Paul Cluver / Thandi Trails - Fun, Fun!, FUN!!!

Today was the opening of the Paul Cluver / Thandi Trails mountain biking trail system. Those who ride the Epic or Wines2Whales races would be familiar with the trails, but for those of us that tend to race a bit further from home, the opening of these trails heralds a new era in the Grabouw area.
Long, long ago we had only Lebanon. Then Oak Valley got prominence when the ABSA Cape Epic established Oak Valley as the penultimate stop of the race. Since Grabouw has seen some trails at Oude Molen Distillery opening, but I am unsure whether these trails are still operational. Thandi had for a short time trails to ride, but I only ever rode these on invitation with locals that got permission to ride here. Now the trails are open for everyone and for most parts well marked.
Surely there is room for a light multi stage event incorporating the 3 Musketeers of the Grabouw/Elgin Valley, but more on this in a future blog. The focus today is purely on Paul Cluver / Thandi.
I have often been critical of the PPA for being too political and not enough cycling orientated. Here is another example, with the Schapenberg trails, of what can be accomplished with members fees.
On arrival at Thandi the parking lot was filled to the brim and eager mountain bikers were chomping at the bit to get a crack at the trail. The number board system employed at Schapenberg was copied for Thandi and after paying my trail fee I was issued with a temporary number for the ride.
The first section of the course reminds me of a typical cross country course with countless switchbacks taking you higher and higher in the plantations. The big difference is that the gradient is kinder than most XC type courses and that the switches are well placed, leveled and beginner-friendly. The climbs are stepped throughout the first 5 km and laced with fun sections of single track in the pine and wattle plantations. At the turning point the trail points mostly downwards and takes you past the newly built BMX track that promises to be lots of fun. But before you get to the BMX track you have some fun single track sections with sheer drops on your right from time to time, so remember not to look down while riding this section as vertigo while riding is not ideal.
After a nice warm-up like this the trail takes you up the first sections of switchbacks and at the crossing point you cross over from Thandi to Paul Cluver. The trail runs on mostly good farm roads with very technical black sections (the infamous Pofadder section included) looping out of the red loop. I refrained from riding some of the more technical sections as the rainy weather and a tyre combination on the hard tail less suited for wet weather persuaded me otherwise.
30km later I was back at the start and with over 600m of ascent in the short distance it provided a good workout.
Well done to PPA, Wines2Whales and all involved with bringing another world class trail to the riders. With our imminent move to Somerset West an annual permit is surely on the cards for me to ride these trails.

Two Oceans - The view from the back

On Saturday morning I got up earlier than I have ever gotten up for any race in my life, cycling included. The alarm buzzed at 3am and by 3:45am we were ready to collect 2 more crazies for the 1/2 marathon.
We stopped outside the Baxter just as the last party goers left the clubs after a big night out. I tried to get into my race routine before the time, but with 3 ladies in the car, it was impossible to go through my visualization routine. We made our way to the start at about 5, with about an hour for the race to start. A 30 minute wait for a toilet saw me starting right at the back of "E" group, meaning that there were roughly 16 000 runners ahead of me.
At 6 the gun went off and at about 6:09 I crossed the start line with a slow walk. The first 4km was a stop-start affair, but once we were on Wynberg Hill I could get into my stride. This being the first climb I was taking it rather slow, but to my surprise I kept passing other runners and with some weaving through the traffic ahead of me I managed to string a few sub 7min/km kilo's together. With the turn onto Ladies mile my pace was steady and I was feeling quite good, but the persistent weaving to make my way up the field was starting to grate me.
With the turn onto Southern Cross Drive the heavens opened and in a matter of 5 minutes the roads were flooded with the first winter rains and we were all drenched. The cold would set in later. The immediate challenge would be to keep momentum up Southern Cross Drive. I knew that slowing down or walking would bring with it stiffening muscles and my core temperature dropping.
As we turned onto Rhodes Drive I started to feel the cold for the first time. I made a quick calculation and realized that I needed to run the remaining 6.1km in 33 minutes to get to the sub 2h30 mark.

GAME ON!

I lengthened my stride and kept looking down to my Garmin unit. A few 5:50min / km kilo's gave me renewed hope for that 2h30min. The road narrowed at places and now I was not weaving anymore but simply shoving my way past runners that was walking 4 abreast after obviously starting out too fast. A few dirty looks my way made me even more determined to get to UCT within my goal time.
As I turned in onto the sports field at UCT I saw the time on the stadium clock at 2h29m flat. The next 300m felt like 3 miles as I went from my brief jog into a full sprint for the last 200m.
I crossed the line in 2h29m53s. After getting my medal the search started to find my wife. With the ensuing rain the big screen where we were supposed to meet was taken down. So I had time to reflect on my accomplishment as I grazed on the rugby field looking for my wife.
As after every race I had a good think about what I could take from this event. Here is what I have learnt:
- Training is important, but getting to the start chute early is even more important. With no staggered start the first 4kms of the event could best be described at chaotic.
- Be prepared. What saved me in many ways was having an energy bar with me as I came up Southern Cross Drive. A few bites made sure that I would get to the end. When I got to the car I could change into dry, warm clothes that surely saved me getting a cold (fingers crossed on this one) and knowing where to find good coffee in times of peril is a life saver.
- Fixed meeting points are way more reliable than temporary ones. My wife stood in the rain for another hour while our 2 passengers to the race were grazing looking for her. By the time they got to the car, they were frozen stiff.
- Reliable weather forecasts helps with preparing for events. Thanks yr.no for an up to the minute prediction on the rain. SA Weather - why are you bothering?
- Acknowledge the support on the side of the road. Thanks to all that braved the rain to come out and cheer us along. You feel like a champion with people shouting your name as you passed (OK - so our race numbers had our names on, quite nice I thought!)

Next big challenge is surely Sani2C, which promises to be bigger and better than last year. With 5 weeks of training time left I have some hard work to do, but at the same time I am looking forward to 3 days in the saddle on what must surely be sacred ground in mountain biking circles.

World Funride champs time again!

So its almost time for the World Funride Championship, a.k.a. the Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour. Following online discussions on the event one gets a sense of the amount of time and effort that is invested for so many that make the annual trek. For us Cape Townians the event is less spectacular, especially if you ride your bike for more than 2 months of the year. We can do this ride on any given weekend and we often do, but there is just some intangible quality that is brought to the race when 29 999 other riders line up at the start with you. I am looking forward to the Expo where I can drool over the latest and greatest in the cycling industry, all be it at a very tired looking Good Hope Centre (if someone from the Cycle Trust is reading this, why not have the Expo at the CTICC!!!). Then there is the preparations on the Saturday, getting to Town early on Sunday, watching the pro's set off just before sunrise, lining up in your start chute and finally setting off.
This year my wife and I decided to give it a go on a tandem. I've had numerous responses from friends and family ranging from "WOW!, THAT'S GREAT!" to "I KNOW A GOOD DIVORCE LAWYER". As we were only able to get a tandem about 6 weeks ago, we are feeling slightly under prepared at this point, but from what I gather about 80% of the riders in the race feels underdone.
Another thing that differentiates the Argus from any other race is the element of surprise. You ALWAYS cross paths with the most unusual suspects at the event and you are left thinking afterwards " WHAT IS THE ODDS!" 29 999 other riders and we bump into each other.
Full road closures and more support than at last year's Curry Cup Final makes the event even more attractive and for one day in the year the Average Joe's and Joanne's all feel like champions.
To all of you out there taking part again. Be it for your first, or whether you're a seasoned campaigner, may the winds be friendly and the climbs gentle. If you pass a grey tandem with 2 riders wearing blue Visual Edge kit, give us a wave, or even better, a nice big push.

When was the last time that you did something for the first time?

The weekend past I did something for the first time. If you asked me a year ago whether this would ever be a possibility I would have probably laughed at you and called you insane. With the new year came a few new challenges as well. Last year my wife and I attempted the Argus together. I have a 3:26 Argus time and have very little to prove in this regard, but doing the ride with my wife who have always supported me so well is something that we have been contemplating (and entered for on more than one occasion). The attempt before last year involved a gail force South Easter that saw us climb off the route just before hospital bend. Last year we made it to Misty Cliffs when my wife decided that she's had enough. This year our build-up seems to go slightly better, but I find myself constantly having to talk my wife into a ride and need to convince her every time that I don't mind being held back and that I enjoy riding with her. With time running out we need some serious saddle time. We therefor entered a few races together with me pushing her up the climbs and along some of the flats to the finish line. My shoulders and back started to take some strain in the process and our times seemed quite slow. On top of that we were both totally knackered after each such effort.
I came to the realisation that the effort is not a sustainable one and started to consider the tandem option <shock horror!>. Tandems, especially second hand ones are few and far in between and after keeping my eye on thehubsa and gumtree for a few months I ended up spotting an add in Gumtree for a used tandem.
Saturday morning we went through to Swellendam to look at the bike and after seeing the bike and talking to the previous owner we ended up buying her. After doing our setup at home we decided to do the Boekaert Soenen race on the bike the next day, all be it the short (40km) route.
Sunday saw us doing our first race on the bike. The start chute was amazingly uncluttered for us (only 2 bikes) and getting a head start on the rest of the seeded riders felt quite cool. Soon we were out of Paarl and circumventing Paarl Mountain in an anti clockwise direction on the rolling hills through the wine farms. On a particularly hot day (39deg C max) we finished the ride in 1h36m and in first place in our category (1st out of 2, which is now a standing joke with my cycling friends) and very satisfied with our effort.
Getting used to riding together like this was a particular challenge as you have to synchronize certain things, alternate other things and each have our own responsibilities on other areas as well.
I look forward to our next ride together and I am so excited to be able to share my cycling experience with the person that means the most to me in the world.
The 2012 Argus is now something that we both look forward to. With just over a months hard work ahead we are sure to have a great ride together.
I'll keep everyone posted.

Oak Valley 24 hours ride report

The weekend past saw one of the calandar highlights, namely the Oak Valley 24 hour endurance race. Set at what is arguably one of the best suited courses for such an event, the turnout was once again spectacular. The event is run in 3 formats, namely: Solo, 4 rider competition teams and 5 to 8 rider social teams. From the outset the emphasys was on enjoying the experience rather than a focus on the racers in the event. At the prize giving it gave me some satisfaction when one of the overall team winners mumbled that the social team winners got nicer prizes than them.

The start was a Le Mans style affair with riders having to do a 100m sprint and mount their bikes to start the event. At this point you could clearly see who had any racing intentions and who was there for fun. About 10% actually made a sprinting effort and the rest of us took a leisurly stroll and started off with an even more leisurely first lap. Some even opted to push their bikes to the Limebar and continue where they left off just before 12.

It was hot! Hitting 37Deg C at some places. The lap took us straight up to the Black section next to the split between the red and green routes (for those who know Oak Valley. For the rest: It meant climbing 210m in about 6km). We rode the black section next the dam in the pine forests and continued going up, with the single track (some that was cut especially for the event) to the base of Groenlandberg. From there it was a free-fall to the finish with Oak Valley's legendary sweeping singletracks that was conveniently spaced to allow enough room for the race snakes to pass.

After the first lap I wisely decided to wait for it to cool down a bit as there was another 23 hours and 10 minutes of riding time left. It is when you are off the bike that you can really take in the atmosphere and take the time to get to know some of the riders and their families. By this time the camp site was filled up nicely.

By 4pm I decided to take the course on for a few laps before suppertime. At 5:30m I came into our camp and was treated to a lovely beef wrap made by my faithful support crew. After supper I fitted my lights and got my night riding gear set up. The next lap started just before sunset and I decided to take my Canon SLR Camera with me for the next lap to try and get a few sunset shots. Sunset culminated with my arival at the dam and resulted in a few awesome shots with riders in the background as the sun was setting. With the lights on the riding was simply amazing. It is difficult to try to explain riding a mountainbike in the dark to the uninitiated that have not yet experienced this. Particularly when you are alone in places on the course. The tired legs are forgotten and your only focus is on the beam of light ahead of you. Your other senses picks up things that you would not pick up in the day. Hearing, smell and even taste seems to be enhanced when your eyes are limited to a 2m beam and less than 1second to react to any unexpected obstacle or deviation in the trail from previous laps. This is when you truly feel alive.

After some great night riding and a shower I tried to get a few hours sleep in. It was a challenge with riders coming and going throughout the night. Bike lights being switched on and off, riders and support crew maintaining their equipment for the laps to follow and a camp site that never quite settles down.

At 4am I started my early morning riding and was greeted with a lovely sunrise at about 6am while out on the trail. I decided to clock a few laps before the day started to heat up again and finished my run in time for a bacon and egg fry-up.

After breakfast I prepped my bike and gear for one final lap and we broke camp. The final lap commenced at 11:15am to ensure that I finish a few minutes after 12pm to be able to qualify for my medal.

You get all types of loonies at these events, but the whackiest of the bunch are the single speed solo riders who clock lap after lap after lap with only one gear (and some with no suspension at all). These are followed closely by the solo riders with gears. I am still undecided whether these are whackier that the riders who do one or 2 laps only and drinks for the other 22 hours straight and then take the last lap in that state. Throw in the 3 hour event riders on the last lap and it’s a total zoo on a course that's taken a beating over the 24 hours preceding this last lap.

You pass the guys and girls that’s been at it with no break where all you can see is the red eyes from the dust and the white teeth when they smile for one last time as you pass them. Well done to everyone who completed this event whether you did 2 laps or 30. We certainly need more events like these where pro's and weekend warriors mix it up throughout the weekend and where the emphasys is on the experience, rather than the results at the end.

A big shout out to Dirtopia for putting together such and awesome event. The route was tough, but well balanced and a real test of skill and endurance over the event. With coffee, the Spur stand and limebar our catering requirements were well met. We also had hot showers throughout the event and a basic bike wash for those who felt inclined to rinse the dirt off every now and again.

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...