Local pro tackles Berge en Dale for sixth time
LITTLE FALLS – Professional cyclist, JC Nel, has been preparing since December for one of his favourite road races.
Local professional cyclist, JC Nel, looks forward to his sixth time participating in the Bestmed Berge en Dale National Classic Road Race.
Nel admitted the Berge en Dale, to be held on 4 February, is one of South Africa’s tougher races as the route of full of hills and takes cyclists through the Krugerdorp hills and the Cradle of Humankind. “Since I am a bit of a climber myself, the route suits me better. It is one of my favourite races,” Nel added.
After the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge, Nel took a break before hopping back on the saddle at the beginning of December to train for the race and the National Championships to be held in Wellington from 7 to 12 February.
Nel has used his preparation time to focus on short, sharp intervals, hill repeats and intervals, and mainly endurance to last to the end of the race and not ‘run on empty’. His advice to other cyclists who plan to participate in the Berge en Dale race, is to look after themselves before and early in the race so as to not run out of energy.
He said cyclists should have a decent breakfast in the morning to provide a reserve source of energy during the race. Nel’s go-to breakfast is oats with a drizzle of honey. “If you don’t have your nutrition up to date, then you squander those hours of training as you won’t do as well as you should,” Nel said.
