Weekend comparison ride!!!

126.5kg

Well on Sunday Martin and I did the 40km ride we did back in May this year http://myxxxlife.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-1st-2-hour-ride.html it was an awesome comparison ride....

The first colum is readings for May the second for this sunday
May 24th Oct 5th
weight 135.5kg 126.5kg
time 2h4min 1h55min
HR 152avg 167max 143 avg 158max
Cadence 82 81

I did it in a faster time with a lower average heart rate........

Harkerville Red Route

On Sunday we did the Harkerville Red Route. It is unbelievable with almost 13km of single track and spectacular views once you get out of the forest. Here are some pics. (Click on the pic to enlarge)

Martin at the first go slow sign. There is also a stop sign somewhere in the bush.

Me and Martin at the "picnic spot" standing on the table so that you can see the see in the background.

Check the single track on the ridge

More single track in the fyn bos.

This is the picnick table. Just some advice. spend some time here cos there are some mean climbs ahead back into the forest.

Cycling has been going strong and we try to cycle for 1 hour every weekday afternoon. Since the 12th September I have done 170.6km.

My weight have been stading still but I feel great at fit-ish.

Later

On the "real" bike again

128kg - Friday 12th September 2008 (Carey Main)

I had a awesome week and was very motivated. Here are a few things that helped.

Reading - Every second counts - Lance Armstrong
Almost at a 30kg total lost
Polarpersonaltrainer.com - Polar has got a new feature on their website called challenges. You can create and enter various challenges which logs your progress everytime you upload your data to the website from your polar. It's awesome!!!!

I haven't been on my MTB (or any real bike) for about 6 weeks. So yesterday I went and did 2 laps of the 5km Elliott centre night race. It was hot and I struggled but decided to race on Sunday. So today I went to the Sunnyvale MTB race. They had a 65km, 35km and 15km option. I have done the 35km race before and knew what was coming and that I am not currently MTB fit so I decided to do the 15km ride with my friend Martin. It was awesome and just long enough.

Will post results soon.

The weight dropping is going but a bit slow. I think it will pick-up now that I'm back in routine.

I also went to Dr Paul Wannenberg on Friday just for my monthly check up. My blood pressure has dropped quite a bit which is good. I also ask Paul to do some test on me which is just precaution especially after reading Lance Armstrong's book so they took some blood and will check various things including cholesterol, cancer, etc. Results will be out on Tuesday!!!!

Chat later!

I'm BACK...

128.5kg (Carey Main)
127.4kg (My Scale)

Hi

I'm back and getting into routine. It's been hard with the flu and all but I have been back at gym and if the weather hold will get onto the bike the weekend but work isn't making it easy... I have been working alot of weekend.

Anyway will let you know how it's going.

Later

Windy Weekend and start of the Olympics

128.2kg

The Olympics started today. In the Cycling Race John Lee got 27th, David George 80th and Hunter didn't finish!

It is so windy today so no riding but will go to gym with John for some stepping and spinning. He also mentioned some running......great!!!!

I weighed 128.2kg this morning, it's the lowest ever in 6 years. Feel great!!!!

In total I have lost 27.8kg's since beginning March 2008 and loving it!

Later
G

Back into Routine

129.4kg

Ok I'm back in the land of living and back into routine. The trip overseas was great!!!!

Here is a link to all the pics in my FB album:
http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=717566310

I did 2 road bike rides and about 4 or 5 MTB rides. Cycling in Europe is AWESOME. Cyclist rule and cars come second. There are cycling paths everywhere. I did a awesome 7.6km climb twice that was amazing. I did it on George from Ironman's MTB which I used while in Austria.

The altitude at the bottom of the climb was 931meters and the top was 1374meters that's 443m over 7kms. This pic was taken when I got back. James joined me up the hill.


O before I forget, as we landed in Munich guess who I saw at the Airport?.... Kevin Evans!

Anyway I am back at gym and lost the 2.5kg I picked up in Germany / Austria (too much beer)! I also had a awesome MTB ride today with my dad, Grant and Gary. We did a 1h30 ride and I pushed reasonably hard, I felt very good. I also managed to stand and pedal more often which was great. I have put allot of afford into standing at the gym on the spinning bike and it helped allot.

OK later, cheers.

PS I will add a video clip of me popping a wheelie later and falling on my arse, but here is a pic so long. It's a small kids bike....

Packing for Austria

So Colin and I decided to start packing the bikes this afternoon. Originally we wanted to put both bikes in the Bike Box I got from Brandon but soon realized that it won't fit. We then went down to Action Cycles to get a cardboard bike box.

Here are some pics:

My Bike (Colin's Scott) and the Box

My Bike and Colin's Cervelo and the Box
My Bike packed in the box with a SA Flag
Colin's Bike in his "Box"

Will keep everybody updated on the blog!!!!

Sunday MTB Ride

129.6kg

Check it out I broke the 130 mark!!!!

Went for another historic ride today with Bradley Jackson his dad Charlie and Jeanne Roussow. It was great we went from Brad's house to Elliott and the normal track to Brickmakers and back. It was about 20km.

Bradley struggled a bit the last few km's and I could relate to what he is going through. It wasn't that long ago that I went through the same thing.

Later

Saturday 2pm Ride

So I was looking for some mates to ride with and stumbled onto the FatTracks website (www.fattracks.co.za) they now have a 2pm ride leaving from the Elliott Centre every Saturday so I went along to see what's up.

I ended up meeting Jefferey Waters and his Sister and Jeane Roussow and some other ppl. We cycled to the dog school up and down and back through the valley up behind Pick and Pay and back home via the road. It wasn't a great ride but it was ok.

Thinking of going for a long road ride in the morning and then a MTB ride in the afternoon.

Later
me

So dissapointed!

130.4kg (got weighed yesterday and I lost 200g in 1 week)

I overslept this morning and missed the 06h15 Marine Drive cycle. I am so pissed-off with myself... but I'm thinking that maybe it was a good thing, maybe my body needs the rest.

My main concern is that I have already "spent" against this morning's ride... Last night we had some pizza and I didn't care how many slices because I knew that I was going on the morning ride... but I missed it. Now I have to make up for that sometime today. I am thinking of a nice MTB ride.

Leaving for Austria on Tuesday.

Marine Drive from Office 40km

Colin started spinning with me in the evenings and with some company it's easy to spin for 50min.

During spinning last night he suggested that we do Marine Drive in reverse from his house in the morning. This was a problem since I already committed to John that I'll do spinning classes with his in the morning. (I should have gone spinning instead) John instead decided to come and ride with us this morning.

The bunch consisted of 2 x Tri-Bikes and 2 x Racing Bikes. Me and Robbie versus Colin and John and boy did I "kak off"

Colin was setting the pace and wouldn't let anybody pass... not that anybody tried, except maybe for John who had to pass now and again because of the momentum he carried when getting out of Colin's slip stream. We ended up doing 40km in 1h20min with a average speed of 30km/h.

I managed to hang on to Colin's wheel while John and Robbie where keeping each other company up the hills.

Here are the racing stats:

HR Max 166 (94%)
HR Avg 153 (87%)
40km
Spd Avg 30km/h
Spd Max 51.4km/h

Is was hanging on by my teeth.

Looking forward to another Marine Drive on Saturday morning with the 06h15 bunch.

Here is a pic of Colin's bike I'm using:

Sunday MTB fun

Well well.

Called John this morning and decided to go for a ride this morning at 10. When I opened the garage door I realized that I still have a puncture to fix from last weekends ride... so off came the wheel and out came the patch kit.... it's been along time since I've fixed a puncture but as soon as I smelled the glue all the memories came back to me.... it was a very emotional puncture repair..hehehe

Our ride started at Elliott centre and we went all the way to William Moffet and back then down to Dodds farm and over Target Kloof down to Brickmakers. That was 15km and my legs still had the memory of Saturday's Marive Drive ride. We then headed back and just as we crossed Target Kloof down to the river John's disc brakes started screaming and guess what..... he front wheel had come loose...hehehehe it was a funny but scary moment.

We then went up the jeep track to the night race course. By now I was finished and my arse was sore. We had been pushing it the whole way harder then our previous Valley rides and finally yesterdays ride especially the climb up LaRoche drive caught up to me.

When we finished it was 25km at a time of 2hrs which include John taking a dog back to his owner after it followed us for about 1.5km.

Colin called this afternoon to go spinning so I thought it will be a nice chance to get the legs loose so I put in a easy 50min to end it off.

Now I'm having nice bean soup and I'm going to sleep late in the am.

Marine Drive (on a road bike!!!)

130.5kg

When I got home from work yesterday my Bicycling Magazine was waiting for me in the mailbox. This was good timing because I'm suppose to do Marine Drive in the morning on Colin's road bike. This will be the first time on a road bike in 13 years. hehehehe.

I scanned the Bicycling magazine for any secret tips that could help me with the 06h15 start 37km around Marine Drive.

I got a sms from dad saying it's wet and asking if we should go. I got up and it wasn't that bad so I replied that we should. Next was a sms from Colin asking if I'm going and the answer was yes. If I didn't go this morning I will spend the whole weekend and week wondering how it would have went.

I arrived at 06h08 at the BP in 10th Avn Walmer and waited for my dad to arrive. A few other riders arrived and I got a few mornings and hello's..... I also got a few looks cos I was wearing my normal cycling attire consisting of long sleeve T-Shirt and baggy pants with cycling shorts underneath. (I can't find cycling clothes that fit...yet)

The ride went very well. Colin joined us by the go-cart club. I was leading the 7 strong pack for about 85% of the way with Colin doing the TRI thing in the front. It was awesome riding and when we got to Le Roche hill I found nice rhythm and reached the top first with Colin and my dad right on my wheel.

We averaged 28km/h and my heart rate was 154bpm average and 177bpm max. This is the highest I have ever gotten my heart!

Brilliant ride and I think that this will become an weekly thing.

Weekend Plans

130.8kg

I went to Carey Main today to get weighed again. I lost 3kg since I last went to her (12th June).

I was a bit worried because the last two weeks was very relaxed with allot of parties and I had some sweets. I also haven't done as much time in the gym as the last few weeks, the mornings are just too cold lately.

I'm thinking of doing the Marine drive tomorrow morning. There are 3 groups that leave from 10th Avn Walmer on Saturdays. 06h00, 06h15 and 06h30. Slow, faster and fastest. I'm going with my dad at 06h15 if the weather clears. We had allot of rain today.

I am nervous for tomorrow's ride. I borrowed Colin's racing bike and it will be my 1st time on a racing bike in 13 years.....hahahaha

Well let's see how it goes!!!!

Sunday Ride (1st puncture)

Went for a afternoon ride with my dad, Martin and Grant.

At first I thought that I might suffer cos I could feel my legs after yesterdays ride with Martin but the legs were actually feeling great and strong!!!

We started at my dad's house which is just of Target Kloof on the Valley. We then went up the Valley through Dodds farm all the way along the bottom to the pump station and along the top jeep track and back into the down a rocky downhill.

At the bottom of the downhill I thought that my shock was buggered but 5min later I noticed that my front wheel was going flat. No worries I made it back to the car.

My tech skills are pretty good and riding in the valley really helps. Just the hills kill me. I am getting out of the saddle as often as I can but it's a bit difficult with my weight and the current shock I have. I would love to get a proper air/oil shock as this will solve all my issues.

Thanks for the great ride guys it was great fun.

Saturday Ride

Went for a ride with Martin this morning. We started at the Elliott Centre and went into the valley from there. First we went left on the upper road to 3rd Avn dip and then back to Dodds Farm all the way to the Ice Rink and Up Brickmakers Kloof and back in at Settlers Park to Dodds Farm and up at little walmer and back to Elliott Centre.

It was a nice +20km ride. I felt a bit week today as well but still pushed it a little. My heart rate up Brickmakers was 167bpm.

I'm getting use to standing and climbing now but I can't do it for more than about 1 - 2min. Downhill is lots of fun and I'm becoming one with the big. During the climbs gravity and my weight is still against me. Just to give you and idea how it feels for me to cycle up a hill take a 25kg cement bag and put it on your bike. If you weigh 80kg's take two 25kg cement bags strap them to your bike and go for a ride..... hehehehe

Thinking of going for another ride in the valley tomorrow.

Check this!!!

Check this, it's a pic of me finishing the 35km Ridge Mania XC Race!


This is Elize who cycled with me the last 15km.

Gym - Going up a level!

131.4kg

I went to gym on Monday night with the mind-set of surprising my body.....

I went upstairs...... yes I went to the upper level were all the big weights are...... It was a big move as I was now moving out of my comfort zone.

When I got upstairs I went straight onto the big saddle bikes and put in a 20min spin. The I went to the x-trainer or the orbitec machine, there were a few girls doing it as well and it looked pretty easy.....boy was I wrong. I lasted 3min on the machine.

With my tail between my legs I went to the row in front and tried the stepper. It wasn't as bad as the x-trainer thingy and I did 7min which brought my exercise time to 30min.

Last night I went back to the top floor and started with the stepping machine. I managed 20min and then did 10min on the bike!

I have only gone to gym in the evening this week and not in the morning.... I'm a bit worried...

Later.

Ridge Mania 35km Race

I was very very nervous before the start. The longest ride I have done was 40km and it was flat flat flat. This race was 35km and NOT flat.

Well we started at 08h30 from Thornhill N2 turn-off. We headed up the hill towards the sea and down into Yellowwoods, up the hill to the Van Stadens Flower Reserve through the valley up to the railway line and over the train bridge back to the start. It turned out that the race was only 30km but boy o boy it was long.

I loved the downhills and the up-hills killed me but I can feel that my riding has improved quite a bit. The first half of the race I cycled with Rob Rudman but he dropped me on the climb out of Yellowwoods. Then I caught up to a girl called Elize and we cycled together until the end.

Here are my race stats:

HR Max 174 (99%)
HR Avg 155 (88%)
16.7Km
Spd Avg 29.8km/h
Spd Max 64.8km/h
Cad Avg 78 max 108

Tomorrow is youth day so there is no work tomorrow. I think I will go for a nice long ride!

I will publish result when I get it!

Night Ride Results

I did 3 laps again in 1 hour.

On 29 may I did it in 58min, This week I did it in 53min.... whooohooo!

I pushed hard last night with my average heart rate at 90% of max or 158bpm. I was finished afterwards.

Tomorrow morning is a 35km race... I'm nervous but just gonna take it easy and finish.

Later

Ups and Downs

I went to get weighed this morning....... I picked up 500grams. It's not a lot but it feels like a week wasted. I lost 2kg last week and 1,8kg the week before.

I have given it some thought and it's not such a bad thing. I think that it's my body taking a break because I have been hitting it hard... maybe that's a bad excuse... OK I'll come clean here is what I think.

Went for a slow 2 hour ride on Saturday burned 1500kcal, had a 2000kcal pizza afterwards.

Didn't cycle on Sunday or gym.

No race in Longmore on Sunday.

Missed gym Monday morning.

Had 2 packs of Jelly Beans this week. (on the pack it says "less than 1g fat")

Anyway I will bounce back.

Another disappointment is that my goal of weighing 125kg on 7th July when I leave for Austria is moving further and further away..... but we will see, I haven't given up yet!

As a precautionary measure I am going to start using the stepping machine at gym because I think that I have become immune to spinning. I think that I have to surprise my body a bit cos at the moment it knows what's happening cos I follow a routine.

I get up at 05h25 go to gym and spin for 40min go home eat, go to work, go home eat and go to gym at 19h30, go to John to talk shit and get to gym at 20h00 and spin for 50 min.

There is a night race tonight and a 35km ride on Saturday. I also want to do a nice valley ride on Sunday if anybody is keen.

Check this cool butter I'm using, read the lid. It makes me think everytime I have toast!

If you could see your heart would you take better care of it?

Gym

132.2kg

I have been to gym 76 times since 1st of March 2008 so I think that it's safe to say that I'm a local. There are all kinds of strange people that I see there with the funniest personalities.

Last night there was a guy on crutches doing the super circuit.

There is also this SA Rambo guy with a bless that wears the same clothes every night. He wears black rugby shorts and a grey gym t-shirt that's too short for him and when he is on the rowing bike machine I can tell that he only has one shirt 'cos it smells....

Then there is this Chinese guy with his young son. The guy will do the super circuit in slops and socks and the son will cycle next to me and turn the adjuster nob all the way out on his bike, and as soon as it's out he get's of the bike and runs around talking to all the girls.

There is also a young couple that will come in and cycle on the techno bikes. They wont say a word to each other for 20 mins. Then they will get off and do the super circuit and leave. I don't think they can talk.

There is also a group of about 4 or 5 big ladies that gym together but they talk so much shit that they don't do any real exercise. I have learned that if you want to lose weight get your heart rate up and do an exercise for longer than 30min. It's the only effective way at the gym to lose weight. Once you have done that and lost the weight then do the super circuit and tone your muscles and stuff.

Then you also get the newbies, they are people that I havn't seen in the 76 times I have been to the gym. They will walk upto a machine look at it, adjust some weights and figure it out on the fly. They will do this at about 4 machines get frustrated and leave.... I love the newbies cos watching them makes time fly-by.

My favourite "gym people" are the quiet once that just gym... and I mean just gym. There is this girl in black. She is just muscle and she wears a Polar 625x. She is a mean spinner and she got the shoulders of a swimmer. She is not attractive or anything but strong and dedicated.

You also get the super sexy "gym bunnies" they can be spotted a mile away and wear designer gym outfits. They are well toned and always got a Ipod and they never sweat. I am sure that they are employed by the gym.

Anyway who knows maybe someone wrote something about me in their blog. For all I know I could be the big guy on the spinning bike every morning and every night. But I know one thing.... I have made a change and decided to live a healthy lifestyle and by doing so have lost 23.8kg.

Saturday Ride - Elliott Cetre - Harbour and back

The weight is coming down nicely and I can so feel the difference. I went for a ride this morning with John and Damian we started at the Elliott centre at William Moffett where we went into the valley and down all the way to the bottom of Brickmakers. We then went up Brickmakers and down into the valley again at Settlers Park and back to Dodds Farm and along some nice single track along the edge of Little Walmer Golf Club to William Moffet.

It was a very nice "tourist ride" my heart rate average was 135bpm or 77%. We waited for Damian allot which made it slow and enjoyable.

I managed too wheelie today for about 20meters whoohooo!!! We also cycled most of the technical sections that we walked last weekend.

Although the ride was "slow" I can feel my legs are a bit numb tonight. The ride took us about 1h50min.

Next weekend there is a long ride called Ridge Mania MTB Ride it's about 40km.

Later!

Weekend Plans

I didn't do the night race last night. I must say I feel a bit guilty although I put in a hours spinning at the gym.

I just thought that I'll give it a break. During the night race my heart rate is usually 89% of max. I just think that I have pushed it a bit and decided to rest this week by going to the gym and doing the same time but at a lower heart rate.

Anyway. the weekend I'm thinking of tackling the baakens valley and ride from the Elliott Centre to the harbour and back. If anybody is keen let me know. We will leave at about 08h30..... some nice single track and not too tricky.

Goals and stuff.

I have thought about goals allot the last week. Obviously losing weight is my main goal and the reason for this blog... but I think that I can start being more adventurous when "inventing" goals.

Some of my goals / highlights achieved so far:

• Losing 20kg
• Cycling 40km
• Doing 15km in Longmore without pushing my bike
• Spinning non-stop for 30min

I also have a list of future goals but that will be made public a bit later.

Just wanna say thanks to my mate John. You have been a star bru!!!

Longmore results!

133.3kg

Well I got the Longmore Eduro 2 results.

I came 8th out of 19 entries. (4 DNF's)

My official time is 1:14:35

You know.. I'm just looking at the picture of me on the bike.... it's the 1st picture I have see in a while... and I am massive. The bike looks very small and I look very very big!!! It's weird cos I don't feel that big on the bike I actually feel very comfortably on the bike. But this is like a wake-up call!

Anyway I'm enjoying my cycling at the moment and the more I cycle the smaller I'll get but it's just taking so long and I don't have the patients.

Anyway my next goal is to weigh 125kg on 7th July when I leave for Austria.

cheers

Longmore Enduro (1 June 2008)

It was a nippy cold morning and it rained allot the day before. I was very keen to ride even if it rained a bit during the ride.

It was a similar course to last week but they replaced the long climb from last week with a looonger climb this week. The rout was 2km longer than last week and we climbed 213m in 4.5km.

Martin and my dad came along for the ride and Martin's friends from Addo.

I will post the results as soon as they are live.

Here are my race stats.

HR Max 167 (95%)
HR Avg 154 (88%)
16.7Km
Spd Avg 13.2km/h
Spd Max 62.1km/h
Cad Avg 78 max 104

Later!!!

Dodds - Harbour and Back!!!

133.8kg

This morning was a real trip down memory lane. I went cycling with John.

We started at Dodds Farm and went all the way down to the harbour and back. There was some great single track and the scenery was awesome. There was allot of getting on and off the bike which made it so interesting. We had a nice 1 hour ride.

Tomorrow it's looooong (hill) more time again!

Elliott Night Race (3 Laps & 1 Fall)

Wow what a race!!!! I went over the handle bars once!!!! It was so cool!!!

Well the race started at 18h15 in the dark, I did a lap yesterday wrong way round and just before the race in the light the right way round. How it works is that you ride to finish as many laps as you can in 1 hour. I did 3 laps in 58.55min.

I got lapped by some of the top guys and went over the handle bars once in some single track just before crossing a bridge, let's just say I crossed the bridge before the bike!

I was cruising downhill but as usual struggled up the hills!

Here are some of the race stats.

HR Max 174 (99%)
HR Avg 157 (89%)
14Km
Spd Avg 14.3km/h
Spd Max 25.1km/h
Cad Avg 78 max 103

Night Ride "Testing"

Well I bought a light for tomorrows night ride and thought that I will give it a test run and also use the opportunity to check the lap we will be doing. So I called Martin and we met at the Elliott centre and went for a lap.

The lap is about 4.5km long and consists of single track and jeep track. There is only one climb or incline that got my heart rate up because it was a bit sandy so I will just watch it tomorrow night.

Back in the Day (some pics I found)

I might go for a ride this afternoon just to check the course for the night race tomorrow. I think Martin will join me.

Here are some pics from back in the day (1994/5)

It's official I have a "Racing License"

134.2KG

Well I joined FatTracks MTB club last night online and acquired a SA Cycling License from Cycling SA.

I registered in the Sports Class at Fatracks and Sub Vets on Cycling SA. I also downloaded all the racing calendars and identified a few races that I want to do so lets see what happens.

Here are the ones I am doing in the near future:

Thursday night - Night Racing
Sunday - Longmore Enduro

If you are keen to go for a nice slow ride give me a shout I'm always game!

Longmore 15km Enduro Results

The results for Longmore is in..... and available at www.fattracks.co.za

But to safe you some time...... I came 15th out of 33.
The winning time was 49min and we (me and John) did 1h11min.

33 people did the 15km and 68 did the 30km

Longmore 15km vs 134kg

Wow there was alot of climbs check the graph below!

I didn't push the bike once. I think that spinning at gym helped alot. Don't get me wrong there where some stages where my heart rate was pushing at 96% of my maximum heart rate and I was very very tempted to get of and push but thanks to my buddy John the Ironman I never did and cycled the whole way!!!!!!

I LOVED the downhill and after every downhill I let out a little whooohooo! It was just so awesome being on the bike again!

Thursday is the night race at the Elliott Centre and Sunday Longmore again.... I am not looking forward to longmore but lets see!

My 1st 2 hour Ride

133.3KG

Well well I did it!!!!! We went for a ride this morning with John and Martin. We started at Fair view Race Course and cycled to the Van Standens Train Bridge 20km there and 20km back making it a nice 40km ride. We did the ride in 02h04.

HR Max 167 (92%)
HR Avg 152 (84%)
38.9km
Spd Avg 18.9km/h
Spd Max 43.2km/h
Cad Avg 82 max 107


It was a big achievement for me to do this ride. I would even go as far as to call it one of my biggest personal goal in years!

My legs are a bit tired and my arse is still sore!!!!

Eating Plan

I went to see Carey and I finally got my eating plan today. To be honest I haven't really had a look at it and I am not really a eating plan guy!

Eating plans are so much of a mission but I will give it a try!

Going first looong ride in the morning and my tummy is full of butterflies!!!

Diet and frustration!!!

I am a little frustrated that it's been going so slow the last 3 weeks. I will give you an example:

On 21st April I weighed 140.1kg
On 19th May I weighed 134.6kg

That's 5.5kg in a month!!!

I am going to see Carey Main tomorrow Ironman referred me to her and I am going to take all my info to her. Cal burned per day, hours exercised, what I'm currently eating and check and see what she says. What's cool apparently is that Medical Aid pays for everything. It probably comes out of savings.

Anyway let's see what happens. I just feel that I have been stuck on this plato and need a push to get of it.

New Bike!!!!

So I got my bike today.... it's very cool. Right after collecting it I went to Ironman SA for a meeting and they offer to set-up my bike.... well actually I asked James and he said no problem. So now I got a perfect bike set-up.

I only have one concern... the shock. I think I'm still too heavy for the shock. I gave Rob Rudman a call and he said that he might be able to make a plan and I should bring it in in the am. I also called Robbie who said that it's not possible and that I should invest in a air shock. He said that he will check in the morning to see if they have one to offer me.

Can't wait for the weekend to go for a proper long ride!!!

FOOD!!!

134.6kg

The weight is starting to come down again. I was a bit worried cos for about a week i couldn't get it under 136kg. Maybe it's because i was sick for 2 days.

I have increased my time at the gym to 50min - 60min and have slowed down my heart rate to 70 - 75% and I'm eating allot more (6 meals) which seems to help! I eat allot of soup and fruit.

I made a banana - milkshake last night with banana and diet ice-cream it was so cool!!!!

I think the reason I got sick is because my body panicked cos i didn't eat enough. It was looking for wood to burn because i was training so hard and there wasn't enough. I did 8 hours in the week before i got sick. I find that the more i train the more i eat and i was fighting that.....

Anyway I think this is going to be a good week. I wanna get down to 130kg!!!!

I'm losing it slowly......

The weight loss has slowed down.... I am a bit frustrated and have put in some extra time at the gym. I'm spinning for 50min almost twice a day. I am still eating very very healthy but not following a plan.

I will see how it goes this week. I wonder if my body is not maybe getting immune to the spinning? maybe i must try something new like steps or rowing.

My new bike should arrive on Wednesday and I can't wait for the cycle on Saturday!

later

Dakar

135.5kg

I went to see Robbie Powell yesterday to chat to him about a new bike. I have sold my Ridge Disk to Grant Currin (family).

Robbie recommended the Namib but unfortunately they didn't have the right size so the second option was the Raleigh Dakar.

I'm very excited. I just hope that the shock can handle my weight and perform.

I'm planning my first ride next week Saturday. Robbie and the guys at Raleigh recommended a nice flat route 26 there and 26km back. From Butterfield road to the Van Stadens train bridge. I drove it with the car today and it looks awesome.

I have been sick for the last 2 days so gym hasn't seen me at all. It's a bit sad and I am very very irritated. I'll maybe go tonight for a very very gentle spin. maybe like 60 - 65% of max.

Later

20KG's GONE

136KG's

Hi

I have lost 20kg in 81 days!!!!!

AS a reward I'm thinking of getting a new bike. I am looking at two options unless anybody can recommend anything else:

1 Namib Trail Series (Raleigh)

http://www.raleigh.co.za/bikes.php?rangeid=24&bikeid=165&year=2008

2. RM4.0

http://www.raleigh.co.za/bikes.php?rangeid=20&bikeid=183&year=2008#desc

I feel great and will post some pics soon.

My next goal would be to weigh less than 125kg by July 7th when I leave for Austria and France to go and watch Ironman Austria and the Tour de France.

Later

6kg in 28 Days

146.0KG

I have lost 6KG in 1 Month (28 Days). I am very stoked about that!!!! Looking back now it doesn't seem that tough but reading my blog and looking at my training stats I reminded myself how tough it actually was!

Greg (almost Eggie)

Welcome to my Blog!!!

146.5kg

I have decided to make my blog public.

So if you are reading this you are one of the lucky few selected to read my daily (sometimes) blog.

How it started and why.......

I have been missing the old me and decided to change my lifestyle and addapt a heathy livivng lifestyle and so on my 30th B-Day I went for my 1st cycle in 11 years!!!!

I bought a Raleigh MTB (thanks Brandon) and with the support of my friends and Charnell I started cycling everyafternoon doing 3 - 7km.

Now 3 weeks down the line I'm doing 13 - 16km a day and I spin in the mornings for 30min.

I have lost 4kg since the 3rd of March!!!
I have gone from 78bmp - 58bpm resting heart rate
My cadence has increased from 59 - 78 average
I have lost 5cm around my waist!

Here is what I have been doing in a nut shell:

Training

Weight:

Cadence

Monday evening cycle!

I tried a new technique this evening. The idea was to increase my cadence and keep my heart rate below 75% of max HR. Why? Because the body burns more fat in the 60 - 75% bracket it's also better training especially if i want to use this as building blocks for the future.

here are the stats:

HR Max 145 (80%)
HR Avg 136 (75%)
15.9km
Spd Avg 19.5km/h
Spd Max 40.5km/h
Cad Avg 75 max 91

It was hard keeping the cadence up and the HR down!

Looking forward to spinning in the morning!

What am I eating?

I am proud of the amount of training that I am doing at the moment so when I get the chance to bring it up in a conversation I will. One of the questions I often get is what do you eat?

Well......

Mornings:

Weatbix (2 blocks) or All Brans Flakes

Mid-morning:

Safari snack pack (very small)

Lunch:

Brown bread sami from Engen

Afternoon:

Kellogg's Bar

Evening:

Charnell usually cooks and I eat anything she cooks! The secret is just one helping!!!!

Drinks:

Water a lot!!! (3 - 4L)
Tab (if i crave something)
Oros (low-cal) very nice if I am very thirsty.

So that's that!!!!

Monday and the weekend!

147.3kg

The weekend was great Saturday I went for an afternoon cycle 13km. I have done about 120km this month so far.

Sunday was a off day.

On Saturday it was Garreth's 25th B-Day and I met James Cunnama (professional Tri-athlete) we spoke about various things and training. I mentioned to him that on my rides my legs hurt before I start breathing very heavely and that I am currently training at 70-85% of my max HR. James said that I should train in the 65 - 75% zone.

I went spinning this morning and kept my HR in the 65 - 75% zone and managed to spin for 30mins..... very cool hey?

anyway here are the stats for sat cycle and monday spin:

Saturday Cycle:
HR Max 151 (83%)
HR Avg 144 (80%)
13.2km
Spd Avg 21.5km/h
Spd Max 34.1km/h
Cad Avg 73 max 87

Monday Morning Spinning:
HR Max 136 (75%)
HR Avg 126 (70%)
Time 30mins

Friday!!! It's the weekend Baby

148KG

Went for a cycle last night with Byron. It was very cool and he talked so much that before I knew it we did 4 laps of my "novice" course!

Here are the stats:

HR Max 151
HR Avg 144
13.2km
Spd Avg 22km/h
Spd Max 40.2km/h
Cad Avg 73 max 82

It was a very nice ride!

Thursday Spinning

148.0KG

Jason didn't join me this morning he got to bed too late..........

Went spinning again for 20min. Legs was hurting after the cycle yesterday don't have any stats 'cos my HRM did pick-up anything. weird

Looking forward to a nice cycle this afternoon!

Cheers

Super Wednesday

148.3KG

Went spinning this morning for 20min. Jason arrived at 6am and we did the Super Circuit. Boy but it's actually tough. So I am thinking of spinning and doing the circuit in the morning. Hopefully the weather hold so that I can get on the bike this afternoon. I haven't cycled since Saturday afternoon.

Here are the spinning stats. (I will add the evening cycle (or spin) later.

Wednesday Spinning

HR Max 147

HR Avg 125

Time 20mins

Wednesday Cycle

The weather did hold but it was very very windy. I struggled.

HR Max 151

HR Avg 140

10.3km

Spd Avg 19.6km/h

Spd Max 33.7km/h

Cad Avg 70 max 88

Later

G

Tuesday Fun

149.3KG

It amazing that if I don't do excersise for 1 day I pick-up 1kg and if I excersis I lose 0.4kg......

Sorry I have been so scares. Sunday I did nothing. We swam and had a braai. Monday afternoon it rained so I went spinning. I called Jason on Monday and invited him for spinning this morning. I want to start spinning in the morning and cycling in the afternoon. Today will be the first.

Jason joined me late this morning but managed to spin for about 15min.

Monday Spinning
HR Max 146
HR Avg 126
Time 20mins

Tuesday Spinning
HR Max 142
HR Avg 122
Time 20mins

Wednesday Spinning
HR Max 149
HR Avg 132
Time 25mins

Chat later after cycle tonight.

G

Saturday Ride

Went for a ride this afternoon. Not bad legs a bit numb after the spinning this morning. It was a OK ride.

Here are the stats:

Spinning
HR Max 147
HR Avg 127
Time 20mins

Cycle
HR Max 151
HR Avg 143
10.3km
Spd Avg 20.8km/h
Spd Max 37.4km/h
Cad Avg 70 max 83

Later

Saturday Spinning

149.8kg (Saturday)

Went spinning this morning (20min) kept the HRM going to clocl the 30min for Discovery Polar.

Will go for cycle this afternoon.

Later

Thursday Suffer

148.8kg (Friday)

Shit I'm happy with the amount of weight I am losing. Since my B-Day I have lost 3.2KG!!!

Yesterday afternoons cycle was good. I am struggeling on the last lap with my legs and my ass!!!

Here are the stats:
HR Max 151
HR Avg 127
13.1kg
Spd Avg 21.3km/h
Spd Max 36.3 km/h
Cad Avg 69 max 80

Going out with Derrick and the brothers to Admirals tonight. I am abit sad that there is no training today. I might see if I can make a plan.

Later
G

It's coming down..yea baby

149.5KG !!!!!! (Thursday)

Thanks to my wife Charnell for all the support so far!!!! Angel you are the best. Can't wait for the cottage pie tonight!

Wednesday Ride!

Nice ride with the slicks in the dry.

I could only do 3 laps. My legs and my ass just wouldn't do another lap.

Here are the stats:
HR Max 152
HR Avg 145
10.3km
Spd Avg 20.9 km/h
Spd Max 42.2 km/h
Cad Avg 69 max 90

Dankie baai

Weight?

150kg the scale said this morning. I have to loose 10kg before 3 April. so that means I have to weigh 141kg's.

That means I have to loose +- 0.322kg per day?????

Hold thumps!!!!

Slicks in the Rain!

Had a good ride this afternoon in the soaking rain with the new slicks on. It was a easier ride with the slicks. My avg speed was up to 22km/h.

Here are the stats:

HR Max 152

HR Avg 129

13.1km

Spd Avg 22.2 km/h

Spd Max 41.4 km/h

Cad Avg 68 max 82

OK bye

Slicks

I am taking my bike today to have slicks fitted.

The reason I'm doing this is so that there is less resistance on the road which should help me to get my cadence up. I think that I need to spin more on my rides. It will make it easier to stay on the road for longer.

Greg

Monday Monday

150.3kg

I have a theory. Always do the hardest excersise on a Monday! It sets the mood for the rest of the week.

So this is exactly what I did. I did my longest ride yet. 13.1km.

I also went to the DR yesterday. Just for a check up. I have VERY high blood pressure as you can see in previous posts. Dr Wanneberg said that I have to lose 10kg before my next visit on 3rd April 2008.

So I did a long ride yesterday (Monday) here are the stats:

HR Max 158
HR Avg 134
13.1km
Spd Avg 20.1 km/h
Spd Max 33.5 km/h
Cad Avg 66 max 82

It's raining today so i will most likely go to the gym tonight for spinning.

Cheers

Spinning

I went to the gym yesterday (Saturday) afternoon for the 1st time.

I walked in did my fitness test on that machine and then went to on eof the three spinning bikes down stairs.

Man o man it's tough. Well not tough it's more an indurance sport. I spinned for 20min and it felt like my legs are going to fall off. it was a good work-out and will do it again soon.

ok bye bye

10km Barrier!!!

I broke the 10km barrier tonight and the 20km/h barrier!!!

I must say that I was sweating more on this ride than the other maybe because it was warmer. I also had to stop 3km into the ride to tighten my handle bars that came loose again.

Here are the stats:

HR Max 160
HR Avg 137
10.4km
Spd Avg 20.2 km/h
Spd Max 36.3 km/h
Cad Avg 66 max 83

This is a break through!!!

Thursday Ride

150.7kg

I had a awesome ride yesterday afternoon. No wind!!!!

HR Max 159
HR Avg 131
7.6km
Spd Avg 19.9km/h
Spd Max 37.3 km/h
Cad Avg 63 max 78
57min in Zone

I want to crack the 10km distance mark this weekend. It's 16km to my work and if I can get 3 x 16km in next week then I will cycle to work before April.

Rest Day

Wednesday was a rest day. Charnell went to Celine Dion and I stayed home looking after Phillipa. we had a blast bathing, playing and singing!

I got a toolkit bag that fits under your aseat with patches and tyre levers from Byron as a late B-Day present.

Anyway, I have to go to gym soon to get into things and use to the enviroment. Will go on bad weather days! Today (Thursday) is a nice day so I will go for a cycle after work again.

At Virgin they got a machine that does the following and emails it to you...... I got my 1st email and the machine said that I am going to die.....

Weight 151.6kg
Blood Pressure 160/115
Body Fat 45.8%

Thus was donw on the 25th Feb 2008.

Chat later
me

2nd PE Ride

151kg

Tuesday was a bit overcast but I mounted my new bar-ends and went for a ride!

It was a tough ride 'cos my legs were lam after Monday's ride.

Here are the details.

HR Max 159
HR Avg 121
7.5km
Spd Avg 19.8km/h
Spd Max 35.3 km/h
Cad Avg 63 max 77
57min in Zone

Windy PE

151kg

Monday was a exciting day!

I joined Virgin Active
I went to Wayne Pheifer shop and bought Bar ends, a Kevin Evans helmet (can you believe it?), socks and cycling gloves.

I got how at about 17h30 sat on the couch and decided to go for a quick ride. Here are the details.

HR Max 163
HR Avg 126
6.6km
Spd Avg 17.5km/h
Spd Max 34.9 km/h
Cad Avg 64 max 82
57min in Zone

My 1st B-Day Ride!!!

It was my 30th B-Day yesterday (21 Feb 1978).

For my B-Day weekend we decided to go to Naturesvalley but ended up in a Log Cabin at Arch Rock (Keurbooms).

I decided to go for a 30min ride. From the Arch Rock campsite to the N2 is 5km. So I will either do that or cycle for 10min down hill and turn around leaving me 20min to get back.

Anyway I put on my cycling shorts which Charnell got me for my B-Day mounted my waterbottle cage and filled my bottle with the famous half coke and water mix and there I went.

It started with a very small up hill out of Keurbooms which I only noticed once on the bike. This little hill was a massive reality check for me. Getting this big body up a hill on a bike was a massive mind over body challenge. Once ontop it was a steady flat ride for 10 min untill I turned around to face the biggest shock of my B-Day!!!! It was uphill against a steady breeze and my arse was hurting which was a big problem since I can't stand and paddle yet....hahahaha 14min into my ride I though that having some of my secret mix will help my performance up the hill...... but how do I go up a hill, take my bottle out, take a sip and put it back??? (this was something I could do going through single track at 35km/h 12 years ago.

Anyway I made it back and here are some stats.

8km
HR average 141bpm
Max speed 38km/h
Max HR 165bpm
26min.

I GOT MY BIKE!!!

Check it out I got my bike!!!

I mounted my Polar speed sensor and cadence sensor and went around the block in my slops. 1.4km with a max of 27km/h. My arse hurt a little. I only cycled for 5min. Tomorrow I wanna go for 30min...........

Time waits for nobody!!!

I was in East London the whole of last week for the SAA Open Tennis. It was a hetic week!!!!

It has been 15 working days since I went to see Brandon!!!!!

I called him today and his cell just rang! I send a SMS and the called again this afternoon... he answered!!! I will have the bike before our Natures Valley get-away!!!!

Anyway will keep you posted.

Later

Hallo there!!!!

Errrrr!

I have lost momentum and a bit of excitement in the quest of riding a bike again..... I NEED TO GET THAT BIKE SOON!

Anyway, had a good weekend with T's wedding and Ian's B-Day!

About the bike......

I called Brandin on Wednesday... when the phone rang I heard that it was a international ringtone. Called Robbie Powell who confirmed that Brandon was in Isreal. Robbie said that the bike hasn't arrived yet but it's in his dairy and he will call me on Friday........nothing. I will call Brandin again on Monday. Hopefully he is back in the country!

O before I forget I went for a eye check on Thursday and everything is perfect I need no glasses. I got a oppointment with the dentist on Monday for a check-up. I havn't been to any of them in the last 12 years!!!!!!

Later
bye

Errr

Errr kg,

This was the message that my scale gave me this morning. Which is not a surprize seeing that I had a lovely meal that my wife made and 3 or was it 4 Castle lights while transferring stuff from my old laptop to the new laptop.

See the scale only goes up to 152kg......... hehehehe (nervous laugh)

G

B-Day weekend

151.8kg

I have booked and paid for our weekend away at Natures Valley. It's going to be so cool. We are leaving on my B-Day the 21st and back on Sunday. I am hoping to do alot of cycling and even climb to the top of the pass to ther look-out.

Anyway the loooong wait is killing me! I am actually nervous, I can tell by my heart rate!

Later
g

Monday Monday la la la lala

151.7kg!!!

If I don't get the bike soon I'm gonna have to hi-jack the old Diamond Back Acent in my bosses garage and start riding that like I stole it!!!!!!

The hart rate monitor is such a cool gadget. Discovery Life even gives you additional points when uploading your work-out onto www.polarpersonaltrainer.com It only counts if your workout is between 65% - 85% of your maximum heart rate! It's very very cool.

Ok cool chat later!

Windy Sunday

It was 151.7kg this morning!

Went to Natalie's B-Day braai last night. I bought 6 x Windhoek Lights trying to stay healthy but soon it was finished and I had some Klippies and Cola with the mates. Didn't eat too much and had min chips and dip stuff.

One of the big dicitions this week will be which beer to switch to. As I am a Miller supporter. My new choices will be Windhoek Light, Castle Light, Stirling. mmmmmmm

It's the weekend baby!

150.7kg this morning.

We got a busy weekend with a 1jr B-Day, 21st B-Day and 27th B-Day!!! sheez lots of junk food!!!! BUT I WILL NOT BUCKLE!

I wish I had my bike for the weekend the weather is perfect for a cycle!!!

Later

1st of February 2008

It was 150.7kg this morning!!!

I was playing with my new HRM last night.... it's awesome. I did the fitness test and scored 2 out of 5. haahaha

ANyway today I got my head down and working like a machine. As soon as I get some time I will type type again!!!!

Cheers

Heart Rate

After extensive internet research and getting good references from some friends I decided to buy a heart rate monitor.

I went to Blaine at Ironman shop just before my meeting with Paul Wolff. Blaine recommended that I get a proper polar cycle computer and a smaller watch, but I had my mind set on a watch from the beginning.

I then went back to the office and went onto the Polar website (http://www.polarusa.com/) and did some of my own research. I compared all the models and made a decision. I then called my dad who had the same but older model and called Brandon who also recommeneded the one I was intrested in.


I made a few calls and noone in PE had stock except for Rob Rudman (Cyclo Pro) and to top it all it was the Polar S725x Pro Edition (limited).

So all I need now is the bike!

Later dudes.

PS. Thanks to my lovely wife for modeling my new HRM for the picture. xxx

The Truth

I weighed myself this morning........ 151.7kg

The last time I weighed myself was in April 2003.

Weight 134.0kg
Body Fat 29.15%
Desirable Weight 114.00kg
Height 179cm

SO here we go, hold on 'cos this is going to be a bumpy ride!

The Goal

The goal is simple, LOSE WEIGHT!!!

My wife phoned around today to find a scale that goes higher than 120kg. To my surprise they not as scares as I thought. Originally I thought that we might have to get an industrial scale with a big hook!

Charnell found a digital scale at Clicks that goes to 150kg. I had no idea what I weighed and all the way home I prayed that it's not more than 150kg.

Anyway I have used it and I have an official weight result. After getting on my wife commented that she thought I would have weighed more......... at least she is honest!

I will publish my official weight tomorrow morning as I will weigh myself every morning starting tomorrow. I am thinking of measuring my tummy circumference as well.

Good night!

Cycling routes

One of my short term goals is to cycle to work! From my house to Platinum is 15.6km. Recently while driving to work I have been looking at it from a cycling point of view and boy there are some big climbs. Here is the route:

I don't think that I will attempt this immediatly. I am thinking of starting with a 10km ride in the morning and evening. It will be a flat ride from home out on Old Cape rd and back, but we will have to see once i'm on the bike.

Talking about riding! What am i going to wear 'cos there is no chance I'll fit into riding shorts and a cycling shirt. I think I'll get cycling shorts and wear it under my baggies with a T-shirt and a helmet ofcourse. I think I will also buy clipless shoes!

Anyway that's my thoughts for now!

Ridge Disk - my new bike

I arrived at Pro Bike at 07h45 for the 8am meeting with Brandon. While waiting Robbie Powell arrived and I got out of the car to greet him and his wife Angie. (I bought my first bike with shocks from Robbie. It was a Canondale V900.)

I went in with Robbie and noticed that Brandon was already at his desk. Brandon looks great and fit.


Brandon passed me the Raleigh catalog (which I already know out of my head) and recommended that I rather go for something entry level cos it will be cheaper to replace when I break it. It made sense seeing that I am only gonna use it to cycle around the block. (for now).


Brandon recommended the Ridge Disk.

It a nice bike with Shimano group set, disk brakes and front suspension. The waiting period will be 10 days max.

The thing that touched me most was how much the guys at Pro Bike cares (Brandon and Robbie). They both side how they looked forward to cycling with me again and how they will help etc.

I cant wait to get the bike. I realize that it's going to be tough.... but I don't think that I know how tough!

The Call!

So in Brandon's email he said I must call him and he will sort me out.... cool.

I had a meeting in ST Francis at the Link this morning so I called him while sitting on the deck waiting for the client. He was on another call (call waiting) so I hung-up. 5min later I tried again.....call waiting. Hang-up. I was nervous...very nervous.

After the meeting as we (me and Plebb) left 11h34. I tried again... it rang and he aswered.

(I pulled over)

Brandon: Hi Brandon

ME: Hi Brandon Greg here how's it going?

Brandon: O Greg going well and you?

ME: Not bad, how did the 4 days training go? You a machine bru 400km in 4 days!

Brandon: went very well

ME: When can i come and see you?

Brandon: Not today, how about tomorrow 1st thing?

ME: OK cool when is your first thing? 8am or 9am?

Brandon: No 8am

Greg: OK see you at 8am at your office!

Brandon: OK see you tomorrow.

My tummy is turning

am nervous and anxious. Looking forward to my meeting with Brandon about my new bike. This meeting could make or break me..... well not really it's just that it will help my confidence level and give me a push start in the right direction.

This is how it all came about:

Hi Brandon

I read your blog “A COMMITMENT TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE” and have been thinking of getting back on the bike, mainly to loose some of my baby fat. I have no idea what I weigh now but it’s a lot.

I need your advice:

I need something strong that can handle my weight and that will make it around the block for the first 3 months without bending the frame. (I might jump a pavement or 2). When that gets boring I’m gonna be hitting the single tracks with it. So it must be something that can take this journey with me!

Any ideas or advice?

Regards

Greg aka Eggie

PS. ….. and don’t tell me that I have to start with running.


Reply from Brandon

Greg (sounds strange to me still!).

I am in Knysna riding 500 k's in 4 days for Epic Training :) I am glad you have decided on a healthy lifestyle. It has changed my life over the last 18 months.

Call me on Monday when I am back in the office and I will sort you out.

Cheers.

Brandon.

Nervous

I am nervous for tomorrow, it was all good and well talking about it and I kept on comforting myself with how it will all come back to me.

Sure I have done the Herald in 02h43 and the Argus in 02h55 but that was when I was 10 years younger and weighed 30 - 40kg less.