MTN National ultra-marathon #5 Mabalingwe

Only 7 days ago I rode across the finishline on Scottburgh beach to complete the 9 day, 900km journey of a race from Heidelberg known as the joBerg2c. Racing a National ultra-marathon a week later without much time for recovery was going to be interesting and not something I wouldn't normally do. However, I needed it for the series points due to missing the previous one in Clarens that took place during joBerg2c as well as crashing out of the Sabie one.

The setting for the fifth national ultra-marathon event on the calendar was a race through the bushveld. Yet again this year, Mabalingwe would be another first time event for me. Although the race was new to me the area was not completely new to me as 18-months ago I was spending some very special time there with my number one supporter and wife Jayde, on our honeymoon. I seemed to recall that there weren't any major hills or mountains in the area and was therefore expecting a rather flat undulating route. However, driving around the reserve on game drives in a 4x4 must have given me this distorted impression and when the route information said 110km and 2000m of climbing it got me thinking as to where that was all going to come from!

The course turned out to be one of the toughest on the circuit thus far! The first ramp in gradient came and although it was seriously steep I pushed super hard to go with the pace set up front by some of the guys. My impression of the area changed almost immediately as we climbed around a few corners and the path continued upwards without any respite in lung-busting gradient. I then accepted my prior ignorance regarding the landscape of the Mabalingwe reserve and at the same time began to fall off the pace.

Once over the top of the climb and safely down some treacherously rocky descending I took on new water bottles and some food from my number one supporter Jayde at the first feed/tech zone (who in the process had some difficulty in navigating her way through the reserve to get there for us, but as usual she was doing a superb job). Soon afterwards we encountered the next big climb and yet again it turned out to be never ending. I think this was the case because you would go so slow up the climb as you battled to find traction on the very rough, loose rocky paths. My hardtail (no rear suspension) bike didn't seem to handle the section on top of this climb and descending the other side, or should I rather say my body didn't quite handle my hardtail bike as I got bounced and battered while struggling to keep forward momentum.

I managed to find a bit of a rythem and continued to push hard chasing back as many positions as possible. With 12km to go I caught sight of my team mate from Blend Property Charles Keey ahead. Hoping to be able to ride a bit together and keep each other going in the latter stages of the race this was not to be as he was completely blown and not in a happy place. So I pushed on weaving my way through the back markers of the shorter distance route which we had now rejoined back onto. In the end I managed to cross the line in 10th place, happy with another top 10 (just) in a national event, however, a little off the pace as to what I would ideally like.

The biggest highlight of the race took place quite soon after the start. While riding up close alongside the lion enclosure fence out the corner of my eye I saw a lioness charge out the bush and come after us! Fortunately for us there was a big electric-fence between the lioness and us but it definitely raised heart rates as well as the pace in the bunch because straight away things split up completely. Other than that I didn't really see much game apart from a few buck, however, the experience of riding through the reserve was a tough but exciting one as it was different to the mountain biking I'm used to coming from Cape Town.

Jayde's friend came to ask for a drink of water

Old Mutual joBerg2c

Most people are aware of the fact that the city of Johannesburg is a long way from the coast line. For the large population of South Africans living the high-speed lifestyle customary to the city of Johannesburg know the N3 highway that delivers them to their annual holiday destinations usually somewhere in sight of the sea in Durban. Hence the trip through the millie fields and the single stop at the Harrismith Wimpy goes by very quickly and often noticed.

I got a chance to enjoy a different and more interesting approach to this journey, which took 9-days (opposed to 5hrs...) and involved a few more stops, eating lots of traditional koeksisters, meeting new people and of course racing my guts out through some of the most beautiful scenery our country has to offer. This came in the form of the Old Mutual joBerg2c mountain bike stage race.

As the name implies you start just outside Joberg near the town of Heidelberg on the Friday and head south to finish on the beach in Scottburgh 9 days later. This was my second time participating in this event after thoroughly enjoying it last year! A lot happens in just one day of racing so one can imagine how much takes place in 9 days! I thought about trying to touch only on some of the highlights of the race/event, however, this proved to be difficult as in this case everything was a highlight!

Stage 1 was a non-race day due to the dragon boat crossing of the Vaal Dam being the only, yet fun means of getting across this large body of water. It is, however, a nice way of easing the legs into the 8 days of racing ahead and still involved covering a lengthy 114km of riding to get us to the first over night stop in the town of Frankfort. This would also be the first time riding with (and not against) my partner for the 9 days, Louis Bresler Knipe from the Contego Giant Team. Myself being from the Blend Property Team, we had been given an opportunity and formed a coalition as the Itec Connect-Vodacom Team to take on the Old Mutual joBerg2c. The racing would begin the following day and I'll also get a taste as to how my legs have recovered since finishing the ABSA Cape Epic only 4 weeks ago!

The clever structure of the prize money available for each day made the racing fierce every day! The first racing day being stage 2, was a mere 93km with 1000m of climbing taking us from Frankfort to Reitz. Clearly this prize money structure made all the guys forget that there was 7 days of racing still to come after this stage as the pace was so fast and intense! We finished the stage with an average speed of 30.4km/hr and the top 5 teams crossing the finish within 2min of each other! We managed to take 4th position, knowing that that incredibly sort after podium is not going to come easy over the next 7 days!

The next day was a solid 126km ride through the millie fields and I think after the furious pace set in yesterdays stage the sting had been removed from many of the guys legs. After the initial split up of the field soon after leaving the town of Reitz the front bunch remained together until things heated up with about 30km to the finish on the waters edge of Sterkfontein Dam. An amazing 4km stretch along the mighty Sterkfontein Dam wall lead us to stage 3's finish line after 4hr24min with yet another 4th place.

The 121km (1600m climbing) stage 4 from Sterkfontein Dam to the little town of Winterton is one of the most amazing routes in the country! Some single tracks mixed with some steep undulations soon takes you to the "Great Wall My China" as it is known as. Basically this is a stretch of single track running along the very top edge of the escarpment. Without much between you and a couple hundred meters sheer drop and an amazing endless view to the right, one important rule was enforced and that was strictly NO overtaking on the right! The route also took in a brutally steep climb up to the top of Spionkop which is known for the Battle of Spionkop that took place on 24 January 1900 during the Anglo Boer War. After a long hard 4hr55min we had to settle with 5th place for the stage.

Stage 5 took on 101km and with the Drakensberg Mountains in the vicinity some uphill riding was instal. The stage profile looked like it was only an uphill ride between Winterton and Kamberg with only 900 meters of descent compared to the 1400 meters of climbing! The first part of the route was relatively flat and easy going resulting in the bunch remaining together for quite some time. As soon as the major climbing began things split up and we once again found ourselves lying in 4th position only seconds behind 3rd! We chased hard, however, today wasn't meant to be our day... With about 20km left in the stage Louis seat clamp broke causing his saddle to come off completely! In true South African words "'n Boer maak 'n plan" and we managed to thread wire through the saddle and around the seat post to stabilize it. This obviously cost us precious time and was still not ideal but at least with 20km to go we could limit our losses. We ended up 8th on the stage and dropped one position in the overall standings to be lying in 5th.

We awoke the following day opening our tent flap overlooking the river at the picturesque Glen Garry Resort. Fortunately the body was tied at this stage of the race as if we were to have exited our tent with a little too much energy we would have gone straight into the river with the edge being only about a meter from our tent door! Stage 6 was one for the mountain goats as it was only 91km in length but involved over 1700 meters of climbing with the highest point reaching 1800 meters in altitude and finishing in Underberg. Today was finally our day and we managed to crack that podium to finish in 3rd place as well as to move up into 3rd overall! Kevin Evans and David George of Team 360Life also stamped their authority on the race today by gaining huge chunks of time over the rest of the field.

3 days is what was left between us and the finish on Scottburgh beach and these weren't just an ordinary 3 days... The route from Underberg followed the famous trails of the Sani2c mountain bike race taking in the endless flowing single tracks and of course for our non-swimmers out there, the famous floating bridge! Today's stage 7 saw us racing as a group consisting of the three top teams for most of the way and then battling it out up the final sting in the tail to finish at Mackenzie Club 80km and 2hr53min later. Now that the podium ice had been broken the day before we yet again managed a 3rd place finish.

The penultimate day saw the arrival of the much anticipated Umkomaas River Valley soon after the start, which involved a 17km stretch of downhill single track. Not forgetting the 100km total distance over hard mountain biking terrain and 1500m of climbing stage 8 had to offer making it a real tough day in the saddle especially after the previous 7 days! Team 360Life had got a substantial lead quite early in the stage while we were left fighting it out between 3 teams. With about 30km to go things split up between us and Team RE:CM of Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock managed to get the upper edge on us while we left Paul Cordes and Arno du Toit of the Transact Team trailing closely behind. This is what it came down to at the finish in Jolivet Farm thus claiming another 3rd place.

The fast and furious dash through the sugar cane fields is what characterizes the final day taking us from Jolivet Farm onto the beach in Scottburgh. The stage is only 73km long with double the amount of descending to climbing (800m to 1600m respectively). But that's not to say its an easy walk in the park especially trying to go all out after 8 long hard days of racing! We found ourselves fighting for 3rd place about 2min behind the leading two teams of 360Life and RE:CM with the Transact team who were even more hungry for just one podium position! It was a great battle and without much opportunity to get away and gain time on each other, about 10km to go to the finish we put in a huge effort and made a deciding break to have a nice run into the finish to claim 3rd place for the 4th stage in a row.

This meant that Louis and I took 3rd overall after the 9 days of racing 898km, 11261 meters of climbing, 12816 meters of descending in a total time of 33hrs29min. This behind a well deserved win by Team 360Life and second going to the defending champions Team RECM. It was very rewarding to claim that step on the podium especially being next to those two teams of that caliber! Thanks to Itec Connect-Vodacom for making it possible for us to race and friends and family for going out of their way to helps us out! And lastly to the organizers Glen, Gary, Wappo and their crew for creating this a truly special and "PROPER" (insider joke for those who rode...) mountain biking event!

So from Johannesberg city life through the Freestate millie fields, wolf sanctuaries, river crossings, bridge crossings, mountain passes, forest plantations, single tracks and through the lush sugar cane fields of Kwazulu Natal onto the beach sand of Scottburgh, to those who completed it-well done! The joBerg2c 9-day mountain bike stage race is a fantastic N3 for mountain bikers!

Fun local racing

I always look for any excuse to head out to the Franschhoek valley and this time it was very easy with a race being staged at the Solms Delta Estate! There was also little convincing my wife Jayde with the mention of a nice post-race Sunday lunch in Franschhoek.

It was great to have my team mate from Blend Property, Charles Keey also on the start line to throw in a bit of team tactics in this very fast 3x20km lap race around the wine farms.

After the initial split in the field it was only 6 guys left up front. Charles didn't waste much time and before the end of the first lap had managed to get away with one of the other guys and opened up a lead of about 1min over the rest of us in the group. This meant that I was able to get a free ride in the group along the 4km stretch of road into the wind waiting for the right moment to pounce. This I did about half way through the second lap and managed to get away from the others and then chased hard. In the mean time Charles had managed to shake off the guy that had initially got away with him whom I then caught up to and passed about half way through the third and final lap. All that was left was to hold until the finish and cross the line in 2nd place behind Charles. A great effort from Charles and a good first and second for Team Blend Property!

Showing how far her mountain biking has come along, Jayde also completed the full 60km route (no more shorter/middle distance mountain bike races for her...). Lunch was therefore enjoyed as a good reward in which I, in true South African style, indulged in a superb beef potjie and some red wine.

Next up, that 9-day stage race from Joberg to Scottburgh beach starting on Friday!

Tokai Mast Challenge

A one-way race towards the heavens would always be dreaded by most people, however, the number of participants on the start line for the First Ascent Tokai Mast Challenge seem to grow every year! There's something about us human beings when it comes to physical punishment and a good challenge...

I definitely fall into this category of being up to a challenge and pushing my body to its physical limit. Defying gravity is never an easy task whether it be running or on a bicycle and often it becomes more of a mental challenge. Every gram takes its toll and you find yourself cursing those extra calories you've been indulging in especially in my case over the past few weeks after the ABSA Cape Epic. I was therefore a little nervous this time round as I had a title to defend and not feeling in as good shape as I was on the start line at the foot of the mountain a year ago.

I was pushed quite hard by some of the other riders in the first few kilometers until I heard no heavy breathing or changing gears behind me and I knew I was on my own. I got to the start of the tar road in a fairly decent time only a few seconds slower than last year. But then the race is truly decided in the final 5km as the gradient kicks in and the legs start screaming at you. Here I took some strain and had to push hard to finish in a time of 42m04s a long way off last years 40m26s. However, it was enough to lift the trophy once again and I was delighted and very relieved to regain the title! Next year hopefully I will achieve my goal of breaking 40min...

ABSA Cape Epic in pictures

Photos by Jayde Morison and Marsel Roos

It all begins... TT style

Alpe d'Huez of mountain biking, Meerendale prologue

Stage 1 start, Robertson

Hot, dry, dusty Klein Karoo

Water point/tech zone scurry

One of many refreshing river crossings on a long hot stage 3

Giving it horns!

River crossing number...

Quick chain lube on a cold, wet and muddy stage 5

Oh dear, not good... crossing the finish line in Oak Valley on stage 5

Even worse... thawing out in the medical tent after stage 5

Beautiful Grabouw region with some evidence of the previous days rain

The "Champs-Elysees" of mountain biking, the grand finish in Lourensford - quite something riding through a crowd as big as this!

ABSA Cape Epic

The Cape Epic doesn't need much introduction apart from those who may not know that it is the highest profile mountain biking stage race in the world, hence being referred to as the "Tour de France" of mountain biking. For every mountain biker it is a must do similar to what the Argus Cycle Tour is to road riding. However, the Cape Epic is a much more costly affair and therefore in most cases not possible for many people to participate in. I on the other hand are one of those fortunate ones to have the backing of some amazing sponsors, Blend Property, Gu South Africa and Omnico who made it possible for me to race the ultimate race I've been longing to do since my first one back in 2006.

Basic stage stats: (dist./climbing/time/stage position/GC position)
Prologue: 27km, 873m, 1h22m, 18th, 18th
Stage 1: 113km, 2212m, 4h56m, 19th, 18th
Stage 2: 121km, 1634m, 4h28m, 17th, 17th
Stage 3: 140km, 2647m, 5h56m, 14th, 15th
Stage 4: 101km, 2507m, 5h08m, 14th, 13th
Stage 5: 115km, 1853m, 6h12m, 25th, 16th
Stage 6: 82km, 2165m, 4h43m, 39th, 16th
Stage 7: 62km, 1310m, 3h01m, 22nd, 18th
Total: 761km, 15201m, 35h46m, 18th
(full results)

The prologue on day 1 got of to a good start with my partner Charles Keey being in his element from being a forma multiple TT champion on the road... we set off at a rapid pace! The highlight, which definitely ranks as one of the top throughout the 8 days (although it was lung busting intensity) was riding up the switch-back climb of the hill top finish through the enormous crowd of spectators! Makes you aware of how big this race really is! After peeing in a cup for doping control we were on our way to Robertson for the start of stage-1 the following morning in 18th place on GC (General Classification).

Stage 1 was a real good introduction to what lay ahead over the next few days! Everyone has fresh and excited legs that are raring to race! There was plenty of hike-a-bike sections that were so steep it was difficult to even walk up them let along drag your bike up too. After what seemed to be a very long day and three punctures later we were finished stage-1 remaining in 18th position on GC, which we intended on hopefully improving as the days went on.

Stage 2 involved some true Klein Karoo rocky jeep track riding amongst the dry bossies as well as some visits through the vineyards of the local wine farms. The competition in this race is phenomenal with all best local South African athletes as well as a very strong international contingent of athletes thrown into the field to mix things up! We managed to take one step up on GC after the stage to be in 17th overall before the queen stage the following day.

Stage 3 was the longest in Cape Epic history covering over 140km from Robertson to Caledon. We did well to remain amongst the main bunch for most of the way. The dry heat experienced throughout the long stage made some of the river crossings very refreshing as they were too deep to ride through. After another consistent ride we had moved up to 15th on GC overall.

After a long hot day 4 the approaching storm was starting to bear its teeth as we headed out for a loop around the Caledon farm lands. With some very nice steep climbs and descents we were having a very solid day. However, after doing well to get up the last major climb and down the treacherous descent safely holding a good position we unfortunately lost some time from missing a marker before water point 2. It didn't end there as a little later on while riding with another two teams grinding our way back into a monster of a North Westerly head wind towards Caledon through the endless rolling farm hills we missed yet another turn. The wind seemed to be playing a bit of havoc with the markers... This resulted in us doing some extra riding up a sizable hill and losing some more precious time! After keeping the moral up, which wasn’t easy in those windy conditions and having gone wrong twice we climbed another two spots on GC to now be lying 13th overall! Things were looking up... until day 6 where there is no other way to describe it other than when the sh*%t-hit-the-fan...

The traditional Cape winter cold front was upon us as we made our way from Caledon up and into the mountains of the Houwhoek, Elgin, Grabouw region to finish on the flowing single tracks of Oak Valley. With about 40km left still to the end of the stage while up in the mountains the rain came down in bucket loads. With no extra warm or protected clothing and a sub 5% body fat content hypothermia began to set in! I’ve been cold plenty of times before and in my mind this simply seemed to be one of those occasions, however, my body reacted in a way I’ve never experienced before! I lost all orientation making it very difficult to ride the single tracks of Oak Valley in the last 10km of the stage. I kept riding off the path and struggled to stay on two wheels. The last incident was within 500m from the finish where I fell down into a little river and was stuck up-side-down in the water with my bike on top of me and all I remember hearing was Charles shouting “HURRY-UP-DAVE!!!” After crossing the finish line things were rather blurry and I can’t remember too much. The medic that took control of me was fantastic and such an awesome guy, I wish I could have remembered his name... After about 2hrs of finishing, a hot shower and coffee and being wrapped in blankets sitting millimeters from a heater my body temperature was still only 34 degrees! It would have been interesting to know what it was when I had just finished! Eventually after some more cups of hot chocolate my temperature was back up to 36 and I was discharged from the medical tent ready to fight another day...

Unfortunately the fighting that was to take place the following day (day-7) was not a matter of competition and gaining time or positions, it was a matter of survival and trying to limit the damages as much as possible! My body had nothing in it (literally due to the post effects of hypothermia) and I struggled to simply turn the pedals! This made it a real fight to make it through the stage and was one of the worst and longest days on the bike for me (also for Charles who could do nothing but just ride frustratingly slowly while I slogged away).

The previous two days happenings had caused us to drop further down on the overall GC from 13th after day-5 to 16th after day-7 and with my recovery still on the back foot the final day was looming. Yet another battle began as we left Oak Valley under perfect conditions en-route to Lourensford. I felt better than the previous day, however, still nowhere near being fully recovered from the knock my body took and thus still struggled. I gave it everything I possible could while Charles pushed and pulled me where ever he could and we managed to finish the stage in 22nd place and limit our losses as much as possible once again, however, unfortunately dropping another 2 places on GC to finish the 8 days in 18th overall.

 A very special mention has to be made for my wife, Jayde. As with all races it is all about the racing and that time spent on the bike, however, in a race like the Cape Epic, any stage race for that matter there is so much that goes on during those hours off the bike between stages. It becomes a routine from day to day and there is so much to organize between stages and preparation for what lies ahead the following day. Being the rider you are often so tied without enough energy to even think straight and the time off the bike can also be considered the most important part of the race in which you need to do as little as possible to recover as much as possible and regain focus! This is where you’ll hear of the word soigneur more commonly heard in the professional European racing scene like the Tour de France. Basically this is a cyclist's personal assistant who is assign to the riders to help them with everything that needs to be done. Jayde fulfilled this role during the 8 grueling days for me in an incredible way! She was always the first person I saw at the finish of each day with everything I possibly needed from carrying a big bag with all my stuff to a cold recovery drink to loving support. She was unbelievable and now she is not only my number-one-supporter but also my super-soigneur! I would also like to thank everybody else for the support, my parents for coming out and watching along the way and all the encouraging messages!