With thousands of people of all ages preparing for Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg, we reached out to our experts across the country for their insights into how they get race day ready. In this weekly series, we’ll share the advice, tips and training tricks from the experts to help give you the edge on your Ride Joburg preparations.
Name: Amanda VD Merwe
- Master Cycling Instructor, Virgin Active Klerksdorp
- The cycling bug bit Amanda more than 20 years ago and she hasn’t looked back since.
- She describes her pre race ritual as part of what makes cycling euphoric for her. “My pre-race rituals help me channel those emotions into fuel for the fire”.
Executing the same warm-up and drinking the same Game isotonic drink at the same intervals. Consistency is key to race day success for Amanda. It’s a carefully choreographed dance that helps her arrive at the start line calm and confident so that I’m ready to rise to the challenge. Her advice is to trust the process and enjoy the moment. No two race days are exactly the same, but the ritual ends the same way every time — with Amanda standing on the start line feeling ready for anything.
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Name: Janine Lemmer
- Personal Trainer & Instructor at Virgin Active Waterfall and Kyalami Corner
- “Train your biggest muscle, determination and push forward, your muscles and strength will lead the way!”
Her top tip for cyclists is to relax on your handlebars and let your bike lead the way and enjoy the wind and the speed. When she’s faced with a wall, Janine says that she pushes through by focusing on her physical ability and acknowledging what her mind is capable of. Janine focuses on controlling her muscles to do the work and concentrating on the end goal – crossing the finish line.
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Name: Setumo Seroka
- Cycle Instructor, Virgin Active Kyalami Corner, Waterfall and Alice Lane
- “Just start, you do not need to have the most expensive bike.”
- Setumo got intrigued by his bosses’ triathlon and endurance exploits in 2016, which is when his cycling bug bit.
His advice for anyone interested in cycling is to just start. Join a cycling crew and be part of a community it will help you grow. What people do not often know is that cycling is a team sport and the joy of the experience is in growing with others. As you are helped, you are able to help and there’s nothing more beautiful than communal growth.
There is still time to prepare for Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg, download our training guide here.