My last race for the season took me to the Tropical Island of Mauritius to take part in the 3rd edition of the Omnicane Southern Tropical Challenge.
I was invited by Aurelie Halbwachs (who was also my Joberg2C partner this year) to team up with her for their biggest mountain biking stage race in Mauritius.
The event opened up with a 5.6km prologue. This was a good initiative as it helped settle the nerves and also decided the wearers of the various leaders jersey’s for
the official first stage the following day.There is no other way to ride a prologue than going ‘full gas’ from beginning to end. The burning legs and lungs were well worth it when Aurelie and I crossed the line in first place. This also meant we would be the wearers of the woman’s red leader’s jersey the following day.
The first Stage started and finished at our race village in Lagrave. The 65km rolling course consisted mainly out of jeep track through sugarcane plantations, a few tar sections, two rocky climbs and a short freshly cut single track leading back to the finish. In Mauritius there aren't a lot of woman doing mountain biking which always leaves Aurelie to compete against men. For this reason Aurelie wasn’t content with beating only the ladies in the race but also wanted to fight for a good placing overall. This time there was no ‘settling into a steady pace’ as Aurelie and myself goal shifted from winning the ladies to placing top 10 overall. At the end of the stage we surprised ourselves to finish in 9th overall and still held on to our red jerseys.
On stage 2 we left our camping ground at Lagrave to finish 80km later in Bel’Ombre, at the coast. The first 40km of the route went by quickly as it was mainly on flat dirt roads through sugarcane fields.The following 15km was laid out on fairly technical single track alongside the sea. The bit of ocean views I managed to glimpse while racing were stunning. I wished I could stop just to appreciate the surroundings for a change.
On this single track there was a section which dropped into a valley. I misjudged how steep it was, but having committed I had no choice but to try and ride the tricky section. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the bottom and crashed quite hard. It was only afterwards that I realized why everyone dismounted and walked this section. The remaining 25km to the finish was hard for me as I was emotionally and physically bruised.
If it wasn’t for my good teammate, Aurelie, who encouraged me all the way, booked a massage for me afterwards and had the race doctor examine my injuries I doubt if I would have started the next day. It just proves again how important a thoughtful and unselfish teammate is.
The last stage was only 35km long, but don’t let the distance fool you! The whole route was laid out in a mountain range and consisted only of steep ascents and descents. As we left the start line and the route started tilting upwards I had a feeling that it was going to be a nice stage, and it was indeed. I enjoy climbing and even more so when the route provides breathtaking views upon reaching the summit. Aurelie and I completed the stage in just under 3 hours. It wasn’t as short as expected....
Aurelie and I held on to our red leader’s jersey throughout the tour, giving bizhub the final victory for the year!
I was happy to finish off my 2011 season on a high note. To celebrate it on a tropical island alongside a great friend -I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.
