EPIC FEVER
ARE THEY ALL CRAZY?

Would you in your right mind pay good money to land in a situation where you have to ride your bike every day for more than half the day and keep this up for more than a week? How much fun is it to do the boy scout thing when you are 42 (or more)? Why spoil a wonderful route by racing accross it in ridiculously large chunks of 100km plus? Do you really need more than a thousand new friends if you could have done it with three or four? Why do some people forget the good feeling after a race based on the knowledge that you do not have to repeat it the following day?

IT BEATS ME!

Ask anyone of these loonies why they do the Epic and they will come up with things like "because it's there", "to prove to myself that I can", "to be able to say I did it" and my personal favourite: "don't know". So more is better and when enough hype is generated around Tour d'Afrique (11000 km, 110 days) the herd will flock from Cairo to Cape across the African continent?

A THIRD FORCE

Clearly all of the above are based on the misconception that the "Magical and Untamed African MTB Race" is there for the riders. It is not. It is there for Kevin Vermaak. His skill is organising and he needs a stage to showcase this remarkable talent. Even in the first year, with about 500 competitors, he could claim to be bigger and better than the SA Defence Force as far as logistics go; with double the number of riders and a longer route, the pay-off in terms of ego must be huge! Where will it all end? Already there was talk of an Epic for roadies in conjunction with the MTB? Perhaps one can move 10,000 or 20,000 riders from Knysna to Cape Town? Rumsfeld to the rescue - he might be free?

A REMARKABLE SYNERGY

Of all the grasses, wheat is today the most successful because it recruited man to cultivate and protect it right accross the planet. Man will eliminate as far as possible, the enemies and competition that wheat had to face until a few centuries ago. Man will export it to new parts and will eliminate all competing plants to form optimal growing conditions for this remarkably successful species - its genes are indeed as safe as can be. In exchange, it provides food for man's needs. By the same token riders have now recruited Kevin Vermaak to expand their range and numbers dramatically over the face of the country/continent. In exchange they will allow him to feed on them and become the greatest organiser of his time.

SEEKS THE ROAD
by

Wilderness Manor Guest House
E-mail: wildman@mweb.co.za
Website: http://www.manor.co.za
Int. Tel: (++27) 44 - 877 0264
Tel: 044 - 877 0264
Fax: 044 - 877 0163
P.O. Box 484, Wilderness, South Africa 6560
397 Waterside Rd. Wilderness, South Africa 6560

TEN TOP TIPS
WATCH OUT:
WHILE YOU ARE EATING THE MILES,
THE MILES MAY BE EATING YOUR BONES!

We all know about supplements and most of us have from time to time invested in various vitamins, minerals, elements etc. Some of us find a combination that seems to work and stay with this year in and year out; most of us somehow lose interest and, with the exception of some dupa in the waterbottle, rely on a balanced diet to sustain us.

After a couple of MTB related fractures, Seeks the Road recently went for an evaluation of bone density and the results were somewhat disturbing: such significant loss of density that the term "osteopenic" was used, and this is just before you get to "osteoporotic"! How could this be? The good sports docter explained and this is how I, as a layman,now understand the situation:

1 You lose a lot of calcium through excercise induced perspiration. Sweat for just one hour a day and already your calcium requirement rises to more than you are likely to get from food alone. One can get very technical here: the body is so sensitive to reduced calcium levels that it will withdraw calcium from the bones in order to maintain correct levels, this withdrawel is not always sufficiently repaid etc. A surprise was to learn that a substantial number of Tour de France riders suffer from osteoporosis of the hip bones, and this at an average age of 30! The point is that you need to supplement.

2 Certain substances like caffein, alcohol and nicotine inhibit the absorption or uptake of calcium and can lead to further reduction of bone density.

3 Magnesium and vitamin D enhance the absorption of calcium and should therefor be included in the programme. A little apple vinegar (taken with honey and some warm water) also helps.

4 The body is unable to absorb more than about 500 mg of calcium at a time, it is important to spread intake over more than one meal or session.

5 Weight bearing excercise leads to stronger bones: runners have strong bones in their legs, tennis players have substantially stronger bones in their rackett arms. Even our wonderful mountain passes do not seem to cause enough "weight bearing" for cyclists (you could have fooled me here!)

CONCLUSION:

1 In order to ensure strong bones that can withstand the inevitable occasional fall, we need about double the amount of calcium than originally thought; 1600mg rather than 800mg per day.

2 We must ensure effective uptake of calsium supplements in view of the findings above.

3 Calcium alone is not enough: include about 400mg magnesium and 200i.u. vitamin D (or ride in full sunshine)

4 Avoid total depletion on a long ride: eat and drink the right stuff - and be merry!

5 Adding some weight bearing excercise like running and weight training will ensure stronger bones and perhaps stronger legs and upper body will be a positive spin-off.

Here's to healthy, strong, fracture-free bones!

SEEKS THE ROAD JANUARY 2006
TEN TOP TIPS
The number of tips we receive during our cycling careers is truly amazing. Fellow cyclists compete with the printed media in advising us what to do, TV programmes show us how to do it, Paul Sherwen explains via Phil Liggett why we should do it. Some tips clearly are less valuable than others - "never drink or eat anything while riding", "never allow your legs to get wet", "avoid sex before a race", some are just plain common sense - "wear a helmet", "get the right equipment".

I have selected ten tips (some might be principles) , see whether you agree and add your own!
see whether you agree and add your own!

1 Variety is the spice of life - by varying distance, terrain, intensity we add enjoyment to all-round improvement.
2 Use smaller gears, spin.
3 Weigh less. Few interventions can enhance your over-all ability as much as improved power to weight ratio.
4 Include interval training in your programme, this is one of the very few "short cuts" to performance that I know of. Remember to warm up properly, then do your intervals of choice, cool down, don't repeat more than twice per week.
5 We get fit by resting, so after a good traing session, rest. Don't ride every day. Rest and get fit.
6 Relax. The more relaxed you are, the better you ride. Concentrate on jaw, neck, shoulder muscles, both on and off the bike.

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7 No time like the present. Close the gap immediately, it will not get easier. Make hay while the sun shines.
8 Feed and drink well, especially during the second half of a long ride/race.
9 Maintain your bike in perfect condition at all times. This not only for your own sake.
10 Find out what works for you. Keep a log-book, you are an experiment of one.

Good luck! Enjoy!

Seeks the Road.

Wilderness Manor Guest House
E-mail: wildman@mweb.co.za
Website: http://www.manor.co.za
Int. Tel: (++27) 44 - 877 0264
Tel: 044 - 877 0264
Fax: 044 - 877 0163
P.O. Box 484, Wilderness, South Africa 6560
397 Waterside Rd. Wilderness, South Africa 6560

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