When I started this Cape Epic journey with Jeroen, I expected to lean heavily on the JOIN app, my Wahoo Kickr, and maybe some nutritional guidance, like the EatmyRide app. What I didn't expect was that AI would become one of my most-used tools in this preparation. Not
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
I'm writing this from Austria. I am on holiday with my wife and our girls. Mountains, autumn colors, beautiful weather, what's not to like about it. Indeed, it's all great! Except that this is the first week that I found that keeping up the
After weeks of building the hype online and announcing the 9th of October as the launch date for the route, last Thursday at 21:00, finally the live stream was there. And I must honestly say, both Jeroen and I were excited about it. So 20:58 sharp we tuned
Yesterday we did something completely different. A very welcome change in our daily workout. Not only because we are rarely ever riding on MTB trails anymore, but also because we lack an important part of what is needed for the Cape Epic: Riding Skills. Although riding a mountain bike for
There was a time, not even too long ago, I had a social life. You know, the life where you occasionally meet other people and talk about things not MTB related. Yes, there are people out there doing that. And then there was the life where you had friends with
After weeks of training, without skipping any training or interval prescribed by Join, I as starting to feel stronger. Riding with a power meter now helps me to monitor and feel the effort I was doing in terms of power output compared to my RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). My
A quick check-in on the weight loss plan I posted here exactly one month ago: I stepped off the scale this morning at 80.7kg. That's 0.9kg down from my starting point of 81.6kg last month, which is pretty close to ''my target'
Being in Seattle for work meant one thing was certain: we had to get out on the trails. With Cape Epic training on our schedule and terrain like this on our doorstep, it would have been criminal not to ride 😉 Great to be back Like last year, we booked our
On Saturday, finally the time had come for my very first MTB race ever, and that right here in my hometown. After (only 2) months of training, mostly easy endurance on cycling roads instead of trails, I was excited to be wearing a race number and standing among dozens of
Sunday’s ride through the Utrechtse Heuvelrug was one of those sessions that reminded me why I love mountain biking. Not just because of the amazing trails that weave through one of the Netherlands' most beautiful nature areas, but also because a lot of things came together, and I
There’s something powerful about saying your goals out loud. For me, it’s not just about holding myself accountable—it’s about creating a clear path forward. After my recent fitness test, I’ve got a better picture of where I stand today, and where I want to go.
As I am only a novice race rider, I have very little experience with race nutrition (gels, bars, liquid food and so on). I rode the Stoneman Arduenna a couple of years ago and that I think was the only time I ate bars and used gels. The one memory
The Wahoo Kickr has been living under on our roofed terrace for a week now, and I've managed two proper sessions so far. Jeroen's warning about indoor trainers being psychologically different is starting to make sense, though I haven't hit the wall yet whatsoever.
A couple of weeks into training with those Cyclinglab results, something's been bugging me. The 230W anaerobic threshold from the lab test felt accurate, but during training it feels different i.e. the training with associated power zones and corresponding heart rates don't really match us.
After years of no really training, but just doing my rounds on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug MTB trails, things have changed, now that Jeroen and me are training for Cape Epic. In this structured approach, using JOIN, everything is about relative (power) output. I started by following my heart rate monitor,
A quote that I picked up recently: when you older than 40, your focus should be on injury prevention first and performance second. This is a hard pill to swallow if you are trying to maximize your performance for the Cape Epic. Although cycling is not the most demanding sport
This morning I stepped on the scale: 81.6kg. BMI 24.1. Technically healthy, but those SEG Cyclinglab results show that every kilogram matters when you're trying to cylcle up mountains. Jeroen's at 18.1% body fat, I'm at 21.1%, so there'
Last week, Jeroen and I went to Cyclinglab in Amsterdam for our baseline fitness tests. With Cape Epic 2026 still short of 7 months away and our goal of finishing top 20 in the Masters category, we figured it was time to face the music and know where to focus
For the past five years, we’ve been fully dedicated to building Trippz. What started as a bold idea is now a thriving company with great customers and a growing team of 18 people. We couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve achieved together. But as any entrepreneur