Train right and don’t look back

Training for mountain bike races does not have to be a complicated process. You can keep it simple and get results buy sticking to a few key principles.

Routine, routine, routine, get into a regular routine, something that fits in with your daily life, time constrains and family responsibility – stick it into your diary

Make the time a routine but vary the content. If you do the same average training everyday then you can expect the same average results. Make your training sessions either hard or easy but not in the middle because that's just average.

Easy, hard, harder, REST, - easy hard, harder, REST ……

Do any one of these and you will see results, do all 3 and you will never look back.

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MTB rain, mud and riding

Mountain bikers apparently like mud, right? Maybe, but should we not ask the bikes how they feel about that? With all the rain around the country lately (except the sunny Cape of course) our trails have turned into one big mud hole. That means that even the shortest of rides will take you through some of the sticky wet stuff. Make no mistake it is great fun but it comes with a price. The price of time spent cleaning the bike and then of course the wear and tear on that drive train, brake pads and bearings.

 

So what are the options, grin and bear it and follow a quick wash routine. Or follow the example of our UK MTB friends who ride in the wet all the time, go single speed or 1 x 9 and minimise some of that wear and tear and chain suck. But whatever you do don't use the rain as an excuse, because that is just not on!

 

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Be thankful to farmers

Mountain bikers in South Africa have a rather interesting and sometimes precarious relationship with the land on which they ride. Unlike surfers who ride the ocean that belongs to everyone and the roadies who ride on public roads and the sky divers who fly the open skies, mountain bikers either find themselves as part time tenants, guests or trespassers of someone else's land. Land ownership in South Africa usually means fences and private access unlike the UK where the right of way law allows the public to use a network of traditional routes and thoroughfares. 

Luckily we seem to have more and more friendly farmers who are willing to allow us to leave a few tyre tracks on their land. Even better are the enterprising farmers who are prepared to lay on some specially crafted singletrack for us to ride on. Our future to ride seems to be linked very closely to the farming community and their willingness to share their land with us. It is something to appreciate and to remember that every time you are out on the dirt you are borrowing someone else's land, so look after it and be thankful because there is lots more where that came from. 

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The Epic rolls on

The Cape Epic mountain bike race is the undisputed leader in mtb and cycling events in South Africa and becoming a serious contender internationally. Somehow founder and director Kevin Vermaak finds a way of lifting the bar every year. In 2011 they have done it again so you can look forward to watching the first and last stage live on TV thanks to Supersport. If you have not had a chance to participate in this event or to go to one of the stages then this is the next best thing. It is a spectacle not to be missed, the racing starts on 27 March. Checkout our epic guide for more info on this race.

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