Stage 1: Oudtshoorn to Calitzdorp

The first stage started at Oudtshoorn High School. We left the town at 7:30 and rode in a neutral zone along the R62 for about 10 kms. Thereafter the pace remained civil for another 10 kms. The undulating hills were familiar territory from the 3 Oudtshoorn marathons done in years past. The pace was quick and the legs felt strong, so 2 hours later we rolled into the first water point feeling fresh. A tidy stop saw us on our way soon afterwards. Rietfontein held pleasant memories as this is a regular lunch stop for us whenever we are in Oudtshoorn. Simply great Lasagne and devine Bobotie...
Back to the race, soon after water point 1 we were tested with a long tough technical climb reaching grdients in excess of 30% in places. Disembarking and porting the bikes was very much the order of the day. Soon we were on our way to the Red Stone Hills around the Kruis River area. Water point 2 was a welcome sight and after another quick stop we left the gravel again for more low range 4x4 territory. The next 20 kms dragged out and it also started to heat up. It was a constant battle to keep riding. Elzaan and Theresa from the First Ascent ladies team cought up after we lost them after the neutral zone and we took turns riding on the front. They would out-climb us and we would pass them on the technical descents. Water point 3 was a welcome sight. We took a little longer here to simply get to grips with the next section to the finish. Katot gave me the assurance that the climbs were now done. He is a liar. The gravel climb was managable and soon we had Calitzdorp in our sights. In true Katot style we took the road less travelled, turning away from the R62 that would have taken us to Calitzdorp in 5 minutes on a round-the-mountain loop. Here on another crazy descent I cut my tyre and had to repair it. My partner didnt see me stop and I jogged up to the rise to make sure that I could stop him from continuing. I bombed the tyre with no success and thereafter I tried a foam product that was meant to set in the tube, much like the old perma-tubes we had as kids, but it failed as well. I was abou,t to stick a tube in when my partner produced a plugging kit. I successfully plugged my tyre for the very first time. Definately an item on my shopping list. A plug set.

The last 7 km into Calitzdorp was done with a fair amount of caution. I had images of the plug dislodging and having to either tube the tyre or walk the last few kms to Calitzdorp. The climb up to the school felt very long. A time of just over 7 hours was a job well done.

The race village buzz is great. The race is much more intemate than the bigger races on the calandar. With approximately 150 teams and a contingent of Solo riders, it feels like everybody knows everybody by now.

Time for supoer and race briefing, and a monster stage lurking tomorrow.

P.P.S.

With 5 days to go, suddenly the reality of what we are about to embark on is dawning on me. 6 Days of really tough mountain biking... making it to the start line in itself deserves a medal. Being in the middle of selling our house, buying a new one, juggling training and work commitments, finishing up with projects before the event, major IT upgrades and my wife's birthday not only made the last few weeks speed by, it also ate into valuable training time. The reality is that mountain biking only forms a small part of our lives (well for most of us non-pro's with families and work commitments anyway).

Now with 5 days to go I find myself suffering from P.P.S (Pre Pioneer Stress). It actually started last weekend when suddenly I shot up and started packing.
Drawers being opened and closed as I started to organise all my cycling kit. It seems that since my last stage race these items magically migrated throughout the house. Every drawer and cupboard seemed to be stashing cycling gear.

Once everything was piled up in the middle of the spare room, the packing started. Everything into its own ziplock bag and the ziplock bags into a plastic container. Labelling machine out to label the containers and the bags.

A list was generated for items I must still go out and buy. Sunblock, lip balm, contact lenses, new water bottles, ear plugs...

Bike being serviced on the small items that I can attend to. New brake pads, new chain rings, new rotors... oops the Hope rotors knocks against the brake calipher, so back on the old ones go... check the wheel... hmmm the back wheel has a lot of play in it! Guessing its bearings. This was where I re asssembled the bike and decided to let my bike shop fix her up for me. Complicated moving parts like hubs needs specialist attention. Especially before a big race. And now someone can go over my work to correct mistakes that I may have made.

Monday comes. I get to work and can't focus on the items that needs to be done before Friday. I get into the car and the bike goes to the shop and the shopping gets done for the last items. Back at work I can once more focus on the important tasks that needs to be done before Friday.

Tuesday is no better. Lunchtime I amble through the new Chris Willemse Cycle Shop near Willowbridge with a purpose. Armed with my list I walk up and down the shop trying to find any more items that I may need. Nothing. My Garmin! I sent it off for repairs a few weeks ago and the store didn't phone me to tell me when it will be back. I phone them and doing my best to stay calm, I remind the attendant that I did tell them that it needs to be back in Cape Town by Thursday 13 October. He follows up with Garmin and tells me that the unit is not being repaired, it's being replaced and should be here by Thursday...phew!

Now with my bags packed and every conceivable base covered I lie awake at night waiting for Monday to come...

This was my first K2C as I opted in previous years to do the Oudtshoorn marathon that usually was one week before the K2C. I have trained on this route in 2008 when I was training for the 209 Epic, $$$so it was not entirely new to me. The Wapad was a breeze from start group 2. On my previous visit it was much more overgrown and technical, or maybe my skills improved since 2008 and my Zula just gobbled up the rocks and ruts better than what my Merida D3000 FLX did.

I lost about 10 minutes fixing my rear tyre and lost my usual riding partner in the process, so once fixed I suppressed the urge to go fullgas in an attempt to catch my partner. It was after all simply a long ride as part of my Cape Pioneer Trek training, rather than a full out race for me. The climbing as you enter the Prins Alfred Pass is deceiving as you tend to forget about the 200m of climbing in 5kms that takes you to the big descend into De Vlugt. Being built like a stone paid dividends here and I used the descent to good effect. A rider passing me overcooked a turn and slid into the rock wall barrier. I ended up going over the rider’s rear wheel and heard the “clang” of spokes popping. As I turned the next corner I slowed down to assess any damage to my bike and to turn around to assist the rider that went down, but saw the rider was on his feet with other riders assisting him, so I was off again. Luckily my bike came off unscathed. If only my Go Pro was running at the time I could have upped my view count on YouTube. People love this type of thing.

36km into the race we were at De Vlugt and the big climbing started. The heat was also building and it seemed that riders were passing me at a steady rate, but I kept going at my own pace and very soon we were at what must have been the 3^rd or 4^th water point. After a splash and dash I was onto the second big climb before you hit Kom-se-pad.

As I approached the water point at the forestry housing compound, an ER vehicle came past me with sirens blaring and lights flashing. The water point at about 55km offered the usual water, coke, energade and fruit, but also had some potatoes, wine gums and most importantly chain lube. The dust was a menace and the squirt guys and girls were my main reason for stopping, followed closely by the lure of a half potato and a few wine gums. The announcer asked us to keep left when we heard the ER car coming back as he was attending to a “code red” case, ie. that this was a very serious case that was potentially life threatening.

The rollers on Kom-se-pad was not nearly as hard as what I recalled from my last visit, so I picked up my tempo and started overhauling the riders that sped past me earlier in the day. The humidity took over from where the heat of the Klein Karoo left us, so I made sure that I was well hydrated and that I was eating regularly. I assisted a few riders who was struggling with cramps (mostly cute female riders by the way) by handing out a supplement that I carry on me for this eventuality.

I enjoyed the descend before the Simola climb and even Simola was not nearly as bad as I recalled. The knowledge that the last 7km home was downhill also helped to get me over the last bump. The vibe at the finish was great, and the cold showers were the perfect tonic to cool me down and rid myself of most of the dust and sweat before making my way back to Cape Town.

I came in at 5:17 with a minor technical (wire pierced my back tyre after the wapad, removed the wire and Stans did the rest with the help of a CO2 canister). I took it relatively easy for most of the ride (ave about 158 and max of about 169).

Gravel Travel 2011 Marathon

The Gravel Travel has somehow become a bit of an institution with me and my racing partner over the last 3 years.  We have seen Welvanpas (or Bain’s MTB Trails) evolve from a few roughly cut trails to arguably one of the best mountain biking spots in the Western Cape and every year the event seems to grow and improve on the previous year. So much so that it caught the attention of the National MTB series sponsored by MTN and Nissan.

We wisely decided to downgrade from the Ultra marathon to the marathon as we had our doubts about making the cut off at 70kms in the allocated time. The decision paid dividends as we were treated to a very tough, but rewarding race at the Boland’s finest.

At the start the UCI (I am starting to get a serious dislike in this institution) ordered that all GoPro cameras be removed from the bikes. I was not sure why, but not wanting to cause a scene, I removed my camera and placed it in my Camelback for the day, so I’m afraid my ride report will have to suffice.

The start / finish layout was improved from previous years with a long straight exit around the farm dam at Diemersfontein. Soon we were going up. After about 8km of climbing we got onto the first section of single track. The section was cleaned up from previous years and with a bit of rain earlier in the week the riding was very fast.

Traffic was not so much of an issue this year and soon we made our way to the Welvanpas trail start. Soon we were climbing out of the valley again and suddenly we were in the heart of Welvanpas single track. I love the fast flowing trails and soon me and my partner closed the gap to the group riding ahead of us. Once we arrived at Doolhof, we had a quick stop to fill the bottles and take on something to eat. The next section took us to the back of Groenberg for more of the famous Welvanpas single track. Like most good sections of single track, we had to work first before we could rip it up.

We made our way to Welbedacht for the second water point. The route changed here and instead of going straight onto a good gravel climb, we were diverted back to Groenberg and climbed our way to the top again. Some more single track sections brought us closer to Bainskloof Pass. We made our way to the next water point for a quick stop and soon we were off again to approach Diemersfontein via another monster climb. In previous years we encountered the back markers on the 40km route at this point. It was great to be able to focus on our own race rather than to try and dodge riders that were less confident on some of the off camber turns in the vineyards.  The last bit of the route was altered to stretch it out a bit, but fortunately we kept a bit in the tank and were able to finish strongly.

After a double Spur Burger and a Sterri Stumpy we loaded our bikes and were on our way back home with firm resolutions to come and do a lot more riding at Welvanpas before the Cape Pioneer Trek in October.

Transbaviaans – the team supporters view:

As I was sidelined for this event due to illness I decided to use the opportunity to see what our support team goes through when we do these races.

The night beforehand I was free to drink the brandy and cokes and I was also not burdonned with the knowledge that the alternative route for this year’s race was going to be extra tough. I was consulted on what to put in the various boxes, what spares and tools were to be carried on the ride, which lights were to be put on the bike, and at what point the other lights may be needed. At least the riders were able to select their own clothing for the ride.

We went to the race briefing, but left for our brandy and coke soon after arriving as it was impossible to hear anything at the briefing as the briefing zone was way too small to accommodate all the riders, their support teams and extended families that ended up being at the race briefing. After the tradional brandy and coke at the hotel in Willowmore we headed back to our guest house for supper.

The guest house is situated 17km from Willowmore and is owned and operated by Peppi and his daughter, El-Anne. They also own the coffee shop, take away and guest house in Willowmore. This is their latest project and as construction goes, it seemed like they were well behind schedule. Fortunately they managed to have 2 rooms and bathrooms ready for us. I love old buildings and restoration projects and was looking throughout the house on what they were busy with as we waited for supper to be warmed up for us. Supper was chicken, lasagne, farm bread, veg, rice and desert was farm style malva pudding. We ate our fill and was off to bed by about 10pm.

At 6:30 am we woke and had a breakfast buffet. For once I ate with a light heart knowing that bacon and eggs are not going to slow me down today. There was a light drizzle and a biting wind from the mountains that confirmed by decision to rather stay off the bike for this one. Once in Willowmore we unloaded the bikes and the riders were opening up the carefully packed boxes to get wind jackets, long gloves, leg warmers and the like out as the temprature was around 2˚C with a nasty cold wind biting through all the warm gear.

Me and my co-pilot wondered around trying to find the support crew briefing and eventually spotted a bakkie with speakers on. The briefing started, but it was rather short and to the point:
“No unauthorised vehicles enroute, the directions to CP4 is in the book and so is the directions to CP5, the rest stays the same as last year”. I was very glad that my co-pilot was experienced in these matters and she assured me that if I can programme the GPS, she’ll get us there on time.

The riders were lining up and we headed off to Jeffreys Bay.  The drive through was scening and relaxing. Once in Jeffreys we were in familiar territory as we used the guest house for our previous Trans Baviaans. We unloaded, relaxed a bit and got the support vehicle ready for the evening. The wind was blowing when we left Jeffreys and my mind kept going back to the riders havng to negotiate a very tough route in these challenging conditions.

We arrived at Checkpoint 4 as the top 10 teams were coming in and tried to get a spot as close to the check in point as possible. We ended up on the side of the narrow dirt road and unpacked our chairs, cooking stove, the spares and tools to ensure that no one tried to squeeze in behind us. Space was already tight and promised to get even tighter as the evening progressed. We went to check in. At the check in counter the lady hardly looked up and simply said that we can get our sticker when we check out. I started to reply that the rule book said that we were to be acknowledged when we arrive at the checkpoint, but the lady was already talking to another gentleman so I decided to rather get back to the vehicle.

As it was getting dark it was nearly impossible to try and identify riders coming in with 1000lumens of light shining in your eyes so we reverted to loud encouragement with the hope that our riders would recognise our voices when they arrived. As we waited we started to worry. Our riders were supposed to phone us at checkpoint 3, but we assumed that they didn’t have celphone signal at that point, so we waited. I counted the teams and with about 70 teams crawling past us we got the call. It was a huge relief to know that they were ok and we started preparing the pasta and coffee.  We spotted them as they passed us and with a loud shout they said that they’re checking in and then returning for food and a rest.

As they came back from the checkpoint, we got the report back on the route. It was tough and riders were all taking strain. One of the lights was giving problems, so I changed it for a new one. We lubed the bikes, got the batteries changed, ensured that the bottles were filled and that they were warm enough for the next leg. My co-pilot went to check out and I packed the bakkie and we were on our way to Zuurbraak to meet up with our riders after Never Ender.

Zuurbraak was a huge improvement on the previous year and the support vehicles had enough space to park, the check in / check out zone as better placed and there was good light to work in and prepare for the riders. This was to be a quick stop and we packed the bakkie again, checked out and was on our way to Kabbeljous in Jeffreys to check in for the last time and wait for our riders to arrive.

Once the riders came through we had a drink and our Spur burgers and were off to bed. I will for ever be grateful to have a good support team with me when I do my next race. Its a lot of hard work and is such an essential part of a successful and enjoyable race.

T.I.T.S

With the Trans Baviaans 24 hour challenge only 7 weeks away time is running out to get some good base km's in. The key with these events are time in the saddle or T.I.T.S.

This weekend I was invited to Montagu for a ride to Warmwaterberg over the Ouberg Pass. The ride takes you from Montagu onto the back roads past remote farms past smaller game reserves like Mont Eco to the foot of the Ouberg Pass. The recent rains turned the roads into a huge mud slide. 15 km's into the ride we started with the Pass and already chainsuck was very much the norm. We topped out at 24 km's and stopped to lube the chains and  remove our rain jackets as the steady drizzle we encountered at Montagu was a thing of the past. 900 meters in 24 km's was made tougher by the mud grabbing onto our back tyres all the way to the top. From here we had small undulations to the entrance of Sanbonani Game Farm where we had game rangers escorting us to the Eastern gate. The 22kms though the reserve yielded a herd of Springbok, 2 Zebras and what looked like a Gemsbok in the distance. Once through the reserve we had another 16 km to our overnight stop at Warmwaterberg. The 97 km's sped by  in under 5 hours . The ride back to Montagu will be just as spectacular to end off a successful weekend of training.

Seriously Strong Stage 3: Seriously fast

The day started off at La Paradiso Guest House, just after the Harkerville trail entrance, so no guesses to what the day's racing would entail.
After a short neutral zone on the N2, we turned off at the Sasol filling station to access the Harkerville trails (those of you who had to use the "escape route" on Harkerville before, would know this stretch). The riding was hard and fast, even after 2 days of racing and we were looking good for a top 20 at this early stage. We made our way along the service roads for about 15km's and entered upward single track section on the backward loop on the traditional red route. Just before entering the single track we spotted the race leaders with tyre issues. Hard luck to Timo and Jacques, but it seemed like they did enough on day 1 and 2 to pull this one off, even after finishing about 25 minutes behind stage winners on day 3. It just goes to show that its never over until its over.
The legs were burning as we hit the upward climb on the single track and by now the races within the race was evolving nicely. Going up single track is not my strong point, but I gave it horns to ensure that we had a clean run going down the rooted, stepped part of the trail.
We arrived at water point 1 with 2 or 3 teams hot on our heels. We kept it tidy with a quick lube and fill and a potato in the mouth, but 2 teams beat us out of the water point and was attacking hard. We kept our nerve and roped them in one by one. With some fast steep downhills we could reverse the situation and we attacked without mercy up to the second single track section. Here we caught the second team that jumped us at the water point and went hell for leather to drop them too.
Now half way in we rode the service routes beyond the regular trails and made our way to sections of the trail that is used with the Knysna Oyster Festival routes. The climbs were hard, but all middle blade stuff and we seemed to have knocked off the chasers at this stage.
The second water point approached and we cut our stopping time down to less than 2 minutes. We were leaving before the chasers made it to the stop and rode hard to maintain our lead. By now fatigue was setting in and small mistakes were creeping in and we took it down a notch to ensure that we kept it together on the fast rutted downhill sections. As we were climbing another hill the second ladies team caught us. We held on and opened the gap again on the next down hill section and had to ride hard on the last series of climbs before you hit the bumpy downhill sections just east of Knysna.
The highlight was surely riding the very technical section of single track as on all previous Knysna Oyster Festival races I was forced to walk this section with 50km riders all over the trail. I made a small mistake and had too much weight on my back wheel just before the hairpin turn and lost the back wheel. Fortunately the slip wasn't serious and I got straight onto riding the rest of the trail with my partner capturing the moment on his GoPro camera. Guess I'll have to put this on YouTube now...
We hit the streets and progressed quickly to George Rex Drive where we were on the cobble stone path to Thesen Island. I was being dragged along by my partner who rode another monster stage and we crossed the finish line in 19th place. With some teams ahead of us not completing all 3 stages, this would probably end up being about 15th or 16th.

Seriously Strong Stage 2: Seriously tough

The day started off just outside Totti's eatery on the Reenendal road, south-west of Knysna. The clear skies meant a drop in temperature and with riding the trails around Millwood before, I knew that there would be climbing from the gun. We started behind a pace vehicle and as we entered the Goudveld forest gates the leading teams dropped us like a bad habit. I was finding my legs, but about half way up the climb I needed a respite from the 18% gradient and wanted to drop onto my small blade to spin the legs out. I lost the small blade before even starting the day. I tried in vain to ride the steep gradient on the middle ring, but had to dismount and put the chain over manually, loosing time and momentum. This was going to be a long day, but this was not the time to feel sorry for yourself.
At the Daleen Mathee memorial we entered a hiking trail. By now we were at least 15 teams down on where we ended yesterday, so we had to be content to wait behind less confident riders in the single track. It soon turned into a mud bath and we were forced to walk the remaining 3 kms of the single track. The next 13 km's were ups and more ups. Gradients varied from 9% to 28% and I was getting increasingly frustrated by not having a full suite of gears to do the work in. By now I was becoming quite good at unclipping my right foot and tapping the chain over onto the small blade while pedalling with the left.
At 17 km's we reached the first water point. I was in no mood to hang around, so after filling the water bottles and shoving a potato in my mouth, we were off again. We were probably about 20 places down by now, but we kept on grinding. At 20 km's we were cresting jubilee creek. The views were simply breath taking (or was that the climbing). At the top we caught up the first team, then there was a second team in our sights. We were on a steep, rutted descent and used the opportunity to haul in a few more teams as this is where we could exploit the fairer sex riders' built in caution sensors. We were approaching the old mining town of Millwood and caught a few more teams. With the climb tht followed my legs were feeling strong for the first time today and we picked up the pace to haul in a few more teams. Soon we were on the Homtini Trails. Every one that go to Knysna to simply do Harkerville 4 or 5 times in a week need to go and explore this paradise of indigenous trees and bird life. With a few fast single track sections there is enough to keep the baggypantbrigade happy and get a very good work out too. The second water point stop was even quicker than the first. With my newly found legs my partner wanted us to keep moving to ensure that we don't loose rhythem. As we left the Homtini Trails we encountered a particularly muddy patch that had us pedaling hard on the drier sections to carry us through the wet patches. Another team were in our sights and then another.
Soon we were on the Reenendal road and onto the Phantom Pass. I dropped my chain on the outside of the big ring and had to stop to unhook it on the rear derreullier before we could get moving again. We crossed underneath the N2 on the Brenton-on-Sea road and had a short portage up the stairs. We continued on the lagoon side of the N2 and had another team in our sights. They were blissfully unaware of the chase from behind and we shot past with a huge burst to ensure that they would not wheelsuck to the end. A few km's to go and we were keeping a weary eye on the chasers. We turned into the Knysna water front for some urban assault through the shops and headed off to Thesen Island for the finish. 21'st for today's stage, and hopefully not too many places lost on the GC.

Knysna Seriously Strong 200 Stage 1

Stage 1: Serously Wet and Muddy
All indications were that this was going to be a really wet one. With Knysna getting over 100mm of rain in the 4 days prior to the event, we were prepping for mud and lots of it. The start of stage 1 was at the Elephant park just before Plett. We were treated to sighting of these majestic beasts about 3 km into the race. As we left the elephant park, we got the first wake-up of the day with some very rutted and muddy riding conditions on our way to the forrest roads. At about 15km we started the first of the 3 major climbs of the day. At 25 km's we got a brief respite. By now we were truly in the indigenous forests navigating our way waist deep through what was little streams a week ago. Today they were strong rivers. We had to assist some of the lady riders around us as they couldn't manage to port their bikes without being washed away. The roads were rivers too. We were switching sides every 50 meters or so in an attempt to find a line that was not too muddy. Every mud puddle was like playing Russian roulette. After being stuck behind some indecisive riders for a while we decided to do the brave thing and take the lead. Some were barely 10 cm deep, others our hubs and BB's were submerged with water. Mental note: call William to book a BB, headset and hub service next week.
At 30 km we stopped at the first water point. It had fruit, energy drinks and water. We lubes our chains, filled the bottles and were off with the rest of our group. We were climbing some steep single track sections when I had temporarily lost my small blade. I got off and jogged the ups and rode the downs for a few km's until we hit the dirt roads again. Thankfully my small blade came too again and we were merrily reunited for sections on the second monster climb from 35 to 40km's. My legs were burning and my partner was steadily pulling away, an occurrence that became familiar over the last few months, but this time I could respond and stick with him.
The last big climb tested our resolve, but we managed to put some time in on the chasing bunch. The mood was less friendly than 20 km's ago, so when we pulled into the second water point at 55km, we kept it tidy and were off soon on a fast downhill section where we opened the gap again. We were off onto a nice section of single track with a deep ditch on the one side and a sheer drop on the other. At this point my partner started to cramp up and was running his bike next to me while I was riding. Another few undulations took us to another technical rutted downhill section. We used this to our advantage and soon we were on the tarred roads in Knysna working our way to Thesen Island for the finish. We kept the pace up, was mindful of not going full gas as tomorrow would be similarly challenging. We finished the day 16'th overall, to our surprise. With some big names on the startling we probably punched above our weight today, so let's hope that the penalty is not too severe tomorrow.

Day 3 Race report - Blink and you've missed it.

The day started off at an even more leisurely pace than the day before. Another 'F' seeding and an additional 30 minutes meant we had more than enough time to get ready and pack our boxes. It seemed that the black box picked up eight overnight as it felt substantially heavier than the day before.

We were off on a down hill with some tricky off camber corners through the sugar cane fields and soon we were in some forest single track. We made quick work of 'work to be done' and got to the first water point for a splash and dash. Some more single track with dirt roads through the sugar cane fields got us to 'baby heart rate hill' and ultimately 'heart rate hill'. The second water point was also a quick stop and we rode a fast but yet comfortable pace through more cane fields and sections of single track. All too soon we crossed underneath the N2 and we were onto Scottburgh beach. My team mate dropped the pace and while I was pondering this, I saw the last nagging hill taking us up to Scottburgh High School. A new section of single track was cut right next to the school to give us a small reminder of the amazing trails we conquered over the last 3 days.

Another amazing day's riding and the operative phrase from everyone at the finish was 'next year we are going to...'. I now understand why this race is the most oversubscribed mountain biking even on the calendar. Everyone simply HAVE to come back to see how the organizers improved on what must be the ultimate mountain biking adventure.

Seen you all next year!*

* disclaimer: provided I get a sports pass from my wife for this and have sufficient leave at the office.

Day 2 race report - Can we have our desert first please?

The day started off in F batch. Even with technical issues on day 1 we managed to move up 3 start groups. With a long day ahead of us, this would work to our advantage.
We made our way to a very chilly start and had some light banter with our fellow riders before the gun went off. We proceeded to a dual track section about 4 km in and before we knew it we were on the world famous unkomaas  single track series. If we were in Paradise yesterday, then surely we were in Heaven today. The small train ahead of us were riding at about 90% of our maximum pace allowing us to move at a fast, but comfortable pace through countless switchbacks and fast, flowing single track. The 20 km of Unkomaas single track was over all too quickly and reality set in at the 30 km mark.

The next 50 km would be some of the most challenging sections I would encounter on a mountain bike. Every climb would challenge you to breaking point, and just when you would think that you've run out of steam, you'd reach the top. The first water point was a splash and dash stop, as we were planning a longer stop at the second stop. At 65 km we reached the famous Nandos stop and spent 20 minutes recovering and eating our Nandos Burgers before setting off for the next 18 km's. The terrain was rough jeep track for 14 km testing our resolve yet further. The last 4 km to the 83 km water point was again single track. By now we were riding in small groups of 2 or 3 teams and we made light work of dropping these teams to hunt down the next group. Another quick stop at 83 km and we set off for the last 16 km. Graded plantation roads laced with really great fast sections of single track got us to the last monster climb of the day. I was leading the train down one of the roughest sections of trail I've seen and we had a sick climb to negotiate to get us to Jolivet. Our position for stage 2 was 236 overall, but was not enough to bump us up to E group, as our overall position didn't change much. 

Kudo's to my partner who rode another mammoth stage like a warrior. 

Tomorrow's stage promises to be a fast and Furious affair to Scottburgh. 

Day 1 - Did you say single track?

The morning started rather relaxed and laid back. An I seeding meant an 8:30 start. Quite unusual for a 3 day race adventure. In golf they call them 'ringers'. Those guys who deliberately play off a higher handicap. Our ringer effort was however not deliberate as we had nothing to do with the seeding procedure. It didn't bother us in any way though as this is not a race where you draft for endless kilometers behind faster riders. It seems like we hit the single track on 15 km and it basically stopped at 78km of the 81km stage. With 1220m vertical ascent it was a relatively mild day from an exertion perspective. Traffic in the single track was hardly an issue as Sani2C has a system called dual track. You basically have sections where 2 stretches of single track runs parallel with each other. Usually the riders keeping the field up keeps left and the faster riders pass through the right side. We encountered some mud from 1/2 way, but I guess it wouldn't be Sani2C if we didn't have any mud. My team mate rode like a deamon and his fast pace in the first half combined with the altitude (max of about 1750m above sea level) challenged my lungs to the max. The plan was to keep the revs up until we got to the floating bridge to ensure that we were not held up there. This obstacle requires more or less a clear run, as the bridge sinks underneath the weight of rider and bike. Compound this with 3 or4 riders in close proximity and you have a catastrophe. A few riders 'got wet' today, but we had a clear run on the bridge. At about 50 km I had a slow puncture on my front wheel. We tried to plug the hole, but ended up opening it up as it would not inflate. We call them marshans. It is when the sealant in your tyre emusifies and forms a rubber ball with spikes and tentacles on them. Fortunately my riding partner is an undercover McGuyver and had sealant in his camelback. We topped up the sealant and carried on. I had to stop every 5 ams from here on to keep pumping the tyre, but at this stage my partner was struggling with cramps and the short breaks enabled him to recover a bit.
It was over all over too soon.
Tomorrow we tackle a big day with just short of 2000m of ascent and 97 km. It contains some of the best riding in SA. I am so amped for this, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to sleep tonight!
Thanks to all the riders who allowed us to shoot past on the single track. Apart from one or 2 teams not yielding to faster riders, we had a clean run orat least a fast run behind some skilled riders throughout the ride.
Now for my massage and to sort out that slow puncture.

Countdown

Today was my last big ride before Sani2C. Conventional wisdom dictates that I should have been tapering for a week by now, but after Sani2C there are other fish to fry and with Tulbagh being labelled the toughest Epic venue to date I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do the race.
It all started rather sedately behind the pace car. Soon we ascended a mountain slope to the west of Saronsberg. The views must be spectacular on a regular day, but this morning the mist was blanketing us for the first 3 hours, keeping temperatures cool. Perfect cycling weather. We reached the first water point just after the king of the mountain banners thinking that the big climb was now behind us. Another 5 km and a few sadistic forays up and down orchards and olive groves and we were moving down the mountain at breakneck speed. The descent was great fun with every turn being an off camber turn. All the while we were circumventing Saronsberg in an anti-clockwise direction, keeping it in our sights in the distance. A few farm roads laced with non-technical single track took us past 2 water points and ascending the mountains east of Tulbagh. We were doing a 90deg turn every 500 meters with short steep climbs and short descents sapping our energy all the while. The Single track sections taking us down into the valley. We realized that the route was going to be much longer than the advertised 75 km and rode a comfortable pace to cross the finish line 84km and 5h43m later.
A really tough day out on the bike, but just reward for the drive and the entry fee.
The route was well marked and marshaled. A good addition would have been markers indicating how many km's were left. The water points were stocked with fruit and energy drinks. I'll definitely be back for more of what this valley and the surrounding mountains can offer.

Cross training to the next level

I was out at Theewaterskloof dam for the Spur Tri-Challenge short route (400m swim, 10km mtb, 4km trail run). Fortunately my training partner and I decided to downgrade from the full event (800m swim, 20km mtb and 10km trail run). They both have tri athlon experience where this was my first attempt at this sort of thing. The morning started off chilly with a north easterly wind chopping up the water nicely for the swim. Both the 800m and 400m swim started at the same time. I got advice from the pro’s and stayed on the outside of the swimmers ahead of me to ensure that the stronger swimmers don’t swim over me. The first 100m was great, then I swallowed a mouth full of water as a swimmer kicked me in the ribs passing me. I was about 40 meters from the first buoy and started to swim a breast stroke to the boey. There I caught my breath and vacated my spot for my training partner to anchor himself to the buoy. His fiance was telling me to carry on, she’ll wait for him. I was looking at her like she’s crazy. I was carrying on. That was my best effort! A combination of backstroke, breast stroke and G-stroke (new type of style that I will demonstrate at the next event that combines the butterfly stroke with a back stroke / water treading maneuver) got me to the slipway.  As the 800m swimmers completed their second lap. Somewhere my partner passed me. He and his fiance waited for me to safely exit the water.

The bike ride was a 10km flat route with about 30m of climbing. The deal was that we wait for her on the bike, if she waited for us in the water and on the trail. I recovered suffiently to tackle the trail run of 4km.

The trail run was also a non-technical run with slightly more climbing than the mtb leg of the event. I did my fastest 4km yet in 21 minutes.

Sunday it felt like I did a 6 hour race. Everything was tired/sore, so I took the day off to recover for the Safari 10km walk with my wife the Monday.

How hard can a walk be? Well let me tell you, it seems harder on my legs than a 10km jog. We walked the 10km in just over 1h30minutes. My trail running shoes didn’t treat my shins well with the walk, and I am now nursing some early shin splints with rest and transact patches. It should be 100% for Grabouw this weekend.

Things I have learnt (and some of the stuff I knew, but deliberately ignored):

-          400m open water swim is about the same as a 1400m swim in the gym’s nice warm pool with a line tiled on the bottom to follow and a side to hang on to every 25m.

-          Challenging your lungs with a swim before riding and running takes a lot out of you.

-          Doing an event socially with no competitive motive is a lot of fun.

-          Don’t underestimate a seemingly unchallenging, but new work-out. The 10km walk on Monday still hurts in some places.

Eselfontein getaway

Eselfontein getaway

One of my favorite places in the Western Cape is Eselfontein. The accommodation may be rustic, to book here is as much a challenge as some of the more advanced routes on the farm and you can consider yourself lucky if the lady arranging the booking sends you the correct code for the gate, but once inside you enter the original mountain bikers paradise. 

We stayed in the Eco huts for this trip. 6 small thatch huts neatly spaced between the pine trees with a braai and lapa, bathrooms and if you want hot water, there is a good old “donkey” (firewood based water heating system)

Friday night was meet and greet familiar and new faces and after supper we all turned in. Saturday morning we hit the trails after a good breakfast, and soon we were swooping through the single track from the huts all the way to the enchanted forest, the dark forest and over the rocky hill climbs and descent. Up at Phillips creek we opted to take the Forest single track section home opposed to Shapiro’s drop. The rest of the day was spent walking to the dam, chatting to friends, repairing our bikes from the morning’s ride and lazing around in general. 

We geared up for a night ride and tackled the trails lit by the full moon and our 1400lumens bike lights and returned to the huts for hot showers and supper. The trails seemed to get the better of most of us and the camp went quiet after 10pm. 

Sunday morning we all slept in. I can’t remember when I last slept till 8am in the morning. By 9 the morning ride started. Small groups formed scouting off into different directions according to each groups preferences and time frames. I opted for the dark forest, Rocky hill climb and descent, Phillips Creek and Shapiro’s drop back to the huts to complete a great weekend with friends. 

With 31 days to Sani2C, I am feeling well prepared and I am slightly behind on my weight loss programme. I seemed to get stuck on 92kg’s for the last few weeks. Fortunately my gym programme, the running and the recent swimming seems to start paying dividends. 3 more hard weeks of training and then 10 days of tapering should see me  fit and in shape for South Africa’s most popular stage race. 

Lourensford Vigne a Vigne race report

Lourensford Vigne a Vigne race report

The curtain call for the ABSA Cape Epic has become an institution for us lesser mortals. With a challenging route and a strong field, the racing was fiercely competitive.

The weather was perfect for riding with slightly overcast conditions. The non-seeded start was refreshing and simple as the first part of the route would serve as a natural seeding mechanism. Soon riders were being passed and others were flying through to the front. 

The first 15 km of the route consisted of about 500 meters climbing on good graded roads with a brief, but enjoyable stretch of single track. The next 5 km offered a brief respite for the tired legs. Being a slow starter, I rode within myself on the first climb to get the legs warmed up. At 20 km the big climb of the day took us high onto the slopes of the Helderberg with a 17 km climb of 700 meters. I started reeling in riders on the big climb and with good legs kept working hard throughout the race. Some great sections of singletrack broke up the big climb and the legs were ready to kick again once we left the singletrack sections. I was fortunate to not be held up a lot in the singletrack sections and consolidated the gains made on each climb in the singletrack. 

From 37km the race took us down the slopes with a few undulating climbs in-between. The last section of singletrack was just reward for a hard days riding. With a few back markers on the 26km route on the trail, the racing was interesting going into the orchards on our approach to the finish. 

I finished strongly on the race. As always the ride was a tough but enjoyable one. The route was well marked with warnings at any potentially dangerous sections, but I did unfortunately pass a few riders that got caught on some of the tricky sections. I stopped briefly at the second water point at 37 km. The Epic volunteers on duty was helpful and enthusiastic. After a hard week working on the Epic we got awesome service. The finish area was simply incredible. Careful not to intrude on the Epic riders moment of glory, we finished in the far corner of the venue. Hot showers, ample ablution facilities, a wide range of drinks and food at the finish venue and the incredible vibe of the Epic makes this a must-do for those not brave enough to tackle the Epic. 

In closing I would like to congratulate all the riders who completed this year’s edition of the ABSA Cape Epic, This year’s race was described by the Pro’s as the hardest Epic yet. Well done to everyone who stood on that podium to receive their T Shirt and medal. 

The funrider’s day of victory

The funrider’s day of victory

The second weekend in March will for many weekend warriors be the single most important one of their cycling calendar. Its Argus weekend! There is always a marked increase in cycling activity from January on our roads, the spinning classes are full and the buzz steadily increases as race weekend approaches. The build-up is always just as exciting with South Africa’s biggest cycling Expo’s where cycling enthusiasts can go and drool over the latest bike-porn, stock up on much needed (or much wanted) supplies, talk shop with like minded cycling geeks and plan and strategise on how to justify spending R80 000 on that Dogma with your name on it.

We visited the Expo on Saturday afternoon, and by then the rush was mostly over. I particularly enjoyed the Mavic stand (love those wheels) as well as the Vermarc clothing stand.  I’d like to get the figures on what the sales turn-over was at the expo. I’m guessing well in excess of R50 million.

The Expo is probably the one area where the Cape Town Cycle Trust can still grow the event. As exciting as it was walking through the stands, there were many  brands that was not represented at the Expo. I think that a change of venue to the CTICC may stimulate interest from a wider audience as well as getting more players in the cycling field onboard.

Saturday evening was spent packing and prepping for the big one and Sunday morning we watched the start at home, before heading into Town. We parked in the V&A and made our way to the start with time to spare. My wife seemed relaxed next to me and everyone was in good spirit as we set off for what promised to be a perfect day in Cape Town with close to 40 000 other riders.

All too soon we were ascending Edinburgh Drive and with a little help, my wife was free-wheeling down Blue Route all smiles. At the top of Blue Route I stopped to help a desperate lady repair a flat tyre. 2 minutes with the right equipment and lots of practice, and I was off chasing my wife. I caught up with her at the bottom of Boyes Drive and with a little more assistance, we were cruising through Kalk Bay onto Simons Town for our first scheduled stop. The ride up Smitswinkel proved too tough for Rochelle and we decided to pack it in just before Misty Cliffs. As we picked up other survivors in the PissieBussie, new resolutions were made by under prepared and unfit riders around me to do better next year.

I must admit that this was by far my most enjoyable Argus ever. The odd rider that passed me on my left or stopped right in front of me as we ascended Boyes Drive was ignored or laughed about. I really had time to take in the vibe and the scenery and it was great sharing the experience with the person that means more to me than anything else in this world. Doing this Argus with her made all the hours on the bike, early morning rides, hard Gym sessions and other sacrifices worth while as there is a real sense of pleasure when you share your experiences with people that matters to you.

We’ll be back next year to finish the ride and this time there will be much more training rides together to make sure that both of us are properly prepared for the ride.

To all of you that finished your Argus, whether you’ve done it in 2h33 or whether it was 6h58, well done and see you on the route next year.

The Gym session that (nearly) killed me...

The Gym session that (nearly) killed me...

On Monday I was invited by my training partner to partake in a training session with his personal trainer. Over the last few months he has steadily improved, where I stagnated. We both do the hours on the bike, we both lost quite a bit of weight, we both are going to Gym regularly. The only differences were that he had a personal trainer with a dedicated programme and he managed 2 tough multi stage races since October where I had a moderate stage race in December. 

I was early enough to get a 2 minute warm up in before the session started. She looked friendly enough, and was quite pleasant as she took us to an unused corner in the Gym for the start of the routine. 

Very soon I realized that I was in for a fight. I was fighting the weights, I was fighting the trainer and I was fighting my partner who was obeying her instructions unquestioningly. As we worked through the routine I realized that I was in a comfort zone regarding my gym work. Here not even Chris knew what was coming next. The focus was simply to execute every instruction as well as you could. 

I put up a brave fight, but ultimately I was beaten. I had no control over the routine or the weights used. Only thing I had control over was the reps I ended up doing, but even this boiled down to a matter of pride. I couldn’t compete with my partner, but I could try to avoid total embarrassment. 

Not a moment too soon 50 minutes was up and we proceeded to the 10 minute stretching session. “Good!” I thought, at least I’ve been stretching a bit more than before and I’ve been trying to get to the odd Yoga and Pilates class. This should not hurt as much as the work-out. I was wrong again. I made a huge mental note to do some serious deep stretching more regularly, as it was apparent that I was merely scratching the surface with my attempts at stretching too. 

On Monday night, I knew I was going to be in trouble. By Tuesday morning I was walking like a constipated duck and by Wednesday (today) it felt that someone has hit me with a sledge hammer on my sternum and abs with the abs routine that I was subjected to. At least I managed to get 2 good commutes in, but at recovery ride pace. Hopefully I would have recovered sufficiently by tomorrow to be able to get up from my desk without having to focus all my attention to the task at hand. I also figured out that using the paraplegic toilets at shopping malls is a good idea when you need handles around you to get up from the toilet. Just a pity that the disabled parking bays are still off limits. 

I will have to take this week to recover and will be focussing on guiding my wife through her first Argus on Sunday, but next week I will have to face the music and devise ways to be moved out of my comfort zone. I have already acted on this resolution by entering the Knysna 1/2 marathon in July. I intend to mix up my riding a bit more with good hard tempo rides and intervals, and I am eagerly awaiting the Wednesday night rides orginised by Chris Willemse cycles that was such a hit last year. I will also have to book a series of sessions with the personal trainer to help me with my gym routine and my physio has also offered to help me with a routine for when I am working on my own in the gym.

Until then I will be sleeping in my compression pants and living on cataflams. 

If at first you don't succeed...

If at first you don’t succeed...

This weekend was supposed to be a big one. Months of training, a good eating plan, good preparation races. Everything was in place and all indications were that we were ready for this. 

The race is the CA 2 C (Cape Town to sea), or what seems to be an 11th hour sponsorship, Die Burger Weskusser. The event was conceived after the highly successful Renosterveld 3 day mountain bike challenge in September 2010 by the same orginisers. 

On Friday we arrived at Clara Anna Fontein to register and collect our race packs. The goodie bag was amazing. Aca Joe Golf shirt, sludge hamper, CO2 canister, USN Vooma gel, USN pro sports bar and a few other bits and pieces. 

After a good nights rest we gathered at Clara Anna Fontein for the start, which was moved on to 6:30 from 6:00 to ensure that SABC2’s TV crew were given enough time to set up and have good enough light to shoot the start. We eventually started at 7:10, and immediately it was apparent that this was going to be a long hard day on the bike.

We traversed “Bloemendal Hill” from the Eastern side and did a full circuit of Contermanskloof before we crossed the Vissershok road. 25 kms of racing and we were 2 km from our start.

We had a quick stop at Meerendal and was off, straight up the big climb on Meerendal and down onto the quarry with a very technical descent. 30km into the race and we have climbed 1200m already. 

All around riders were suffering and a strong South Easter was kind at times, but brutal at others. 45km into the race it was apparent that something was very wrong with me. I had no power in my legs, my balance was off and soon I was vomiting. My partner had to wait for me at the top of every climb and at the 55km water point he advised me to pull out. It was a very tough decision to make. I don’t quit. Period. But soon the medics attended to me and I was told in no uncertain terms that to continue would be suicide. So my race was over 4 hours into day 1. I was gutted. My wife was at Phillidelphia an hour later to pick me up. A rider struggling with a flat front wheel asked hopefully if he can borrow my bike. I laughed and then realised that he was serious, so I turned around and walked off. 

As I got to the finish line at 1pm, only 8 riders were in. 6 hours into the race with practically the whole field still out there. 

I collected my bag at my tent and as I walked back to my car. I passed what seemed to be a hall of fame of Epic, Pioneer and even some Trans Alp luggage bags back to the car - all of them still out there fighting the elements. 

As I waited for my partner the riders crossed the line one by one and here and there small groups of 3 or 4 riders limped in. I didn’t see many smiles as the riders came in. Asking on how the second half was, the most common response was blank stares and shaking of heads. 

At 4pm Chris finally dragged his tired body across the line. As he got off his bike, he collapsed. The medics who already had their hands full attended to him smartly. After a graphic description of the sand, more sand and the tough second half, Chris asked me to load his bike and get his luggage. Another 9 hour day would not benefit his Epic training in any way, and as he was dehydrated and feeling ill (much like myself earlier), he would rather recover and be ready for a mid-week training session. 

Soon sweeper vehicles with bakkie loads of bikes and riders came to the finish, dropping broken bodies and their equipment to go back for more. 

I am unsure of the final figure, but I suspect that more than 40% of the day 1 starters did not start on day 2. Surely the orginisers would tone down day 2 of the event, but the damage was done. It is evident that there is a fine line between a success and disaster. From an orginisational point of view, every detail was thought of and nothing was too much trouble. This is what we became accustomed to during the Renosterveld, and at CA 2 C it was certainly at the same level. It is easy to be overly critical, but some constructive comments and advice follows:

• 7am was maybe too late for the race to start
• the Bloemendal/Contermanskloof loop could have been left out and some of the more moderate Meerendal trail could have been used. We spent 2 hours doing a 25km loop that took us very close to where we started.
• more water points should have been enroute. 3 was not enough. 
• the 8km of unridable sand needed a better solution. There was 1 tractor doing duty, but if this section was unavoidable, having 3 or 4 vehicles on standby to shuttle riders through on  say 5 minute intervals, with a time credit at the end for time spent waiting for a pick-up could have saved many riders another hour in the field.
• February is possibly too dry to attempt this event in the future. September was a good time for the Renosterveld race (same orginisers)
• initial marketing advertised the event as 1800m climbing over 110 km day 1 and 1200m climbing over 120km day 2 (from memory). This changed to 2300m climbing over 115 km day 1 and unless day 2 was altered, 2100m climbing with 110km riding on day 2. This was 1400m of additional climbing from what was sold initially to the riders. Better route planning should therefor be done before entries opened. Only 2 or 3 races can get away with opening entries and then releasing route info later. This is not one of them. 

In closing I hope that those who started day 2 had a much more enjoyable time than on day 1. Riders spent a lot of money to enter for the event, and when it is too tough, the spirit of the event is compromised. Hopefully the orginisers will go back to the drawing board and come up with a better balanced event next time around, and hopefully the riders will come out to support the event in future. We need good event orginisers and we need good events. This one has the potential to become a real classic, but 3 weeks before the Epic, riders want 5 to 6 hours of riding time and sufficient time to recover for the next day.

So if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. I am sure that the next event brought to us by Renosterveld Mountainbiking will be one to look forward to. 

Lighthouse to Lighthouse race report

Lighthouse to lighthouse.

Stage 1

The day started off with way too little sleep being had. Last night's U2 concert was still ringing in my ears and with 2 hours sleep since then, I had to face a long day on the bike. The start was a low-key affair at danger point lighthouse with an informal start line formed up, and then a start to the race with no announcer or official starting things off. Quickly we progressed to Franskraal and Pearly Beach via an urban assult-type trail that incorporated walking trails, beach access paths and the neighborhood's beachfront roads. A good long stretch of tarred road got the legs warmed up and the riding groups sorted out early on. We were riding in a group of about 10 riders that were steadily catching a group of 5 riders ahead of us. Soon we were one bunch with the workload being shared by us and 2 other "teams" (officially this is a solo race). We soon left the comfort of the tarred road for a corrugated dirt road with 4 or so mild climbs. The group was getting smaller with riders going off the back with every climb, and one or 2 stragglers being collected from the leading group as well. About 30 kilometers into the race one of the stragglers was being confronted with the reality that our group too was too strong for him. In his attempt to try and stay with the group, he ended up speeding past me and a few riders that was recovering from a stint at the front. As the group accelerated, I started to move back up to the front. The straggler veered into my front wheel and "switched" me. I hit the dirt road with my shoulder and my left knee. The rider stopped and looked around with a shocked-horror expression on his face as I uttered an obscene word or 2. I got up gingerly and checked my bike and myself and assured the rider that I was ok. My partner who stopped ahead came back to check on me and soon we were chasing the bunch down. We lost about 3 minutes on them and caught them just as we entered a water point. We were now about 9 riders making good time through some splendid farming country. My shoulder was stiffening up as we went through a rain shower, but my left knee felt ok as I focussed to keep it from stiffening up by pedalling on the climbs and descents. 5 of the group tried to make a move after another water point, but another team and us waited for the sandy stretch to catch and drop the 5. The other team seemed experienced enough not to panic and chose their moment well at the start of the sandy section. We stopped to deflate our tyres and soon we have lost sight of the 2 in front of us and another 1 of our group. 4 of the 5 that was in the break was now falling back rapidly in the sand. We were alternating on and off the sandy trail for the next 10 kilometers. Soon we were on the beach for another 10 km stretch on sand and through sections with fynbos dunes and rocky beaches. We passed one of our former comrades on the beach. He was suffering and couldn't hang on, so we moved along. Certain sections required decision making to scale rocky coastal sections or to port our bikes over sandy dunes with dense milkwood and fynbos. As we reached the last water point we were told 10 km to go. We resisted the temptation to open the throttle and completed the 90km stage in 4:20 in 30'th and 31'st overall.

Stage 2

The day started with a bit of confusion, as the start was delayed by 1 hour from 7 to 8am. Some riders decided to ignore the new start time and set off at 7. I can imagine how this could have ended in disaster. 

At 8am we started on a near perfect day. A light South Easterly was edging us on during a fast start. Soon we were in the dunes and back on the beach re-tracing our steps from the previous day. We let some air out of the tyres again and made our way to the 10km sandy stretch from day 1. We knew what to expect, and made light work of the sand. As we left the sand, Chris tried to inflate his rear tyre, but air was escaping from the tyre at a steady rate. We nursed his rear tyre to the second water point of the day, where he proceeded to put a tube into his tubeless system. The first tube was a dudd, so I took out my tube, and soon we were riding again. Some 15 cyclists passed us while we changed our tube and soon we were catching riders again. The second tube was losing air as well, and one of our mates kindly gave us a tube half way from the water point to Elim. Soon we were nursing the third tube along when our “support crew” passed us. We did a wheel change and figured that as outside support was not mentioned in the rules we were not breaking any rules. 

With the new rear wheel we were now riding like 2 men possessed. We hit the town Elim just as the church service finished. Unsuspecting church goers got the shock of their lives as they were crossing the road just as we passed the church. We left with a few shouts of “sorry!” and “watch out” and soon Elim was a distant memory. Over the rolling hills we kept the pace up. My shoulder was killing me from the fall on stage one. Mental note: Get a physio appointment on Monday for some dry needling...ouch!

Soon we made our way past Baardskeerdersbos and as we hit the tarred road to Gansbaai we were still passing riders. The wind had also turned from a gentle South Easter to a gusty South North East Wester. It seemed like every turn we took, we encountered a head wind. 

We caught up with Kerry who gave us her tube earlier and helped her along in the head wind. As soon as we had the Danger Point lighthouse in sight, Kerry sent us on our way to finish the race in style. We caught another rider or 2 in the last few kilometers and crossed the finish line, 24th and 25th overall. A great effort with at least 30 minutes lost due to technical issues. 

Weight loss and carrot cake

Ask any cyclist, social, or competitive if he is happy with his/her weight. The answer will be an unanimous “I can do dropping a few kg’s”

I contemplated this phenomenon over a slice of carrot cake at my favourite coffee shop late November last year, still blissfully in denial about the 9kg’s I’ve picked up since my wedding day 7 months prior. That night I had bad dreams about the carrot cake wanting to eat me. It struck me then: The carrot cake was busy eating me, and so was the chips in the cupboard and the slab of chocolate I had after my last ride. I needed to do something about my eating habits and fast. Attakwas was less than 2 months away, and in 2010 I had a very hard race, not training nearly enough. I addressed my training early enough. I was doing between 10 and 14 hours a week and the gym programme I was doing with my best friend was proving useful, but if only I could magically drop the 9kg’s and maybe even another 5 for good measure...

Nothing worth getting in life comes easy, so I had to go back to the drawing board to see what worked in the past. A few years ago just before I started mountain biking, I was a hefty 113kg’s. After a year of hard work, eating properly and training hard, I was at 89kg’s. Now I was back at 102kg’s and not feeling too good about it. I couldn’t finish my last bite of carrot cake, as it suddenly made me nauseous.

So what worked last time? In 2006 I joined Weigh Less, and tackled it like I do most things in life: With purpose and almost obsessive attention to detail. It contributed in a big way to my weight loss, but over the last few years, I drifted away from the good eating habits I cultivated at Weigh Less. I was tempted to get out the old booklet and simply try to eat better, but realised quickly that I needed the 3 way support Weigh Less offered me, namely the group leader support, the weekly group support and the eating plan. So I joined again on 3 December, got my eating plan and I was on my way to 88kg’s.

Since 3 December I have lost 7.4 kgs. Its been a slow process, being made more difficult by, mountain biking weekends and races (where you want to eat everything you see afterwards) the Christmas holidays, various work functions and lunches, birthdays and other celebrations in-between, but every week I become more motivated to eat properly and to get to my goal weight. Its amazing what a few kg’s can do for your riding. Its obvious that you’ll be climbing like a mountain goat and that your heart will cope better with the stresses of the sport, but other subtle changes also contribute hugely to better enjoying the sport, like better balance, easier breathing and less stress on knees, hands and your back. Consider riding around with an 7kg backpack for a long ride. I had to do this last week as I did not plan my commute properly and had to pack clothes etc for work the morning. I was glad that the ride was over, and on Friday afternoon on my way to Silvermine gate appreciated being 7.4 kg’s lighter as we peddled along.

The initial challenge was to be at 94.5kg’s by 28 February. I am still on track to reach this goal.

Sani 2 C - Its closer than you think

Ok so a few weeks ago I got to the office and realised that I needed to think about the logistics around Sani2C. For those hearing about Sani2C for the first time, its simply one of the best multi stage mountain bike races around. http://www.sani2c.co.za/ for more info.
Since I live in Cape Town, and the race is about 1800km up country, driving makes very little sense. So first step was to book a plane ticket. I shopped around for a good budget flight and found a return flight to King Shaka Int Airport (Durban) and back to Cape Town for a reasonable R1600, including an extra 10kg luggage allowance to ensure that I don't have to pay in extra for my bike with check in.
Accomodation was a bit trickier. The race starts in Underberg on the foot of the Drakensberg, just before the Lesotho border, and come Sani2C finding a bed is expensive. I got lucky with a booking at Pile Inn. Upon enquiry I was told that it is right across the road from the start venue, but the cost was quite steep at R1900 for 2 nights, as during busy times like these, they don't have a single room rate. At least the rate included breakfast on the 2 mornings and pasta dinner the night before the race. I wondered about the wisdom to be in Underberg 2 days before the start, and had to remind myself what the consequences would be if a flight was delayed, my bike didn't arive with my other luggage or any of the usual Airport desasters.
Now I needed to figure out how to get from Durban to Underberg. Google is you friend, and she duly supplied me with the details of a shuttle service from Durban to Underberg. I enquired, only to find out that my Monday afternoon flight needed to be a Monday morning flight as the shuttle departs promptly at 1pm. So I had to pay an additional R600 to change from the afternoon flight to the morning flight. So finally the shuttle was sorted out.
The race is a fully catered event that runs 2 start groups on 2 consecutive days, the Adventure starts on 18 May and the Race starts on 19 May. Having entered the non-competitive adventure meant that we would have the benefit of riding the prestine single track first, getting the best Sani2C has to offer. We would arive at Scottburgh on Friday, 20 May for a well earned rest.
My wife is unfortunately not able to take the whole week off to come and support me, but she had put in leave for Friday, and will fly in on Thursday afternoon, so at least she will be there at the finish.
I've booked for the weekend at Ocean View Resort in Umkomaas. I look forward to go to one of the supporters points on the Saturday to see how the pro's do on their final stage.
Cost to date for this event:
Flights (for me and my wife) R4200
Race entry R3990
Accommodation Underberg R1900
Shuttle service R350
Ocean View Resort R900
Total R11340
I hope to keep the total expenditure for the whole trip to under R14000.