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.