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Friday, 27 November 2015
TC's Personal Shopping just for you!
Monday, 9 November 2015
Commando...?
Commando? No?!
YES!
YES!
I can imagine the question marks in your eyes when you read this heading. Many people including myself made the mistake of wearing underwear when we started cycling!
The thought of not wearing underwear my cycling tights frightened me at first, but after a bit of rubbing where I didn't want to be rubbed someone told me to NOT wear underwear underneath my cycling tights! You add more seams for more potential rubbing when you are wearing underwear. The biggest contact point between you and your bike is your saddle, so the less seams around that area will limit the risk of rubbing and unwanted saddle sores!
I stepped out of my comfort zone and left the panties/knickers behind after Elisca advised me to do so! It felt strange at first, but much better in the longer run! Just think of your tights as the best NO VPL underwear you will every own!
See this article on Total Womens Cycling confirming what I just said!
The thought of not wearing underwear my cycling tights frightened me at first, but after a bit of rubbing where I didn't want to be rubbed someone told me to NOT wear underwear underneath my cycling tights! You add more seams for more potential rubbing when you are wearing underwear. The biggest contact point between you and your bike is your saddle, so the less seams around that area will limit the risk of rubbing and unwanted saddle sores!
I stepped out of my comfort zone and left the panties/knickers behind after Elisca advised me to do so! It felt strange at first, but much better in the longer run! Just think of your tights as the best NO VPL underwear you will every own!
See this article on Total Womens Cycling confirming what I just said!
The risks of riding Commando
The risks:
- You could cycle into a fence and tear your tights and expose your future to those around you
- Your tights could get stuck behind your saddle and you can tear a seam
- You could crash, end up in A & E without knickers when you have to be fully examined by a doctor
I’m sure those of you that have ridden for a long time can add a few more scenarios, the 3 above are all true stories and either happened to myself or others I know or you might know. :-) They make good stories though.
How to minimise the risk:
1. I would recommend to carry a spare pair in your camelbak
2. OR invest in a pair of baggies to wear over your cycling tights
Monday, 19 October 2015
Introducing the Tango Twins
Tango Twins
I’ve been called many nicknames in my
lifetime, but this one was added to the list about a year ago when Pokkeltjie
& I went on a ride with Iain & Lizzie.
Lizzie
named her ride on Strava, “Anthem initiation ride with the Tango twins.” Ever
since then they have referred to us as the Tango Twins and others joined in. We
even took it further than that, and identified ourselves as TT1 (that’s me of course)
and TT2 (Pokkeltjie).
Lizzie had no idea how famous the Tango Twin Duet would become when she named us. J
Recently we completed the Epic Cymru in Wales and a photo of us at the Finish Line made it into the MBR for November 2015. This photo is the pure inspiration for this post. (Thank you Pierre for the Strava alert!)
In order for you to get to the Tango
Twins better I have asked us a few questions?
TT1 about TT2
 |
TT1
|
(TC about Liezl)
Who gets the most punctures?
TT2, but I’ve made up with 2 in 2 days recently so we should be even now
Who waits the most on the trails for each other?
Definitely TT2, she is fast, I just can’t keep up with her even if I try my best!
Who takes the least risks?
Me (TT1), I’m either the sensible one or just plain scared
Most spectacular crash you have witnessed of TT2?
There have been a few crashes which makes it hard to narrow it down. I always discover the black spot (that’s how I refer to TT2 laying on the ground in the fetal position). It has to be when she was taking a jump, landed on a down slope by doing a full 360 summersault with her feet still attached to her bike.
Proudest you have been of TT2 and collectively of the Tango Twins?
- When she won her age category in her first ever XTERRA triathlon and came third overall in 2013.
- Collectively when we finished the Sellaronde Hero in 2014, the longest toughest day we’ve had on our mountain bikes, but we did it!
- Oh and
the way we approached Peaslake MTBO (Mountain bike orienteering) in April 2015.
We planned our route, stuck to the plan, picked up the 11 markers we planned to
get on our route plus an additional 3 we added in case we had enough time.
We ended up having enough time and won the Women’s 3 hour category.
What is the best part of having a trusting riding partner?
It starts with knowing that if she said she is going to ride with me, she will ride with me. Knowing each other so well helps reading a situation, when to encourage and when to keep quiet. It took us time to figure out the best way of communicating with each other, but we are reaping the benefits now. TT2 knows when I am tired just by looking at the position of my head. We often have a role reversal, when one of us is down the other one keeps us going and the other way round. Thankfully we have never been down at the same time! I know she isn’t just going to leave me behind, she will warn me or wait for me at sections which she knows I might not like that much. Even if I know she will be fine, I always wonder where is she, what happened to her, is she ok?
Most common phrases TT2 uses?
- I don’t like to push
- I have a puncture
- *bus doors opening* tee
tee tee tee (the sound she makes to announce that her legs can no longer cope
and that it would be better to be at the top of the hill right now than to
still have to get there)
 |
| TT2 |
TT2 about TT1
(Liezl about TC)
Who faffs
the most?
Uhm. Do I have to be honest? Okay…although it’s pretty much 50/50, I think TT1 probably thinks I faff the most…and vice versa. However, if the question is a general one…then I think the answer is Simon Osborne a.k.a Sakkie :-)
Who gets the most punctures?
That’s an easy one! I definitely do…hands down! I can basically change a tyre with my eyes closed…behind my back…whilst eating a cheese straw.
TT1 says you do most of the waiting? Why do you wait, why don’t you just carry on riding?
Safety in numbers and all that :) With my track record of falls it is better not to go solo. In all seriousness, I would not want to ride on my own all the time and it helps to know that there is someone waiting for you (whether it is me or TT1). It gives you that extra push you need and mentally it can do wonders. I’m not in it to win it…I want to enjoy the mountains on my bike and be a reliable, patient friend at the same time.
Who takes the most risks?
That’ll be me (TT2). I have always been a bit fearless so when I see a great downhill I love just bombing down it at speed (with relative amount of control of course). TT1 is definitely more sensible than I am when it comes to that.
Who crashes the most?
Do I really have to talk about my crashes again? People might think I can’t ride you know :) If you bear the above mentioned comment in mind you’d completely understand why I crash so much but then again…my motto is: “If you don’t fall, you’re not trying hard enough” Or that’s how I justify it at least…
Who has the
best sense of direction?
Now I must say, TT1 isn’t just a pretty face…she has direction as well. She literally knows the Surrey hills like the palm of her hand and doesn’t even need a GPS to get us around. It’s quite astonishing really…and it means we hardly ever get lost #respect
You can trust her to get you from Point A to Point B without a doubt.
What is the
best part of having a trusting riding partner?
TT1 and I are like sisters. One minute we can joke about and the next minute we can be cross with one another but the beauty of ‘family’ is that you get over it quickly and move on. We do mountain biking for fun and it’s much more enjoyable to ride with a good friend / riding partner so we can have chats, encourage one another and share the experience. She is really good with helping with punctures as well #handy :)
Most common phrases used by TT1?
- I LOVE Summer Lightning
- I want a Yazoo
- Are we at altitude?
Blog written by: TC and her guest TT2
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| Tango Twins literally |
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| On a recent training ride in Summer 2015 |
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| Through thick & thin Photo: Anthony Pease as featured in MBR November 2015 on page 13 |
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Pedal to Paris 2015
Last
year David gave me no choice but to do Pedal to Paris with him after being
involved with arranging & designing our team shirts. This year I didn't
have much choice but to not do it with him again.
I
rode most of the day with Chris Gray apart from when he dropped me on the long
slow climbs!
The
Royal British Legion organises all accommodation, routes, route closures,
transport and logistics to offer you maximum enjoyment whilst riding your bike.
Day 1 - Greenwich
Park to Dover Ferry Port
The
view from Greenwich reminded me again how much I love London!
After
a short rider briefing you set off in a group. The ride to get out of London is
as expected quite slow and must be very frustrating for the drivers.
I
started at the back and realised that I've lost David & Gus really quickly.
I then tried to play catch up in my search to find then. After about 45km we
had our first stop at the Royal British Legion Industries Village in Aylesford.
I arrived with only a few people hanging about. Being me I immediately felt
deserted thinking they just carried on without me. :-( After a visit to the
ladies I went outside and suddenly there were heaps of cyclist including my
side-kicks. Apparently they had a comfort break saw me going past, called after
me, wanted to chase after me, but got stopped by a ride captain to regroup. I
was delighted to have my company back. We swore a truce to stay together till
the end from there onwards.
The
last few times I went out on my road bike my coccyx got really sore. I thought
it was because of a hard rear tyre & no suspension. Well the opposite was
true, it was a rear tyre that lost air slowly.
We
were just in the mix after lunch when the inevitable happened, rear tyre
puncture! I pulled over, David with me, put my hand in the air, service van
stopped asked me how many gears, classic TC answer, maybe 9 or 10... No I mean
10!
Back
wheel changed and off we went, David & I that is! :) Gus long forgotten the
truce. We were now right at the back! David put the hammer down and all I had
to do was sit in his back wheel as he powered on. We were picking up people the
whole time. Eventually I took a few turns at the front. We eventually caught
Gus where he was drafting behind 3 ladies!
He
looked a bit pooped and I force fed him one of my treasured salty potatoes!
Apparently he was just fine, but obliged anyway. David cracked on, almost left
me behind, I managed to catch him again, but we lost Gus in the process. So
much for our sworn truce. J We stopped for our
well-deserved much needed lunch bang on 1 pm!
We
had only 30km left to Dover with Dover Hill our biggest obstacle. David and I
rode along with Steve Sherry from Royal British Legion Industries (note they
are different from RBL). I realised that Steve has been on our Christmas card
list for the past few years and that last year I’ve mistaken RBL & RBLI for
the same place and phoned up RBL with confidence to ask for Steve’s address.
Finally the penny dropped.
Negotiating
the fly-over leading into Dover hill was much harder than Dover Hill itself,
the road surface are very uneven and your legs just feel a bit ughh! Dover Hill
was not as bad as I remembered it from last year which I am very thankful for. We celebrated conquering the hill with the
traditional beer at the very conveniently placed pub. From there it is a long
fun descent into Dover where we board the ferry.
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| White Cliffs of Dover |
Day 2 - Calais to Abbeville
The
day started with a ceremony at Calais before we headed to our normal coffee
shop waiting for the groups to start. There was a bit of confusement as to
which group started at 9:45 as the booklet were incorrect. I confirmed via the
ride captains that the fast group were starting at 9:45 and the intermediate
group started at 10:00. Mark & David were still questioning me, “Tharina if
we are in the fast group…?” I couldn’t help but laugh at that as I wish I had
the guts to per accidentally sign us up for the fast group, but then my P45 would
quite possible be on my desk as soon as I get back to London, so better not to
risk it. Hehe.
I
find it weird how I can remember and visualize mountain biking routes, but when
it gets to road cycling, I just go blank. The guys reminded me of the Tower
climb, all I could remember about it, is that I didn’t really like it… This
year it seemed to be a lot better than last year. I think I have to thank the
Wales Epic from two weeks before Pedal to Paris for getting me in shape. I felt
really strong and were mixing it up going up the short steep climbs! One of the
outriders was brilliant, he has this really old playlist on his motorbike and as
soon as we hit a hill he rides alongside us turning up the music and the ride
basically becomes a moving spinning class! My best memory of this was going up
a hill on the beat of U2’s, Beautiful Day! Merci Monsieur!
To
the English eating potatoes during exercise is almost as weird as being offered
a chicken and egg baguette for lunch in France! I firmly believe in potatoes,
the Cape Epic does it, so it must be right! I snacked on my pre-boiled salty potatoes every day and had only one left by the end of Day 4. Salty potatoes are the rocket fuel for champions. :)
 |
| Riding buddy for the day, Chris Gray |
We
regrouped at the last drinks stop of the day before entering our final
destination as one big group. We were cycling along flat farmlands and to my
delight they were harvesting fresh potatoes. Now listen, you can take me away
from the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of me! I was in my element! The
smell of fresh soil along with being totally amazed at this potato harvester!
The plants were all gone, this thing was digging it out, rolling it over some
rollers to get rid of most of the soil, then moving it into a drum before being
ferried out via a conveyor belt into a wagon! Amazing!!! The reason for my
amazement was the whole process, I love a process and also in SA, there is no
such technology that I know off yet. This was a one man job, in SA this would be a 10 man job over the course of a week or 2!
Back
to cycling… We were riding along at quite a nice pace in one big group, not as much stop
starting as last year and almost in Abbeville when I got my second puncture,
this time it was my front wheel! Phuutt, hand up, van pulled in, wheel change & back
I go. We were at the back again… One of the ride captains pulled in front of
me, whilst a motorbike pulled in front of him and Chris jumped on my back
wheel. We were given a freehand at chasing back to the pack! Man this was great!
This was the most fun we had all day!!! It wasn’t for long before we caught up
and had to settle down to a very tame pace. :(
I
had a great day and loved it even though there were times that I would’ve loved
to be able to go faster!
At
dinner I was sitting next to one of the ride captains and we were discussing
the day etc. I mentioned that I was battling on the two long hills. He then
asked, “Did you walk up it?” (insert a frowning face) I wasn’t quite sure what to answer as I didn’t
quite expect to be asked that question. Knowing that all my riding partners
were looking at me in anticipation of my answer to him I was under pressure to
have a good come back… So I thought the only way to answer him instead of
giving him a complete scalding is to answer with a question, "Would you
like to ask that again?” END of story!
Day 3 – Abbeville to
Beauvais
I
remembered this day as my favourite day last year. I rode most of the day with
Paul & Tim. We had a great ride captain, Danny who allowed us to play a bit
leaving a nice gap between us and the pace car. This helps as it doesn’t have
an immediate effect on the peloton when the pace car slows down, the ripple
effect of breaking is a lot less.
Apparently
I was very moany and for some reason I can’t remember much about Day 3,
that must be the reason!
Just
before lunch we picked up a bit of speed and were back in our outdoor spinning
class with Mr Motorbike and his sound track. I needed that!
Today
we were treated with a ham baguette and an amazing French tartlet! Wow – they do
taste as good as they look.
After
lunch however we were back onto the tail of the pace car and were just pulled
along some flat lands. I was counting down the km’s to the street party in
Auchy as I was starting to feel pins and needles in my right lower back area. On
one of the hills one of the other girls came past me, I jumped on her wheel,
she pulled us to the top where I took over on the flat bit and pulled us back
to the pace car – that team work was fun-fun-fun!
I
went to the masseuse as soon as we arrived and he literally clicked my back in
and manipulated it a bit, I was so relieved.
One
thing I’m still not used to or will ever get used to is the amount of panic in
the peloton at the sight of gravel. As soon as the first one shouts the dreaded
word gravel, the echoes of gravel, gravel,
gravel becomes louder as the panic grows! The thing with gravel is that you just slow down a little bit, don’t change your line &
keep on pedalling…
We
regrouped and cruised together to Beauvais where we had an evening ceremony.
Unfortunately we were surrounded with dark black clouds and we couldn’t out
sprint the rain.
The
mayor of Beauvais invited us for champagne in the Town Hall which was very nice!
Tim
joined us for dinner and whilst not saying much during our ride all of my
observations (moaning) were thrown out there for us all to laugh at… Schucks I did moan a
lot today, the poor man!
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| David, Gus, Mark, Lil, TC & Steve |
Day 4 – Beauvais to
Paris!!!
I’m
not sure why, but the night before the last day we are all a bit like children
who didn’t want to go to sleep! This morning was a slow start for me, getting
ready to double the time it normally does!
There
was a nice presentation of a yellow jersey to the top fundraiser of the event.
Rob was awarded with it and decided to ride in the intermediate group for the day,
he had a bunch of friends around him riding for him on the hills and keeping
him in the group. It was lovely to see how they worked together. That is what makes
cycling so special!
The
peloton started out in silence as fatigue definitely kicked in. People were using
hand signs rather than shouting hole etc!
It
was a much harder day than what I remembered from before. It started out with a
steady long climb which thankfully was much better than last year, I was quite
surprised and thankful that my legs didn’t disappoint me. The first half was
quite undulating surprising us with lots of short steep climbs! I got to cycle
with Gus a bit and as it was the last day the pace car had a sense of urgency
to get us at our lunch stop in time, so it was a bit like shut up & pedal
to get there, but it was good.
Chris
started the day not feeling great! Mark & Steve were looking after him
before lunch. After lunch David, myself & Gus took over, riding with him in
his hour of need. Pacing him, feeding him & encouraging him.
We
stopped about 4km from the Arc d’Triomphe to regroup. It worked really well
this year and as expected it was truly special to arrive together in a big
group and in one piece after 4 days and 460km on our bikes!
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| Our moment of glory |
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| With my favorite Scotsmen, David and his best friend Gus! |
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| Made it! |
Final Observations
It has been a great experience yet again on and off the bike. This blog is too long already to try and fit in everything so I tried to keep it top level, but unfortunately I write as much as I talk. We were a much smaller team, but it was great as we got to spend more time with each other and we all looked after each other whether making sure we were awake in the morning, holding a seat at the table, buying drinks, carrying a bag, offering a back wheel, seeing the Medics on behalf of someone else, getting a plaster for bruised peep-peeps. You name it, we did it! Thank you all for all the fun we had and looking after me.
I’ve been amazed by everybody who rides it regardless of their ability, size, type of bike or the type of clothing they wear, it just proves that anybody who puts their mind to something can do it! One of the ladies on our team, Davina started riding in April 2015 only a mere 5 months ago and she completed it. I feel inspired by her guts!
Our team is planning to get back together on 11 October to ride the Boxhill Sportive and I know some people have been so keen and have signed up already for next year.
The best gear to take along apart from the essentials
https://www.facebook.com/TangoCycling
Routes can be found on Garmin Connect or Strava
https://www.strava.com/athletes/182654
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activities
To sponsor us click on the link beow:
https://www.justgiving.com/TCridestoParisagain
The best gear to take along apart from the essentials
- Arm warmers - The comfort of pulling them up and down without having to stop is invaluable
- Gillet - The best way to regulate your core temperature without over heating with the extra material of sleeves and also much easier to take off whilst riding, not that I have perfected that on my road bike yet.
https://www.facebook.com/TangoCycling
Routes can be found on Garmin Connect or Strava
https://www.strava.com/athletes/182654
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activities
To sponsor us click on the link beow:
https://www.justgiving.com/TCridestoParisagain
 |
| Team Manpower 2015 |
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Tango Cycling Diva Ride
On Saturday we had our monthly Tango Cycling Ride again. Marie & Sara who rides with me often and my university friend, Marize came along.
Marize was riding on my 'new' bike and I was riding on my old bike as it needs a bit of maintenance and I didn't want her to suffer more than what was needed. :-)
She absolutely loved it, moaned when we had to go uphill, but thankfully my recent fitness came in handy and I was able to give her a needed push at times.
I love seeing and hearing how people enjoy it and it was an absolute joy to introduce her to mountain biking.
Marie was trying out her new Specialized bike in Surrey for the first time. Marie started riding on a hand-me-down heavy bike with v-brakes and hardly any suspension, but it did not stop her from riding.
Riding with my girls is so much fun and something I look forward to every time. We ride hard, chat even harder and love hanging out!
Sunday, 26 July 2015
REVIEW: Evoc Bag 16 litre
Some of you might remember that I did a mountain biking leadership training course last year. In order to do the assessment you need a bit of kit. A big enough backpack to carry all of the kit was one of the items I had to buy.
Dan, our instructor, had an Evoc bag and after seeing how practical it was I decided to investigate and buy one for myself. I was adamant that I was not going to buy the same size as Dan as it was just to big. There is also the danger of the more space you have the more stuff you will pack that you won't necessary need.
These bags don't come cheap so I did quite a lot of research before buying one. I eventually found one on sale at Surfdome UK.
This bag has been a great buy so far.
The front compartment has a combination of mesh and material pockets where you can organise your necessary tools and spares as on photo below.
The front has a hidden pocket with a mesh helmet holder in store and also space for a rain cover.
It also has two stretchy side pockets for either water bottles or in this case an aero press!
At first I was worried about the length of the bag as I am quite short, but it works just fine for me. Because the bag is long and narrow the weight gets evenly distributed and doesn't pull you down.
There is plenty of space on the inside for my other kit or 'luggage' and a compartment for your water reservoir if you were to do some bike packing like I recently did in July.
The inside has a velcro strap to keep your water reservoir in place and also includes a zippered mesh pockets for valuables.
The bag also features a thick band almost like a seatbelt around your waist. It sits on your love handles which isn't ideal, but I value it more as my safety belt when I ride than worrying about my love handles. :-) This band securely fastens the bag and helps it to stay in place and not move around.
The shoulder straps are thick with breathable sponges. Honestly when you look at the bag you see things that you think might give cause issues, but when you use the bag, it just works! It doesn't feel heavy, it doesn't rub, it doesn't feel uncomfortable, it isn't warm, it is just RIGHT.
The back of the backpack feels pretty solid and isn't floppy at all, it has back support and cushioning in the right places so that it sits nicely on your back.
I was so chuffed when I first purchased this bag and gave everyone a tour of my awesome bag and all the goodies it contained!
I would recommend this bag for people who lead big groups or do some bike packing. It offers everything you need and more. It is user friendly, practical and a great piece of equipment.
http://www.evocsports.com/bike/performance-backpacks/cc-16l-team
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