In safe hands
Text: Jazz Kuschke. Article from the May 2012 issue of Ride Magazine.
Ernst van Dyk is one of South Africa’s big medal hopes at the 2012 London Paralympics. We take a look at what he rides and how he trains.
“If I want a medal, I have to focus,” chuckles Ernst van Dyk. We’re in the garage of his Paarl home talking Paralympics (and bikes) before he heads out for a training ride. “In Beijing I won the road race in hand cycling and bronze in the (wheelchair) marathon, a couple days later,” continues Van Dyk. “But now the standard has improved a lot, so I can’t race both.”
From the roof hangs a collection of Conti tubbies in various states of repair. On the workbench, bits of componentry, wrenches and Allen keys compete for space with Oakleys, riding gloves and lube. Against the far wall rests a hardtail 29er. On the surface, it looks just like any regular cyclist’s garage. Except for the bikes: two handcycles and a race-ready wheelchair, worth well over R100 000 each.
When we visited he was just days away from leaving his position as manager of the event and project management division at the Stellenbosch University Sport Performance Institute to train for the London Paralympics in October. He’s going to focus on the road race and time trial. Later he wants to put his energy into his own business, Enabled Sport, which is the distributor for Invacare Top End sports and recreational products in South Africa. He had also just received a new bike. Here Ernst gives us the lowdown on his machine and the other factors he believes Paralympic success requires.
The Frame
These bikes are entirely custom-built, so the manufacturers can’t make a mould and therefore we have to ride aluminium. The main frame of the Top End Force R is a teardrop shape and it is built from internally ribbed 7005 aluminium. The profile makes it super stiff for maximum power transfer.
The complete bike weighs around 11 kilograms, which is pretty light. The UCI tried to make a rule a few years back that you weren’t allowed less than 10. At around 10 kilograms the bike becomes a bit shaky anyway.
1. Wheels &Tyres
I ride Invacare Top End 26-inch wheels on the back and a standard 700C road wheel on the front. I’ve been playing around with my time-trial (TT) set-up, so at the moment I have a carbon Corima TT wheel on there. For the road race, I often ride Zipp (deep section carbon rims). Most guys ride 26-inch wheels all-round, but I changed to a 700 upfront last year for the gearing. The big wheel also rolls really well, a similar advantage to a 29er.
My tyres are all Continental. Uncle Ray [from Interac, the Continental distributors] looks after me well. I have a Grand Prix 4000 on the front and sprinters at the back. These are tubbies, so fixing a flat is quick, but expensive. The disadvantage of running two different wheel sizes is I have to carry two spares.
2. Crankset
My cranks are super long at 255 millimetres. I used to be on the more-standard 245 millimetres, but can get a lot more watts over a shorter period from these, so they’re good for the TT and sprinting in the road race. I do have a 39-tooth chainring, but very rarely shift off the 53, so I don’t bother with a shifter up front. That saves me nearly a kilogram. For a race like the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle
3. Cassette and rear derailleur
I’m still on nine-speed SRAM, but they’re launching a 10-speed grip shift very soon. I use a SRAM X0 derailleur on the back. I just find the mountainbike equipment a lot more durable for what we do.
Tour I’ll ride with the 39 – by the time you get to Suikerbossie you’re pretty tired, so you need it. For the Paralympic road race though, I’ll probably ride only one blade upfront. I’ve experimented a bit over the years, had rotor rings on there and even played with a 55. I found that a bit of a gimmick – you don’t go much faster, you just hurt more and get tired quicker. It’s all about watts nowadays so I’ve got my SRM power meter built in.
Handcycling vs. wheelchair racing
Ernst is both a handcycling and wheelchair racing athlete. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympics he competed in both. For the 2012 London Paralympics, he’s chosen to put all his efforts into one discipline. Handcycling is just that – powering a bike with your arms rather than your legs. Bikes have chains, gears and brakes similar to regular bicycles and handcycling events are controlled by the UCI.
Wheelchair racing is an athletics event, so no gears, cranks or chains are allowed. “It’s a bit like riding a fixie,” says Van Dyk. “You have to learn the technique and tricks. It’s also very uncomfortable.” Wheelchair racing is not controlled by the UCI. The Boston Marathon (which Ernst has won an unprecedented nine times) is such an event.
4. Bumpers
Some guys just don’t use their brakes and it can become a bit like Nascar in our races. I have a drafting bumper on the back and a bumper protecting the front wheel because if you ride into someone with the front wheel it stops dead. Not ideal at 60 km/h.
Outeniqua wheelchair challenge
Ernst set a new course record of 1:08:29 for the handcyling marathon (42,2 kilometres). This year’s was the 10th edition of the event, which is a highlight on the wheelchair and handcycling calendar and drew a record number of entrants from seven countries.
Prize money of more than R200 000 was split over the 44 categories in three distances – the full marathon, 21,1-kilometre half marathon (for athletes using racing wheelchairs or handcycles) and a 10-kilometre distance for basketball and ordinary wheelchairs.
Edmund Makutya from Zimbabwe took first place in the men’s open T53/54 racing wheelchair division with a time of 2:20:33.
South Africa’s Hilary Lewis won the Open Paraplegic Ladies division in a time of 2:02:27.
Tiaan Boshoff (still a junior) from Hermanus won the 10-kilometres in a time of 0:22:32 on his handcycle.
The five-kilometre fun event, in which young and old were pushed in their wheelchairs by a helper, attracted entrants from all corners of the country. The youngest competitor was Miduyo Tyanase of Plettenberg Bay who is less than a year old and the oldest was greybeard Stefanus Hoffman of George.
On training
I tailor my training specifically to a discipline. Now I’m in a building phase and do around 90 minutes a day out on the road with long rides on weekends. I also go to gym three times a week for strength work.
There are so many route options around Paarl – it’s the reason I moved here. I used to live and train in Stellenbosch, but after I was almost killed by a taxi for the third time, I said enough was enough.
On the Paralympics
Right after Beijing, handcycling was fully integrated into the UCI. We now have World Cup races similar to the mountainbike and BMX series. As a nation, you accumulate UCI points and then qualify a number of entrants for the Paralympics, just as the other cyclists do.
Countries are investing a lot more time and money into handcycling now and we’ve seen the improvements – average speeds for the TT were around 36 or 37 km/h. Now it’s up at around 43 km/h.
Get more online
To find out more about Ernst’s adventures and the products he imports, visit www.ernstvandyk.com.
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