Now here is something all future Cape Epic entrants might want to take note of.

When you enter the Cape Epic, your right of passage is lined with past Cape Epic participants as well as future hopefuls who will all tell you that you are going to die out there, that your equipment is going to fail on you and that you will cry. Plenty.

I took the warnings to heart when I went about seeking the best partnerships for my Cape Epic experience, including my robust riding partner, who had a tendency of being a juggernaut. The basic test for being part of our support team was a simple sentence:

“Can Brett break it?”

Nice and easy eh. Not so much when you are the product manager. His reputation precedes him. After some vigorous testing and some tense moments, we have come out with the following plan to make sure we get to the end in one piece, with zero mechanicals.

We will both be on these bikes, albeit with slightly different specs.

Fitted SRAM, Rock Shox, Continental Tires and our own personal bits and pieces (including some amazing Industry Nine Wheels on mine) we are ready to rumble. The bikes got through Sani2c without a single issue. They are completely amazing. Morewood, we love you!

Equally as important is our nutrition. We have gone with a two-prong attack. Our biggest concerns are replacement of glycogen, blood sugar levels, focus after 4 hours on the trails and constipation. Yes, you read that correctly. Here is the attack strategy:

On the bike we are fueled by Whasp Nutrition (energy drinks and gels and special little caffeine boosters for hour 6) as well as controlling our lactic acid levels and blood sugar levels with Sport-X‘s Endurance Packs for in race and recovery. We have been playing with both sets of products over the last 4 months and have both had the same, favorable results. Consuming 6-8 gels a day, 6 bottles of energy drink and about 20-30 tablets a day takes special preparation and a bit of HTFU when it gets over 33 degrees out there and the last thing you feel like is warm naartjie juice with 2 pills. yum. We are lucky to have such great partners.

Nothing kills vooma quite like Whaspgel… no wait, wrong comparison. Nothing kills your momentum quite like a puncture. We have been extremely fortunate and we are aiming to keep the good fortune (of puncture-free days) going with Sludge products in our tires every day. Seriously. If you are not using Sludge, no matter what the man says, you are cutting yourself a little short. Local is lekker if you haven’t noticed all our products are local and Sludge is no different.

The last thing to really keep an eye on is intensity in the first few days. Cape Epic is for us, about days 5, 6 & 7. The real time gaps will appear on these days, so its best we watch our intensities in the first few days.

My trusty Suunto T6 is going to keep me going and we are itching for another one, hopefully it`ll arrive in time. Suunto have done such a great job with the T6 that its almost permanently out of stock. I`ll be watching my cadence, speed, heart rate all simultaneously all day, making sure the effort is measured, rather than powered like it was at Sani2c.

So we have done our 6 hour days out there in the heat, drinking, riding, watching ourselves, taking pills and trying not to die. We are being looked after post-riding every day by two amazing companies.

First off is Biosport, who are going to massage our legs in the first few days and I am told that by day 5 we will be skipping legs for hands and neck massages, such is the nature of this beast. Line and her team are looking after a huge contingency this year, giving us lunch and shakes and general words of “don’t quit freak!”

Line has been instrumental to my entire season and I cannot thank her enough for believing in us.

Our bikes will be getting some daily service by the only guy I let work on my bike. Kyle from Legacy Cycles has walked a long way with both Brett and myself. Kyle understands bicycles and the way they move out on the trail and where any issues come from better than anybody I know and we are excited to have him restore the beasts to working order after banging over Western Cape rock for 6 hours a day.

That’s it for today. I`ll talk about our title sponsor, our kit, our special recovery tools (beer and wine) tomorrow. Have an amazing day.

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Whasp giving away free gels at all local Bike shops

From today you can go to any Local Bike shop in the whole of South Africa and get the following special while stock lasts.

If your local shop doesn’t have the special running tell them to get hold of Jeff on 082 746 0435 to get the stock into shops.

NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE EXCEPT LOCAL BIKE SHOPS.

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I have started my base training for my crazy challenge next year and in effect, am 4 weeks into it at this stage. It involves training twice a day, watching what I eat, sleeping well, etc. All basic stuff to achieve the 4 pillars of endurance sport:

Aerobic capacity
Nutrition
Flexibility
Recovery

If I can get those 4 things right, all else seems to just fall into place.

But man, you get tired. I have been a Whasp ambassador since before there was Whasp (read: when there had to be guinea pigs to test gels, I was one) and have continued a loving relationship with the brand. I recommend it to everyone I know as it works. There is not 1 gel on the earth which tastes great after the 10th one, and at Ironman, I chomp around 20 of these bad boys during the 9 odd hours it takes me to complete the race. I go for what digest properly, and what works. Whaspgel does both.

I took a side step from the official Whasp team around a year ago to pursue this Urban Ninja vibe, and in so, had to cut my Whasp “allowance” per month. I felt the effects on my training (read: not hitting the sessions quite like I was when I was on the magenta 50mg gels) and may have mentioned this to The Owner of Whasp. I may have even complained.

a little.

I may have been tired ok!

To my UTTER surprise there was a knock on my door last week, and there was a man with a box.

“Delivery for Mr de Jongh”.

Over the moon, I thought it may be something from Puma, but indeed, it was way better. It was a fresh stack of Whaspgel. I was about the close the door when Delivery Boy chirped “Want to help me carry the other boxes?”

There was a note on the first box, which I had missed earlier. It read: “For Brett & Raoul – now you can Roco on every session till the end of the year. Mad love. Whaspgel”

4 boxes later and we have enough product to keep us going till the end of the year. It involves a monthly “Basic Pack” as Whasp calls it, of the following;

One bottle for training over 60min sessions.

One bottle for recovery of sessions over 90min or meal replacement after morning swims.

My favorite pink gels. 50mg caffeine per gel. I use them on bikes over 2 hours, and runs over 1 hour. On my focussed long rides, its 1 every hour. Then the grand daddy product:

On the long rides and runs, I make sure to carry at least 2 of these for the last 2 gels of my session. The bit of protein towards the end is a huge help for me towards the end, and seems to put a bit of spark in my step. Barring that, a Green Mumba 100mg caffeine gel always lifts “the vibe”.

Want to know whats in the gels… I have a handy table format comparison chart for you…

#BOOM! now that’s music to my ears.

thanks Whasp, for the 4 x month packs. They will be done before the end of the year, I assure you. Just this morning, I cracked a gel at 70min into a 90min indoor session, polished a bottle of Naartjie AminoCarb, and smashed a serving of ProAmino Strawberry, with some Recoup in, for good measure, in the shower.

That’s how we roll around these parts.

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hello guys and girls. another cracking weekend in Cape Town saw the first From Monday workshop go down, as well as my first weekend of structured training.

why structured training I hear?

well, I have accepted a major challenge, and its for the greater good as well as for a bit of mental extremity. In an effort to grow and accept and take what comes, I have gained entry to some incredible races early next year, and aim to race 4 extreme races in the space of 4 months. they are:

1. Totalsports Challenge

2. sani2c

3. Cape Epic

4. Ironman South Africa

Just the entry for Epic is amazing, as the worlds toughest stage race, and a waiting queue of about 1000 people to get in, the fact that I got an entry is amazing.

BUT, there is more. In order to raise R100 000 for street girls…. YES, you heard me right. I want to raise R100 000 for a wonderful home in Cape Town called Ons Plek, which takes girls off the street, rehabs them, returns them to a life of meaning, and does this process over and over again.

I can only do this by racing all these races, as I am going in with a “sponsor 1km of my journey” campaign launching in about 8 weeks. I have entries, but here is where you come in.

I need sponsors to help cover the expenses to do the 4 races. The expenses are considerable. I believe not only does this website offer a worthy channel to advertise on, which all sponsors will receive, but I believe that with my partner for the MTB challenges, Brett Chilcott, that we can get some good TV time, and break the R100 000 barrier in funds.

Would you sponsor me? Do you know of anyone who wants to be involved with over 8000 people on a regular basis. This month, I have had over 52 000 unique visitors to this website. That is more than Runners World, Bicycling, Triathlete Magazine, Go-Multi and MSM magazine together.

I am asking for very little in real terms, if you look at those numbers. I am not asking you to support someone random. You read this blog, you get value from it, and you know that I offer a service of integrity, honesty, and a real return.

Dont believe me? Look at the list of people in my sidebar who already believe in this concept.

my proposal is attached ons-plek_urban-ninja-2009-2010-proposal here to have a look through at who is already involved, and to see what I am offering.

Any help will be hugely appreciated.

This blog has gone from zero to 2nd best Sports blog in South Africa. 3rd best Original Writing blog in South Africa, in the space of 12 months. Zero to 52 000 readers in 12 months.

This is the next phase in this incredible journey.

Can you help me?

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I can see it already…

Friday night, some fresh cold Draft Beer from Jack Black at HQ. I’ve heard we might be doing something after, but I am most likely to retire earlier as tomorrow morning is trail run time.

Gotta pack in…

Suunto Red Arrow…

Puma Trail Fox…

and one of these…

Ok.. maybe more than 1.

Then back home for the rugger. The fridge will be looking something like this…

the weekend, in one pure word… bliss!

To all my partners, who make my weekends that much easier… thank you!

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This past weekend I went to Xterra with limited hope of a great run, as I am still definitely in the build phase of my speed back to being a good athlete. I had also been with mates the night before, which meant a few beers and a tequila (just one) but I managed to get good sleep in.

I ran a total PB and smoked just about everyone on the day. To look back and say it was all me is total rubbish. I am lucky enough to have the best equipment at my disposal to make the journey as easy as possible. This weekend was no exception. So when I came across this picture on the Xterra website, I thought to point out to you what the secrets are:

1. Whasp Green Gel. If you haven’t discovered the secret to instant speed, this is it. 100mg caffeine, Gaba, Green Tea, its all in there. It kicks like a mule and with a duelling 10km run up and down a mountain, I made sure to pop one ten minutes before my run started, as well as 20min into the run. I was just starting to fade when it kicked in and I ran the downhill in a blur.

2. Suunto T6c. The heart rate was not one to report back on, and I opted to leave the footpod at home, but it was amazing to keep the heart rate virtually at max for 41 odd minutes and I couldn’t do it without my trusty Suunto. From Ironman intensities to these kind of run till you vomit efforts, Suunto is the way forward. When I was slowing down I could see it on the watch and just kept on going on, especially on the downhill. I am proof that your heart rate can be higher on a downhill than on an uphill. You might not walk the next day, but its possible.

3. Orca is my wetsuit and tri race apparel sponsor. They make the best, no doubt. Another magic product they do are these running shorts. They are the perfect length, the perfect material, and they are so light you might forget you have them on. If you don’t own a set already, make sure you do. Perfect for trail running, perfect for the sidewalk, or even to chill in post 7 hour Ironman training ride.

4. Puma and I have come a long way, and their shoes have come on in leaps and bounds. The new Speed Racer is an incredible shoe. Tough enough for the slopes of Grabouw, and durable enough for me to run 21.1km in, I LOVE these. The weight saved over a regular trail shoe is huge, especially when its your 12459th step up the mountain. 180 steps a minute x 41 minutes x 50g saving per shoe = 369kg less carried by my legs over the run the other day. That’s a lot of weight less I had to lift with my legs over that short amount of time.

So, PB’s are available, if you are kitted out right, and you are willing to have the same look as I have there, which would be to run like a 200kg angry, slightly injured werewolf is chasing you.

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If you made it all the way here, I may as well direct you into the right direction from here…

1. Seth Godin discusses if marketing is evil.

2. Gordo is all about realities lately it seems.

3. Viljoensdrift Wines have a new BUBBLY! Hooray!

4. WebUrbanist has some great time lapse photography going on.

5. Alan Couzens has some vital information for the Ironman Athletes out there who should all be maxing out on recovery time between work outs right about now.

Have a great day people. If you want to see some quality product…

Kleinhoekkloof Wines
Puma
Orca
Jack Black Beer
Rockets Compression
Whaspgel
Suunto
Café Sociale

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Yesterday afternoon I went for a normal trail run, which is normal for a Thursday for me. Trail running cleans my head out, especially now that I am allowed to run a bit harder not being focused on an Ironman in 7 weeks time. The experience is exhilarating. Hydra pack, iPod and Whasp Gels fuel the fury, and by then end of it I am spent, tired, hot, and have a big smile.

That running, salivating staffie vibe.

Difference yesterday was that the area was hit by trauma in the week before. Let’s have a look at what was going on in a nice video…

So, yesterday, off I headed into the bush to check out what was left of it. I did a similar thing after Table Mountain burnt to the ground (figuratively) and I remembered the total quiet, so yesterday I left the iPod in the car purposefully. It was 38 degrees Celsius, so an extra Whasp and some extra juice were taken as well. Both came in handy, might I add.

The route I run goes straight up for 20 minutes and the whole way I was amazed at the quiet, that at times, a whole eco system had been destroyed overnight. It was stark, sad and I was forced to remember that things do change quickly, in nature, and the same can happen in life. The beauty about plants is that they want to live. They have an inherent need to fight for survival. Humans don’t always have this. Next to smoldering ashes new plants had already started coming out of the ground, little green buds fighting for oxygen as smoke still hung in the air.

Here are some images from the top of the hill.

destruction was everywhere

the view up the mountain

As I headed along the path I got into a really great rhythm and felt amazingly alive, hopping over tree stumps, ducking under fallen branches and my eyes opened just a little extra, the heat was in my nostrils and the hair on my arms lifted just a millimeter. Total runners high. I came out the other end to witness that the other side of the mountain was still fine. Gorgeous vineyards in tact, the sea looked blue and warm, and as I stood there the wind came up quite quickly, so I headed back through the forest.

To my horror, the flames behind me had lit up again as the wind picked up, and about 5 minutes of running back I was in the thick smoke, covering my mouth with my shirt watching the fire. The paint on the front of my shoes had bubbled from the heat & I was shocked and a little scared that my route back was more uphill than I thought. What’s an adventurous guy to do in this situation?

Stop and take pictures.

Fire!

I ran out the other side of the dense bush and down the hill. Stopped to take a picture of the sun as it was being blocked out by then sun. It was dark and gloomy and the helicopters were starting to be heard overhead.

gloomy sun. very real at that moment.

As I got across the small valley I stopped to get a picture of the helicopter, but only got a small image. It’s in the red circle.

helicopters

Back up the other side of the valley I charged, feeling alive, as if I had escaped some sort of trap, and my heart rate must have been sky high as I sucked on the tube giving me water to find it warm and the gel I took was hot to the touch, and almost burnt my throat on the way down. As I crested the hill I came across what must have been a complete little house a week ago. Seems nature had other plans for it.

burnt down cottage

But next to it there were some more sprouts of life already popping out, so there is life after the fire after all, and I bet in a few months, there will be a full green mountain again. This was witnessed in Cape Town, and now, you can hardly see there was a devastating fire, not too long ago.

life from the ashes

The run had me powered all the way home and I slept like a baby, some sort of physical happiness along with an emotional satisfaction that I haven’t had in a long time. I don’t think it was a morality thing because of the fire, just how hard and how filled I was with the whole run. I didn’t think of the world I had left behind once and it cleared a lot of the mental junk that clutters my mind a lot. Silly ego.

I don’t recommend you run in flames. But I do recommend you clean your mind once a week. How you do that is up to you. Go running as a start…around the block maybe. Then two blocks.

It has to start somewhere…

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