Rooiberg Echo Challenge
(6,7 June)

Rooiberg, a small settlement to the west of Bela Bela was the venue for a 2day MTB stage race held this past weekend.

On Friday I left Heidelberg just after lunch, hoping to miss traffic on the N1 but as unpredictable as the traffic can be, I drove straight into it. A normally 1hour drive took me more than 2hours. I felt relieved as I drove out of Pretoria leaving the busy city behind me heading out onto the open freeway towards the bushy landscape of Limpopo province.

As I left the freeway at Bela Bela off ramp, the road to Rooiberg was filled with game farms and I was even lucky enough to see a few different species of antelope.
I arrived well after dark at Etosha Nature reserve where I stayed for 2 nights. The lodge is situated deep in the bush, which gives you the opportunity to experience the sounds and beauty of nature.

Day 1, 70km
Etosha Nature reserve is a 30min drive from the race start. I left at 6:30am, just in time to see the sun rise!!!
The race started at 8:00am. I am always glad to get on my bike and start, it gives my nerves time to settle down and I can concentrate on the race.

On the first flat part of the race I worked my way into the leading position. We got to a very steep hill which forced us to get off our bikes and push. It was here were Samantha Oosthuizen (Garmin) came running past me while pushing her bike. On the downhill I tried to make up some lost time but on one of the corners I slipped and fell. Yolandi de Villiers( Cycle Lab) then made her way past me. I struggled to get into a rhythm again and lost a bit of confidence. Yolande Speedy caught me half way through the stage, and with her experience and technical skills I wasn’t able to follow.

The race had ± 60 km of single track, with some sections being really technical. We also had to cycle through a fire which had only just started when I came past. The marshals had to redirect the rest of the field behind me around the fire. I never manage to make up time on the 3 girls out front and finished in 4th place for the day.

Stage 2, 85km
I started my day with another beautiful sunrise, and this made it worthwhile getting up so early.

In a repeat of the previous day, we were off at 8am.
The first part of the course consisted of singletrack with river crossings and rocky climbing sections, where you had to carry or push your bike most of the time. I struggled to carry my bike and was laying 4th coming out of the “hike a bike” section.
Although the stage had less singletrack, it wasn’t any easier than day 1.
The first day’s technical singletrack was replaced by loose rocky descents and ascents, thick sand and river crossings, which required just as much skill and concentration.

The two stages were long and tough. After riding for almost 10hours in 2 days, I managed to get a podium place in the end by finishing 3rd overall in the ladies category.

Results
1st Yolande Speedy
2nd Samantha Oosthuizen
3rd Yolandi du Toit