His and Hers
With just over two weeks remaining until the start of the 2019 FNB Wines2Whales Shiraz, Joanne and Sean Badenhorst of Team TREAD hit some mid-life snags. They’re a married couple with full-time work and family commitments. They have been cycling for over 30 years and are tackling some mid-life bicycle riding challenges together. This won’t be their first stage race as teammates; but it will be Joanne’s first Wines2Whales. Sean has done three previously.
His
I’m not exactly floating down a river of good fortune on my way to the 2019 FNB Wines2Whale Shiraz. A few weeks back I had to take a week off because I had a silly fall and had a hole in my knee stitched closed.
Just as I was getting some kind of training flow back I discovered my lower left jaw was swollen. Turns out it was an abscess from a molar that’s been a challenge to complete a root canal on – twice. Anyway, it got worse, my face swelled up, my dentist sent me to a maxilla oral facial surgeon who very expertly removed it and ordered that I do no exercise for 5-7 days. Obviously, I started riding after 4 days, but still missed all the weekdays of training last week. Sigh. On the plus side, I lost 1.2kg this week, which is most likely due to my eating limitations with my dental drama…
So, I got in one slowish road ride as a Cycle Lab Active Group Leader for the Absa Tribe group on Saturday and a steady mountain bike ride in the heat with Joanne at Northern Farm on Sunday. The heat was oppressive, but it was an important ride as Joanne showed real grit to finish as planned and we got to respect the importance of sufficient hydration should it be hot during the Wines2Whales event.
Mine and Joanne’s training for the past seven weeks:
| His | Hers | |
| 8 weeks to go | 115km/4h25m | 172km/10h14m |
| 7 weeks to go | 135km/5h15m | 177km/10h43m |
| 6 weeks to go | 85km/4h2m | 159km/9h42m |
| 5 weeks to go | 273km/11h2m | 205km/12h05m |
| 4 weeks to go | 211km/10h55m | 210km/12h59m |
| 3 weeks to go | 165km/7h5m | 128km/8h9m |
| 2 weeks to go | 109km/5h52m | 200km/10h45m |
| AVERAGE | 156km/6h56m | 178km/10h40m |
My week:
Saturday: 57km Road Ride in the Cradle
Sunday: 52km MTB ride at Northern Farm
Total distance: 109km
Total time: 5hrs52min
Hers
Being a woman sometimes really sucks. So, dealing with the fact that I am in menopause is one thing, it’s another thing to deal with going for a mammogram, which is compulsory if I want to take any hormones to replace what I am now seriously deficient in, specifically Oestrogen. Not my favourite thing to have the “puppies” squished and squashed and handled by a stranger. Happy to report that they are in good health, and I have started with my HRT patch.
So now back to my event preparation. I feel like I had a reasonable week. Two solid sessions at Power Lab is always a good start. I also tried the Red Route at Cradle Moon for the first time in years. The route is reversed to when I last did it. Managed to ride most of it, and it was great for a bit more technical riding with plenty of switchback climbs, which I believe I will be encountering at Wines2Whales.
I had a very different Saturday ride. I got roped into being a Cycle Lab Group Leader for ABSA Tribe, who are training for the Discovery Ride Joburg, yes the road race. A double loop of the Cradle on a road bike. I discovered that being in the front of the group was not an easy task. Setting the pace and watching out for all obstacles definitely kept me on my toes. I also felt like I was being chased the entire time, so opted to sweep at the back for lap two. Much more fun and social.
By the time Sunday came around, I was sitting on 148km for the week. The OCD in me kicked in and I decided I should aim to finish my week on 200km. Off we went to Northern Farm, a late start because I refused to get up early, to complete a 52km MTB ride. Of course we achieved my mini goal. The late start meant we got exceptionally hot, and needed plenty of fluids to get rehydrated afterwards. It was a good tester in case Wines2Whales is a hot one. We haven’t done any training in wind or rain, hope we don’t have either!
My week:
Monday: REST Day with Pilates
Tuesday: 30.8km 1h11min Power Lab Session
Wednesday: 18,06km, 1hr35min CLAW Solo Red Route at Cradle Moon
Thursday: 30,19km, 1hr3min Power Lab Session
Friday: 12km, 58min Singletrack Session at PWC Bike Park
Saturday: 57.09km, 2hr32min 2 x Cradle Loop Road ride
Sunday: 52.18, 3hr22min Northern Farm
Total distance: 200.3km
Total time: 10hrs45min
Entries are now closed for the 2019 FNB Wines2Whale, but you can find out more about the event for 2020 at www.wines2whales.com
