Bastille MTB mud fest

Last wednesday I felt like my cold is 90% gone and decide to enter for the Bastille MTB race 40km held in Franschhoek.

Sunday morning I get up and get ready to go pickup Sune and I realized it will be a cold race with a little drizzle from the sky.

Driving down Franschhoek main road you could see there was a big party at the Bastille festival saturday night. Parking was just next to the road in small fields. Registration was a easy, maybe partly as we where early. Got our numbers and went back to the car to get ready. Few minutes later they announce that  start is delay by 15min.

After almost turning into an ice cube the race started. First 8km was flat on a combination of gravel, tar and paved roads so the field can spread out. This went by really fast but was followed by climb on tar before we finally drop into nature. Next few km's was rocky jeep track with water streams coming down the track at times. After this bit I was soak from my toes to my lower back water and mud. It was 40min in and still freezing. My body was just not building up enough heat to counter the cold fully.

Now 11km in is where things went wrong and about 1/3 of the group, of which was the front bunch, went wrong and did not even know it. We where suppose to turn left but kept straight. The first sign that we went wrong was when we saw a signboard on the wrong side of the fence. Not knowing where we went wrong a group of us, maybe about 10-20, hop over the fence. Turns out that we cut out about 10km part of the route, which they say was the best part  of the route. This was only found out at the end.

After hoping the fence we continue on the route. After a few km's I realized something was wrong as we had done 20km and and not even 200m of climb where we must do 1200 in the 40km. Soon after this we start a climb. A non stop climb of 276m in 4.03km. I just keep telling myself what goes up must come down. But the down was bit of a downer. There was loads of clay and it was so slippery that I had no choice but to take it carefully down.

At the bottom we start doing small ups and downs thought the farms towards the end but thick dark mud with very little to zero traction. I few times I was peddling but stayed in the same place. Just had to get off and try to walk.

Close to the end I aimed for every water puddle i saw just to rinse me and the bike little.

I think one the reason for people getting lost was they used white powder chalk at some places and being wet and many riders going over it, chances are it might disappear.

Because so many got the route wrong and was so much earlier in, they did the lucky draw much earlier, and the people doing the full route and no chance for the lucky draw.

My overall impression of the event is not great. I can't say it was one thing but maybe a combination of everything. The main bad points for me was at the start/finish there you had to stand or sit on the soaking wet grass and the route could have been beter marked. Also the spirit was not great. I got the feeling everyone just want to get out of there.