In March 2012 I had my first attempt at finishing the 800 km Cape Epic – an 8 stage MTB race around the Western Province of South Africa. It proved to be disastrous. I crashed in the Redwoods (Rotorua) 2 weeks prior to the race puncturing a lung and then had multiple gear breakages during the race ensuring a very disappointing DNF. This is the first race I have not finished and hurt more than I realized or admitted. It has taken 18 months and a massive 20kg weight gain to get the desire to return and compete what I had started. This is part one of a journal documenting my return to fitness and fundraising efforts for the Cure Kids Charity. I hope this will appeal to all riders but in particular those who are new to the sport and are interested in the training, nutrition, planning and other considerations that go into competing in a cycling event.

Perspective
I am 46 years old and 182 cm tall. When I last attempted the race I was 77 kg but have since ballooned to 99.5. This seems an incredible weight gain in 18 months and was the combined result of exhaustion from the race, disillusionment at work and mental fatigue from a long period of family illness as my youngest daughter fought back from leukemia.

Thankfully this mid-life crisis did not result in losing the most important part of my life and my family have been the one constant throughout. My youngest daughter is back at full health and cycling for her school (winning medals last year at the North Island Intermediate Champs) and my oldest daughter is active with her athletics, football (soccer) and tennis as well as studying for NCA. It is my wife who has been the best medicine with tough love at times and support when needed. She did need a little persuading in the decision to return to Africa but understands my personality enough to realize that this DNF will always weigh heavily on my mind.
I have been involved and interested in all sports over the last 25 years ranging from representative football, windsurfing and diving to Ironman triathlon and marathon running. I am a strict (and proud) amateur. I compete simply because I love to challenge myself and to do things that I can look back on with that great feeling of achievement. This can be a double-edged sword as it is easy to become addicted to this at the expense of everything else in your life. It was trying to ensure in my own mind that I was doing this for the right reasons and without having a damaging impact on my family that was the biggest challenge in my decision to attempt this race again.

The Race
The Absa Cape Epic takes place every year around the last week of March and the first week of April. The race is held over 8 days and includes a time-trial prologue. The route changes every year, and leads aspiring amateur and professional mountain bikers from around the world through approximately 800 kilometres of the unspoilt nature of the Western Cape and up approximately 15 000m of climbing over some of the most magnificent passes in South Africa. All riders must enter as a two-rider team. Teams register in one of five different categories that include Men, Ladies, Mixed, Masters (both riders must be 40 years or older) and Grand Masters (both riders must be 50 years or older) of the year in which the race takes place).

Lessons Learnt from 2012
When I look back on the 2012 race I wonder how I could have made so many mistakes in my race. My preparation (other than the crash) was pretty good but during the event I made some tactical errors.
1. Never forget to have the basic spare parts with you at all times and be really confident in how to use them. I can do most mechanical things on a bike to an average standard however during a race I found it impossible to do some of the basics (like repairing a chain). It took too long and I will make sure I am far more mechanical capable in the future.
2. This is the most basic of errors. Don’t ever use gear that you haven’t used before or use gear that hasn’t been tested in the environment you are racing in. I had more mechanical challenges in one week that 3 entire seasons in New Zealand. The terrain was simply harder on the gear than anything I had experienced.
3. Don’t miss race briefings. I was trying to write a blog and stories daily whilst I was racing in order to give value back to our sponsors who had provided us with gear. This simply took too long and took my eye off the ball for the racing.
4. Always have a good idea of where you are on the race course. You cover fewer miles per hour on a MTB and it can be daunting when you have been out for 5 hours and you still have another 4 to go. It is even worse if you have no idea how much of the day you have actually completed.

December 2013
One of the best parts about Christmas has to be the food. It was also the catalyst to realize than I had to start getting serious about my health. I now have two wardrobes for work as I have had to buy a complete new set of business clothes to fit my enlarged frame. I had become too heavy to even go for a short run without punishing my joints. I have been thinking about the Cape Epic on and off for the last few months and leading up to the New Year I started to seriously consider a future attempt.

January 1 - 15
I woke up on New Years Day at Waihi Beach without a hangover but with the first real desire for a return to the bike. I went for a couple of rides with my daughter and nephew and this was when my lack of fitness really hit me. It is both humiliating and soul destroying to get beaten up a hill by a 12 year old girl! These rides have brought back memories of being a complete beginner with all the associated pains. I used to be able to jump on my bike and hammer out 100km without having to think about it. I have been reduced to 25km and aches in my butt, shoulders and wrists.

January 16 – 31
I have been telling myself that there is a bright side to this misery – if I can ride up hills carrying all this extra weight I must be building incredible leg strength that will make me a machine cyclist when I get back to shape. I started riding to work a couple of days per week which (with a little organization) seems to be a great way to start the day.
My training program at the moment is focused on getting 2-3 rides in per week and eating less. This is not super scientific but seems to be working ok. Although any ride over 90 minutes is still torture it is nice to be able to ride without a specific training purpose but just for general health.

February 1 – 15

I have finally decided that I am going to go back for another attempt at the Cape Epic in 2015 and have found a partner. Richard Wilkinson will be joining me and he is in a lot better shape than me (regularly getting age group podiums in triathlon). The biggest challenge he is going to face is not his fitness but the fact that he has never been on a Mountain Bike! I am expecting fun times ahead and it will be nice to ride someone who crashes more often than me.
It is great to be on the bike again and to start feeling a little bit fitter. This is the beginning of a 12 month journey though and the work will not really begin for another few months. At some stage soon we will have to start planning our pre race schedule and training regime and plan to do this with a soon to be appointed coach!

Next Issue
I will be sharing my visit to a nutritionist and all their guidance and advice as well as well as my first fitness test results.