Klein Karoo Klassiek ride report

With bags packed and bikes onboard we left for Calitzdorp Spa on Thursday for the Klein Karoo Klassiek 3 day stage race. We arived rather late on Thursday evening and after a fair nights sleep I lined up with a small field for the start of day 1. The sub zero temperatures at the start made for a modest pace and with 95 km of racing to come, there would be plenty of time to heat things up later. The loop through Calitzdorp to the Red Stone Hills and back through Rietfontein was scenic as ever and all too soon we were crossing the finish line at the Spa. With good legs and a solid effort I managed a 7th overall for the day. Day 2 The start was almost as chilly as the previous day, but with some day visitors the riding was much faster at the start. I settled in the second group and as we hit Rooiberg Pass I broke clear and managed to crest the 800 m climb in 40 minutes (20 minutes faster as my previous attempt, so I was very pleased with my effort) my heart rate was under control and I was catching some of the front group drop offs as we turned into a Game Reserve for a bit of the rough stuff. Soon the rugged Jeeptrack turned into river bed with rocks alternated by sand making for slow going. I managed to pass 2 riders and was now in 6th with no one in sight behind or in the front. Then desaster struck. I strpped my freewheel body and had to get off and walk. To compound mattets it seemed like everyone in front of us took the wrong turn somewhere as the reserve trail was very poorly marked. I had a bit of a walk with a fellow rider who also had wheel trouble and after more than 30 minutes of walking, some of the second group riders started to pass us. Another 2 hours of walking and 13 km later I joined the dirt road where my wife was waiting for me after receiving my S.O.S. Earlier in the day. Dean who walked the walk with me and I was very happy to get into the car to end the nightmare of technical issues, getting lost and doing a very long walk in mountainbike cleats. As things stand I will be riding tomorrow's time trail on Rochelle's Merida and I will be shopping for a new wheelset in the week.

SRAM 2x10 Gripshift review

With SRAM finally launching its much anticipated 2x10 Gripshift internationally in April, we were all left wondering when we will finally get our hands on a set. I ordered a pair as soon as I saw them available at a local online store (even before CRC had stock...WOW!)
This meant a whole drive train upgrade from my trusty X0 3x9 setup, which I ordered all online with the gripshifts. I ended up going for the XX rear derailleur, cranks and front derailleur with the 1080 cassette and 1091 hollow pin chain to seal the deal.
A week later I received my goodies and that evening I installed the drive train and shifters. I have done enough cable changes on my X0 9 speed gripshifts and got the cables through to the derailleur in no-time. The gripshifts and handlebars combines to form a unit that locks onto the handlebars with a lock ring before the shifter and a lock ring on the handlebar, torqued to 3Nm. Setting the derailleur were quite simple, with fine tuning taking a bit of time to get 100% right. I managed to get out on the trails on Saturday and Sunday to get a real feel for the new shifters.
The shifts are precise and crisp and the XX derailleur seem to respond to my small moves of the wrist almost telepathically. You get a very nice "click" as the gears shift, but the shifts are much lighter than what was the case with the previous generation. Dumping gears are even easier than before due to the ease of which the shifting is done. I have not done any accidental shifting, but have overshifted once or twice as the spacing between shifts are shorter than with the 9speed setup. The front shifts as easily as the rear, but SRAM did away with the "micro adjust" functionality they had with the 3speed front derailleur (essentially you are able to make small adjustments on the shifter barrel to accommodate small front adjustments required). I suspect that these adjustments are now judged to be superfluous as you now have only 2 options.
Another omission on the new shifters are number dials to indicate the gear you are currently riding. This is a small annoyance in the daytime as a quick glance or simply counting gear shifts will always help you to know which gear you're in. I like to train certain climbs in certain gear ratio's from time to time to gauge my form and will now have to get used to not having the gear displayed on the shifter as before. Night riding is also easier with knowing in which gear you are (especially on the front). 
The integrated shifter / handlebar combo also means that I had to ditch my trusty Ergon grips and bar ends and probably means that I will have to revert to bar ends for the longer rides. Hopefully SRAM or Ergon will come up with an after-market grip with a bit of a bar end as it feels wrong to destroy the classic look of the shifter/handlebar with bar ends at this stage.

I am looking forward to test the shifters in racing conditions this coming weekend in the Klein Karoo Klassiek at Calitzdorp and may just ditch my vanity to fit bar ends after the mammoth first stage doing Rooiberg Pass twice in one day.

Sani2C - Stage 3

After the hard work done on day 2, the extra rest was most welcome. A 8:40 start meant some extra shut-eye and time to digest breakfast. I have given up on avoiding the carbs, as big race menus simply run on carbs. After 2 wheet-bix and some mieliepap I was ready to rock n roll. We went out fast and hit the dual tracks at speed. For once I could stick on Chris' wheel and we made it to the first water point in 1 hour. Unfortunately the big push over the first 22 km took its toll and the second 34 km was a real suffer fest. I had to dig really deep for Work To Be Done and Heart Rate Hill and after the second water point I was really just hanging on to the finish. Soon we were on the beach at Scottburgh making our way to the High School. The drag up the hill had me tasting blood again, but soon we crossed the finish line to celebrate 3 of the most spectacular days of mountain biking South Africa has to offer. I am commited to doing only one race next year (more on that in a later blog), but should I manage to schedule another one, there is simply no doubt which race I would pencil into my diary for 2013. Thanks to the Haw family for their hard work to put this race together for 4600 riders to enjoy, thanks to all the sponsors for making this dream a reality. To my partner, Chris: It was the best 3 days on the bike I have had, thanks for your patience and encouragement theoughout the race. To my fellow riders: it was a privilage to race against you for 270km and to succeed with you. Last but not least, to Rochelle, my wife: thsnk you for all your support and for being there at the start and the finish. Enjoying this moment with you made it all the more special.

Sani2C - Stage 2

The day started somewhat more leisurly than most races. The seeded start meant that we started at 7:45. The first 10 km got the legs going and soon we were hitting the dual tracks with glimpses of the valley below. Chris was once again up ahead and I was riding mid pack, mindful of what was to come. As we hit Yankee Doodle my spirits lifted. This was the reason we all mountainbike...absolute singletrack bliss! Soon we were onto Murray's Meander and with some open track I managed to stitch a few proper sections together. We passed the school singletrack and I realised that my partner was further back. Selfishly I continued my run down into the valley trusting that Chris would not need assistance. All too soon we were on the Umko single track. I waited after the section for Chris and after a few minutes I saw his grinning face in a group coming through. We made our way accross the floating bridge into some more single track. Soon we crossed the Peri scaffolding bridge into the first water point. A splash and dash saw us on our way and straight away the climbing started. Kms 38 to 68 to Nandos took us 2h30m to do with 1200m ascent and 13 water crossings. A new addition to this years event was bridges over some of the more challenging water crossings. The result was that every single crossing was ridable. It was getting hotter and the climbing seemed to carry on for ever. The climb before Nandos was particularly untimely, but we soldiered on. At Nandos we had a 15 minute rest as Push of a Climb was coming up. I felt quite shattered and the rest rejuvinated me for the remaining 32 km. After push of a climb, we worked our way to the fishermans trail and onto the third water point. At this point I simply wanted to finish the ride. As we left Chris mentioned that a time of 6:30 would not be too shabby, and I took it upon myself to kick really hard to see how close we could get to it. So the last 15 km took us 32 minutes and we crossed the line in 6:35. Like they say at Sani2C "That was PROPER !"

Sani2C - Stage 1

5:00. Underberg. Its sub zero outside when my alarm sounds to wake me for the day's adventure. I had a bit if a fever in the night, but hopefully its nothing serious 5:45. Dressed and ready for breakfast. Doing a low carb breakfast is a challenge when everything is carbs on the breakfast table. 2 pieces of bacon and a scrabled egg will have to do 7:10. All packed and boxes delivered to the truck. Its warmed up to 2.5deg Celsius 7:50. We're off! It soon becomes aparant that I'm in no shape to hang with "F" group, so I try to get my heartrate down while my lungs are protesting violently about the altitude 8:50. We hit the first singletrack and riders keep passing me. The legs are completely shot. I am also quite annoyed with my squeeling brakes. It was fine yesterday, today it sounds like a rusty wheelbarrow. The singletrack is sublime though and I manage to get clear trail on lare parts 9:20. It feels like I'm climbing with a brick in my back pocket. Chris has to wait at nearly every hilltop. I feel frustrated and dissapointed 9:45. The floating bridge is a treat! We give the tandem ahead of us a clear bridge, more out of fear than curtousy. 10:00. The first water point. A quick banana, some blue pills (not the raunchy kind) and a refill and we're off. Sections of single track laced with short(ish) climbs make the time pass quicker and my legs start to feel like something more solid than jelly for the first time in the day. I rip through the singletrack at high speed and relish in the pure ecstacy of riding my bike. 11:00. We are now truly in rural KZN. Everywhere there are Zulu huts scattered in little clumps. We stop to take some pictures. 11:30. The second water point and the camera man points his lens in my face and ask how the ride is. I push a smile out and say that its magnificent, omitting the bit where I feel like a walking corpse today. 12:00. We're on new trail through a diary farm and the riders in our group start to rev their engins for the final push to the finish line. 12:30. We cross the finish line in what felt like an eternety today. Lets hope for better legs tomorrow.

The night before

So after a fairly uneventful flight (thank goodness!) and a very relaxing day in the Southern Drakensberg I find myself in front of a cosy fireplace at Pile Inn eves dropping on Brandon Sreward and Darren Lill's war stories and getting a bit of insight into the world of the professional SA mountainbiker. It seems like everyone knows everyone's business and that they all ride hard and party even harder. They are also not uber-orginised either. I suppose its like another business trip to them and that they take it as it comes. The SoutHern Drakensberg gave us a perfect autumn day in which we visited a local art gallery (and purchased the most stunning photograph), the Underberg Cheesery (which we sampled and then bought just about every cheese they have), lunch at Moorcroft Manor topped by a drive to the SA border on the Sani Pass. I am feeling incredibly blessed tonight as Chris and I are about to embark on an Adventure of note. 3 days of the best trails SA have to offer while mixing it with some of the worlds best! Bring on Stage 1.

Houw Hoek Challenge Day 2

After the first day of the Houw Hoek Challenge I ran into a minor snag with my seat post. More about this in another post. The end result was that I was riding the second day on my trusty old hardtail. On a trail that was not technical by any stretch of the imagination, I actually enjoyed all the feedback from the rear stays and tyres while racing.
The day started off at the Houw Hoek Inn.  Day 1's fast group almost doubled in size. Somehow riders thought that finishing day 1 constituted being a fast rider. I started once again in the second group with a very gentle pace from the front. The old Houw Hoek pass remains a gem. If you ever pass the area with your 4x4 and have 30 minutes to spare, turn off at the Inn and follow the old pass to Botrivier. The railway line running next to the trail takes you back to an era where rail transport was the pinnacle and bicycles had funny wheel sizes (some things never change).
After the Pass we skirted Botrivier through farmland with interesting little sections of single track. The weather was hotting up nicely and I removed my long sleeved cycling jersey at one of the stoppages where riders were not able to negotiate a small A frame bridge.
Once we passed the steel bridge, the climbing started. The sun was shining and the gradient was gentle. The water point was well stocked with jelly babies, potatoes, coke, water and sarmies. I simply filled my bottle and moved along. I had to constantly tell myself to slow down as I was definitely not racing this one. I judged my effort quite well to ensure that there was a reasonable gap between my group and the group ahead of us. I took the front and cleared down the single track in the reserve. After about 2 minutes we caught up with the group ahead of us. They seemed to be more intent on chirping each other than focusing on riding their bikes and I had a few choice chirps to add myself. After some more friendly banter I moved off to find less chirpy company ahead.
The Hermanus trail network has eluded me for years, but suddenly I found myself right in the middle of it. I was pleasantly surprised by the work done here and resolved to make a return at the first proper opportunity to get away for the weekend to the Whale Route. The trail is beautifully constructed with provision for water run off, settled properly cambered berms and nice flowing lines. I opened up the throttle and flew on the parts where I had clear track.
The second water point was as well stocked as the first, but I opted for a simple water fill and a small piece of banana.
The celebration table just beyond Fernkloof at the top of the hill served a very well rounded Pinotage of which I had a few glasses. With views of the coast line from de Kelders to Sandbaai on our left we sped down to hook up with a nice little stretch of single track with a few small rock gardens and ruts to negotiate it kept us honest.
The Hemel and Aarde stretch of single track provided some fun as well and all too soon I was crossing the finish line at Hermanuspietersfontein to enjoy the wonderful vibe with fellow riders and supporters.

A huge thanks to Johan and his dedicated team for a fun weekend. It was really well organised and the overwhelming feedback from fellow riders was that it was very positive on the whole.