools as these mattocks and spades have become expensive. Don’t bother with rakes or spades painted in nice green and yellow colours as these are designed for garden use and will not last.

More power On the brush cutter side of things you have to make sure that you get a machine rated for heavy duty use. Ask the salesman which machine the municipality orders and you should be close. Of most critical importance is the gearbox at the end of the shaft that drives the mower. These come in 2 – 3 sizes from thin for garden use to nice and beefy for industrial applications. You want the mower head to comfortably accept 3mm gut as well as be rated to run the 3 blade cutter. We’ve experimented with the circular saw blades for the brush cutter but always revert back to the 3 prong blade. An initial run with the blade followed by a nice thick gut makes for a very nice initial clearing. Chainsaws are notoriously expensive to maintain, predominantly because of

“THE SPADE YOU NEED IS THE LASHER NO2 AS THEY ARE WELL BALANCED AND LAST A FAIRLY LONG TIME.” incorrect use. The number one killer of chainsaws is the use of blunt chains. You should be (lightly) sharpening the chain at least at every second refuelling, or with each refuelling when dealing with hard woods. Although I’ve learnt to sharpen the chains, I ﬁnd it easier to rotate 4-5 chains and have the garden centre sharpen them with the machine. Also running the chain too loose or without oil will ruin the guide bar in no time and is exceptionally hazardous. Choosing a saw is not easy as the price of the bigger models is no joke while going for an entry level saw will leave you frustrated when dealing with bigger trees. Another useful tool is a pole pruner; it works best in thorny shrubbery and allows you to cut a corridor without getting punctured by camel thorns. Although I own a hedge trimmer it sees little use as it’s not really designed for cutting hardier fynbos, and I’ve yet to ﬁnd a spot on a trail to do some shrub sculpting…

Tread preparation To save your mattock heads (and your back) it is a good idea to get a crowbar (koevoet in Afrikaans) to lever rocks and stubborn roots out of the ground. I got mine from a scrap metal dealer as the big ones are not easy to ﬁnd and are too expensive.

For shaping the tread surface the fire rake is your most valuable tool. Also called a mcleod or forester’s hoe the tool has 6 big teeth on one side and a flat cutting surface on the other and is great for cutting small roots and raking larger volumes of earth. Because of the large flat surface, they make for great compactors too.

Safety Mostly overlooked, proper precautions can save limbs and lives. Safety boots and eye protection is a must when striking anything with anything while head/ear protection and chaps are essential when operating power saws and cutters. Well maintained, sharp tools eliminate unnecessary force that could lead to equipment/tool failure and injury. And yes, soft hands need gloves.

Meurant Botha is the founder and director of AmaRider. AmaRider is a South African non-proﬁt company with the aim of improving MTB opportunities on the African continent. Contact them at 021 8844547 or info@amarider.co.za or visit the website at www.amarider.co.za

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FS Gear

GEAR Gear to get you out there In February the weekends are chock-a-block with stage races, so we put together a little list of things you might need to keep the wheels rolling this month. RockShox Reverb

It’s not a cheap gear addition to your bike mind, but it’ll make the world of difference to your stage racing performances. And if you don’t believe us, give Swen’s Tech Zone Column (page 20) a read. A dropper post will help you descend and corner better, but most importantly it’ll help you have more fun on those hard earned stage race descents. Just imagine shredding the Du Toit Drop, those Welvanpas Enduro sections, or the Umko Valley with a dropper post on your bike… The Reverb is a hydraulically actuated dropper post, which weighs in at 515g, offers 125mm or 100mm of infinitely adjustable saddle travel and features adjustable return speed – to avoid those awkward ‘ejector seat’ moments that leave you gasping for breath on the side of the trail. To find a Reverb that’ll fit with your bike (they’re only available in 30.9mm, 31.6mm or 34.9mm diameters) visit www.capecycles.co.za. RRP R5 200.

USN Pure Fit Epic Pro

If you need to fuel yourself for a long day on the bike, or a succession of long days on the bike you’re going to need a drink that provides for both hydration and energy requirements. The choice of many an Epic racer is USN’s Epic Pro, which is now available in their Pure Fit range – which means no artiﬁcial colourants, sweeteners and preservatives. Epic Pro works by rapidly supplying carbohydrates to replace glycogen in your depleting muscles, as well as fast acting protein to replace amino acids, so that your body races on Epic Pro rather than your energy reserves. It’s not ideal for those of you looking to lose weight on a ride, but if it’s performance you’re after it’s the way to go. It’s available in light strawberry stinger, light orange and coconut water ﬂavours and comes in a 900g tub. Find out more about the Pure Fit range at www.usn.co.za. RRP R399.

Cadence Nutrition Revive

Cadence Nutrition’s Revive is scientifically formulated to halt post-exercise catabolism muscle and accelerate to muscle regeneration by providing an optimal carbohydrate and protein blend of nutrients. And it’s not just for rapid recovery that a specific recovery drink is vital, intensive exercise can suppress your immune system, which is one of the reasons why so many riders get sick during the ABSA Cape Epic. The branched chain amino acids and glutamine included in Revive not only maximise recovery but also improve immune function, which should help see you through your February stage racing without picking up any bugs – if you exercise the necessary caution around the usual germ hotspots in the race village. Revive is best mixed with ice cold water and we’d strongly suggest you purchase the chocolate flavour, it’s the bomb. If chocolate isn’t your thing, the 910g tubs are also available in vanilla or blackberry flavours. Read more about the science behind Cadence Nutrition at www.cadencenutrition.com. RRP R450.

Wintergreen Anti-Chafe Cream With long days in the saddle ahead you’re going to need something to protect your soft derrière. Give Wintergreen’s Anti-Chafe Cream a try, it comes in two pack sizes, a 75ml tube and a 500ml tub and offers “effective and long lasting protection from chaﬁng” the packaging says. The Tea Tree Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Sassafras Oil and Shea Butter mix will keep your skin moisturised, provide a long lasting barrier against chafe and to top it all, it has a very pleasant medicinal smell too. For the uninformed AntiChafe or chamois cream creates a barrier to sweat and water between your skin and the chamois of your bib-shorts. The more you ride the more you’ll need one, so check out www.wintergreen.co.za for more information. RRP R44.99 for 75ml and R99.99 for 500ml.

Lezyne Travel Drive Pump

There is something about CNC machined aluminium that makes grown men go weak at the knees… But quickly before we start having bizarre brushed aluminium Lezyne fantasies lets get the speciﬁcations of the Travel Drive out the way. Standing 50.8cm tall the Travel Drive is perfect for making vital adjustments to your tyre pressure the morning before a race. It features an ABS Flip-Thread Chuck which is compatible with both Presta and Schrader valves, a one and a half inch, highly accurate, pressure gauge and it comes in a felt lined canvas bag to ensure it travels to and from your next stage race safely. It’s beautifully engineered too, with the chuck screwing neatly into the handle for easy storage. Last but not least it weighs in at 840g and can pump your tyres to 160psi. Visit www.twowheelstrading.co.za for your nearest stockist. RRP R1 090.

Extreme XPi Integrated Cycle Light

Light up your training, and even your stage race tent (no pesky cables or separate battery packs involved here) with Extreme Light’s latest offering: the Extreme XPi Integrated Cycle Light. It has a 1 250 stated Lumen maximum capacity and a two hour run time on the high beam, but if that’s more light than you need (think training on the road at dusk) it’ll last for three and a half hours in the 750 Lumen mid-mode or a staggering 15 hours in the low 200 Lumen mode. The light comes courtesy of a couple of CREE XM-L2 LEDs and the integrated battery section, means no fuss with wires running to your bars. The quick release skewer clamp mount ﬁts standard and oversized handlebars snugly and it charges with a USB cable from your computer. Handily the XPi also features a low battery warning indicator. Purchase one online from www.extremelights.co.za or from your local bike shop. RRP R1 495.

PURE PERFORMANCE, NATURALLY. CLEAN, CLEAR & POTENT

PERFORMANCE ENERGY AND REHYDRATION DRINK LOADED WITH PERFORMANCE NUTRIENTS: 3-STAGE GLYCOMATRIX CARB SYSTEM, L-GLUTAMINE, PHOSPHATES & ELECTROLYTES.

NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURANTS. NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS. NO PRESERVATIVES. 2 GREAT TASTING, SUBTLE FLAVOURS, AS WELL AS AN UNFLAVOURED OPTION.

THE NEW PUREFIT RANGE INTRODUCING USN’s NEW PUREFIT RANGE. DESIGNED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT ENDURANCE SPORTS. PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO OVER-FLAVOURED, SWEET SPORTS PERFORMANCE DRINKS. ALL YOU NEED IS A FUNCTIONAL, LIGHTLY FLAVOURED PERFORMANCE DRINK WITH NO ARTIFICIAL ADDITIVES. PUREFIT IS DESIGNED FOR YOU!

AVAILABLE IN LEADING STORES SOON.

SUS THE BEST OF March 2015 GAUTENG

8 Babba’s Lodge MTB Super

Series #3 22 Dunblane “March Hare” MTB Challenge 22 Me-Nuts Kids Like2Bike Series #2 28 SA Cup Series XCO #2 FREE STATE

14 Hennies Sentrum MTB Challenge 19 3 Mountains Stage Race WESTERN CAPE 1 Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge 22 Spur Adventure Duo & Sprint 23 ABSA Cape Epic

1 6 8 14

KZN Aquelle Epworth Mudman Bisley2Baynesﬁeld Baynesﬁeld2Bisly Classic KZN MTB Provincial XCO

Series #2

15 Quattro 4MTT 15 Aquellé Cordwalles Mudman 21 Newcastle MTB Family Race Series 2/4

21 KZN MTB Provincial Enduro

Series #2 21 Sappi Mankele MTB Challenge 22 KZN MTB Provincial DHI Series #2 22 Maweni MTB 28 Berg 100 29 Aquellé Richmond Mudman LIMPOPO 22 The Wik Offroad Triathlon OUT IN AFRICA 31 MBike Adventure (Madagascar)

GAUTENG

11 Emperors Palace MTB Classic 2015

24 joBerg2c FREE STATE

18 Ashburton Investments National MTB Series #3 Clarens

WESTERN CAPE 4 Ditropia All Mountain Enduro – Welvanpas 11 Fine Breede MTB 17 36One Challenge 18 Philadelphia MTB 25 Gravel and Grape 26 7 Passes MTB KZN

April 2015

RACE CALENDAR MPUMALANGA

11 Nedbank Save the Rhino 25 SA Cup Series XCO #3 26 SA Cup Series DHI #3

3 PMB MTB Festival Enduro & Night Race

4 PMB MTB Festival XCO & Classic 5 SA Cup Series DHI #2 11 KZN MTB Provincial XCO Series #3 11 X10siv Umko Challenge 19 Sugar Rush Classic 19 Royal Drakensberg

WWW.OAKPICS.COM

CALENDAR

Advertise your event in Full Sus and we will send you copies of the paper for your goodie bags or registration table. Call Julia on 021 685 0285/6

Line up with the likes of Team Ascendis Health’s Robyn de Groot and songo.info’s Sipho Madolo in the Sabie leg of the National Marathon Series.

Calling all event organisers Get your event listed here for free! Email all your 2015 event dates and details to sussed@ fullsus.co.za to make sure you don’t miss out on the coverage. MTB Challenge

25 KZN MTB Provincial Enduro Series #3

26 KZN MTB Provincial DHI Series #3 26 Zini River Estate Buffalo Classic – Big 5 Series

FEBRUARY Must do events ■ 15 February: Intaba Ridge Classic Situated in the Upper Mpushini Conservancy, Intaba Ridge is a privately developed game estate on Maritzburg’s doorstep. In addition to the amazing country living offerings at the Estate, they are also keen on hosting mountain biking and trail running events. The big one for February is the Intaba Ridge Classic which takes place on Sunday the 15th. There are 5km (R50), 20km (R120) and 40km (R150) mountain biking race options and a 5km (R50) trail run. All entries are open online through the www.roag.co.za website

CALENDAR KEY Mpumalanga

Free State

Limpopo

Western Cape

Northern Cape

KZN

Gauteng

North West

Eastern Cape

Out in Africa

and you can ﬁnd out more about Intaba Ridge by visiting their website: www.intabaridge.co.za.

Caveman’ Stoltz. Visit the www.stillwatersports.com for all the information and online race entries.

■ 20-22 February: Totalsports

■ 21 & 22 February: Ashburton

■ 28 Feb and 1 March: Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Races

The 113km ultra-marathon (men) and the 75km marathon (women) races at the second round of the Ashburton Investments National MTB Series form part of the UCI World XCM Series, so you can expect a few top international names to join the likes of Nico Bell and Ariane Kleinhans on the start line in Sabie. But it’s not just about pro-contenders, there are also 10km, 16km and 45km rides on the Sunday, so you be one of the less competitive of the 3 000 odd riders expected to descend on the Lowveld for a weekend of mountain biking. Long considered the benchmark for South African single day marathon races the Sabie leg of the National Series is a race you really shouldn’t

The largest timed cycling race in the world, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, has long had a mountain bike race, but after the change of venues for last year’s MTB races you can expect even bigger things from the 2015 events. Hosted at Le Bonheur Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch the races will take in the spectacular new trails of the Greater Simonsberg Conservancy. The 14km (R100 or R80 for PPA members) and 22km ( R180 or R160 for PPA members) rides take place on Saturday the 28th of February and the main event; the 55km Cycle Tour MTB Challenge (R300 or R280 for PPA members), along with the mid-distance 38km (R250 or R230 for PPA members) take place on the 1st of March. To view the routes and to enter online visit the Cycle Tour’s website at www.cycletour.co.za.

XTERRA Grabouw

2015 is the year you try a triathlon, you might just not know it yet… And the best place to start is XTERRA. The Grabouw leg of the South African XTERRA series takes place at the Grabouw Country Club and kicks off with the XTERRA Kids on Friday afternoon. Saturday the 21st sees the XTERRA Lite (a 400m swim, 12.5km MTB and 5km trail run) and the Puma Trail Runs (5km and 10km) take place. Then on Sunday the 22nd it’s the main event the Totalsports XTERRA, featuring a 1.5km swim, a 28km MTB and an 11km trail run. Once you’ve completed that you can call yourself an XTERRA Warrior, though I’d suggest you don’t have your business cards reprinted – unless you beat Conrad ‘the

Investments National MTB Series #2 Sabie

miss. Find out more at www.nationalmtbseries.com

YATE FARM RETREAT Garden Route Self-Catering Accommodation

We are situated in what most call the Mecca of mountain biking in the heart of the Harkerville area between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay in the Garden Route, with thick indigenous forest and some beautiful rides for all tastes. We offer luxury self-catering accommodation with secure lock-up facilities for bicycles and easy access to hiking, running and cycling routes, the ocean, nature reserves and various other activities.

www.yatefarmretreat.co.za Email: reservations@yatefarmretreat.co.za Tel: 044 533 9160 Thea: 083 276 8961 Zac: 083 400 2327