31 May 2021

Cycling junior champion, Lebopo Mompe of Tsela Riders, is training for the 43rd Cape Cycle Tour scheduled for October in South Africa.

Mompe who has participated in three Cape Cycle Tours, said in an interview that with the experience he acquired in previous races, he was hoping to do well this year by staying in the group and finishing the race in under three hours.

“The first Cape Cycle was a learning curve for me because I was riding in a very large field which I did not experience locally,” noted Mompe, adding that in the other two he was more confident and daring, which paid off since he rode well.

Mompe started his Cape Cycle Tour training plan by going into a calorie deficit to enable him maintain his weight, which would boost his climbs and hitting of the flats with ease.

“Winter is a time where you can easily begin comfort eating, so once the winter period is over I will not have any worry about my weight with the help of the calorie deficit I am in,” explained Mompe.

He further said the winter training plan would also enable him to work on his climbs and core strength, which were important as a stable core ‘means less energy is burnt and maintain power properly for long periods to accommodate the attacks that would be happening in the race.’

The young rider was also working on his leg mileage by doing three to four hour long rides.

“Some rides will target my sub-threshold which is zone four and other rides will target the tempo that is zone three,” said Mompe.

He explained that these zones would help in how he engaged  in the rides as his goal was to engage his heart more and keep a high cadence in order to avoid muscle fatigue.

With no races locally, Mompe embarked on virtual races that were also part of his training block for the Cape Cycle Tour.

He also stated that he engaged on 120 and 150km races on weekends as part of his preparation for the tour.

“I will use these training races to see where I am at in terms of my fitness level for the Cape Cycle Tour,” Mompe said.

The Cape Cycle Tour was initially meant to take place in March, but was cancelled due to increasing COVID-19 cases in South Africa at the time.ENDS