Knysna RE:CM 200

Three months earlier I travelled down to the beautiful holiday destination of Knysna for the Knysna RE:CM 300 mountain bike event. This time around I travelled down to take part in its sister event, the Knysna RE:CM 200.

The Knysna RE:CM 200 is a 3 day mountain bike stage race covering a total distance of 200km (hence the name).  I teamed up with Leana de Jager for the event. I enjoy riding alongside Leana as she is a very caring and thoughtful person on and off the bike. I truly believe this contributes to a better performance at the end of the day.

Every day we started at a different venue which led us back to the same finishing venue at Tapas Bar on Thesen Island Harbour Town in Knysna.  The routes mainly consisted out of jeep- and –single track laid out in and around Knysna’s indigenous forest. Even during the winter months the forest is lush green. With the area getting a lot of rain this time of year the forest tend to stay damp. This proved to be the biggest challenge during the tour as the muddy trails were very slippery at places.

Leana and I rode well together throughout the 3 consecutive days winning all three stages and the overall at the end. Our teammate Ischen Stopforth teamed up with youngster Ruan du Toit for the event. They proved to be a very good pairing winning the mixed category overall.

Apart from the routes being pretty amazing the organisation was also of the best. Louise Wilson is truly passionate about her event and as she herself is an avid cyclist, she really knows how to cater for a cyclist needs. Which for one is food and we were truly spoiled with great food provided by Tapas Bar on Thesen Island Harbour Town. 

First Ascent Big Induna Mountain bike Classic

The event was held at Induna Adventures situated between Sabie and Hazyview.

Not only does the Big Induna provide a unique and spectacular environment to ride in, but it also offers a warm welcome break from the chilly Highveld winter.

The Lowveld winter weather didn’t disappoint greeting us with a beautiful warm winter’s day as we left the start line for the 78km marathon event.

First we were taken onto the 40km half marathon route, through the finish line and then onto another 38km circuit.

The first 40km rolling section was extremely fast and mainly consisted out of jeep-and-single track through macadamia plantations.  The single track is not your usual fast flowing single track but more cross country orientated with sharp corners, tree roots, sandy patches, narrow bridges and drop-offs.

The single track isn’t scary, just tricky and if you’re technically sound or have ridden the course before hand (mental note) then it will definitely count as an advantage.

Most of the climbing was found on the second loop. It consisted out of long steady ascents broken by tricky descents with some single track thrown in to make sure you couldn’t find a rhythm. 

Theresa Ralph, who is busy with her final preparation before heading off to Europe for the Marathon World Championships at the end of June, had a storming ride claiming victory at the Big Induna. Samantha Saanders who just returned from her 2 month European Campaign where she was competing on the cross country circuit, showed her technical prowess and local knowledge to finish in 2^nd place while I rounded out the podium in 3^rd place.

A Big thank you goes to Jaco Lubbe and his Induna Adventure’s team for putting together a great event! I always enjoy and look forward to this race!

   

Nissan Trailseeker Series #1,  Tygervalley

The Nissan Trailseeker Series comprises of events which are held in and around Gauteng. The first of the 5 events took place this past weekend at Tygervalley College situated on the outskirts of Pretoria East.

The morning of the event was quite chilly but as soon as we left the start line the weather conditions was the last thing on my mind.  The first section of the race was on flat fast jeep track and with it being so dry this time of year the only thing I saw in front of me was a cloud of dust. For this reason I didn’t have a clue where my competitors were or where I was lying in the field. All that was left to do was not to think of my position but to concentrate on completing the course as fast as my ability allowed me to.

The high speed route took me completely out of my comfort zone as the lack of climbing made it hard to find a rhythm.  The route consisted of fast farm roads, snaking jeep trails and sandy single tracks forcing me to accelerate out of every corner to maintain momentum. To give you an indication of how fast the course was, I completed the 70km distance in a time of 2h 30min and the first elite man was home in a time of 2h10min.

I did the event last year and to see the improvements made to the route in just one year is rather impressive. The route included more hand-built single track, wooden bridge crossings and a floating bridge. The route markings were also clearly visible and there were several signs leading up to a turn or split to indicate what lies ahead.

I really enjoy the Nissan Series as it is a local series put together by a passionate group of people (Advendurance Team) who do a great job of organising mountain bike events.  

I won the series last year and therefore to be the first lady across the finish line was even more significant. Obviously I was very pleased with the win, but confirming that my series victory last year was no fluke made it even more special. I look forward to contesting the next rounds of the Nissan Trailseeker Series.