SA Marathon Mountain Biking Champs 2011, KZN

Most likely the biggest race on the calendar for the year is the South African Championships as all the best riders turn up to race for the national title. This years event was held at Inanda Dam in the vicinity of the valley of a thousand hills in KZN. This would be the first time I would ever venture into this region. It was quite something driving to the race in the morning down the steep winding road into the valley. I really felt like I was in the heart of Africa and it was quite hard to believe that we were only 15min from Hillcrest!

The race was set over a shorter distance than usual for the elites, 84km as apposed to the standard ultra marathon distances of over 100km. The intention was that the route was more technical than usual and was still expected to yield a winning time of over 4hrs. The route profile also shows that the race consisted of many shorter sharp climbs and therefore resembled more of a cross-country like formate. This doesn't really suite me as I prefer the big longer climbs and cross-country mountain bike racing is not my strong point. However, it was SA Champs and I was there to give everything I had to get me to the finish line in the best possible position.

The first 15 odd kilometers of the race was very intense as the guys raced to get to the technical single tracks in a good position. I was struggling to hang on to the fast pace from the gun, but just kept it consistent. After 20km I managed to settle down and caught back up to quite a few guys.

At one point in the race I was cruising down one of the steep descents and then couldn't slow down in time for a sharp turn that was to take us off the gravel road onto some single track. Needless to say I tried making the corner but failed and went straight over my handle bars into the bushes. There happened to be some community kids watching at that point and of coarse they found this very amusing! I quickly straightened up my saddle and remounted as a small group of guys came up from behind me.

I stuck with this group for some part of the way until about 25km to go we came across a very steep climb. I was on the front of the group and made the mistake of not changing from my front big chain ring into the smaller chain ring in time. My only option was to push hard in the big blade and simply attack, which I did. Once I got to the top I had quite a big gap on the others and then thought that it was time to put my head down and keep going as hard as I possibly could to the finish.

This turned out to be a great move as I caught up and passed 4 riders. I then caught up to Ben Swanepoel who stayed with me for the last 10km. However, this part of the course consisted of lots of technical single track and I was starting to get rather tied from my hard efforts. I started making a few mistakes on the single track that caused me to loose the wheel of Ben and therefore finishing about 30sec behind him in 11th place.

My finishing time was 3hr40min (15min after the winner Burry Stander of Mr Price Specialized) and therefore much quicker than the anticipated over 4hr winning time of the course! Just shows how good the standard of mountain biking is in South Africa at the moment and therefore after just missing out on the top 10 I could still be very happy with my performance (as I was just 4min after 7th place). What also made a big difference for me was that I had my wife, Jayde there for support and to provide me with much necessary backup along the way!

Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour (AKA Funriders World Champs)

Ten days ago I was standing on the Blouwberg beach front about to start the Grape Escape 3-day mountain biking stage race, then I went into the Tour de Boland 4-day road stage race from Tuesday to Friday and now finally the Argus Cycle Tour on Sunday to finish off my week of racing 8 out of 10 days. Needless to say its been a tough week, but there I was ready and amped to fight out my 19th consecutive Argus Cycle Tour amongst the South African pro teams all aiming to be the first across the line in Green Point a little while later.

The conditions were perfect, however, we had a very large first (Invitational) bunch of 217 riders that set off in the dark at 06h15 and headed out of the city center. Things were a little edgy as usual in the beginning as everyone remained together and jostled for positions within the large bunch of riders. I tried my best to stay within the front half of the bunch, not wanting to miss out on any of the action up front.

As soon as we hit Boys Drive the attacks really began and the pace lifted in a big way as no-one was letting anyone get ahead up the road. I managed to stay with all the surges and the group still remained relatively large as we went over Smitswinkel.

I knew it was all going to come down to Chappies and Suikebossie! As we approached Chappies I somehow found myself too far back in the bunch and I therefore had to work really hard up Chappies as the group strung out and I had to make up ground. I fortunately managed to get over the top hanging onto the back of the lead bunch of riders. Now the group was whittled down to much fewer riders as we approached Suikebossie.

Suikebossie we hard! Some of the none sprinters (eg. mountain bikers) went very hard up there to try get away and leave the faster finishers behind. A group of about 10 guys managed to get a small gap over the top and I was just behind. Of coarse as you start descending this gap increases very quickly and I found myself in the chasing group a few second behind. We quickly caught back on a few kilometers down Suikebossie before we reached Camps Bay. Now the race to the finish line was on!

The pace was so fast I could only just hang in the group which now only consisted of about 40 riders! I could only watch as the teams, particularly MTN Qhubeka who were driving the pace, organized themselves to position their key sprinters in the right position for the last few hundred meters dash for the line.

In the end it was Tyler Day of Team Bonitas that took the sprint and I came in a comfortable 28th position with the same winning time of 2hr32min (average speed: 43.1km/hr). I was very happy to finish up with the very front bunch that consisted of a little over 40 riders after starting with over 200 and therefore a great way to end my hard week of racing!

Tour de Boland 2011

The Le Coq Sportif Tour de Boland (TdB) has taken over from the Giro de Capo in 2011. This would be my first road racing multi-stage race. As it is classified as a professional event I would have to race for a team, in which case the Marties Team kindly gave me a spot on their team. This race was included as part of my ambitious week of racing 8 out of 10 days. Therefore after only one days rest since the third and final day of the Grape Escape I would start stage one of the TdB with three days of mountain bike racing already in my legs.

Stage 1: 147km, Paarl-Bainskloof pass-Wolseley-R44 loop

Soon after the start in Paarl, after a few incidences in the first few kilometers due to the slick road surface from light rain we were to start climbing Bainskloof. This was going to be the first real test for my legs to assess their condition and set the stage for the next 4 days. Unfortunately they weren't feeling quite up to what they should be and therefore I took strain trying to hang on to the main bunch towards the top of the climb. However, with taking a few risks on the decent, a few other riders and I were able to catch back on to the main bunch. A fairly large break away group of about 10 riders managed to get away. As we headed back towards Wellington along the R44 the wind came from the side and resulted in some hard "gutter" riding as the main bunch split into 3 groups. However, everything came back together before Wellington except for the breakaway bunch whom still held about a 2 minute gap on the main pelaton, which is how the stage ended after 3hr38min of racing in Paarl.

Stage 2: 135km, Paarl-Du Toits Kloof pass-Worcester-Bainskloof pass-Paarl

Only 6km from the start of todays stage 2 we approached the bottom of Du Toits Kloof pass and then it would be a long 14km climb to the summit. I knew today's stage was going to be a tough one especially after how my legs performed yesterday on Bainskloof pass. None-the-less I took major shots going up the pass and got dropped by the main bunch about half way up. This meant that there was still another 7km to go to the top! This was unusual for me as I normally like the long climbs and this was one of the reasons why I always wanted to do this race. However, having done the Grape Escape before hand my condition starting this race was definitely worse off than most of the other riders. There was still a long way to go to the finish of the stage after Du Toits Kloof but fortunately for me there was a decent bunch of riders who were also dropped up the climb and we could therefore work together. We did so for a long way until we almost caught back up to the main bunch at the bottom of Bainskloof where unfortunately there was a minor crash as the bunch entered a narrow bridge section. This resulted in the convoy of backup vehicles behind the bunch coming to a standstill and blocking the bridge for us to get through and join onto the main bunch. After getting through and across the bridge we had already put in a big effort in trying to catch up to this point and it was difficult to make up the further lost time on the main bunch from then on up the climb of Bainskloof. From there it was a relatively easy run in to the finish where I finished with a group of guys in a time of 3hr41min, 14min after the main pelaton.

Stage 3: 125km, Paarl-Franshoek pass-Villiersdorp-Franshoek pass-Paarl

This stage was supposed to consist of a loop of 167km from Paarl to Franshoek, over the pass through Villiersdorp to Worcester and over Du Toits Kloof pass back to Paarl. However, shortly after the neutral zone just before we reached Franshoek, racing came to a halt and we were informed that we could not go over Du Toits Kloof pass because it was closed due to a fire. The organizers and everyone quickly discussed a new route for the day and it was decided that we would carry on through Franshoek, over the pass and then in to Villiersdorp where we were to make a u-turn and come back the same way. Well done to the organizers and traffic department for coming up with a quick solution such that we could continue racing! I felt a bit better today but I could also see that some of the other riders were starting to feel the effects of the last two days of racing. This was good for me as I then ended up having a much better day of racing than the previous day. A small group of riders had got away on the return trip over Franshoek pass and I found myself within the main pelaton. We rode very hard from Franshoek to the finish in Paarl where we were doing speeds in excess of 60km/hr on the flat roads with a tail wind. I was hanging on for dear life to the wheel in front of me as some guys towards the back of the bunch were getting dropped (it's not often you see riders at this level getting dropped along a flat road with a tail wind!). We ended up finishing the stage about 2min behind the front breakaway group.

Stage 4: 65km, Paarl 5x15km laps

Lets just say that stage 4 simply didn't happen for me. Together with the level of fatigue I was experiencing at this stage after 6 hard days of racing prior and a very difficult intense lap race ahead it was never going to be easy. I was very happy to make it through each stage and get to this point of the race as in the beginning on Tuesday morning there was just over 110 riders starting the tour and on this, the 4th and final stage of the race saw only a little over 60 riders on the start line! (There is a time limit where you have to finish in a percentage of the winners time each day otherwise you get eliminated and you're not allowed to continue the following day). What actually made this final stage not happen for me was that there was about 3km of pure gravel on the laps! Now I would normally like this sort of thing as I am a mountain biker, however, I had just purchased a very nice and pricey set of wheels! After the first lap, feeling the way I felt and not wanting to ruin my nice new wheels I called it quits. Along with this decision was the Argus Cycle Tour in two days time, which I had in the back of my head. I wasn't to feel too bad about this 4th stage as out of the 60 odd starters, less than 30 riders finished all 5 laps without being eliminated from lap to lap!

At the end of the 4 days of racing I can at least say that I got some good experience along with an extremely tied body! I finished 55th in the overall classification, 31min23sec behind the winner Darren Lill (DCM). Now it was time to put the legs up and recovery before Sundays Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour!

Columbia Grape Escape 3-day mountain bike stage race

A new race on the calendar and certainly one not to be missed as another ever popular 3-day stage race comes onto the local scene. The inaugural Columbia Grape Escape was sure to pose an exciting three days of racing attracting many of the top mountain bikers.

Stage 1: Blauwberg beach - Nelsons Wine Estate, 85km

After a rather lengthy neutral zone of about 8km the heart rate was quick to rise as we left the tar and hit the dirt. The combination of thick sand patches and a red-zone pace lead to the front bunch forming quickly and consisted of about 10 riders. This didn't last long as we came across the first climb of the day and the group thinned out even more. Many riders unfortunately experienced flat tyres due to the large amount of thorns. I was just unable to hang on towards the top of the climb and therefore went over the top a few seconds behind the front group of 5 riders. Never fear I thought as I would try and catch back up on the decent. However, this proved not to be all that easy after almost coming terribly short on the rocky single tracks. I eased off the pace a bit in order to get down safely. After which I was about just over a minute behind the front guys.

I had to work incredibly hard and for a long way of about 15km by myself to try and catch up to the group. I didn't want to give up the chase as I couldn't see anyone for a long way behind me. Time trailing above threshold and trailing with a gap of about 30 seconds for a long time, I almost wasn't able to catch back on until there was a slight increase in gradient and I put in one more huge effort. This made it a now or never situation and fortunately for me I managed to latch on.

The guys were working well together rolling through and I had to do my bit to contribute to the high tempo. However, I never really got the chance to recover from my big effort I put in to catch up. After Burry Stunder was forced to stop to fix a puncture it left just 4 of us up front (Kevin Evans and David George of 360Life, Karl Platt from Bulls and myself).

I was able to keep it up until 60km when Kevin put in a bit of an effort up a small incline and I just didn't have an extra gear to go with. This left me out on my own with another 25km still to race to the finish! I kept my head down and pushed hard to the finish and ended up crossing the line 4min after the winner Karl Platt (Bulls) and about 4min ahead of 5th place. My partner from Team Blend Properties, Stuart Marais (Stu) came in a respectable 8th place.

Stage 2: Nelsons Wine Estate - Boschendal, 78km

I was rather nervous going into today’s stage after having a good day the day before and also not quite sure how my legs were going to respond after yesterday’s hard effort.

All seemed good as we started climbing after about 30km and again the same contenders as the previous day were setting a hard pace. I was able to follow for part of the way up until the gradient really kicked in and I was unable to hang onto the wheel in front of me.

This lead to a similar situation as the previous day as I was left alone just behind the front bunch of 5 riders, however, this time there was still about 40km to go to the finish!

Again I just rode hard and tried to keep my pace as high as possible. I could never see anyone in front or behind me. With 10km to go I was 5min behind and I lost about 3min in the last 10km to the leaders as my rear tyre was going very flat and almost rolling off the rim around every corner, however, I didn't want to stop at that stage of the race as I knew it was so close to the finish so I just kept pushing on. I managed to get to the finish about 8min after the winner and maintaining my 6th position on the day about 2min ahead of 7th place, who happened to be my team mate Stu after a fine performance.

Stage 3: Boschendal, 59km

On the start line of the final stage I was sitting in 5th position overall on the GC. All I needed was a solid consistent race and I should be able to maintain my top 5 placing at the end of the 3 days. However, this was not to be.

After the usual fast hustle and bustle of the first few kilometres when we hit the first proper climb of the stage, David George (360Life), Kevin Evans (360Life) and Karl Platt (Bulls) took off into the lead leaving Marc Bass (Garmin) and myself following a couple of seconds behind. Then disaster struck! As I changed gears my chain sucked up and got jammed between the front chain rings and the bike frame and in the process pulled my rear derailleur and snapped my hanger clean off. I couldn’t believe my luck. I thought my day and the past two days of hard work was all over. However, at least it was just the hanger that was broken and fortunately I always carry a spare one with me so I was able to fix it up and get to the finish.

It took me a very long time to fix it all up. I first had to get the chain free from between the chain rings and the frame then take off the bits of broken hanger from the frame and derailleur and put the new hanger on, then put together my chain. After 23min on the side of the course I managed to get going again, however, my rear derailleur was very skew, but other than jumping gears every now and then it worked.

I now had to weave in and out of all the masses of riders, which proved rather challenging and one time while trying to pass a slower rider on a section of single track I went flying over my handle bars! Fortunately I survived the encounter unharmed and bounced back on my bike within a few seconds to continue with my pursuit.

It was very unfortunate that that had to happen as I felt really good throughout the stage and then ended up finishing about 30min after the winner David George (360Life), which gave me a riding time of just 8min off the winning time. Stu had a very good stage finishing in 6th place.

Thanks very much to the organizers for a superb event as well as the sponsors, Columbia! It's always nice to have a mountain biking event that is so well marked leaving no uncertainties along the way. I look forward to the event next year again!

And then I would also like to say a special thanks to my beautiful wife Jayde, for all her outstanding support and help throughout the 3 days of racing and making life during the event that much easier!

(I am still awaiting the official final results of the 3 days, and will post them up as soon as I get them, but well done to Kevin Evans of 360Life for taking the overall title after a consistent 3 days!)

Now it’s time to recover as quickly as possible in one day before I start the Tour de Boland on Tuesday where I’m in for some hard road racing for 4 days!

MTN National Marathon #4 - Sabie Classic

A good field of riders is always assured on the start line at the Sabie Classic due to the mountain biking paradise the event takes place in. There was extra incentives for the top riders as it was the last race on the national circuit for a while and one in which valuable UCI points were up for grabs.

It was a solid 10 hour journey from when I left my front door back home to when I arrived in Sabie! After flying to Joberg then catching the Gautrain into Sandton (which was an experience in itself with a large bike bag, 29er wheel box, luggage bag and hand luggage backpack!) to pick up the Audi A4 to get me to Sabie. Worst of all I didn't have my number one supporter, my wife Jayde accompanying me on this trip. Never-the-less my bike and I arrived all fine!

The race was set over 110km and included just over 3000 meters of vertical climbing! With this in mind there was no wasting time as the race started we began climbing. The first major climb came at 11km of which we reached the summit at 1814m in altitude another 14km later. The pace was hard as always but I managed to hang in there. My Cannondale Flash 29er 2x10spd was going like a dream! About halfway up the climb I found myself in the front group of four riders consisting of Karl Platt (Bulls), Adrien Niyonshuti (MTN), Philip Buys (Garmin), and myself. I glanced back to notice that we had dropped the other riders. Although the pace was hard I managed to keep it up all the way to the top of the climb, however, I had to still keep in mind that my GPS was telling me that there was still another 80 odd kilometers to go.

I unfortunately struggled to stay in contact with the other riders on the way down the treacherous decent as I think my tire pressure was too hard and almost lost traction a couple of times. Therefore I had to take it a little easier to avoid going down which is not how I would have liked to end my race after traveling so far to get here! This cost me some time on the leaders, however, I managed to settle into a steady rhythm, which I told myself to keep at until the end of the first 75km loop and then give it everything I had on the last 35km loop.

The last 35km ended up being an exciting battle between Ben Melt Swanepoel, Marc Bassingthwaighte (Garmin), Thomas Zahnd (DCM) and myself as we diced each other’s fatigued bodies to the finish line. I ended up coming in just a few second behind them to take 9th position in a time of 5hrs08min.

1st: Karl Platt (Bulls)
2nd: Philip Buys (Garmin)
3rd: Adrien Niyonshuti (MTN)