The MTN Ride Crater Cruise

It feels like months ago when I took part in the Ride Crater Cruise, as I have been racing nonstop for the 8 days since then.

The Ride Crater Cruise was hosted by the charming little town of Parys which is situated on the banks of the Vaal River in the Free State. The event was one of my goal events for the year making my 2nd place result all the more satisfying.

Theresa Ralph and I managed to take the lead early on in the race. We stayed together for most of the way, sharing the work up front in order to stay clear from rest of the chasing ladies.

The renowned 106km corrugated route of the Crater Cruise started to take its toll towards the end and I dropped off the pace with less than 10km to go. Theresa won the race and I rolled over the line in 2nd place with Candice Neethling rounding out the podium in 3rd.

Unfortunately there was no time to rest after finishing the gruelling event as I had to hurry back home, clean my gear, pack my bags and get ready to take to the start of the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek the following day.

The Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek

A week prior to the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek (CPT) Dirk Oerlemans contacted bizhub team owner, John Robertson, in search of a partner for the event and that is how I ended up gaining entry into this event.

The CPT is a 7 day mountain bike stage race which traverses the beautiful Klein Karoo and parts of the Garden Route.
The event started with a 15km prologue in the afternoon at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge outside of Oudsthoorn.  This gave me just enough time to board the 6am flight from Johannesburg to George and then drive through to Oudtshoorn to take to the start line of the event. Considering all of this the prologue went well as it settled my travel weary legs and cemented the new partnership.

Stage one- 103km, 1720m 

The first stage took us from the Ostrich Capital of the world, Oudsthoorn, to the finishing venue in the world famous port producing town of Calitzdorp. Dirk and I surprised ourselves with a 4thplace finish (mixed team) after a tough day of racing.

Stage two- 85km, 2760

On day two we headed out of Calitzdorp towards the majestic Swartberg Mountain range to finish at the summit of Swartberg Pass. From there we cycled another 15km to our campsite in the beautiful Olive producing town of Prince Albert. Conditions at the summit were freezing and we were really happy to reach Prince Albert on completion of the ‘Queen Stage’. A few punctures along the way made an already tough day even harder.

Stage three – 109km, 1555m 

The third stage took us in a more southerly direction to experience one of the wonders of the Klein Karoo namely Meiringspoort. Riding through Meiringspoort surrounded by dramatic rock formations on our way to the stage finish in De Rust was truly breathtaking. Unfortunately with the rain coming down hard throughout the 2nd half of the race we couldn’t take in so much of the scenery as I am sure most of us wanted to.

Stage 4 – 64km, 1894 km

Day four was a short but beautiful ride with the route taking us through the Langkloof valley and over the intimidating Kammanassie Mountains to finish at Louvain Guest Farm. The final waterpoint was quit a highlight with the milk tart slices giving us just enough energy to reach Louvain.

Stage 5, 73km 1693m

Heavy overnight rainfall prior to the start on stage 5, forced organisers to cut out some of the single track for safety reasons thus shortening the stage by 15km. The shortened stage was just what the doctor ordered and everyone was smiling at the finish in George.  An extra hour of recovery can go a long way in a day packed full of ‘things to do’. 

Stage 6, 84km 1584

The last stage turned out to be the toughest. We left George in freezing rain, climbed Montagu Pass and slowly made our way to the finish in Oudsthoorn on mud soaked roads and farm tracks. It was a cold, wet and muddy day on the bike and I was very happy to get it over and done with.

It was 7 days of hard riding but very rewarding with beautiful scenery, great routes, great organization and good food.  I’ve seen a part of the country which I’ve never seen before and I am awestruck by the beauty of this region and the kindness of its people! 

If you ever consider doing a week long stage race in the country, The Bridge Cape Pioneer is definitely one of the best options available.

Isuzu 3 Towers Stage Race

The Isuzu 3 Towers stage race is a highlight on my racing calendar. The race has so much to offer that it makes it difficult to share everything in one race report. I guess there is just one solution; come and experience it for yourself....

The 3 day race covers a total distance of 208km and includes 4760m of ascending. It is held at Mankele Mountain Bike Park situated in the heart of Mpumulanga province. The stages start and finish at Mankele, with the route taking riders past a different Tower in the area every day, hence the name.

There is no better way to describe the riding at Mankele than the way race organisers Mark and Geoff describes it as “flippen amazing riding”.   Each day we would climb above the surrounding forest several times, providing breathtaking views as we rose above the tree line. Hard efforts were rewarded with proper technical mountain bike single track littered with rocks, tree roots and forest debris. 

Once you crossed the finish line there was still plenty to look forward to - A hot shower or cold swimming pool, good food (refueling isn't a problem, it’s over fuelingJ) and even a live band before dinner. Race briefings followed which included a short video of the day’s spectacular riding.  

This year I raced alongside team mate Nicci Grobler and the two of us had a great ride. Our strategy for every stage was to ride at a hard but manageable tempo from start to finish. This worked out well for us as we won all three stages and also the overall ladies category at the end.

Thank you so much to The Mankele Team for putting together a great event with a vibrant atmosphere. I am already looking forward to next year’s edition.