SA Marathon Championships, 20th March

My weekend started on a high note as I received great news on the
Friday from my team manager. He called to tell me that he managed to
help Cycling South Africa realize their mistake regarding the medal
presentation at Cross country Championships and the SA medals will go
to South African Athletes as in previous years.

Therefore the final results for the Elite woman at the Cross Country
National Championships is as follow:

1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN/Qhubeka)

2nd Samantha Saanders (Mankele)

3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)

On Sunday I participated in the SA Marathon Championships race which
was held at Inanda dam, just outside Hillcrest in Kwazulu-Natal.

The event was truly exceptional as there were trails especially built
for this occasion and on top of that the venue offered breath taking
scenery as the route was laid out in the valley of a thousand hills
taking you all around the dam.

The supporters on route were also plenty as the local community joined
in to motivate us along the entire 83km route.
As this was the South African Marathon Championships everyone who
lined up for the start was ready to battle it out on route in order to
win the coveted National Jersey.

The steep undulating climbs throughout the course caused our group to
split up early into the race.
Three leaders formed up front consisting of Yolande Speedy
(MTN/Qhubeka), Candice Neetling (Team Bizhub) and Cherise Taylor (Team
USN). The three of them were shortly followed by Catherine Williamson
(Bizhub) then a few seconds behind her was Karien van Jaarsveld (Team
USN) with myself and team mate Caitlin de Wet (Team Bizhub) hot on
their wheels.

I remember Caitlin was still with me on the first fairly long climb
around 20km into the race, but as I reached the bottom of the ensuing
descent she wasn’t with me anymore and I had to continue on my own in
pursuit of the leaders. (I only found out at the finish line that
Caitlin dehydrated towards the end and was taken back to the
start/finish venue in a helicopter in order to get her on a drip as
soon as possible. She has luckily recovered 100 %).

I was lying in 6th place for most of the race until reaching the 2nd
water point. Here I found out that I suddenly moved into 3rd place as
the 3 leaders had unfortunately missed one of the markers and went off
route. Luckily they managed to find their way back but lost a bit of
time.

Just before the last water point Candice and Cherise managed to catch
up to me again after their slight detour.

Unfortunately the erstwhile leaders (Speedy, Candice and Cherise)
never made it back to the front of the race and the event was won by
our resolute British team mate Catherine Williamson with Karien van
Jaarsveld finishing just behind her to claim her first National
Championships title.

As this was our national championships the final results for the
Marathon National Championships was as follows.

1st Karien van Jaarsveld (Team USN)

2nd Cherise Taylor (Team USN)

3rd Candice Neetling (Team Bizhub)

4th Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)

5th Yolande Speedy (Team MTN/Qhubeka)

XCO National Champions & Cape Argus Pick and Pay cycle tour.

Cyclists and non cyclists alike are very familiar with the Cape Argus
Cycle Tour which took place this past Sunday in Cape Town. What
‘some’ people weren’t aware of was that they were missing out on some
good cross country mountain bike racing on the day before the Argus.

On Saturday the 12th of March the South African National Cross
Country Championships took place at Delvera Wine farm just outside of
Stellenbosch.

The event was scheduled to take place at District 6 in Cape Town but
last minute decisions saw the event move to Delvera farm which luckily
had trails already laid out for people to enjoy in and around
Stellenbosch.

I travelled to Cape Town a week before the event specifically to train
on the course. With the final 5.8km circuit only marked out on
Thursday, I spent the other days training on Dirtopia’s trails. This
was truly a fun ride as it took you over some awesome technical single
track laid out on a ‘koppie’ on the far side of the farm. As a XC
course has to abide by certain standards the course was laid out
closer to the farm, unfortunately missing out on the amazing single
track. Instead the 5.8km route consisted mainly of a very steep uphill
and downhill.

Whatever the course - my Specialized Era and I were up for the challenge!

The u/23 and elite ladies set out to race 5 laps of the 5.8km course.
In the ladies u/23 category there was some tight racing between
Mariska Strauss (Team Contego), Caitlin De Wet (Team Bizhub) and
Candice Neetling (Team Bizhub). At the end Mariska had a great ride
coming back from a tiring 2010 season to win the u/23 National Jersey
with my team mates Candice Neetling and Caitlin de Wet in 2nd and 3rd
place respectfully.

In my category (elite ladies) Yolande Speedy (Team Qhubeka/MTN) had a
dominant race and added another national title to her name with Swiss
rider Arianne Luthi (Team Contego) in 2nd, Samantha Saanders
(Mankele) in 3rd and me in 4th place at the end.

Since I’ve been involved in cycling foreign riders are allowed to
compete at a National Championships to raise the standard but aren’t
eligible to get a medal at the end, only the prize money and UCI
points that go with the result. This is how it worked and always had
worked all across the world. I myself have even raced in Belgium’s
National Championships on the road and there you also can’t get a
medal - just a mention if you do manage to garner a result.

Therefore I thought that I would get the Bronze Medal as I was the 3rd
South African to cross the finish line and everyone at the race also
assured me of this. Finally at prize giving the South African silver
medal was awarded to Swiss rider Arianne Luthi on Alec Lenfurna’s
decision.

I was disappointed to witness the podium presentation instead of being
on it myself but what hurt even more was when I asked Alec about it
and he basically told me off for questioning his decision.

The following day our team lined up for the Argus Pick and Pay Cycle Tour.
We had great weather on Sunday making it a perfect day to be outdoors.

Our team put in an excellent performance at the end with Catherine
Williamson from England finishing on die podium in 3rd place.

Next up for us will be the MTB Marathon National Championships in Kwazulu-Natal.

MTN SABIE CLASSIC

Sabie Classic was the 4th leg of the MTN Series and as the next MTN event is only in May, everyone was keen to make this one count. This year’s event again proved to be a big challenge as the new Marathon route included a total of 2110m of climbing over a distance of 74km.

We set off in dry, sunny conditions which was a blessing after all the mud at the MTN Clarens event the previous weekend.

The course mainly consisted of two long, steep climbs followed by their descents and then the tortuous undulations of the last 20km back home. Barely 5km into the race, we found ourselves on the first major climb on the day. Here Yolande Speedy and Eszter Elderlyi (both team MTN/Qhubeka) pushed hard and it caused our group to splinter on the lower slopes of the climb. I reached the top (around 30km) on my own in 5th position and continued on in lone pursuit of the leaders.

Up front Speedy was experiencing a bit of bad luck as she had to stop twice. First she had to tighten a loose seatpost and then she had to stop and repair a puncture. On both occasions she managed to ride back up to her team mate, Eszter, who was in the leading position. At the end all the chasing caught up to Speedy and Eszter managed to beat her in the sprint for the line to take the Victory at Sabie Classic with Speedy finishing just behind her in 2nd place.

The ladies behind the two MTN/ Qhubeka rider s were putting in individual Time Trial efforts. From the first climb everyone was left to chase on their own, and crossed the finish line one by one. Arianne Luthi (Team Contego ) was the next rider home finishing in 3rd place. She was followed by Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub) in 4th place and me (Team Bizhub) in 5th place to round out the top 5 placings.

The new format of the MTN races sees the Marathon and Ultra-Marathon taking place on the Saturday and the half-marathon together with the kiddie’s races taking place on the Sunday. For me it’s really a great initiative as it gives you the opportunity to focus on the main events the one day and then have a pleasant time on the bikes with family /friends/ sponsors the following day.

On Sunday I did the 15km kiddies race with friends of mine and their kids. This turned out to be quite a treat riding with moms, dads and kiddies from all ages. I do hope I’ll get the opportunity to do it again in the future.

My Team Bizhub cycling kit turned out to be very popular amongst the moms and little girls and I must admit I truly enjoyed all the compliments along the route. You can just imagine PINK cycling kit with white daisies on, any little girls dream!

African Continental XC Champions

In the past I have competed at African Continental ‘Road’ Championships but this was my first time competing in a cross country event at this level.

As it is totally different from my road cycling background, my main goal for the event was to do my best and learn as much as possible from the experience
The Championships were held on the 12th of Feb in the picturesque Jonkershoek Nature reserve which is located about 10km east of Stellenbosch.

The 4.2km race course basically consisted of an uphill and a downhill on single track, sprinkled with rocks from all different shapes and sizes. Luckily I had a full suspension bike (Specialized Era) to ride on the extremely bumpy course.
The elite ladies started just after 12pm and had to complete 5 laps of the course.

Going into the single track I found myself in 5th position. To get past riders once we were on the single track was very difficult as there was no room for passing and not everyone is willing to move aside in order for you to go by.

The heat and distance took its toll and at the end of the 5 laps I managed to work my way up into 3rd position and was very happy to win my first medal (Bronze) at African Continental Championships (MTB).

I never thought I would be able to do this in only my 3rd XC event, but I really am starting to enjoy the challenge of racing cross country and I look forward to the next one!

Final Results:
1st Yolande Speedy (RSA)
2nd Samantha Sanders (RSA)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (RSA)
4th Karien van Jaarsveld (RSA)
5th Heletje Van Staden (NAM)

It’s been quite a busy week of riding, racing and travelling for me and the Bizhub ladies cycling team.

On Friday (4 Feb) I travelled down to Port Elizabeth for SA Road Championships and the EP Herald Road race. Once there the plans truly changed overnight. The organisers of SA Road Champs couldn’t decide the night before whether the route was ‘safe’ enough to race on the next day or if they should cancel it instead.

Luckily my team had brought my mountain bike along for African Continental Championships which meant I didn’t have to wonder if I was going to be able to race the next day. I just changed my focus to the EP Herald MTB race and got on with the job in hand.

I was really happy to be able to do the MTB race which took place at Addo Elephant National Park just outside of PE. It was much harder than expected. It looked like fairly flat terrain driving to the park but proved to be the exact opposite during the race. The scenic route was very interesting as there were gradual gravel climbs through fertile citrus plantations, technical single track up and down hiking trails and fast adrenaline pumping downhill jeep track. The race was won by Swiss rider Ariane Luthi (Contego team) with my team mate Ischen Stopforth in 2nd place and me in 3rd place to round out the podium.

On Sunday the 6th of February the team took part in EP Herald road race. Catherine Williams had a great ride and managed to better her 3rd place result from last year to finish in 2nd place. Next year she is sure to bag the win!

At the end of the weekend, despite the chaos around SA’s, our team was happy to leave PE with great results (I can also add that our junior on the team, Monique Gerber, won 2 Gold medals at SA’s in the road race and time trial respectively).

Caitlin and I travelled from PE to Stellenbosch on Monday (7 Feb) to take part in the African Continental Champs held at Jonkershoek this coming weekend.

Until next time,

MTN National Series - Barberton XCM #2 driven by Nissan

The second leg of the MTN Marathon series took place at Barberton High School on Saturday 29th of January.

Since this event is also a UCI event, the Marathon Elite women were set off independently, 5min after the Ultra marathon men. The ladies field was once again very competitive as it attracted international riders over and above all the top South African ladies. The level of woman’s cycling is definitely improving rapidly in this country, which is great to see.

For 2011 Team Bizhub has also grown more on the mountain biking side as we now have a total of 5 girls (Candice Needling, Caitlin de Wet, Ischen Stopfort, Nicci Grobler and myself) in the team who will mainly be focussing on MTB.

We left the start line under a clear sky and the Team-MTN/Qhubeka pair of Yolande Speedy and Ezster Erdelyi decided to put the hammer down in the neutral zone already (so much for having an ‘easy’ roll through town) which saw only a small group of girls reaching the bottom of the first and only major climb on the day where the race ‘officially’ started.

Here I settled in my own manageable pace with Samantha Oosthuisen (Else Kaarstens Cycles) a few meters behind me. Half way up the climb I made contact with my team mate Caitlin de Wet and the two of us stayed together for another few kilometres. I am not sure when Caitlin decided to rather ride her own pace, but as I rode up to Mariska Strauss (Contego) near the top of the climb Caitlin wasn’t with me anymore. Employing some road tactics, I decided to just stay with Mariska and hope that Caitlin will join us again as she was very close to us at that stage.

Mariska on the other hand was determined to stay ahead and this led to the two of us continuing on in pursuit of the leaders. Once it was clear that Caitlin was not going to reach us I, started helping Mariska and we set a high pace as we raced on through the beautiful Mountainlands Nature Reserve and the Greenstone Wildlife Estate on the other side of the mountain. I really thought we would ride up to some of the other girls in front as we both were pushing hard on the pedals at this stage.

The last 5km of the route took us onto some ‘Cross Country’ single track. Going into it I was still with Mariska but her cross country experience left me behind with 2km to go to the finish line.

It was an aggressive race until the end as Yolande Speedy (Team MTN/Qhubeka) was in the lead throughout the race and then in the final kilometres she took a wrong turn somewhere and sadly had to settle for second place behind her team mate Eszter Erdelyi (Team MTN,Qhubeka) with Ariane Luthi rounding off the podium.
Ischen Stopforth was on her way to finish 4th but unfortunately went down on the technical single track near the end. Luckily Candice Neetling was also having an excellent ride herself and managed to secure the 4th place for the team with Ischen rounding out the top 5.

Results:
1st Eszter Erdelyi (Team MTN/Qhubeka)
2nd Yolande Speedy (Team MTN/Qhubeka)
3rd Ariane Luithi (Contego)
4th Candice Neetling (Team Bizhub)
5th ISchen Stopforth (Team Bizhub)
6th Karien van Jaarsveld (USN)
7th Mariske Strauss (Contego)
8th Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
9th Caitlin de Wet (Team Bizhub)
10th Samatha Oosthuisen (Else Kaarsten Cycles)

This coming weekend I will be competing at the SA Road Championships and EP Herald Road race on Saturday and Sunday.

Attakwas extreme: 121km - Total ascent 2900m

The MTN National MTB series is once again the biggest mountain bike
series in the country consisting of 8 events in 2011.
The Attakwas was first in line and is also the first event in South
Africa to carry UCI Marathon points.
The UCI points which were allocated to the top 15 finishers made for
very competitive racing as it attracted not only South Africa’s top
mountain bike riders but also a few international heroes.

The race started at Chandelier Game and Ostrich show farm on the
outskirts of Oudtshoorn .
From here riders had to follow an extremely challenging 121km route,
which included passing through the Attakwas kloof 4x4 trail, to the
finish in Groot Brak.

Saturday morning dawned with sunshine and clear skies as all the
riders started to gather around the starting blocks in their new kit
for the 2011 season.
The Ladies category started 5min after the Elite men and set off with
the veteran men.
Yolande Speedy and Eszter Elderlyi (Team MTN/Qhubeka ) set a furious
pace upfront which saw the group splinter within 5km. I decided to
settle in my own manageable pace as Yolande Speedy, Ester Eldarly,
Ariane Luthi (Contego),Ischen Stopforth (Bizhub), Karien van Jaarsveld
(USN) , Jane Seggie and Christine Jansen van Rensberg took off on the
first climb.

During the first 10km jeep track I managed to pass Jane Seggie and
Christine Jansen van Rensberg and rode up to Karien van Jaarsveld
(Team USN). Karien stayed with me until the bottom of the steep climb
just past the first water point (around 30km). Here I managed to pull
away from Karien to continue alone in my pursuit of the leaders.

It was a spectacular sight to see the surroundings change on entering
the picturesque Attakwas kloof. Through the kloof the riding became
more technical and the climbs a lot steeper. I managed to pass Ischen
just after the 2rd water point on the 2nd steep rocky climbs (around
55km).
On the 3rd and last steep climb through the Attakwas Kloof, leading up
to the King of the mountain prime (KOM), I managed to stay on my bike
all the way to the top. It might sound silly but I was very happy with
myself as during last year’s event I had to push my bike in the final
meters to the KOM. Although afterwards I wasn’t that pleased anymore
as my legs felt heavy from the hard effort.

After the 3rd water point the route became slightly easier as we went
onto district roads but the riding still stayed tough with the
unrelenting climbs all the way to the finish. As I got onto the
district road I saw Eszter Elderlyi in the distance and managed to
pass her on one of the rolling hills (around 70km).

As I was pacing myself on the wide gravel road between the pine
forests Ischen’s diesel engine started to kick in as she passed me
just before the 4th water point (around 80km).
I continued on my own into the growing headwind, counting down the
kilometres to the finish.

It was my first time competing in such a long event and I could feel
it as the last 30km was definitely the hardest for me. What made the
pain even worse was when Jane Seggie passed me within the last 10km to
the finish line.

All’s well that ends well and I was happy to finish such a gruelling
event and gain the valuable experience which is sure to count for a
lot in the coming races. The race was won by Swiss rider Ariane Luthi
with Yolande Speede in 2nd and Ischen Stopforth rounding off the
podium in 3rd place.

My next event will be Barberton, hope to see you all there...

Sabie Experience

The 2010 Sabie Experience was the first race I would get the opportunity to partner up with my father for a mountain bike team event. This made for quite an unforgettable ‘experience’.

The event took place over 4 days starting off with a 29km Time Trail followed by 3 stages. Our game plan was to take it easy from the start and back off from there . This time of year is normally the time to put in endurance miles and that’s mainly what we wanted to do.

Stage 1: On our first day we encountered some bad luck as my dad managed to break a spoke on his back wheel while negotiating a climb. He didn’t see his chain getting stuck between the cassette and wheel and tried pedalling on, but he didn’t get far. The broken spoke also caused his wheel to deflate which left us stranded while fixing a tyre. We lost quite a bit of time (15-20min) which was actually a good thing, as this meant we weren’t able to contest for the overall mixed positions and forced us to stick to our game plan.

Stage 2: The 77km route took us over one of Sabie’s many mountains, down ‘Microwave alley’, around the Witklip dam and then back over ‘The Wall’ to the finish. It was stunning to ride around the dam and I immediately understood why they described the stage as “your eyes will burn”.

On the climb back to the finish my dad added another highlight to my day. At that point we had been on our bikes for almost 4 hours, it was boiling hot and the climb was at it’s steepest! Here I asked my dad something and he’s only response was: “Don’t ask me such intelligent questions, at this stage I don’t even know what my own name is!”. Needless to say I couldn’t stop laughing all the way to the summit.

Stage 3: The 78km route was a true mountain bike stage filled with steep climbs and technical singletrack descents.

As my dad only bought a mountain bike in October this year, I decided that whenever we get to a tricky single track section it would be best to opt for the ‘chicken run’ and so reduce the chances of crashing and getting hurt.

On approaching the first one I asked my dad if we are going to take the chicken run and he just responded “I am not a chicken!”. I must admit I was very impressed with my dad’s skill, determination, ignorance or whatever you want to call it. It was actually nice to see how much fun he was having on the risky sections.

Stage 4: The 60km route took us over Long Tom dirt road pass to reach the highest point off the 4 days. It was again another great stage which took us past breathtaking waterfalls, over lush green mountains and down awesome single track.
We really had exceptionally great weather this year. Not once did we get rained or hailed on while out on our bikes. The thunder showers only started in the afternoons after the stage, and amazingly cleared by day break.

My experience was a very special one as my team (Bizhub) gave me the opportunity to participate in a stage race simply for the fun and love of the sport and on top of that I got to share this experience with my dad.

One of the waterfalls we rode past:



My dad and sister on our hike to one of the waterfalls situated within 5km from the start venue:

Isuzu 3 Towers Stage Race

The Isuzu 3 Towers was hosted by Mankele Mountain biking, situated near the Sudwala caves in Mpumalanga. Each stage would take us to a different radio tower on top of a mountain (hence the name 3 Towers) where we were rewarded with some of the most breathtaking views in South Africa. The lowveld is truly a beautiful part of our country.

Mankele mountain biking is renowned for its sometimes technical, but always flowing single track and mountain trail riding. The riding over the three days of the race definitely confirmed this and left me with a sense of awe.
I teamed up with Caitlin de Wet from the Mr Price/Specialized team for the race. We soon formed a good understanding on the bike and this made for an even more unforgettable experience.

On day 1 we set off in cold, wet conditions which created a very muddy and slippery track. The biggest challenge on the day was actually trying to see where you are going as the conditions left us riding half blind with eyes burning from all the mud. Tip: don’t rub your eyes with your gloves, your fingers are probably a bit cleaner.

The route also provided some moments of humour... At one point we had to portage through a deep water crossing where half of my body was submerged. I went in first and slipped on the slick rocks which left me wet from head to toe. Needless to say we were freezing by the time we reached the finish line 4h25min later.
Despite the weather not playing along, everyone still commented on the great riding over the 80km’s of stage 1. The only regret of the day was that we missed out on the spectacular view from the top as we just stared into a cloud of mist.

Day 2 dawned with sunshine!! Everyone was all smiles as they left the start line to tackle the 75km ahead in dry conditions. The route was amazing as it included climbs (as always!), technical single track and on top of that bush tunnels! A Bush tunnel can be quite intimidating as it includes a drop off going into the bush tunnel, but if you have the guts to just let go of the brakes it is really fun flying through it! The great weather made the kilometres tick by much quicker than the previous day, giving us a riding time of 4h10min.

Day 3 we had another beautiful day with sunshine and only a light, cool breeze creating ideal riding conditions. The last 53km stage was packed with mostly single and jeep track.

During the night a stomach bug got hold of Caitlin and left her feeling really drained for the last stage. Still, Caitlin was determined to finish what she started and courageously kept on riding. Unfortunately things never happen in one’s and around 20km from the finish Caitlin’s cassette came loose. Luckily for us a guy stopped to help tighten it a bit. Tip: Remember to carry a Cassette tool, ha-ha.
Soon we were back on our bikes and finished the last stage in 3h10min. Securing our second overall place in the Woman’s Category.

It’s been great to be part of such a remarkable event, one where you leave feeling you receive much more than expected. You have to visit Mankele and ride their trails to truly grasp the passion these people have for the sport!

Next for me will be the Telkom Satellite Challenge.

The 103km MTN Ride Crater Cruise - 9 October 2010

This year the Crater Cruise formed part of the MTN Marathon Series. As it was the final stop in the series, it added more excitement to the race as the top contenders tried to gain extra points to boost their seeding.

We started at the Ride Arena in Parys and from there the beautiful mountain bike route took as through the Vredefort Dome world Heritage site.

The A and B batches were set off together forming quite a large group to leave the start line at 7.30am. The first 8km was on tarmac and then we went onto a corrugated dirt road.
On the dirt road everyone was fighting for position to be among the first to dip into the single track which came after 10km of gravel district roads. The single track section was complete chaos. Once we got back onto the main dirt road the once big group had splintered into a few smaller groups. I found myself just behind the group containing the leading ladies, Yolande de Villiers (Cycle lab) and Karien Van Jaarsveld (Team USN).

Instead of trying to bridge across to the leaders I decided to rather stick with the group I was in, conserving my energy for later on in the race. At the 37km mark we turned onto the tracks of Espach’s game farm. Here the racing truly began as there was no bunch riding left.

On Espach we encountered the toughest climb in the race. What made the 2km climb very hard was firstly its gradient and secondly the loose rocks scattered across it, which required a fair amount off skill.

On the climb I made contact with Karien again and also managed to pass her to reach the top in 2nd place behind De Villiers. On the following descent I tried to gain as much time as possible on Karien and to my surprise on reaching the bottom I spotted Yolande De Villiers in the distance. I caught up to her just before reaching the half-way mark at Shoemansdrift.

We stayed together for about 5km and on a grass sections running next to the Vaal River I looked around and didn’t see Yolande behind me anymore. I realised that I was now in the leading position and that there was still 45km left to the finish, which was still a very long way….

I decided to focus on the race itself and not the riders and give my best all the way to the finish.

After being on a course so demanding as the Crater Cruise route for 4h12m26sec, I can’t describe how happy I was to cross the line.
Only once I got my breath back I started to realize that I won the race! I am really happy to be able to win the last leg in the MTN Series!


Results

1st Yolandi du Toit 4:12:26
2nd Yolande De Villiers 4:18:04
3rd Karien van Jaarsveld 4:23:09
4th Carla Rowley 4:28:18
5th Julia Skea 4:31:44
6th Caitlin de Wet 4:42:54
7th Samantha Oosthuysen 4:48:02

Next for me will be the Isuzu 3 Towers stage race where I will be partnering up with Caitlin de Wet from Team MR Price/Specialized.

Marrick MTB Challenge


The 4 day Marrick mountain bike stage race took place just outside the diamond rush town of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Ischen Stopforth and I partnered up for the event, which proved to be the ideal race to get to know each other better for stage races to come.

The event kicked off at 8pm on Thursday evening with an exciting 35km night stage. The route consisted of jeep and single track on the Marrick game farm.

The only illumination riders were allowed to use was the single light strapped to your handlebar. I was amazed at the things I was capable of riding during the night. Ignorance is bliss I suppose…
If I had to race the same route in daylight, I am sure I would have ridden it much more cautiously.

Every stage had its own unique experience. During our night ride we missed one of the reflective arrows which marked the course. We were going ‘full gas’ so we weren’t aware off our mistake until we saw lights coming towards us. We continued riding towards the oncoming lights because we didn’t know how far we had actually strayed off course. The only thing we could do was fall in with the rest of the riders and continue racing. On reaching the finish line, we were welcomed home as the first ladies which was quite a pleasant surprise and a big relief for not losing any time to other ladies teams.

Unfortunately the timing mat was defective and we were all giving the same time in the end.

The second 118km stage took us from Marrick Lodge to Douglas where we were to finish at Broadwater Camping ground.

From the start Hannele Steyn Kotze and Leanne De Jager (Team Sludge) stuck to us like glue. Both teams went flat out to see who would crack first. Our legs held out and it was Team Sludge who had to drop off the pace around 40km into the stage.

From there it was just survival to the end as the rocky corrugated district roads started to take its toll on our feet, hands and bums (ouch!)
When we reached 118km there was no finish line in sight. We continued on not knowing how far we still had to go. We ended up doing only 4km’s extra, but after 118km the additional kilometres felt much longer!!

Our suffering was rewarded as Ischen and I managed to gain a 14min lead over our rivals at the end of stage 2.

Broadwater Camping ground is situated right next to the Orange river, which definitely made up for the extra 4km. Race organiser, John Filmalter, decided to add something unique to the day’s end and arranged a sunset boat cruise for all participants on the Orange river. Everyone forgot about the hard racing behind and ahead of them and enjoyed the tranquillity of the trip.

The next day stage 3 took us back to Marrick Lodge on a 110km course.
This was said to be the most challenging day and I won’t disagree.
Ischen and I had a good start and we led from the beginning, gradually gaining more time on our competitors as the kilometres flew by.
Halfway through the stage we came across the feared deep sand sections which we had to portage through. Looking back it was actually a funny moment as we both tried several times to ride and ended up skidding across the road barely managing to stay upright.

The heat was another factor playing an important role and at 60km we came across the last water point. Not knowing that it was the last one, we run empty around 90km into the stage. A few kilometres later we passed some farm houses and out of desperation we stopped at the first one where we spotted people and asked for water. The people kindly helped us and without them I doubt we could have reached the finish line.

Despite our unscheduled pit stop we managed to add more time between ourselves and team Sludge ending up with an overall lead off 41min.

The last stage consisted of 75km’s single and jeep track and proved to be mountain bike heaven after the previous day’s rough terrain.
Everyone seemed to be enthusiastic for the last stage and their eagerness showed as they sprinted off the start line. As the race settled we found ourselves riding with Team Sludge once again. They tried everything to get rid of us, but Ischen and I were determined not to be dropped. Eventually Team Sludge got tired and started to fall back. We pushed on in an effort to put the result beyond a doubt.

Another pleasant surprise came around 65km into the stage when we approached the finish line much sooner than expected. The shortened stage was a relief and meant Ischen and I had won our first Mountain bike stage race as team Bizhub.

It was a great experience to see this beautiful part of our country and a pleasure to compete in such a hospitable atmosphere.

Next for me will be Crater Cruise…

MTN Zoo Lake Criterium

This past Sunday I participated at the MTN Zoo Lake Criterium in Johannesburg.

It is and always has been a challenging race as the route (which is half uphill and half downhill) takes you through a few tight corners to complete a lap of 3.4km around Zoo Lake.

The ladies event consisted of 1hour + 1 lap of racing. Which meant it was ‘full gas’ from the word go. I knew the first lap was going to be fast but I never anticipated how fast it actually would be. Riders were being detached from the bunch even before completing our first lap.

A few girls, including myself, tried our best to establish a break but with such short racing and good depth in the field the race was kept under control. This meant no one was leaving the front group behind.

The bunch got smaller with every lap and at the end it was Robyn de Groot (Team MTN) who showed off her newly learned skills from Europe and took the Victory in a sprint.

The podium was rounded off by Cherise Taylor (Team USN) in 2nd place and Lylanie Lauwrens (Team MTN) in 3rd place.

Zoo Lake criterium has always stood out for me. The racing is extremely hard and fairly technical on a very safe circuit! Where else in this country are you able to race your road bike without any traffic on the road.

Next for me will be the Marrick 4day Mountain bike tour in Kimberley starting on Thursday.

Silverstar Casino MTB Classic,


The 3rd edition of this event took place on Saturday at the Silverstar Casino to the West of Johannesburg.

It was my first time competing at this race, and I tried to research as much as possible regarding the 40km course to familiarize myself with what lay ahead.

This helped me on the day as I knew a good warm up wouldn’t go to waste with the event’s traditional start winding up the 2.5km tar climb called Hillsnacks.
The Elite men set a furious pace on the climb, which quickly spread the field.

On top of Hillsnacks, just before turning onto Mogale Parks technical single track, I found myself in 3rd position chasing Carla Rowly and Samantha Oosthuisen (Elsa Kaarsten’s cycles)

I managed to pass Carla within the following kilometre and could see Samantha only a few metres in front of me. I chased hard after Samantha, but she was having a great day and kept me just off her tail.

After the technical single track section (13km) to route became much faster as it continued on to some undulating, twisting single track.

The chase continued until the final 5km were I finally managed to make contact with her. This moment was short lived as Samantha put in a couple of surges which left me behind with 3km to go to the finish line.

Samantha Oosthuisen took the victory while I finished in 2nd place and Carla Rowly rounded off the podium.

Last weekend I experienced a very bad day on the bike, which made me a tad nervous for this event. I was scared of having another bad day, but luckily I felt much better and was happy with my ride.

Results:

Overall Ladies

1st Samantha Oosthuisen (Else Kaarsten’s Cycles)
2nd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
3rd Carla Rowley

Nissan Down & Dirty

The 4th event in the Nissan MTB Marathon series took place in Irene, Pretoria.

Race day dawned with bright sunshine which revealed the familiar rocky terrain around Pretoria.

I went for a warm up ride 30 min before the start in anticipation off the familiar fast rush off the line. I made my way to the start, but I wasn’t allowed to enter from the front (normally all the elite riders are allowed to enter the starting block from the front giving them the opportunity to start on equal footing). Now I knew I was in for a hard race!

At the beginning I didn’t have the kick required to push myself back up to the leaders. This left me quite far back heading onto the first single track section.

I spotted Karien van Jaarsveld (USN )and Carla Rowley in the distance but the only thing I could do at that moment was to settle behind the other riders as we trailed down the rocky track which offered very little passing opportunities.

Once the course opened up, we still had 60km left to race which gave me plenty of time to try and reduce my loss. I settled into a manageable pace, pushing hard on the pedals but it felt as if my efforts did not deliver the desired results.

Throughout the race I chased as hard as I could on the flat and windy course. But I never managed to make contact with the leaders again.

As I only saw Carla and Karien in front of me I thought I was still in contention for the podium, but I guess it truly just wasn’t my day as I found out later that I only finished in 4th place at the end.

It was still nice to be out racing and thank you for all the support along the way.
I tried my best but sometimes I also have to accept that I am not a machine.

I will make sure to rest up now and hopefully I will be fresh and ready to go again at Hill2Hill down in Kwazulu Natal.

Final Results

1st Theresa Ralph (Specialized)
2nd Carla Rowley
3rd Karien van Jaarsveld (USN)
4th Yolandi du Toit (Bizhub)

MTN National MTB Series Cullinan


Saturday turned out to be an ideal day for racing with clear skies and a gentle breeze just to keep things real.

As I went for my warm up ride, I experienced this wonderful feeling of freedom as there was no need to put on any arm or leg warmers for a change. Summer is a coming!

The elite woman in the Marathon event (78km) started alongside the elite men in the Ultra Marathon (108km). As Always, this forced our pace high as we tried to keep up with the elite men off the start line. They soon took of on their escapade, leaving us behind to fight out victory amongst ourselves. During the early part of the race I found myself in a break with team mate Ischen Stopforth, Caitlin De Wet (Mr Price /Specialized) and Karien van Jaarsveld (USN).

The course led us on a road covered in thick sand, which required some good balance to keep upright and in a straight line. Caitlin and I managed to come out in the leading positions with Ischen and Karien left to chase. It was only afterwards that I heard that Ischen fell as she slipped through one of the sandy corners.

Up front Caitlin and I were working well together until bad luck knocked on her door around 30km into the race, leaving her to stop and fix a flat rear tire.
I forged on alone but not for long as I was soon joined by Ischen.

We stayed together until a technical rocky section where I managed to get through a bit quicker. This put me back in the leading position with Ischen 1min 30 sec behind me. All this was looking good for our team Bizhub!

I didn’t have an idea as to where the other ladies on the route were, as I could only communicate with the following camera crew. Although it isn’t their job they actually do give us a rough estimate to what the time differences are. The camera crew did a great job and also helped in lifting my spirit a few times as they motivated me along the course.

As the final kilometers started ticking down I could feel my earlier efforts taking effect as fatigue slowly started to rear its head.

This eventually led to Ischen catching up with me. We stayed together for a while but Ischen proved to be stronger towards the end leaving me behind to settle in my own manageable pace.

At the end it was Ischen who crossed the line first to take the victory with me following in 2nd place. Karien van Jaarsveld also had a strong ride rounding off the podium at Cullinan.

If I can describe the route then I will have to say testing, testing, testing! There were a lot of different factors testing ones abilities to the limit.
The biggest test for me was receiving a test paper which I didn’t expect. I thought the route would stay very similar to the Nissan Cullinan race but I couldn’t be more wrong.

On Friday I was looking forward to race on a familiar route and on Saturday during the event, especially towards the end, I was thinking why change a good course…

All I can say is that the new course with its freshly cut grass, rocky parts and untested routes provided quite a challenge.

It was one of those races you only start enjoying once you’ve crossed the finish line.

Final Results:

1st Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub)
2nd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
3rd Karien van Jaarsveld (USN)
4th Sanet Smal (Team Ghost/BBT)
5th Caitlin de Wet (Mr Price/ Specialized)