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)

Lost City

Waking up just after 3am is never pleasant but after a cup of coffee and an ‘Ouma’ Rusk I was content to start my trip to Sun City on Saturday the 21st.

The ladies event started only at 7:45am which gave us more than enough time to travel from Gauteng.

The ladies bunch had an extra special rider on the start line (my little sister). It was nice to be in the same race with her for a change and to see her fight her heart out to finish for her first time in the leading peloton.

On top of that our race evolved into a spectacular event for Bizhub when Sanet Smal took her first ever road race victory at Lost City. The team put in a great effort to have 4 girls finishing in the top 10 as well (Sanet Smal – 1st, Yolandi du Toit – 6th, Victoria- 8th
,Lise Olivier – 10th)

From there our team split as Lise, the management and I stayed behind for the mountain bike event which took place to following day. We spent the night at a luxurious 4 star apartment in Rustenburg. This also gave us the opportunity to experience a bit of city culture as we listened to some ‘fast cars’ drag racing up and down the main street.

Judging by the numbers that turned up for the mountain bike race, it seemed more successful than the road event in terms of participation.

The race consisted of 2 x 25km laps. The flat course made for a fast pace as we tried to keep up with the leading men. A missed turn on our first lap cost Lise and I a few minutes and added some distance to our race. When we rejoined the proper route we had some chasing to do to get back to the leading ladies. Fortunately we managed to do just that and had some strength left to retake the lead.

At the finish Lise rode home to Victory with me following in 2nd place adding to a successful weekend for Team Bizhub. Sanet Smal (who rides for Team Ghost/BBT on the mtb) followed up her road race victory with a solid 3rd place in the mountain bike event.

Illovo Eston MTB Challenge

This was my second time competing at Illovo. I enjoyed the event last year, despite the dreadful weather which had us racing in cold, rainy weather on a very muddy course. This year they somehow improved the already great course and on top of that we had ideal weather with clear skies and sunshine throughout the day.

The new course included some spectacular flowing single track. Personally this made the event more interesting and challenging for me as single track requires more effort, skill and concentration.

The 60km route started at the bottom of a 2km climb with a Queen of the mountain spot prize being awarded to the one who reaches the top first. Needles to say we were racing full on as soon as our cleats were in the pedals.

Cherise Taylor (USN) and Candice Neethling(DCM) set the initial pace which seemed insane. Samantha Oosthuisen( Elsa Karstens Cycles) and I managed to stay with them, but their final effort just before the hot spot proved to be to much and they opened a small gap.

This left Samantha and me chasing the lead duo who was just a few seconds ahead.
Sam and I managed to keep them (Cherise & Candice) in sight but just couldn’t make contact, despite our hard effort.

Around half way we rode onto some continuous single track sections and on one of the fairly more technical sections I managed to gain a gap on Samantha.

Once out of the single track the route takes us directly onto a climb which traverses to the top. As I was climbing I looked back but could not spot Sam. From there I knew I had to use whatever I had left in my tank to keep myself distant.

The mental battle that I was fighting with myself became harder the closer I got to the finish line. Luckily the pain was only short lived and I managed to hold onto my 3rd place until the end.

Cherise and Candice stayed together until the end where they finished the race in quite an unforgettable way. Just before the line they crashed into each other, but luckily no one got hurt. Cherise was back on her bike first and managed to take the victory ahead of Candice who had to settle for 2nd place.

Glad it’s not only me who have started losing concentration near the end

Final Results:

1st Cherise Taylor (USN)
2nd Candice Neethling (DCM/Chrome)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Bizhub)
4th Samantha Oosthuisen (Elsa Karsten cycles)
5th Carla Rowley

Nissan Diamond Rush

The Nissan Mountain Bike Series consist of 5 events held mainly in and around Gauteng.
It’s extremely popular amongst the local riders and is quickly becoming the second biggest mountain bike series following the MTN Series.

The 3rd round of the Nissan Series was held in Cullinan, just outside of Pretoria.
The venue was quite unique as the start and finish line was placed in the main street of this little town, surrounded by quaint restaurants and coffee shops.

As always the start was very fast thanks to the elite men who were fighting for position at the front of the race. We were left to pick up the pieces in the wake of their vicious pace.

Leatitia Botha (Team Ghost/BBT) had a great start and managed to get herself into the slipstream of a small group just in front off me. I tried to ride over to them but they were going just to fast on the flat, twisting single track.

Soon I was joined by a small group of 4 which included Sanet Smal (Team Ghost/BBT). The group stayed together until we got to the real technical section on the course around 10km into the race.

On this section I got stuck behind some slower riders who decided to dismount and walk rather than ride. I lost contact with Sanet, as I struggled to pass some of the riders on the narrow hiking trail.
During this section Theresa Ralph also caught up with me but luckily I managed to continue on my own once through the demanding section.

This part of the course mustn’t be mistaken for a ‘bad’ section. It only tests one’s skill and was actually a very scenic piece to ride. It took us over and through river crossings, over narrow wooden bridges and through a spectacular cave.

I lost a bit of my motivation because of how things were going for me during the first quarter of the event. I tried my best to stay focused and continued at my own pace.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted Leatitia Botha in the distance. When I finally caught up to her around 30km into the race, she was very tired and didn’t even attempt to jump on my back wheel. I realized that she was exhausted from her effort at the beginning. She took off like a rocket and rode so impressively that I honestly thought I wouldn’t see her again.

3km further I also managed to ride up to Sanet Smal. We rode together until we got to a gradual ascending climb where Sanet started losing contact with me. Once I was on my own, I gave it my all to stay in the lead.

It was a battle all the way to the finish as I knew my pursuers were not about to give up without a fight. At the end I was very happy to cross the line in 1st place ahead of a strong finishing Theresa Ralph.

Results

1st Yolandi du Toit (Bizhub)
2nd Theresa Ralph
3rd Sanet Smal (Team Ghost/BBT)
4th Leatitia Botha (Team Ghost/BBT)

South African Cross Country Championships & Medsceme Walkerville MTB Classic

There was no time to gradually adjust from training to racing as my first weekend back was packed with competition…..

First off I participated in the South African Cross Country Championships held at Groenloof Nature Reserve in Pretoria.

I decided this year to give cross country a go and after my first race at George I had discovered a great new challenge. My next XCO event was the one over the past weekend at Groenkloof.

I didn’t really know what to expect on Saturday as everything is still fairly new to me. The course at Groenkloof also requires a fair amount of technical skills which I am still acquiring.

The week before the event I was still struggling to get enough confidence to ride the entire course, therefore I went into the race with the aim of trying to ride the difficult sections (3 hair raising drop-offs) without crashing!

I am happy to say that I achieved my goal and also that I managed to finish in 4th place Overall. Yolande Speedy delivered yet another world class performance and won the event by a country mile!

I waited for Prize giving before heading home and only arrived back around 18:00. Given that I had left that morning at 7am for my 9am race start, it was quite a full day which wasn’t about to end yet. Back home there will still a bike, cycling accessories and bottles to wash before finally falling into bed.

Sunday I participated in the Medscheme Walkerville MTB Classic held at Lapeng Hotel and Conference Centre on the outskirts of Alberton.

My approach for the day was based on “feeling”. I went for a quick warm up before the 60km event started and unfortunately there wasn’t much “feeling” left in my legs. Luckily with cycling it can go both ways. You might just find your legs again or you might find yourself in even more difficulty.

My main competition on the day came from Letitia Botha, Sanet Small (Both Team Ghost) and Catherine Roberts (Specialized). Our group quickly splintered as the front guys showed their class and quickly disappeared in a cloud of dust.

A few kilometers into the event I managed to get myself into the leading position. The course gradually ascends during its first half therefore I knew I had to use this opportunity to try and extend my lead as much as possible.
I had to fight hard throughout the race which I think was caused by a combination of my legs being a bit fatigued after the previous day’s effort, the wind and the demanding route that didn’t provide any sections for recovery.

I don’t know how far or close my rivals got to me during the race but I managed to stay away till the end and crossed the line in first place.
(I have to mention that this year’s event was well marked and we didn’t overlap with the shorter distances much, which always makes for better racing)

I am happy with my results over the weekend and hope I can continue to have some good results in the months to come…

Newsletter 13: July 2010
Du Toit holds on to make it two in a row 

20 July 2010 -
 
Team bizhub's Yolandi du Toit shook off the after-effects of the previous day's national cross country championships to successfully defend her title at the Medscheme Walkerville MTB Classic just south of Johannesburg on Sunday.The 25-year-old from Heidelberg in Johannesburg, who placed fourth on a technical course in Pretoria on Saturday in only her second cross country race, led from start to finish on a wind-swept day to finish the demanding 60km race in 2:27:51.Hot on her wheels were Catherine Roberts (Specialized/Mr Price) and Sanet Smal (Team Ghost), who stopped the clock on 2:31:30 and 2:34:04 respectively.The men's race delivered a surprise when unknown Columbian Ricardo Gilardo, a new signing by DCM Chrome, won the men's section in a fast 1:56:39.Ben Melt Swanepoel (Specialized/Mr Price) was second in 2:02:07 and Renier Bellingan (USN) third in 2:02:19."I went as hard as I could from the start to try and establish a gap and probably paid for it in the last 10km," said Du Toit, noting that the previous day's effort had taken its toll."Because it's such a fast course, I wanted to use the drags in the early parts to lay a foundation for possible victory."However, her tactics saw her "blow up" in a big way towards the end and she said she became concerned that her opponents would eat into her advantage."The fact that I didn't have any time gaps and no idea who was chasing made things even worse. It felt like I was standing still in the wind at times."Du Toit said the nature of the course did not allow any recovery time, which made it a tough race - especially in the conditions.Having won the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c and N3TC Greytown Classic before her winter break, she also had Walkerville penned down on her list of priorities for the year."As the defending champion, I really wanted to do well. It is also a nice way to start the second half of the season."Du Toit said she was also "extremely pleased" with her cross country result in Pretoria. "Even though it might not look so good on paper, I’m more than happy considering my level of experience and the technical nature of the course."The race was won by MTN's Yolande Speedy. 

Right2Ride

Roads in our country are sadly becoming more and more dangerous to cycle on.
Subsequently it has become a issue we can’t just turn our backs on or plead ignorance.

A newly formed cycling organization called the Right2Ride is on the cycling landscape.
The main function of this organization will be to protect the rights of cyclist on the road.

On the 4th of July I was pleased to support the official launch of Right2Ride at Valverde Guesthouse in Muldersdrift.

About 80 cyclists were invited to join in on the occasion which included a group ride around the cradle of humankind followed with breakfast at the Guesthouse.

Before departing on the ride, every rider was given an armband to wear and stickers to put on their bikes containing the Right2Right emblem. We rode ordinarily in pairs of two behind one another to be an example to all cyclists on the road and also to show respect towards motorists. Hopefully through sending out this message, mutual respect will be gained between cyclist and motorist, thus creating a safer environment for everyone to live in.

This initiative is formed by Nic White (who is currently riding for team Medsceme) and I hope all of you guys will do your best to support it in order to make more people and motorist aware of ‘us’ also being on the road.

June

This past month has been a rather quite time in terms of racing and formal team requirements.
I completed my first half of the season (January to June) at the Kremetart cycle race. Thereafter the team was given the month off of racing in order to prepare for the second half of the season (July to December)

When I say ‘off’ it doesn’t mean we were given the opportunity to let our bikes gather some dust for a change. It only meant that for the rest of the month we had no racing on our team calendar.

Following Kremetart I actually did hang up my cycling shoes for a few days and then returned to base period in my training. (Base period is the first period in training where one focuses more on quantity than quality.)

My first week in Base period was slightly tougher than usual with the extremely cold weather we had up here in Gauteng. Everyday on the bike I asked myself the same question over and over - am I really gaining fitness from this or am I just fooling myself. For me it felt as if I was going out on my bike to torture myself. After hardly an hour on the bike my muscles started to get sore from all the contractions to keep them warm which only resulted in me taking double the time to cover the same distances.

Luckily the frosty spell was soon over and I could get back to some proper training without too many layers of clothing.
A small training camp in warmer climes was also well worth the travel and a few days of riding in sunny conditions was all my muscles needed to thaw out a bit.

At first it didn’t really bother me not having a month ‘off’ but now I cant think of not having at least one month a year to recover mentally and physically from racing weekend after weekend.

I truly enjoyed the whole of June, I feel fresh and excited for the new season ahead of me.
My first weekend back into racing will be on the 17th and 18th where I will be competing at the XCO National championships in Pretoria and the Walkerville mountain bike challenge respectively.

My Diary

Last weekend I was in Greytown for the town’s annual Mountain bike festival. As the main attraction the mountain bike race consisted out of 2 stages held over 2 consecutive days.

For those who don’t know, Greytown is a small town in the Kwazulu-Natal area, close to Ladysmith. The trip down there took us a good 5:30 hours which included the ritual ‘Wimpy’ stop. A road trip with out a Wimpy coffee is just not worth going on 

I traveled to the event with our team mechanic, Ruan and his wife Sasha in the team’s 2 seater delivery van.
This gave me the opportunity to spend some time with my bike (and all the mechanic’s equipment) at the back before tackling the 2 day stage race. Aaagh, the perks of being a pro athlete…

As we drove drown on the N3 it was a good feeling seeing the temperature rise as we got closer to Greytown.
The whole weekend we had great weather with the temperature reaching a high of 26 degrees. This is amazing if you consider the fact that we are bordering on winter.

The event was very well organized and I was surprised….. (Okay and also jealous!) by all the Mountain biking trials in that area. The race route was mainly on single track through tree plantations, all around the hills of Greytown. Come to think of it we actually spent a total of 105km on single track which made it even more special for me to win both stages and the overall.

I arrived back home Sunday night and early Monday morning I was sitting behind a desk writing my first examination paper. Luckily the week went by quickly and I am happy to say that I am also now finished with my exams

The team’s next race is Kremetart which takes place on the 5th of June,meaning I get to stay at home this weekend. This morning I had a look at my Calendar and realized that the last time I had a weekend at home was the weekend of the 27th of March.
So I am looking forward to being at home…

CAPTION: Team bizhub’s Yolandi du Toit signed off the first part of the season with overall victory in the two-day N3TC Greytown Classic mountain bike race.


Issued by:
Coetzee Gouws
2009/05/25

Du Toit signs off in fine fashion

Team bizhub’s in-form Yolandi du Toit signed off the first half of the season with a hard-earned overall victory in the two-day N3TC Greytown Classic mountain bike race that finished on Sunday.

Du Toit won Saturday’s first stage over 60 kilometres in 2:56:49 and Sunday’s, over 45, in 2:22:53 for a combined time of 5:19:43.

Team Jeep’s Jean Hackland (3:03:15; 2:29:18; 5:32:33) was a close second with Cycle Lab’s Brenda Potts (3:10:03; 2:35:12; 5:45:16) completing the podium.

The lanky 24-year-old from Heidelberg in Gauteng was made to fight hard in the early stages of both days. “I had to ride very aggressively to stay ahead of Jean on the first day,” said Du Toit, who is known more for her endurance than technical prowess.

“The stage started with single track and I immediately took the lead, but she caught up with me after about three kilometres and from that moment I had to give everything.”

Even though she was in yellow, Du Toit said she was not overly confident going into the second day. “Some of the other riders’ technical abilities are superb and the course suited them more than me. I just tried my best and fortunately that was good enough.”

Du Toit, who recently dominated the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c with team-mate Lise Olivier, said she would now take some time off before focusing on a “busy” second half of the year.

“It’s fantastic to go into the winter break with some good results behind my name. If the boss is happy, I’m happy,” she joked.

Despite a hectic racing schedule over the past few months, Du Toit attributed her good form to being reasonably fresh.

“I fell ill after joBerg2c, which forced me to take a few days off. I think that rest came at just the right time. I’m already looking forward to the second half of the season.”

MTN CROSS COUNTRY SERIES, GEORGE


Even though I have been mountain biking for some years, this past weekend I participated in a Cross Country event for the FIRST time.
Although you still race your mountain bike it is a totally different experience.

The event took place at Saasveld College on the outskirts of George. The college is well known seeing that it hosts several mountain bike races during the year. Once you’ve ridden the trails around Saasveld it will become clear as to why it is such a popular venue. The trails are actually built by a handful of people who simply have a passion for the sport.

Their job also doesn’t stop once it’s built as they actually maintain it through literally sweeping and tidying on a regular basis.

My event took place on the Saturday and for that reason I decided to fly down on the Wednesday so I could spend some time riding on the circuit. I could feel that the more I rode on the course, the easier it became. Especially because I had the opportunity to follow some riders who are a lot more skilled than me and who don’t mind teaching me the finer details about mountain biking.

I enjoyed training on the circuit in the days leading up to my event, its just a great feeling to be able to prepare for an event and see yourself improve daily as you gain a bit more confidence.

All die ladies from under 16 upwards started together and we had to complete 6 laps of the 5km long circuit. As we were set off it was a flat out 200m sprint for placing into the single track. This being my first time competing in a cross country event I found myself around the back between the under 16 girls.

It didn’t make me nervous as I knew whatever happened I could only learn from the experience. I turned my focus to riding as smooth and consistent as I possibly could. On every lap I managed to pass a few girls and consequently move up in the placings to finish 3rd in the Elite Category.

I really enjoyed the event and I am looking forward to competing in more Cross country events in the future.

Elite Woman Results:

1st Ester Cluer (Team Jeep)
2nd Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)

Newsletter 10: May 2010
Team bizhub dominates joBerg2C



3 May 2010 - Yolandi du Toit and Lise Olivier of Team bizhub made a clean sweep of the eight timed stages to win the women's section of the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c paired mountain bike race by the proverbial country mile in Scottburgh on Saturday.

The twosome - who finished third in the recent Subaru sani2c - completed the nine-day, 923km ordeal between Johannesburg and the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in 45 hours 16 minutes and 50 seconds, more than two hours faster than their closest opponents.

Catherine Roberts and Marleen Lourens (Ducky Muds) were second, with Leanne Lange and Brenda Potts (Team Medscheme 1) completing the podium.

Veterans Andrew McLean and Shan Wilson (Toyota Cycle Lab) recorded the fastest overall time of 38:22:42.

"For many reasons, this is one of the most important wins of my career," said Du Toit, who replaced team-mate Ischen Stopforth a mere two days before the race started. "To be honest, I didn't think it would be this hard."

Du Toit (24) said she and Olivier (26) both experienced one "bad" day during the tour, but they were able to nurse each other to the finish on each occasion. "That's what team riding is all about."

"One's body goes through many ups and downs during a race like this and it is the teams who are able to adapt the best that come out on top. The secret of a fast time is how well the stronger rider on the day can look after the weaker one."

Du Toit said although the first day (121km between Suikerbosrand and Frankfort) was a neutral and therefore untimed stage due to the crossing of the Vaal River, it did a lot of damage and contributed greatly to the outcome of the race.

"Large stretches were over grasslands, which were very bumpy and energy-sapping. For me, it was one of the toughest days."

The former Pick ’n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge champion was full of compliments for her less experienced team-mate. "She is a very consistent rider, which is exactly what you want in a race like this."

Du Toit said the first three days were a shock to their systems due to the wet conditions. "Although the stages became slightly less demanding after that, your body gets more and more tired as you go along and in the end it becomes a battle of wills."

The Team bizhub duo is scheduled to take part in the 75km Karkloof Classic in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.

Stopforth, who withdrew from the joBerg2c due to illness, meanwhile won the three-day Klein Karoo Classic in Calitzdorp over the weekend. She finished first in all three stages en route to a fifth place overall.

The reigning MTN Series champion will now focus on preparing for the Amarider 100 Miler in Durbanville on May 22 as she continues her comeback from a broken collarbone and cracked pelvis.

My Diary...

The last time I wrote I was at our team’s mountain bike training camp in George.
We stayed at Ischen’s home for the 8 days long training camp. ISchen and her husband made us feel part of their family the moment we walked through their front door. I think we were very privileged to see and experience George through people like Ischen and Piet. They made my visit one that I’ll always remember.



Ischen took us on the most beautiful scenic trails around George and Knysna.
Spending every day on my mountain bike on various terrains improved my confidence and I felt more at ease riding technical parts.

My training over there didn’t only include cycling…I went with Ischen to her
Biokineticus to work on core strength exercises which we continued doing regularly at home.



I flew back on the Wednesday and that Friday morning I was off again with my team to Clarens for the 4th MTN XCO National Series event which took place on Saturday.

The morning of the race I woke up to the sound of my alarm and then I heard it – the sound of rain. Luckily it cleared up and we started the event underneath an open sky.

Clarens has always been quite a demanding event and the strong woman’s field on the line added to the challenge. Team Bizhub had 3 girls in the race and I am sure all of us were very grateful for our specialized full suspension bikes on the rough course. I have to admit I enjoyed the challenge that the race brought, it was a true mountain bike race.

I was happy to see my training program paying off as I felt strong on the day and managed to finish in 3rd place.

Race Results for Clarens:

1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
2nd Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
4th Cherise Taylor (Team Nashua)
5th Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub)
6th Carla Rowley ( Team RBS Biogen)
7th Caitlin De Wet (Team Mr Price/Specialized)
8th Lise Olivier (Team Bizhub)
9th Auralie Halbwacht (Mauritius)

After the race we drove back to Johannesburg where I joined the road team (Jade, Michelle and Landi) to compete in the Wilro 100 the following day where I managed to place 6th in the bunch sprint.

My next race will be Joberg2C which is taking place on Friday the 23rd of April until Saturday the 1st of May. You can follow the team’s progress on our website and I will make sure to tell you about the event as soon as I'm home again…

Easter weekend

I spend my Easter weekend with my family in a charming little town called Parys.
Being a professional athlete most weekends include racing and luckily for me my race for that weekend took place in the same little town.

On Saturday the 3rd of April I participated in the Parys Dirt Max MTB series. The owners of the event are truly passionate about their sport which is very noticeable once you’ve ridden on their trails.

That morning the town woke up under a cloud of mist. This made it quite difficult for me to get out of bed, but as I made my way outside I was very pleased to witness such a beautiful morning.

Due to the mist, the start was postponed for about 15min, making it a bit safer for the riders to be able see a tad more than just a white cloud in front of them. My father and sister kept the family spirit high and decided to also participate in the event. Both of them don’t even own mountain bikes and had to borrow some for the weekend. So I don’t think I have to say anything more about their mountainbiking skills…
Still they were up for the challenge and I am sure they actually enjoyed it a lot at the end.

It was nice to be at a race with my family again. Funny enough I didn’t even stress about my event as I was using the time before the start to catch up on family things.

The event is always quite challenging as you finish the race on a 10km cross country like circuit which one have to do 2 times. This year the circuit was quite muddy and slippery making it a bit more technical then usual. I really felt good on my bike that day and enjoyed racing my heart out.
I also managed to win the race, it’s always nice to end once race with a good result.

My dad also had a good ride and as he crossed the finish line and stopped next to me his first words were quite different to the usual “ how was your race/where did you finish.”
This time he looked very pleased in asking me “so how many times did you crash? “ My dad was very proud to have fallen 9 times.
As for my little sister’s race, she just kept quite and shook her head.

I was barely back on Monday night and off I went again early Tuesday morning to a training camp in George with my Mountain bike team mates (Ischen Stopforth and Lise Oliver).
We have actually been out on 3 rides already here in George and the routes together with the scenery are breathtaking. You literally ride 200m then you are in the forest on single track. We really have amazing places to ride in South Africa.

Sani2C

Sani2C consist of 3 stages, held over 3 days. The event started on Thursday morning in Underberg, a small village found at the bottom of Sani Pass. The route took the riders all the way down into Scottburgh to finish the last stage on the beach, hence the name Sani2C.

My partner for the event was Lisa Oliver (my team mate) who is fairly new to Mountain bike races but has luckily been training with Fritz Pienaar and his wife, Christie( who both need no introduction when it comes to technical skills on a mountain bike).

At first I thought Lise would struggle a bit on the technical parts because she said so but
Lise road great and to my surprise manage to keep up on almost all the technical stuff.

Stage 1

The start of the first stage was very fast seeing that it was the first day and everyone was a bit nervous. I made sure that Lisa and I stayed in a comfortable pace from the beginning because I didn’t want to repeat what had happened to me in Sabie last week.
This tactic seemed to pay out soon as we manage to pass a few fast starters from 10km on into the event.
It was an awesome route and the only dreadful section was going through thick mud during the last 20km. It made the track very slippery and I felt very sorry for my bike!!
We finished the day in 2nd place and were both very pleased with our result.

1st Yolande Speedy & Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
2nd Lise Olivier & Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
3rd Hanlie Boyens & Fienie Barnard ( Team Jeap)

Stage 2

After a cold and wet night the race organizers decided to change the route to make it a bit safer for the riders. Going down the muddy and slippery jeep track in misty and rainy weather conditions made it hard to believe that we were on the ‘safer ‘route. It didn’t feel very safe not being able to see what or who is in front of me in the thick mist while struggling to get mud out of my eyes. It was definitely a challenge to rely on feeling more than seeing.

I enjoyed riding with Lise’s, with her I am not pushing myself over the limit all the time. Which made me realized that I have a lot more control on the technical sections and I seem to be pacing myself better and are still able to finish the final kilometers riding strong.

We had another good day on the bike and repeated the results of the previous stage finishing in 2nd place.

1st Yolande Speedy & Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
2nd Lise Olivier & Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
3rd Hanlie Boyens & Fienie Barnard ( Team Jeap)


Stage 3

The last stage is always a very important and exciting day. Important because we had to try and keep our 2nd place until the end and exciting because you can go out and give everything without having the worry about saving a bit for the following day.

Lisa and I were very happy with how things have been going for us so far and this motivated us even more. We both felt good on the last stage and manage to stay with the leaders from the B batch which we started in.

In the first few kilometers I felt that something wasn’t right with my bike. It felt like it could possibly be the bearings in my bottom bracket that needed replacement after all the mud. So I didn’t worry at first and continued riding until my chain dropped of from one of my derailed wheels at the back.

I quickly stopped and put my chain back on without realizing what the cause was. I barely gave 3 pedal strokes and it was of again. That was when I realized that my derailleur hanger had broken of.

This happened around 20km into the race. I didn’t want to pull out of the event because we were riding well up until that point, so I decided to continue with my chain running besides the derailleur wheel instead of on it. And if this wasn’t difficult enough I was forced to stop frequently as it kept on bouncing of on the bumpy sections.

It was quite a relief to cross the finish line at the end of stage 3. We lost our 2nd place that day and were disappointed in the way we had to give it up but luckily we managed to built up a big enough lead on the previous day to hold onto 3rd place overall.

Final results:
1st Yolande Speedy & Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
2rd Hanlie Boyens & Fienie Barnard ( Team Jeap)
3nd Lise Olivier & Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
4th Cherise Taylor & Caitlin de Wet (MR Price/Specialized/Nashua)

At the end despite having a bit of bad luck, we both were more than satisfied in our riding over the 3 days. We made a great team and I think we both enjoyed the challenge that Sani2C brings!

This weekend we will be competing in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour. So please hold thumbs that the team will have a bit more luck our side…

SABIE CLASSIC
MTN SERIES 3#

Saturday 27 February was a big day on the calendar for every professional Mountain biker in the country, considering the fact that it was our National Marathon Championships and also the 3rd leg of the MTN series.


The day turned out to be perfect for racing, with the weather being slightly overcast and cool.

As I joined the rest of the riders on the start line, I received an unexpected surprise. I was given the MTN Series Climbers jersey which is awarded to the most consistent climber in the series. It felt really special to start the event with the pink polka dot jersey on my shoulders for the first time.

There was barely enough time to get the legs going during the opening kilometers as we headed straight onto the first (13km!) climb of the day.

Starting alongside the men in the Ultra-marathon event made the start yet again extremely hard. The small group left upon reaching the bottom of the hill just goes to show how fast the pace was being made upfront.

Yolande Speedy, Carla Rowley and I were the only girls left at that point, but were also soon left behind once the guys started climbing at their ‘crazy’ pace.

This left us (Ladies category) to do the remainder of the event at our own individual pace. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t get going on the opening climb and soon the girls started passing me one by one. I lost a lot if time and it took me until half way to feel better again. By that stage I was outside the top 10 and really had to dig deep just to keep going. It is terribly frustrating when one’s body doesn’t/can’t do what the mind is telling it to do..!

I couldn’t (and still cant) understand why my legs didn’t want to respond, but I decided not to give in and kept on going in optimistic hope that I would feel better towards the end.


During the 2nd half of the event, I started to feel like my old self again.

I gave everything in an attempt to catch up to the girls up front, but I had lost too much ground already. I only managed to ride back up into 6th place.


Speedy had a great race, yet again taking 1st place, with the surprise package of the season Karien van Jaarsveld finishing 2nd and Carla Rowley in 3rd.


Sabie Classic was an important event for me and I am disappointed in my final result. Unfortunately I can’t change the past but I can learn from my mistakes and try my best to make up for it in the future.

On Thursday my teammate (Lise Olivier) and I will be taking part in the Sani2C. It’s a great event I am looking forward to it and hopefully we will have a good race!

Barberton Classic
MTN SERIES #2

In previous years the Barberton Classic was the first event on the MTN Calendar, but for 2010 Attakwas got the 1st spot making this event 2nd in the MTN SERIES.
I’ve always enjoyed Barberton, it’s a very hilly route with beautiful scenery. This year the route retained the section that wound through a lush green nature reserve.
What made the race even more enjoyable was the fact that it was not the ‘first race of the season’. This made me feel a ‘little!’ bit more at ease standing on the start line.

Since the Ultra Marathon (125km) was introduced last year, the MTN SERIES race organisers had set a principle for the woman competing in the Marathon event (75km) to start alongside the men competing in the Ultra Marathon (125km). This strategy has proved to work exceptionally good as it provides the ladies with an opportunity to race without any intrusion from other start batches. Given that the ultra-marathon contenders are too strong for us to keep up with their pace and the men in the Marathon event only start 5 minutes behind us, we usually race each other one on one.

One would think the Ultra-Marathon would set off at a decent pace bearing in mind that there is still a long 125km ahead, but as soon as our cleats were in the pedals we were sprinting for..., jeez, I still don’t know what…

The fast start caused the bunch to split up on the 3km section of tar road preceding the turn off on to dirt.
I struggled to get my legs going and on reaching the bottom of the first 15km climb I found myself in 5th position behind Yolande Speedy (Team MTN), Karien van Jaarsveld (Natro Transport), Kaitlin de Wet (MR Price) and Heletje van Staden (SCHWINN). During the week leading up to the event my team (BIZHUB) had a training camp in Clarens and I could feel my legs weren’t fully recovered after the proper training rides in the mountains.

As the race progressed I started to feel better and managed to pass Heletjie and Kaitlin around half way up the climb. I kept on pacing myself and caught up to Karien, reaching her as we got to the top of the climb. From there the two of us continued on together keeping the pace high as a result of constantly trying to slip away from one another.

The second half of the event was mostly descending towards the finish and it was great to be able to keep up on the descents with my Specialized Era.
The bike just rolled over the Rocky River crossing, grass patches etc giving me a lot more confidence than before.
In the final 15km the route took us down two short, steep downhill sections and on the last one a cyclist in front of me decided to dismount halfway down. His reaction caught me off guard and I ended up lying on the ground next to him. I quickly got back on my bike but never saw Karien again. She put in a good effort al the way to the finish line crossing it in 2nd place.

Yolande Speedy was in a class of her own leading the event from beginning to end winning this year’s Barberton Classic, Karien van Jaarsveld in 2nd place and me in 3rd.

Race Results:
1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
2nd Karien van Jaarsveld (Natro Transport)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (BIZHUB)
4th Caitlin de Wet (MR Price)
5th Heletje van Staden (SCHWINN)


This weekend the team will be travelling down to PE to participate in the EP Herald Cycle Challenge on Sunday.

Attakwas
MTN Series #1


It was the first MTN Series Event for the 2010 racing season and the race organisers weren’t scared to start the series off throwing the most demanding one first onto the calendar. After this one its downhill to the finish  The Ultra Marathon was 137km long and the ladies also had to compete in this extreme event.

One’s first race (or maybe just mine) is pretty nerve wrecking, wondering whether you have trained hard enough, is you’re form good enough compared to your rivals, did I pack everything etc.

We flew to George on Friday which also turned out to be a rather hectic day. Our flight to George was heavily delayed. As a result we only arrived in Oudtshooring at 21:00, still having to build our bikes, eat, unpack and repack for our race the following day.

The event started at Chandelier Game & Ostrich farm just outside Oudtshooring taking riders southwards to the finishing venue at Pine Creek Resort in Great Brak.

Standing on the start line Saturday morning was a great feeling. It’s a new season with so much still laying a head and this event was the start of it all…

Unfortunately my first event came to a finish a whole 30km from the finish line. I struggled with my gears throughout the race not knowing what was causing the problem or how to fix it.
Around 85km I was left without gears and had to continue in a fix gear. Luckily my team manager (John Robertson) was standing at around 106km and advised me to rather call it a day than struggling on towards the finish line.

Yolande Speedy (MTN) just again showed why she is the best in the country finishing in 1st place and 19th overall, with Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub) in 2nd and Hanlie Booyend (Jeep) in 3rd.

This coming weekend the team will be competing in THE FAST ONE (Road Race). It will be our first race together, with the team present in full.
Straight after the event we will depart to Clarens for the team’s training camp.
The camp is mainly to build good team spirit and will also include activities such as ‘hard training’, Specialized bike setups and planning for the year ahead.