Hello and Welcome

Enjoy the ride and listen for the scream of joy on the trail.

 

 

Sani2C

Crazy how fast the races go by this year. Once again another Sani2C behind the rubber tread. Bad experiences where experienced, good times where had. It wasn’t the best Sani this year, one race where one tested more than the form again.
Unfortunately I came down in a high speed downhill. The tyre came off in the process and the tube we put in was flat soon after again. Luckily I wasn’t hurt too bad and I was able to carry on riding. Proof that one can learn how to crash. Funny enough it was right in front of the ambulance and the farm I crashed on was for sale too.

It was also my muddiest race I a long time but I won’t complain. I can take any on any condition and the bikes took a good beating without any hassle through the mud. Crazy how the equipment holds up in those conditions.  Day 2 was totally crazy, we basically raced each other blindly down a hill. There was so much mud in everyone’s eyes that we could have relocated that part of the forest to the finish line if we tried. Mannie and I missed out SKS shockboards there. We could have easily taken out 2 minutes on that part.

Day 3 was once again furiously fast and luckily also dry. Normally I am tired come day three but I had good power which is a good sign. Now I just need to work on my slow starts then things are looking much better already.

The Sani organisation once again lived up to their reputation and delivered us a superb event. The people there really know what the riders want, and they give without question. Lunch is served, coffee with OUMA rusks mind you! Or banana bread and doughnuts to feed the nation. Dinner of highest quality and a breakfast where you can choose from whatever you choose at your local food store. It’s all there. Queue at the flushing toilets or waste no time on the porta loos. Your choice in the morning. I already know now that this will be my favourite race for the year, again.

My form is not quite up there with the others yet, but I’m sure after the recovery time now that that will improve still. This year I am skipping the Giro and somehow think it is a good call. So many tours are tiring and I am testing a new way to be as fresh as I can be for Epic.

 

MTN XC #1 Rietvley

How results can change from one weekend to the next. But there are a few things that influence a good ride. It was finally time for a cross country race, the first of the MTN series.
During practice the day before I was already enjoying this time of riding again, technical single trail at high intensity, playing with other rider’s mentality. So I was well motivated.

The route was laid out on the Rietvley Zoo Farm in the south of Gauteng, a new course for many riders. It’s a great venue with lush green lawn everywhere, farm life, an awesome bike shop in a barn and a well run family cafe. 

Standing next to Burry on the start line was once again something special, even though I’ve raced him plenty times. I had the number 1 board, from winning the overall series last year. Something I’ll probably not see in a while now that burry is also elite.
I had the best start off the line and went all out from there, till I was totally broken half way through the lap. I had to give way to team mate phil who stuck my wheel, burry and rourke and a short while later Craig Paul. On the downhill later Brandon also passed, but never really got away. After recovering a bit and riding behind Renay and Oliver for half a lap, I made my way forward again and soon was back in a good third position behind Burry and Philip, who had built up a good lead in my absence. It was my goal to try and catch phil again but in the mostly singletrail route, which suits phil very well it was up to the power endurance to try and catch him.
The gaps came only down slow but in the last lap it came down fast but had to be happy with third just 20 seconds behind phil.

Yet I was totally happy with the way I was riding the race, always on the gas. That’s what I love about this racing, short and sweet and loads of fun. Burry showed us all again, finishing 5 minutes ahead.

Next I’ll be going home to my real home in NAM for 2 and half weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MTN Marathon #2 Barberton

 

After having felt what racing is like at the Attakwas 2 weeks ago I knew what to do this time round again. Stick with the front as long as possible at the start as the pace normally settles a bit later on.
The Barberton route has quite a technical start and the bunch is frantic to get to the first single track. Lose the front here and it’s hard to catch back to the front by the time the climb starts.

Burry Stander and Brandon Steward where pushing just a gear too hard for me here and although I could hang on, I had to follow my own pace at the start of the climb, losing the front. After a few vertical meters I managed to get a good rhythm and was able to hold the gap but not close it. This really is still soon in the season and I was happy with the way I was climbing up the first mountain.  Climbing between 20 and 10 seconds behind Ben Melt I had a good pacemaker and goal in front of me.  I wanted to catch him just as we crested the 1000m climb but a few turns in the last km made me lose sight of him. He must have upped the pace.  On the next really muddy downhill I also wasn’t able to catch up, rather seeing how the bike was going and not risking it here, only to lose a minute or two to melt.
Once the fog cleared and the road evened out I could see Jacques Rossouw close to me as well as melt ahead of him and Renay just ahead of Melt. Unfortunately Melt caught Renay just before a long open downhill and together they opened the gap a bit more as I was on my own still. Chasing hard down the rocky reserve part I spent a lot of energy and my levels were running a bit low once I hit the feed zone at 75km. I had also lost my bottle with pvm through the rough start trails.

I felt like I was crawling towards the second big climb just as long and hard as the first one. I was passed by a flying Matthys Beukes just before the climb. Once again I found a rhythm but not quite one as comfortable as at the start. I could catch a glimpse on Melt about a minute ahead on the climb but that was the last that I saw of him. Motivation held me back to finish the race off I a good manner and I was still passed by 3 more riders, including team mate Mannie, who showed no signs of a sore wrist and arm. That shows you how hard that man is. Don’t know any tougher guy in the field.  My shocks didn’t work throughout the race either so that also didn’t help to really love the rough terrain that was the last 30km of the race.  At least Joe’s no flats and maxis made sure I didn’t have any punctures this time.
In the end I had lost the race. I’ve learnt again though. I got tougher again. It took a day to put the puzzle pieces together again, but I’m ready for the next one!
The race was won by a flying Max Knox who apparently left Burry and Kevin looking for parking. Still it takes lots to come 2nd and 3rd.

 

 

 

 

MTN Marathon #1 Attakwas

Here is my 5 cents worth of the MTN Attakwas Extreme MTB Race. It is also my first web update for the year so I first need to get some rust off the typing fingers.

I can’t really tell you much how the racing went as I was spending time practicing puncture repares. My two days prior to the event were also not really any motivation as I had picked up a strange infection in my foot, some sort of tendonitis. I was struggling to walk but on the bike in the fixed shoe it didn’t seem to bother. It’s just not so cool when you wake up before a race and you can’t walk. I also had a tooth flesh infection which also brought the comfort level down a few notches. Nonetheless  I was looking forward to the race as I knew it was going to be hard and therefore also a good test for the body, a good prep race for the next races and all the other positive things a hard race brings too.

The punctures started early, about 5 k into the race already and they only stopped after 7. My legs were still fine at the finish but then again I only got to the finish an hour later than winner Kevin, who knew the route like the back of his hand and using all this to his advantage.

I have prepared my wheel s from scratch to make the tubeless seal leak proof since and of course on the training rides it kept in the air just like before the race.  So we’ll see at the next race. But this time i’m confident things will turn out differently.