New additions to stable

Trackcyclingsa club has added two steel track bikes to the stable. Capetonians that want to try out track can experience riding on the velodrome under the banner of Trackcyclingsa club (a Western Province affiliated track cycling club) and under the supervision of myself.

Email me for more information.

Welcome to the newest additions in the Trackcyclingsa club stable (see pics below):

Steel Hansom size 54cm

Steel Hansom size 58cm

Coaching

Today I was fortunate enough to introduce a new rider to the sport and watch him from never riding on the velodrome to completing a proper warm-up, standing starts and a 500m tt. I enjoyed the coaching role and am looking forward to the next session.

Contact me on jaco@trackcyclingsa.co.za if you want to ride at the Bellville velodrome under my guidance. I have a bike available if you want to try out the experience without buying a track bike.

December blog

South Africa seems to be a popular cycling destination. I've recently been contacted by Scandinavians and Australians that want to train in the Cape. Furthermore the medal winning World Cup German track cycling squad will be training in Cape Town from 5 January onwards.

Track on Tuesday by Trackcyclingsa

Trackcyclingsa is a succesful events host and has hosted Maximum Velocity 1,2,3 and 4 in conjunction with The Outriders. The last event hosted by Trackcyclingsa was the November round of Track on Tuesday in conjunction with the Western Province cycling association.

Event poster:

Event program:

Bittersweet

My training program paid off dividends as I set my quickets 200m qualifying time at the Bellville velodrome at the Intellibus track cycling meeting on Tuesday, 13 September 2011. This was good enough to qualify 4th overall in the B-category where I am currently competing.

This also put me through to the keirin final since only the top 6 sprinters are invited to the keirin competition.

The first event after the sprint qualifying was the points race. I managed to take a point at the first sprint of the race. I stayed close to the front of the race and was strong enough to attempt a break away close to midway through the race. However I was closed down quickly by attentive riding from the riders at the head of the bunch.

My race ended shortly after when in one the final sprints I was taken out by two other riders in the back straight. It seems that the second rider behind me lost control and hit the rider in front of him. This rider in turn hit my back wheel causing me to highside.

They were both fine, but the outcome for me was worse with the outcome being a broken collarbone and helmet. Thank goodness for modern technology since the helmet saved me from head injuries and the surgery enabled me to be mobile in two weeks after the broken clavicle was mended. I'm looking forward to climb back on the indoor trainer and also to the 31st of October where I'll most likely receive an all clear from the docter.

Fortunately I'm an all round cyclist and the plan is to ease back into the sport and to put more focus on the kilo and pursuit events for the time being.

It was indeed bittersweet to be in my best form of the season and also to realize that the accident could have been much worse. I'm very grateful to everyone that supported me after the accident and for the fact that I'm making a full recovery.

The next event in the summer series is on 11 October and I'll be managing a Trackcyclingsa team in the team pursuit at this meeting.

Fast flowing track action expected

Once a month Tuesday night is track night at the Bellville velodrome. On 8 November 2011 the Tuesday track night will be hosted by Trackcyclingsa.

The racing will be featuring elite riders of Trackcyclingsa, Intellibus and other top cycling teams.

Spectators can look forward to the colour and speed provided by a fast flowing and exciting track cycling program.

To find out more about the sport visit: http://www.trackcyclingsa.​co.za and watch out for updates from this FB event site.

Ciao ciao

Jaco Scholtz

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Trac​kCyclingSA
Blogger: http://trackcyclingsa.blog​spot.com/
Email: jaco@trackcyclingsa.co.za

Base training

August month is my base training month. Building miles on flat roads at aerobic capacity is the aim. Balancing work, family and cycling is the challenge. So far, so good!

Thanks to my training partner I've been able to clock regular rides on weekends. The ride this Saturday was particularly rewarding since near windless conditions help us to maintain a high cadence in the aerobic zone over duration of our 2 hour road ride.

99 cadence average for the 2 hour ride.

An important tip for winter training is to dress warmly. Currently the mountain tops in the Boland area of the Western Cape are covered in snow and this brings chilly temparures to the low lying areas. Leg warmers, long sleeved cycling tops, overshoes and most importantly thermal gloves are needed on these rides.

Winter clothing is needed when training in these temperatures.

I'm enjoying the winter training as the pace is comfortable and rides are invigorating. Happy pedaling and keep the passion!