Road to Gravel Burn, Ep. 1: The Brutal First Test
Before I can race 750km across the Karoo, I need to know exactly what I’m working with — so I head to the world renowned Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town, for a full physiological baseline test with Reece McDonald and Mark Stevens of Science to Sport. Body composition, lactate accumulation, fat max, VO2 max, peak power — every number gets measured, and not all of them are kind. I’ve been focussed on a dramatic weight cut in the weeks leading up to this (bad idea). What follows is the 20-week countdown: the targets get set, the ego takes a hit, and the training begins.