Sappi Karkloof Classic

The Karkloof Classic has always been a highlight on the racing calendar as it is well organised and has a brilliant course with some spectacular riding. The race takes place in the beautiful Karkloof valley situated just outside of Howick.

Karkloof Classic is not just a one day event but presents a whole weekend of racing. The event opens up with a night race on the Friday, followed by an Enduro (downhill) event the Saturday and finishes with the blue ribbon 60km marathon event on the Sunday.

In the past, I’ve ridden Karkloof twice and on both occasions I thoroughly enjoyed the event. This time around I experienced a somewhat different Karkloof Classic. It started raining 2 days prior to the event and the deluge totalled up to 192mm of rain in the area comes Sunday. To say the course was muddy would be an understatement.

By some miracle we woke to clear skies on the morning of the event. I couldn’t believe our luck as I was prepared (as much as one can be) for a wet and cold day on the bike. Soon after we left the start line I wasn’t so sure about our ‘luck’ anymore. The few hours that the weather cleared was just enough to turn the mud from sloppy to tacky. As a result the mud stuck to everything and became the day’s main challenge.  

The ladies started in the C batch and after a few kilometres I found myself alone at the head of affairs. At one stage I thought I had gone the wrong way as riders were coming towards me from the opposite direction. If only I knew then what was lying in wait, then I would have probably turned around with them.

On the first climb around 15km into the race my equipment couldn’t cope with the harsh conditions anymore. I was forced to stop with chain suck and clogged up tyres and gears. This would be my story for the day as I repeatedly stopped to clear mud from my drive train, just so I could keep moving. In the last 3^rd of the race I was forced to ride in my big chainring as the chainsuck was just too much. I didn’t give up fighting as I moved up and down the field like a yo-yo with all my mechanical stops, but eventually all I could do was try to get to the finish line without breaking my chain.

I was very relieved when I finally crossed the finish line and still managed to hold onto 3^rd place.

I am sure every rider has his/her own war story to tell as the weather conditions made for quite a battle on the day. Like they say, any experience is a valuable experience as long as you learn something from it. I learned that you have to keep mud tyres close by and that your drivetrain is in good working condition otherwise it might be a long day in the saddle (or on foot) in muddy conditions.

I feel sorry for the organisers as the weather sadly can make or break your event. Judging by all the marshals out on route, the professional race venue at Karkloof Polo Club and the good course they deserved to have a successful day. I guess I’ll have to go back next year to experience Karkloof as it should be.

Final Results:

1^st         Jeannie Bomford

2^nd        Ashleigh Parker Moffatt

3^rd         Yolandi du Toit

Lowveld Quest Stage Race

The Lowveld Quest is a four day stage race which traverses parts of the beautiful Lowveld. The event is also the region’s first mountain bike point 2 point stage race which makes the Lowveld Quest a real pioneering initiative.

Our bizhub team consists of 4 girls, so normally I would partner with one of my teammates for a stag

e race. This time things were a bit different and when the opportunity arose to ride with a good friend and local legend Francois Lourens, there was no way that I could let it slip.

Stage 1 - 80km & 1700m ascent

The first stage started in Lydenburg and finished 80km later at the renowned Mankele bike park. The clement conditions made for a great day of racing as one could appreciate the magnificent views along the way. Francois and I combined well as a team and it showed when we won the stage and took the lead in the mixed category by stage’s end.

Stage 2 – 70km & 1600m ascent

Fine rain fell throughout the stage which went from Mankele to Sabie making race conditions very tough.  The rain was quite unfortunate as this was another scenic stage and the low cloud meant visibility was quite limited, especially at the aptly named Misty Mountain lodge which lies at 2000m above sea level. Fortunately Francois and I coped with the muddy course and hilly terrain, making it safely to our camp ground at Merry Pebbles in Sabie for another stage win.

Stage 3 – 63km & 1600m ascent

From Sabie to Graskop we encountered some more big climbs rewarded with glimpses of big waterfalls through heavy mist. For once the restricted visibility was a good thing as one couldn’t see how long the climbs actually were - ignorance truly is bliss! I enjoyed the stage as there was quite a lot of single track criss-crossing the huge pine forests which made for some good fun riding. We finished at the environmental centre tugged away just outside of Graskop. Despite Francois disappearing under water in a mud “puddle” close to the finish, we still managed to win the stage and finish with smiles all around.

Stage 4 – 55km & 650m ascent

The last stage took us from Graskop to the finish at Induna Adventures just outside of Hazyview. Everything seemed to play along for the finale - the sun was out, a primarily downhill stage, plenty of single track and a hearty meal waiting at the finish – what more could you want?

Along the way there was an underwater forest which sadly I could only steal a glimpse of, a ride through the Lowveld Hedges (rock formations) and over the ‘drie klein varkies’(three little pigs ). This all added to the unique experience of the final stage. Team bizhub –Lion Sands ended the week on a high by winning the final stage and locking up the overall title as well.

A few things that stood out for me was the effort the organisers put into designing a spectacular race route building trails to link the route were necessary, delicious food and the sparkling atmosphere surrounding the event. Thanks to everyone involved in making the Lowveld Quest a unique experience! This is definitely an event you don’t want to miss out on.

Final results

1^st           Francois Lourens & Yolandi du Toit

2^nd          Garry McNaughton & Samantha Oosthuysen

3^rd           Gerhard Bersohn & Christine Jansen van Rensburg

USN CUP Series #3

The beautiful B’Sorah game farm just off the Broederstroom road, west of Johannesburg was the venue for the 3^rd round of the USN Cup Series.

The owner of B’Sorah game farm’s two sons are passionate mountain bikers which lead to them building single track on the 1600 hectares of farm land. The hand built trails are now on offer to like minded people seeking an opportunity to enjoy riding their bikes in safe, yet beautiful surroundings.

The result is 50km of remarkable single and jeep track through dense bush which offers views of various game (Kudu, Waterbuck, Blesbuck) for those who could steal a glimpse while riding. Sadly I only heard of this afterwards as I was clearly too focused on my race.

With the course only being 50km in distance riders didn’t want to muck about and started racing hard from the word go.

During the opening kilometres of the race, I struggled to find a good rhythm on the tricky single track. This dropped me back to about 4^th place in the ladies field. Amy MacDougall (Team ASG ) on the other hand rode the single track as if it was one straight line (which it was anything but) and moved into the lead with around 10km into the race.

Although I lost some ground early on, I never gave up and kept chasing hard, trying to make contact with the girls up front. Around the halfway mark I moved up to 2^nd place and caught sight of Amy as the course opened up a little bit. Having Amy back in view motivated me as I could see I was making progress.

With fresh motivation I tackled the only long climb of the race intent on catching Amy. I pushed extra hard and managed to close the gap on Amy and passed her to take the lead. I know she is fast on single track, especially downhill single track which meant the final 10km of the race suited her better.

Not wanting to make the same mistake as at Sappi Mankele, I road my heart out to the finish line crossing it only a couple of seconds ahead of Amy. 

Taking the victory at the USN CUP race in such a close and hard fought battle really makes the win extra rewarding. If it wasn’t for Amy I wouldn’t have pushed myself so hard which is what racing is all about.

Results

1^st      Yolandi du Toit (Team bizhub)

2^nd     Amy McDougall (Team ASG)

3^rd      Michel Coetzer (Cycle Lab)

4^th      Nicci Grobler (Team bizhub)

5^th      Reinette Jooste