1 week to go!!!

One week to go till he we are on the start line for the 2012 Cape Epic.  Time to start the period known as the "taper" when you actually reduce the amount and intenstity of training and let your body start to recover before you hit it with an almighty effort for 8 days.

My preparation has gone well and I have pretty much managed to keep to my training program and schedule. After 35 years of riding and other such ventures, you do get to know your body pretty well and I am pleased with where I am. There are a few things that I would like to have better prepared, but that is always the case.  I have have done over 7500k of riding since December 1, the downside to that is due to all the wet weather in Sydney, most of it has been on the road, and had a target weight to start the race at 71kg's and I am currently 71.4kg's. I feel good on the bike, and besides wishing I had a bit more time on the Specialized Epic, are ready to go. This week is now a big eating week, in that I eat (almost) anything to build up for the race. 

Buzz is also in good condition, he told me he has dropped 5-6kg's in preperation and he looks like he could play in the midfield for Northshore AFL again!! I think  he is riding exceptionally well and looks very strong.  Johnny and Mark in Team Weatherzone have a few injury issues, but Johhny is also ready to go and looks very fit and trim. Johhny, Buzz and I did 3 hours on the Mountain bikes yesterday, all of us on our New Epics, and we made good time.

I have changed the front cluster on my bike from a double to a triple as although the double was fine for the hilly stuff, it didnt give me enough top end speed. Seeing a lot of the Epic is firetrails and some pack riding, I thought getting a little more help from the front sprokets wouldnt hurt!

It is raining again in Sydney, which from a taper perspective isnt such a bad thing. Gives me the day to start packing....I have lists of stuff left all around the house I need to sort through!!

Some Training rides for the Cape Epic



Would you like to follow this bloke for 8 days/ 7hours a day?
Buzz laying down the law!!!


Sun 12th Feb;

Today we drive for an hour to get to the start of a very well known MTB ride on the old convict road just north of Wisemans Ferry. Buzz, Mark Hardy and another very good offroader on a MTB, Duncan left around 6am to do the xxxxx ride which is around 70k and 5 hours riding on a very hilly and technical MTB loop. Buzz wasn't feeling to well and he still has this virus. He will have to be careful as he wouldn't want it to get much worse.






What a beauty......

 It was the first hitout for me on my new Specialized Epic Sworks 29er. What a bike! I felt I could ride over anything. They are a real race bike. A little flighty on the steering (which you want) and with theSpecialized double brain on the front and rear, the responsiveness of the bike was amazing. I felt good and did the ride with plenty left in the tank. Following an experienced wheel like Duncan's added with the Epic's performance, gave me the confidence to go over, up or down anything! We got back to the cars all enjoying the experience, even though the trails we waterlogged after all the rain we have had. 70k done in just on 4 hours of solid riding.





Thurs Feb 23;

Today is a "double day" of riding for me. With his under 4 weeks to do, I am peaking up in my training before starting my taper a week or so before the race. This morning met the rest of the boys from KMD Racing at 5.20 and did a solid 50k consisting of 8 of us rolling through at 80% effort. I felt good and the legs felt strong which is good as part of Buzz and my race plan is to really push the pace when the race hits the more open sections and can use our strength and endurance to put in some good efforts. In fact I am changing over the Specialized Epic to a triple ring so I can get a bigger gear ratio on the bike for the flat sections without loosing the "granny gears" for the climbing we have to do.


Sunday Feb 26th

Maccas Breakky!



My trusty Regatz that
I do all my wet weather miles
on



While Buzz and the boys rode over to Heffron park for a race this morning, I had a different plan. As my son Nick was rowing at Penrith lakes today, i decided to ride there in a round about way, incorporating a few hills and pushing myself over a 125k hit out. I rolled out from home just after 5am (bloody early for a Sunday) and got into a rthym. The plan was to do bobbin head climb, then Galston Gorge (900m of climbing) before doing the last 70k on relatively flat/rolling hills to the rowing regatta. It started to drizzle just as I left home, not a good sign with 4 hours riding in front of me. I took the descent into Bobbin Head cautiously, not only because it was still dark, but also due to the risk of kangaroos or wallabies being active around dawn. If you hit one, you will come off second best. I stopped for breakfast after about 70k or 2 hrs 20mins of solid riding. Macca's raisin toast and coffee devoured, I hit the flat road on a windless morning and cranked the bike up. It felt good and I pushed over the last 50k or so, happy to average over 30kph for the 125k. Had a bit left at the end which is a good sign the program I set myself is taking effect.

After we got home from the regatta, Buzz came round and we jumped on the mountain bikes for a quick lap of Manly Dam. It is good with both of us knowing each others riding styles and we did a reasonably solid lap over a very wet rocky course. That was another 14k or so on the bike. So Sunday was a very good training day of 5 hours riding and 140k.

Friday March 9th

Did 46k at "paceline friday" with Buzz, Bluncky, Rossco and Ben.  Nice solid pace and felt good and fluid with the pedal stroke. Got home from work about 5.15 and jumped on the bike for another 70k. Averaged 32k per hour for the two rides, or 115k, so was pretty happy about that.  Will be doing Coast and Toast in the morning and racing at the Manly race Sunday morning, so a 300+k in 3 days coming up. This will be the last big week before I start to taper.

All my food (gels, Winners Bars and Cliff bars turned up today. I dont want to take any risk with not getting the right bars in Sth Africa, so I am taking it all with me.  The MTB is in at the Fixed Wheel as Danny is putting a triple on it. I think I need the 42 ring on the front to be able to crank out the big gear on some of these firetrails.

Hitting the Trails on new bikes!!

This is one tough ride!

Today  (Sunday Feb 12th) we drove for an hour to get to the start of a very well known MTB ride on the old convict road just north of Wisemans Ferry. Buzz, Mark Hardy and another very good offroader on a MTB, Duncan left around 6am to do the xxxxx ride which is around 70k and 5 hours riding on a very hilly and technical MTB loop. Buzz wasn'tfeeling to well and he still has this virus. He will have to be careful a he wouldn't want it to get much worse.

Buzz's and my new machines!!

It was the first hitout for me on my new Specialized Epic Sworks 29er. What a bike! I felt I coul ride over anything. They are a real race bike. A little flighty on the steering (which you want) and with theSpecialized double brain on the front and rear, the responsiveness of the bike was amazing. I felt good and did the ride with plenty left in the tank. Following an experienced wheel like Duncan's added with the Epic's performance, gave me the confidence to go over, up or down anything! We got back to the cars all enjoying the experience, even though the trails we waterlogged after all the rain we have had. 70k done in just on 4 hours of solid riding.

The 2012 Cape Epic - By Jarrod "Buzz" Crosby

The Cape Epic is oftern termed "the Paris Dakkar on Mountain Bikes. It is a demanding eight day mountain bike adventure of 780km with 16 300m of climbing from Durbanville to Lourensford in the beautiful, yet rugged Western Cape region 100k outside of Cape Town in South Africa.

Roelof who is one of the Manly Boys
racing the Epic in 2011. Roelof is giving us plenty
of tips for the race!

The route, which changes significantly each year, will lead 1200 participating athletes, world champions and dedicated amateurs through vast distances of challenging terrain. With its exhilarating landscapes, the stage locations of Robertson, Caledon and Oak Valley await the most prestigious mountain bike stage race in the world, before riders again finish at the Lourensford Wine Estate, as has been tradition since 2007.

For the fourth time in the Absa Cape Epic’s history, riders will compete in a prologue. A common feature in grand road cycling tours, the prologue on the Meerendal Wine Estate just outside Durbanville, will allow spectators to see teams race against the clock. This showcase event will decide the teams start order

Where's my tent again??

The Cape Epic route designer, Leon Evans or as he is best known amongst riders, Dr Evil, has managed the perfect balance between exciting trails, challenging terrain and wider vistas in the pursuit of the ultimate mountain biking experience.”

Says Leon Evans, aka Dr Evil: “There are no easy days in this race. Registration day is easy and the Monday after the race is easy. Anyone who thinks there’s anything easy about the Absa Cape Epic, is a fool. My job is to make sure that no rider, in any previous edition of the race, can say ‘the 2012 Epic riders had it easy’.”

With this as a backdrop, we have decided to enter the 2012 Cape Epic!

Roelof adn Paris tasting success in the 2011 race

The journey for this great race and adventure started back in 2011. My now partner in the race Mike Foster (Fozz) threw a bait out to our riding crew saying he had secured a race entry in the lottery system for the Cape Epic. He needed a race partner and it just so happened that I was going to be over there watching this race that I knew nothing about as my girlfriend and now Fiancé was doing the race with her brother. It would be my first time to South Africa and a trip I was really looking forward to.



I was an AFL footballer turned road cyclist in my retirement from footy. I thought how hard can the transition be to mountain bike as well and my form on the road wasn't too bad given I had only be doing it for a couple of years. I put my hand up and said Fozz I'm in!!

So it was done. it looked like we were going to do this Cape Epic race in South Africa. As time went by I began to learn more about it and was wondering what I may be getting myself into.........

In the end we pulled the pin on 2011 for various reasons and one being Fozz wanted to celebrate his 50th year on this planet by doing the Absa Cape Epic 2012. After watching first hand the 2011 edition of the race with my beautiful Fiancé Christelle Van Niekerk racing with her brother Ben Van Niekerk, I wanted in. It from what I could see, was a massive, professional production of an 8 stage Mountain Bike race in the amazing wine regions around Cape Town South Africa. I wanted to take the challenge and I wanted to do it with someone who would complement yet challenge me. Anyone who rides or races with or against him knows that he may be 50, but he shows no signs of slowing and can smoke most riders 10,20,30 years younger. Mike Fozzy Foster is the CEO of Fujitsu Australia and works like a dog, sleeps little, tries to satisfy his 2 busy kids and wife and manages to get up at 5am and smack us all on the group rides each morning.

tough race!

I had my work cut out for me if I was going to come up to par and be a valuable part of the team. I did my first ever 50km MTB race on the last day of the 2011 Epic at the finish line in Lourensford winery. It almost killed me, my core gave way around 35km I had serious back pain, my legs had blown up and I thought, get me back on the road PLEASE. I have now completed my first 100km MTB race in the Highland Fling. That is nothing compared to what we are about to embark on but I now know what we are up against. There will be plenty of hurt ahead and I am sure we will be a great team.



It just so happens that I'm getting married to that crazy Safa Christelle, 3 days after the race in a town she raced through last year during the Epic. Funny how it all works out. Christelle will be the spectator this year and fingers crossed.... I roll up to our wedding in the unbroken form :-) Can't wait for both in March/April 2012

To do a race like the Epic, you need sponsors. We needed to get some generous people or companies to support us with either sponsorship money or product. My good friend George Markos was the first person I approached. He had started a new business called Spectrum Natural. Health products based around the famous Tea Tree. George without hesitation has become our major sponsor for our cause and holds centre stage on our race kit. Keep your eyes out for these emerging products and be sure to give them a go

The race is done in teams of two. Buzz and I cant be more than
2 mins from each other for 8 days!!!

Our great mate Kable Mitchell from KMD Designs put out his feelers with Chris Reynolds from Champion Systems Australia. One of the biggest suppliers of custom made cycling, Triathlon and general sports clothing. Given each team needs to ride in the same kit we wanted to have a special edition for the Cape Epic that advertised Australia and all our great sponsors in this International race. Chris generously helped said yes to Mitch and helped us out with what I think is the best fitting and most comfortable kit going around, check them out at http://www.champ-sys.com.au/

I knew I needed a new MTB and it had to be a 29'r. Our good mates at Hampton cycles in Melbourne run a fantastic Specialized concept store and namely Damien Jones the owner and gun cyclist in his own right was the man that would help me out and Foz as well. Hampton Cycles are in the top 5 sellers of Specialized in Australia and have a massive cult following in Melbourne. I made the trip to Mebourne as both Foz and I do on a regular basis and picked out a new Epic comp carbon while Foz ended up with the top of the line S-Works. Awesome bikes and to go with it to help the KMD out he sponsored us with new s-works shoes and helmets. Check them out http://www.hamptoncycles.com.au/

Foz was on the case as well and managed to secure some great sponsors in Fujitsu, Cisco, and Symantec. We will use the internet to keep everyone up to date with how we are going at the end of each stage/day.


Cisco are the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. You can find them at http://www.cisco.com/

Symantec are the largest makers of security software for computers, they are perhaps best known for their Norton anti virus software. Check them out, they may just save you some grief with your computer and keep you up and running when it counts. http://www.symantec.com/

The man behind the road team of KMDracing.com Daniel Wright has started his own great cycling business called The Fixed Wheel supplying the everyday cyclist with everything they need. From mobile servicing, (yes that's right, he'll come to you, your business, home etc and service your bike,) to top of the range bikes - he sells ONLY top quality second hand road and MTB bikes as well as new bikes, along with servicing in store and stocks all sorts of great cycling products. If you want the best service you'll ever get on your bike, drop in and see Daniel and his crew in Manly, Foz and I do for all our cycling needs. http://www.thefixedwheel.com.au/



There will be plenty of this!



The wheel man that has supplied our bulletproof wheel sets at more than mates rates Nick Both of WheelsbyBosch is a gun wheel builder at more than reasonable costs. Mountain bike, road or Triathlon deep dish wheels he has it all covered and custom for you. Find him at http://www.wheelsbybosch.com,au/

A massive thank you to all our generous sponsors and we hope to do all or supporters proud and give the sponsors some great exposure. Please visit their sites or shops and support them with some great products to offer.



The race is drawing close and we still have some solid training to get in the legs before we hit the start time. The blog has begun and there will be some stories to follow so keep the computer on you never know when we will shoot out an update,

  



Hear a little about our other Manly mates and competitors John Miller and Mark Hardy who are also on the mill training hard to try to keep up with team KMD...........NEXT TIME