Well there is another way.

Sunday, March 17 had been earmarked for this event to be hosted for kids and adults, starting at 8.30am at the Azaadville Park.

Since our inception the cycling club always includes in their activities some time for charitable organizations. Over the years we have joined forces with this Madressa(school) group to do just that. We have always assisted the community and are now raising funds for an unidentified Lenasia Case.

Explains Mohammed Abdulhai a senior member of the club, ” Every quarter the Madressa(school) takes on a needy case regardless where it is from. This year we have come across a child who resides in Lenasia. Upon our first visit we were taken aback by the child’s condition.”

“We arranged for the child to be seen by a specialist to determine his condition. From the outcome of the doctor’s visit the child suffers from cerebral palsy, he is in a good condition in accordance to the illness he has but needs some assistance on the nutritional side. We were referred to a dietician and have now started the required nutritional change.

“This is a case whereby we have taken a decision to remain committed to assisting this child. We have a private pediatrician and a private dietician as well as a local doctor who are on board with their services with us.”

“Due to nutritional cost, we need to raise funds to sustain this commitment. To this end the Madressa kids have a collection on Friday’s, but since the chosen case requires additional funding we will be doing various fund raisers and also do other of this nature to sustain all other needs within the communities.”

From a mere 48 entries riding in 2012 to an astounding 250 entries this year – this is what we call an absolute success. Before i rollout successful story of the day, as huge thank you to all our sponsors for opening your hearts in making this event an absolute success – To all our volunteers thank you for all your assistance in coordinating this event. A special thanks to all parents for attending this event and supporting us in raising funds for Muhammad.

With the gloomy weather on Thursday and Friday, fingers remained cross for clear skies on Sunday and so it was. Sunday morning was an early start with all our volunteers giving up their sleep to lend a hand; all was setup and registration started by 8am with race numbers being handed to all entrants. With cyclist coming from Lenasia, Roshnee, Greater Johannesburg and Witbank etc. All registrations were completed just before 9am and cyclist for the 5km and 10km riders were debriefed on the rules of the ride etc.

At 9am the start gun was fired and the 10 km riders were off with Mogale City Traffic escorting the riders out of Azaadville onto their off-road path into the bush. The 5km riders were batched and were sent off 15min thereafter. With the uphill climb and single track in the first 3.5km, this was no easy park ride as most riders figured, this was also the return point for the 5km riders who had a gradual decent back to the park. As for the 10km riders it was 1km of flat open track to give the legs a break and then the water point. The test of endurance continued with the dual track all the way to the entrance of Azadville, from here riders were escorted by Mogale City Traffic to the finish line.

The juniors ride was a total of 1.8km around the streets of the park which had been closed off for the duration of the ride. Riders were batched in accordance to their abilities and off they went with a 5 minute gap between each batch. The little pairs of legs had to conquer some feisty uphills but made it look like pie. All junior completed their ride returning to the park and continued riding to release the rest of their energy.

With the fun and excitement continuing through the morning, people didn’t forget the purpose of this event and that being the fund raising for Muhammad.

Not being able to talk or walk this handsome young lad captured the hearts of many as he laid on his makeshift bed smiling away and enjoying the attention of young and old.

We would like to thank one and all for your attendance and making a difference in Muhammad’s life.

For the many who requested this ride again, this is the first of many to come.

A big thanks to our sponsors:

• Autostyle Motorsport
• Egas
• Azaadville Hyper
• Mogale city traffic
• Azaadville neighborhood watch
• Azaadville burial committee
• Hussain Cassoojee
• Abie bakery
• Sullies Fabric

The top rider from the club doing the 55km came in at 3 and a half hours.Riders than shortly followed in with the slowest time being a 4:30 due to bike problems.

The 35 km was much easier with the top rider at 2 :18 .This ride was much more relaxed.

As for the route , the first 20 km proved to be easy. As from 20 km onward the ride to the top of the mountain started with extremely steep hills one after the other.For the 35 km riders the hill climbing was over as they took the split to finish the race.       However the 55 km challenge was about to start as riders faced hill after hill.Once at the top of the mountain riders made they way down and climbed back up proving to be a great mental and physical challenge.Riders were over the moon when they crossed the finish line .

accompanying us was a road bike rider who finally gave some respect to the MTB riders proving once again that mountain bike is no joke. other riders also said that the route was extreme mainly with the terrain.

Apart from the riding the trip was a great bonding experience for us .The riders really enjoyed themselves.

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• Lean slightly forward on your bike. One of the problems when climbing uphill is a loss of traction from the front wheel. By leaning forward, you put more weight on the front wheel, which gives you better traction.

• Come up off the seat and lean in toward the handlebars to climb extremely steep hills.

• Keep both hands firmly gripped on the handlebars. The middle of the climb is not the time to grab for your water bottle.

• Start the climb in a fairly low gear that will keep your legs spinning. Trying to change gears while in the middle of the climb can cause your gears to grind and even slip.

• Conserve your energy while riding your bike uphill. Trying to climb too fast will cause you to tire out too quickly. Climbing too aggressively causes lactic acid to build up in your muscles, which will make your legs feel like they are on fire. Slow but steady pedalling is the most efficient way to climb a hill.

• Riding position uphill, keep your weight forward, keep your chin low over the bars, and try to keep your head forward. The nose of your seat should be poking you in the butt as you are in the “crouch” position!! Use bar extenders or “cow horns” to make climbing easier, as these will enable better weight distribution for the steeps and help you to move forward on the bike. If the rear wheel loses traction, you may be too far forward. You may want to raise your seat up on long uphill’s for a better pedalling stroke.

Why all the confusion? Well, in our case it is from different rims, tires, and tubeless tire systems as well as different riding styles and terrain. In the end, I do recommend tubeless tires to anyone who wants higher performance and less flats but doesn’t mind a little extra installation trouble and maintenance.

With the right setup, going to tubeless tyres is said to improve your bikes performance. This is especially true for riders who have to run higher pressures to prevent pinch flats. It is recommended to use an internal tire sealant such as Stan’s No-Tubes for a more robust system and less flats, even if you have tubeless specific rims and tyres.

If you use a tubeless kit to convert your standard tube/tyre system into a tubeless tyre system make sure your tyre, rim, and kit are compatible.

You can use non-tubeless tyres if you use an internal sealant but don’t use super-light tyres with thin sidewalls. Thicker sidewalls provide better cornering performance and if you ride in terrain with sharp rocks they provide better protection from sidewall cuts and tears. You will still need to carry an extra tube and pump. All tubeless tyre systems let you put a tube in if you get a flat and you can’t get your tyre to seal up again.  If you try to lower your tyre pressure too much, you will be more likely to damage your rim when you hit rocks and you may feel the tyre roll during hard cornering. When this gets really bad, you can burp air out and end up with a flat, unsealed tyre.

Pay attention to and follow the installation instructions carefully. Take the necessary time to get compatible products and to install them correctly.

A properly installed tubeless tyre system is capable of handling any condition and riding style.

Further Discussion…..

From the performance standpoint, tubeless tyres are hard to beat. Tubeless tyres don’t pinch flat so they let you run lower tyre pressures. Lower tyre pressure is the best way to improve a tyre’s contact with the ground and with that comes better bike performance. That said, tyre pressure is one of the most influential adjustments you can make to your bikes performance.

Tubeless tyre supporters claim that rolling friction is reduced in a tubeless tyre. While I can’t say I noticed either way, I do think they have some valid arguments to support this.

Using an internal sealant is well worth the little added weight. Tubeless tyres still get flats from thorns and other punctures. It is in most cases more difficult to fix a flat in a tubeless tyre than a standard tyre.

Compatibility is a big issue.

Choose the wrong tyres or rims and you will end up blowing your tyres right off the rim either during installation or on the trail.

While it is tempting to go with the lightest tyres you can find it is more important to get a tyre that will perform well and won’t end up forcing you to put a tube in later. No amount of sealant will plug a good cut or tear in a tyre sidewall.

Don’t expect to lose a huge amount of weight. Some systems are lighter, some heavier, it all depends on the system and the tyres used.

The real benefits are better performance with lower tyre pressures and fewer flats.

First, you need to use a hose and a bucket with a sponge or cloth and some soap. You can use bicycle soap or car soap you would use to clean your vehicle. Hose down your bike completely while holding it upright with one hand.

You can roll it to clean the wheels or lay it down and let the hose spray spin the wheels to rinse them off. It is also helpful to use a scotch pad to clean dirt and grease off of the rims to allow for good braking.

I like the use of Clean Green cleaner on your bike, the rims, and the drivetrain. The treads will probably be the worst area for mud.

Avoid alot of high pressure spray in the area of the crank bearings or wheel hub bearings if possible. Direct the hose spray into the front and rear brake shoes, the chainrings and freewheel (rear gear cluster), and other areas as needed.

Turn the bike upside down and rest it on the seat and handlebars to hose down the underside. Then use your soapy water and clean the underneath. Next, upright the bike or lay it on it’s side and soap down the rest of the bike. Rinse off with the hose and then towel dry everything.

Don’t forget to re-lube the most important parts.

It is important to now clean the chain and lube it.

Also, it is a good idea to remove any sticks, leaves, or other debris from the inside of the rear gear cluster (the freewheel) with a thin, long tool such as a screwdriver, tableknife, or tool which is designed to get between the gears and take out debris. It is also a good idea to use a regular screwdriver or cloth to clean off the pulleys on the rear derailleur.

These are the two “gears” which the chain rides over and are usually are quite dirty. You should clean the inside and outside surface while moving the chain through the pulleys. Almost always there is a build up of dirt, grease, etc. which should be removed. Remember to lubricate your chain after washing and cleaning it so that it repels water…

You will feel good to know that you are putting your bike away CLEAN and now you can RELAX and enjoy your post ride festivities!

I believe most people can benefit from spinning classes. Spinning bikes are different to ride than regular mountain- or road bikes, but the physiological adaptations are so close to adaptations from road cycling. Thus it’s almost certain you will improve your cycling performance when you enter a spinning class.

It is impossible to compare 1hr spinning with 1hr Mtb / road cycling. There are many external factors that will influence on your perceived exhaustion (temperature, humidity, music, instructor etc.) Thus, you might very likely subjectively feel you’ve worked harder than you objectively have (a power meter might tell you a different story…)

Also remember that most spinning lessons are made with fitness people in mind. They want to entertain and train people who enter the fitness room once or twice every week, not cyclists who train 8, 12 or even more hours per week. I don’t think it’s a bad decision, but it’s worth to remember when you are road cyclist with a much larger training amount and a different goal with your training.

1. Warm up before spinning

Spinning lessons have a normal length of around 50 minutes. For trained cyclists this is a very short amount of time, when this time includes both warm up, intervals and cool down. Remember that most spinning lessons are made for people who are not very familiar with cycling training. Therefore, I suggest you do a warm up before you enter the spinning room in order to get more training time.

2. Drink water with electrolytes and carbohydrates

Spinning rooms have a very high temperature and high humidity. Therefore, it is quite normal to sweat much more than you are used to. Some people believe that they sweat more at spinning lessons because they work harder. That is not true. They sweat more because of the climate, not because they work harder than normally. I will recommend you to drink water with electrolytes and carbohydrates to maintain a high level of performance during the whole session.

3. Choose intervals carefully

Spinning instructors plan their lesson to be interesting and challenging for a wide range of riders. Most of them train spinning only 2 to 3 times week, so they can use all their effort in this short period.  If you do not like the program of the instructor, consider to use your own program. It is possible to ride one of these programs without telling the instructor. Just remember to stand up and sit down when the instructor tells you to (and ignore his commands about pacing strategy).

4. Remember rest days

You can’t do intervals every single day. Some days should be easy days. If you go for a ride in the spinning class on one of these days, please remember your goal with the training.