It’s been a while since we last wrote about our His and Hers 2020 KAP sani2c build-up because there’s been some drama! We hit a few snags and for a while it seemed like we were going to call it off but then, with no more days left before entries closed, we came up with a compromise and rushed our entries into the Internet.
His:
I have been diligently doing training rides over the past three weeks, specifically aimed at improving my endurance and strength to finish 265km over three days with lots of uphills… I have done about two thirds of my rides on my Tacx Neo 2 smart trainer via Zwift. What a convenient pleasure!
We finished the 2018 KAP sani2c with a reasonable amount of composure. We’re hoping to have a similar finish this year with the assistance of the eBike that Joanne is riding.
I also decided to become more disciplined with my eating in order to trim a bit of weight so that I don’t have to haul it all up the climbs. But while I have been fairly consistent with my eating, I haven’t trimmed much weight yet. Could it be because I’m 50 years old and my metabolism isn’t quite as enthusiastic as it used to be? I don’t know. But I haven’t let it demoralise me and I will continue to eat better because any weight loss is good.
Despite the brief four-and-a-bit weeks we have had to prepare, it’s all gone fairly well for me. Joanne’s situation has been more complicated. After doing her first long training ride she unhappily reported that an old ‘sitbone’ injury was flaring up again.
The original injury was caused when she hit a hole unexpectedly and almost fell. So, it was a sudden injury that took months to heal and required her taking a break from riding for a while. With four weeks of warning that you’re going to do sani2c, the last thing you need to do is stop riding. So we faced a dilemma.
Should I ride sani2c with someone else? Should I ride sani2c alone? Turns out, Joanne wasn’t keen on either of those because of the FOMO she would suffer, having ridden the event once with me in 2018 – also at short notice.
Then a Cannondale Habit Neo eBike arrived for a TREAD bike test. One test ride around the Cradle had Joanne swayed. She would do sani2c with me as Team TREAD, but I would ride a regular bike and she would ride the Cannondale Habit Neo. This would still allow her to enjoy the experience without having to suffer unnecessarily up the long climbs. We would also probably finish each stage around 45-60 minutes faster than if we were both on regular bikes.
There’s a new challenge now. Will the Cannondale’s battery last a full 100km Stage 2 through the Umkomaas Valley? A stage I will probably will be able to complete in around 5h30 minutes. If not, I’ll need to take a spare, which weighs 600 grams. Just as well I have been on a partially successful weight-loss programme…
Hers:
I really don’t like this ageing thing. And yes, I am going to blame ageing, not lack of discipline or life’s other little circumstances. Besides my sitbone injury giving me a bit of grief again, I feel that it takes longer to recover after a solid training ride. I have had the desire and drive to want to do some serious training rides, but I am just not recovering quick enough and feeling shattered 90% of the time. I am going to blame ageing.
We’re looking forward to fun features like this floating bridge on Stage 1 at the 2020 KAP sani2c.
That said, it has been a big decision to commit to doing this year’s KAP sani2c. As media, this is only the second time we have been offered a media entry, so I didn’t want to miss out. Thank goodness for our position in the cycling industry and the arrival of an eBike for testing. The Cannondale Habit Neo should help me get through the event with a little less discomfort.
It’s obviously longer and heavier than the bikes I’m accustomed to riding, so I have done a couple of rides on it this week to start getting used to it. I am sure I will be very used to it by the end of sani2c, but I don’t want to arrive there without at least having spent some time on its saddle.
For me, the E in eBike stands for enabler. In this case it is enabling us to fulfil a commitment to the event, enabling me to ride these awesome routes with my husband (and not be out there all day); enabling us to create fresh eBike-related content; and enabling me to have fun at one of the best mountain bike events in the world – and suffer a little less.
Follow Sean on @sean_badenhorst and Joanne on @JosieB_SA on Instagram to see their 2020 KAP sani2c build-up.
For more information on KAP sani2c, head over here.
