111 days done, 129 days left

Halfway through anything difficult is when reality hits you hard. You're too far in to quit, but far enough to know exactly how hard the rest is going to be. That's exactly where Jeroen and I are right now - 111 days into structured training for Cape Epic 2026, with 129 days still ahead before we line up in South Africa.

But let's start with the great news: the training numbers show progress. I started training during our summer holiday in Switzerland, on the 19th of July. Did not do all suggested trainings, as of course it was family holidays. On August 21 we did the labtest at SEG Cyclinglab, confirming my 230W FTP with 82.7kg of body weight. Today I'm at 280W and 79kg. That's a 50W gain, getting me to 3.54 W/kg, a 27% improvement.
Jeroen's figures are similar. Currently his FTP is 326W (from 270W) with 80kg of body weight (down from 83). His 4,07w/kg, a similar 25% improvement.

It's progress, but there's still a long way to go to, especially for me. To be competitive in the Masters Category, and have a shot at that top 20, our minimum power/weight ratio needs to 4w/kg, but ideally more close to 4.5w/kg....

The reality of 12-15 hours a week

Here's what nobody tells you about training for something like Cape Epic while also have a life outside of training: something always has to give.

The plan was simple. Fixed Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning Kickr sessions, and real bike rides on Friday and the weekends. 12-15 hours of structured training every week. JOIN schedules it, I execute it. On paper, it works perfectly.

In reality? The last two weeks have been brutal. Jeroen and I have both been buried in major projects at Trippz. The training still happens - over 120 hours logged across 65+ workouts now - but other things slipped. Like this blog. We'd planned for 2-3 updates per week. This is the first post in two weeks.

And with 120 hours over 111 days, I've ''only'' done 7,5 hours on average over the last 16 weeks. It's just only recently that the training load structurally has moved to the 12 hours+ territory. On top of that, winter is coming......my JOIN training plan averages 14.75 hours of training per week for the next 8 weeks to come. That's 14 hours that have to come from somewhere. My Tuesday and Wednesday morning sessions now typically are 3 hours, and that's more than enough on the Kickr. Doing 8 hours of the remaining 3 training days is doable, but it certainly requires a lot of planning and adjusting, not to disrupt family and work life too much.

The consistency is there, but it's not effortless. It's a daily negotiation between work deadlines, family commitments, and the non-negotiable requirements of preparing for 692km of racing across eight consecutive days.

The gaps that need closing

Weight remains the stubborn challenge. Started at short of 83kg, currently at 79kg, I was originally planning to get to 74kg for race day. That's 5kg in 129 days. Totally doable on paper, not sure whether it works out in practice like that. My gut feel is that going below 77-76kg for me is just hard, as I've been hovering around 79 kg for a couple of weeks now.

I'm letting increased training volume drive it rather than restricting food intake - you can't afford to compromise recovery or performance for the sake of the scale.

Jeroen's experience is both reassuring and humbling. He's done multiple Transpyr and Transalp rides. He knows how to pace multi-day events, how to manage cumulative fatigue, when to push and when to hold back. I don't have that experience. My job in this partnership is to trust his power management calls while bringing consistent power day after day. Jeroen's FTP is still significantly higher than mine, but JOIN has something nice as part of their projection of your progress: JOIN Level. This is what it looks like:

My projected level for the week prior to Cape Epic is 41. Jeroen's score is 42. The idea behind the JOIN Level is that it is comparable between riders. So two riders with a level of 41, are according to JOIN equally good. This is where it for instance differs from your Strava fitness level, which is only relative for you as a person.
So from that perspective things look actually quite good. If we both adhere to the training, we'll reach an almost similar level by mid-March.

What we're up against

692km. 15,900m of climbing. Eight consecutive days. No rest days.

Stage 3 is 134km with 1750m of elevation. The Queen Stage 5 is 128km with even more serious elevation of 2750m. We will have to go for a pacing strategy that is deliberately conservative: target 70-75% FTP averages across stages, with specific wattage zones for different terrain types. Nutrition is 400-450g of carbs per stage, while systematically testing different nutrition products during training rides to make sure nothing surprises us in South Africa.

The goal hasn't changed: finish top 20 in the Masters category. Two ordinary guys with a crazy goal, trying to balance this ambition with running a company and being present for our families and friends.

The next 129 days

More of the same, if we can manage it. Tuesday and Wednesday Kicks sessions remain fixed. Friday also fixed, weekend rides stay flexible to preserve the social side of cycling - the connections that keep this enjoyable rather than purely mechanical.

Weight management continues steadily. Nutrition strategy gets refined through more testing. Something will probably have to give along the way. More blog posts might slip. Social commitments might be difficult every now and then. The perfect balance between work, family, and 14-hour training weeks doesn't exist, you just do your best and hope it's enough.

Every workout logged. Every lesson learned. Every pedal stroke building towards March 2026. So far 111 days built the foundation. The next 129 days are about holding it together while we try to turn fitness into something that can survive 692km across eight consecutive days in South Africa.

Until then, Keep Chasing!