June
This past month has been a rather quite time in terms of racing and formal team requirements.
I completed my first half of the season (January to June) at the Kremetart cycle race. Thereafter the team was given the month off of racing in order to prepare for the second half of the season (July to December)
When I say ‘off’ it doesn’t mean we were given the opportunity to let our bikes gather some dust for a change. It only meant that for the rest of the month we had no racing on our team calendar.
Following Kremetart I actually did hang up my cycling shoes for a few days and then returned to base period in my training. (Base period is the first period in training where one focuses more on quantity than quality.)
My first week in Base period was slightly tougher than usual with the extremely cold weather we had up here in Gauteng. Everyday on the bike I asked myself the same question over and over - am I really gaining fitness from this or am I just fooling myself. For me it felt as if I was going out on my bike to torture myself. After hardly an hour on the bike my muscles started to get sore from all the contractions to keep them warm which only resulted in me taking double the time to cover the same distances.
Luckily the frosty spell was soon over and I could get back to some proper training without too many layers of clothing.
A small training camp in warmer climes was also well worth the travel and a few days of riding in sunny conditions was all my muscles needed to thaw out a bit.
At first it didn’t really bother me not having a month ‘off’ but now I cant think of not having at least one month a year to recover mentally and physically from racing weekend after weekend.
I truly enjoyed the whole of June, I feel fresh and excited for the new season ahead of me.
My first weekend back into racing will be on the 17th and 18th where I will be competing at the XCO National championships in Pretoria and the Walkerville mountain bike challenge respectively.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
My Diary
Last weekend I was in Greytown for the town’s annual Mountain bike festival. As the main attraction the mountain bike race consisted out of 2 stages held over 2 consecutive days.
For those who don’t know, Greytown is a small town in the Kwazulu-Natal area, close to Ladysmith. The trip down there took us a good 5:30 hours which included the ritual ‘Wimpy’ stop. A road trip with out a Wimpy coffee is just not worth going on
I traveled to the event with our team mechanic, Ruan and his wife Sasha in the team’s 2 seater delivery van.
This gave me the opportunity to spend some time with my bike (and all the mechanic’s equipment) at the back before tackling the 2 day stage race. Aaagh, the perks of being a pro athlete…
As we drove drown on the N3 it was a good feeling seeing the temperature rise as we got closer to Greytown.
The whole weekend we had great weather with the temperature reaching a high of 26 degrees. This is amazing if you consider the fact that we are bordering on winter.
The event was very well organized and I was surprised….. (Okay and also jealous!) by all the Mountain biking trials in that area. The race route was mainly on single track through tree plantations, all around the hills of Greytown. Come to think of it we actually spent a total of 105km on single track which made it even more special for me to win both stages and the overall.
I arrived back home Sunday night and early Monday morning I was sitting behind a desk writing my first examination paper. Luckily the week went by quickly and I am happy to say that I am also now finished with my exams
The team’s next race is Kremetart which takes place on the 5th of June,meaning I get to stay at home this weekend. This morning I had a look at my Calendar and realized that the last time I had a weekend at home was the weekend of the 27th of March.
So I am looking forward to being at home…
Last weekend I was in Greytown for the town’s annual Mountain bike festival. As the main attraction the mountain bike race consisted out of 2 stages held over 2 consecutive days.
For those who don’t know, Greytown is a small town in the Kwazulu-Natal area, close to Ladysmith. The trip down there took us a good 5:30 hours which included the ritual ‘Wimpy’ stop. A road trip with out a Wimpy coffee is just not worth going on
I traveled to the event with our team mechanic, Ruan and his wife Sasha in the team’s 2 seater delivery van.
This gave me the opportunity to spend some time with my bike (and all the mechanic’s equipment) at the back before tackling the 2 day stage race. Aaagh, the perks of being a pro athlete…
As we drove drown on the N3 it was a good feeling seeing the temperature rise as we got closer to Greytown.
The whole weekend we had great weather with the temperature reaching a high of 26 degrees. This is amazing if you consider the fact that we are bordering on winter.
The event was very well organized and I was surprised….. (Okay and also jealous!) by all the Mountain biking trials in that area. The race route was mainly on single track through tree plantations, all around the hills of Greytown. Come to think of it we actually spent a total of 105km on single track which made it even more special for me to win both stages and the overall.
I arrived back home Sunday night and early Monday morning I was sitting behind a desk writing my first examination paper. Luckily the week went by quickly and I am happy to say that I am also now finished with my exams
The team’s next race is Kremetart which takes place on the 5th of June,meaning I get to stay at home this weekend. This morning I had a look at my Calendar and realized that the last time I had a weekend at home was the weekend of the 27th of March.
So I am looking forward to being at home…
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
CAPTION: Team bizhub’s Yolandi du Toit signed off the first part of the season with overall victory in the two-day N3TC Greytown Classic mountain bike race.
Issued by:
Coetzee Gouws
2009/05/25
Du Toit signs off in fine fashion
Team bizhub’s in-form Yolandi du Toit signed off the first half of the season with a hard-earned overall victory in the two-day N3TC Greytown Classic mountain bike race that finished on Sunday.
Du Toit won Saturday’s first stage over 60 kilometres in 2:56:49 and Sunday’s, over 45, in 2:22:53 for a combined time of 5:19:43.
Team Jeep’s Jean Hackland (3:03:15; 2:29:18; 5:32:33) was a close second with Cycle Lab’s Brenda Potts (3:10:03; 2:35:12; 5:45:16) completing the podium.
The lanky 24-year-old from Heidelberg in Gauteng was made to fight hard in the early stages of both days. “I had to ride very aggressively to stay ahead of Jean on the first day,” said Du Toit, who is known more for her endurance than technical prowess.
“The stage started with single track and I immediately took the lead, but she caught up with me after about three kilometres and from that moment I had to give everything.”
Even though she was in yellow, Du Toit said she was not overly confident going into the second day. “Some of the other riders’ technical abilities are superb and the course suited them more than me. I just tried my best and fortunately that was good enough.”
Du Toit, who recently dominated the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c with team-mate Lise Olivier, said she would now take some time off before focusing on a “busy” second half of the year.
“It’s fantastic to go into the winter break with some good results behind my name. If the boss is happy, I’m happy,” she joked.
Despite a hectic racing schedule over the past few months, Du Toit attributed her good form to being reasonably fresh.
“I fell ill after joBerg2c, which forced me to take a few days off. I think that rest came at just the right time. I’m already looking forward to the second half of the season.”
Issued by:
Coetzee Gouws
2009/05/25
Du Toit signs off in fine fashion
Team bizhub’s in-form Yolandi du Toit signed off the first half of the season with a hard-earned overall victory in the two-day N3TC Greytown Classic mountain bike race that finished on Sunday.
Du Toit won Saturday’s first stage over 60 kilometres in 2:56:49 and Sunday’s, over 45, in 2:22:53 for a combined time of 5:19:43.
Team Jeep’s Jean Hackland (3:03:15; 2:29:18; 5:32:33) was a close second with Cycle Lab’s Brenda Potts (3:10:03; 2:35:12; 5:45:16) completing the podium.
The lanky 24-year-old from Heidelberg in Gauteng was made to fight hard in the early stages of both days. “I had to ride very aggressively to stay ahead of Jean on the first day,” said Du Toit, who is known more for her endurance than technical prowess.
“The stage started with single track and I immediately took the lead, but she caught up with me after about three kilometres and from that moment I had to give everything.”
Even though she was in yellow, Du Toit said she was not overly confident going into the second day. “Some of the other riders’ technical abilities are superb and the course suited them more than me. I just tried my best and fortunately that was good enough.”
Du Toit, who recently dominated the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c with team-mate Lise Olivier, said she would now take some time off before focusing on a “busy” second half of the year.
“It’s fantastic to go into the winter break with some good results behind my name. If the boss is happy, I’m happy,” she joked.
Despite a hectic racing schedule over the past few months, Du Toit attributed her good form to being reasonably fresh.
“I fell ill after joBerg2c, which forced me to take a few days off. I think that rest came at just the right time. I’m already looking forward to the second half of the season.”
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
MTN CROSS COUNTRY SERIES, GEORGE
Even though I have been mountain biking for some years, this past weekend I participated in a Cross Country event for the FIRST time.
Although you still race your mountain bike it is a totally different experience.
The event took place at Saasveld College on the outskirts of George. The college is well known seeing that it hosts several mountain bike races during the year. Once you’ve ridden the trails around Saasveld it will become clear as to why it is such a popular venue. The trails are actually built by a handful of people who simply have a passion for the sport.
Their job also doesn’t stop once it’s built as they actually maintain it through literally sweeping and tidying on a regular basis.
My event took place on the Saturday and for that reason I decided to fly down on the Wednesday so I could spend some time riding on the circuit. I could feel that the more I rode on the course, the easier it became. Especially because I had the opportunity to follow some riders who are a lot more skilled than me and who don’t mind teaching me the finer details about mountain biking.
I enjoyed training on the circuit in the days leading up to my event, its just a great feeling to be able to prepare for an event and see yourself improve daily as you gain a bit more confidence.
All die ladies from under 16 upwards started together and we had to complete 6 laps of the 5km long circuit. As we were set off it was a flat out 200m sprint for placing into the single track. This being my first time competing in a cross country event I found myself around the back between the under 16 girls.
It didn’t make me nervous as I knew whatever happened I could only learn from the experience. I turned my focus to riding as smooth and consistent as I possibly could. On every lap I managed to pass a few girls and consequently move up in the placings to finish 3rd in the Elite Category.
I really enjoyed the event and I am looking forward to competing in more Cross country events in the future.
Elite Woman Results:
1st Ester Cluer (Team Jeep)
2nd Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
Even though I have been mountain biking for some years, this past weekend I participated in a Cross Country event for the FIRST time.
Although you still race your mountain bike it is a totally different experience.
The event took place at Saasveld College on the outskirts of George. The college is well known seeing that it hosts several mountain bike races during the year. Once you’ve ridden the trails around Saasveld it will become clear as to why it is such a popular venue. The trails are actually built by a handful of people who simply have a passion for the sport.
Their job also doesn’t stop once it’s built as they actually maintain it through literally sweeping and tidying on a regular basis.
My event took place on the Saturday and for that reason I decided to fly down on the Wednesday so I could spend some time riding on the circuit. I could feel that the more I rode on the course, the easier it became. Especially because I had the opportunity to follow some riders who are a lot more skilled than me and who don’t mind teaching me the finer details about mountain biking.
I enjoyed training on the circuit in the days leading up to my event, its just a great feeling to be able to prepare for an event and see yourself improve daily as you gain a bit more confidence.
All die ladies from under 16 upwards started together and we had to complete 6 laps of the 5km long circuit. As we were set off it was a flat out 200m sprint for placing into the single track. This being my first time competing in a cross country event I found myself around the back between the under 16 girls.
It didn’t make me nervous as I knew whatever happened I could only learn from the experience. I turned my focus to riding as smooth and consistent as I possibly could. On every lap I managed to pass a few girls and consequently move up in the placings to finish 3rd in the Elite Category.
I really enjoyed the event and I am looking forward to competing in more Cross country events in the future.
Elite Woman Results:
1st Ester Cluer (Team Jeep)
2nd Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Newsletter 10: May 2010
Team bizhub dominates joBerg2C
3 May 2010 - Yolandi du Toit and Lise Olivier of Team bizhub made a clean sweep of the eight timed stages to win the women's section of the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c paired mountain bike race by the proverbial country mile in Scottburgh on Saturday.
The twosome - who finished third in the recent Subaru sani2c - completed the nine-day, 923km ordeal between Johannesburg and the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in 45 hours 16 minutes and 50 seconds, more than two hours faster than their closest opponents.
Catherine Roberts and Marleen Lourens (Ducky Muds) were second, with Leanne Lange and Brenda Potts (Team Medscheme 1) completing the podium.
Veterans Andrew McLean and Shan Wilson (Toyota Cycle Lab) recorded the fastest overall time of 38:22:42.
"For many reasons, this is one of the most important wins of my career," said Du Toit, who replaced team-mate Ischen Stopforth a mere two days before the race started. "To be honest, I didn't think it would be this hard."
Du Toit (24) said she and Olivier (26) both experienced one "bad" day during the tour, but they were able to nurse each other to the finish on each occasion. "That's what team riding is all about."
"One's body goes through many ups and downs during a race like this and it is the teams who are able to adapt the best that come out on top. The secret of a fast time is how well the stronger rider on the day can look after the weaker one."
Du Toit said although the first day (121km between Suikerbosrand and Frankfort) was a neutral and therefore untimed stage due to the crossing of the Vaal River, it did a lot of damage and contributed greatly to the outcome of the race.
"Large stretches were over grasslands, which were very bumpy and energy-sapping. For me, it was one of the toughest days."
The former Pick ’n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge champion was full of compliments for her less experienced team-mate. "She is a very consistent rider, which is exactly what you want in a race like this."
Du Toit said the first three days were a shock to their systems due to the wet conditions. "Although the stages became slightly less demanding after that, your body gets more and more tired as you go along and in the end it becomes a battle of wills."
The Team bizhub duo is scheduled to take part in the 75km Karkloof Classic in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.
Stopforth, who withdrew from the joBerg2c due to illness, meanwhile won the three-day Klein Karoo Classic in Calitzdorp over the weekend. She finished first in all three stages en route to a fifth place overall.
The reigning MTN Series champion will now focus on preparing for the Amarider 100 Miler in Durbanville on May 22 as she continues her comeback from a broken collarbone and cracked pelvis.
Team bizhub dominates joBerg2C
3 May 2010 - Yolandi du Toit and Lise Olivier of Team bizhub made a clean sweep of the eight timed stages to win the women's section of the inaugural Fairbairn Capital/Old Mutual joBerg2c paired mountain bike race by the proverbial country mile in Scottburgh on Saturday.
The twosome - who finished third in the recent Subaru sani2c - completed the nine-day, 923km ordeal between Johannesburg and the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in 45 hours 16 minutes and 50 seconds, more than two hours faster than their closest opponents.
Catherine Roberts and Marleen Lourens (Ducky Muds) were second, with Leanne Lange and Brenda Potts (Team Medscheme 1) completing the podium.
Veterans Andrew McLean and Shan Wilson (Toyota Cycle Lab) recorded the fastest overall time of 38:22:42.
"For many reasons, this is one of the most important wins of my career," said Du Toit, who replaced team-mate Ischen Stopforth a mere two days before the race started. "To be honest, I didn't think it would be this hard."
Du Toit (24) said she and Olivier (26) both experienced one "bad" day during the tour, but they were able to nurse each other to the finish on each occasion. "That's what team riding is all about."
"One's body goes through many ups and downs during a race like this and it is the teams who are able to adapt the best that come out on top. The secret of a fast time is how well the stronger rider on the day can look after the weaker one."
Du Toit said although the first day (121km between Suikerbosrand and Frankfort) was a neutral and therefore untimed stage due to the crossing of the Vaal River, it did a lot of damage and contributed greatly to the outcome of the race.
"Large stretches were over grasslands, which were very bumpy and energy-sapping. For me, it was one of the toughest days."
The former Pick ’n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge champion was full of compliments for her less experienced team-mate. "She is a very consistent rider, which is exactly what you want in a race like this."
Du Toit said the first three days were a shock to their systems due to the wet conditions. "Although the stages became slightly less demanding after that, your body gets more and more tired as you go along and in the end it becomes a battle of wills."
The Team bizhub duo is scheduled to take part in the 75km Karkloof Classic in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.
Stopforth, who withdrew from the joBerg2c due to illness, meanwhile won the three-day Klein Karoo Classic in Calitzdorp over the weekend. She finished first in all three stages en route to a fifth place overall.
The reigning MTN Series champion will now focus on preparing for the Amarider 100 Miler in Durbanville on May 22 as she continues her comeback from a broken collarbone and cracked pelvis.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
My Diary...
The last time I wrote I was at our team’s mountain bike training camp in George.
We stayed at Ischen’s home for the 8 days long training camp. ISchen and her husband made us feel part of their family the moment we walked through their front door. I think we were very privileged to see and experience George through people like Ischen and Piet. They made my visit one that I’ll always remember.
Ischen took us on the most beautiful scenic trails around George and Knysna.
Spending every day on my mountain bike on various terrains improved my confidence and I felt more at ease riding technical parts.
My training over there didn’t only include cycling…I went with Ischen to her
Biokineticus to work on core strength exercises which we continued doing regularly at home.
I flew back on the Wednesday and that Friday morning I was off again with my team to Clarens for the 4th MTN XCO National Series event which took place on Saturday.
The morning of the race I woke up to the sound of my alarm and then I heard it – the sound of rain. Luckily it cleared up and we started the event underneath an open sky.
Clarens has always been quite a demanding event and the strong woman’s field on the line added to the challenge. Team Bizhub had 3 girls in the race and I am sure all of us were very grateful for our specialized full suspension bikes on the rough course. I have to admit I enjoyed the challenge that the race brought, it was a true mountain bike race.
I was happy to see my training program paying off as I felt strong on the day and managed to finish in 3rd place.
Race Results for Clarens:
1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
2nd Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
4th Cherise Taylor (Team Nashua)
5th Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub)
6th Carla Rowley ( Team RBS Biogen)
7th Caitlin De Wet (Team Mr Price/Specialized)
8th Lise Olivier (Team Bizhub)
9th Auralie Halbwacht (Mauritius)
After the race we drove back to Johannesburg where I joined the road team (Jade, Michelle and Landi) to compete in the Wilro 100 the following day where I managed to place 6th in the bunch sprint.
My next race will be Joberg2C which is taking place on Friday the 23rd of April until Saturday the 1st of May. You can follow the team’s progress on our website and I will make sure to tell you about the event as soon as I'm home again…
The last time I wrote I was at our team’s mountain bike training camp in George.
We stayed at Ischen’s home for the 8 days long training camp. ISchen and her husband made us feel part of their family the moment we walked through their front door. I think we were very privileged to see and experience George through people like Ischen and Piet. They made my visit one that I’ll always remember.
Ischen took us on the most beautiful scenic trails around George and Knysna.
Spending every day on my mountain bike on various terrains improved my confidence and I felt more at ease riding technical parts.
My training over there didn’t only include cycling…I went with Ischen to her
Biokineticus to work on core strength exercises which we continued doing regularly at home.
I flew back on the Wednesday and that Friday morning I was off again with my team to Clarens for the 4th MTN XCO National Series event which took place on Saturday.
The morning of the race I woke up to the sound of my alarm and then I heard it – the sound of rain. Luckily it cleared up and we started the event underneath an open sky.
Clarens has always been quite a demanding event and the strong woman’s field on the line added to the challenge. Team Bizhub had 3 girls in the race and I am sure all of us were very grateful for our specialized full suspension bikes on the rough course. I have to admit I enjoyed the challenge that the race brought, it was a true mountain bike race.
I was happy to see my training program paying off as I felt strong on the day and managed to finish in 3rd place.
Race Results for Clarens:
1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
2nd Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
4th Cherise Taylor (Team Nashua)
5th Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub)
6th Carla Rowley ( Team RBS Biogen)
7th Caitlin De Wet (Team Mr Price/Specialized)
8th Lise Olivier (Team Bizhub)
9th Auralie Halbwacht (Mauritius)
After the race we drove back to Johannesburg where I joined the road team (Jade, Michelle and Landi) to compete in the Wilro 100 the following day where I managed to place 6th in the bunch sprint.
My next race will be Joberg2C which is taking place on Friday the 23rd of April until Saturday the 1st of May. You can follow the team’s progress on our website and I will make sure to tell you about the event as soon as I'm home again…
Friday, April 9, 2010
Easter weekend
I spend my Easter weekend with my family in a charming little town called Parys.
Being a professional athlete most weekends include racing and luckily for me my race for that weekend took place in the same little town.
On Saturday the 3rd of April I participated in the Parys Dirt Max MTB series. The owners of the event are truly passionate about their sport which is very noticeable once you’ve ridden on their trails.
That morning the town woke up under a cloud of mist. This made it quite difficult for me to get out of bed, but as I made my way outside I was very pleased to witness such a beautiful morning.
Due to the mist, the start was postponed for about 15min, making it a bit safer for the riders to be able see a tad more than just a white cloud in front of them. My father and sister kept the family spirit high and decided to also participate in the event. Both of them don’t even own mountain bikes and had to borrow some for the weekend. So I don’t think I have to say anything more about their mountainbiking skills…
Still they were up for the challenge and I am sure they actually enjoyed it a lot at the end.
It was nice to be at a race with my family again. Funny enough I didn’t even stress about my event as I was using the time before the start to catch up on family things.
The event is always quite challenging as you finish the race on a 10km cross country like circuit which one have to do 2 times. This year the circuit was quite muddy and slippery making it a bit more technical then usual. I really felt good on my bike that day and enjoyed racing my heart out.
I also managed to win the race, it’s always nice to end once race with a good result.
My dad also had a good ride and as he crossed the finish line and stopped next to me his first words were quite different to the usual “ how was your race/where did you finish.”
This time he looked very pleased in asking me “so how many times did you crash? “ My dad was very proud to have fallen 9 times.
As for my little sister’s race, she just kept quite and shook her head.
I was barely back on Monday night and off I went again early Tuesday morning to a training camp in George with my Mountain bike team mates (Ischen Stopforth and Lise Oliver).
We have actually been out on 3 rides already here in George and the routes together with the scenery are breathtaking. You literally ride 200m then you are in the forest on single track. We really have amazing places to ride in South Africa.
I spend my Easter weekend with my family in a charming little town called Parys.
Being a professional athlete most weekends include racing and luckily for me my race for that weekend took place in the same little town.
On Saturday the 3rd of April I participated in the Parys Dirt Max MTB series. The owners of the event are truly passionate about their sport which is very noticeable once you’ve ridden on their trails.
That morning the town woke up under a cloud of mist. This made it quite difficult for me to get out of bed, but as I made my way outside I was very pleased to witness such a beautiful morning.
Due to the mist, the start was postponed for about 15min, making it a bit safer for the riders to be able see a tad more than just a white cloud in front of them. My father and sister kept the family spirit high and decided to also participate in the event. Both of them don’t even own mountain bikes and had to borrow some for the weekend. So I don’t think I have to say anything more about their mountainbiking skills…
Still they were up for the challenge and I am sure they actually enjoyed it a lot at the end.
It was nice to be at a race with my family again. Funny enough I didn’t even stress about my event as I was using the time before the start to catch up on family things.
The event is always quite challenging as you finish the race on a 10km cross country like circuit which one have to do 2 times. This year the circuit was quite muddy and slippery making it a bit more technical then usual. I really felt good on my bike that day and enjoyed racing my heart out.
I also managed to win the race, it’s always nice to end once race with a good result.
My dad also had a good ride and as he crossed the finish line and stopped next to me his first words were quite different to the usual “ how was your race/where did you finish.”
This time he looked very pleased in asking me “so how many times did you crash? “ My dad was very proud to have fallen 9 times.
As for my little sister’s race, she just kept quite and shook her head.
I was barely back on Monday night and off I went again early Tuesday morning to a training camp in George with my Mountain bike team mates (Ischen Stopforth and Lise Oliver).
We have actually been out on 3 rides already here in George and the routes together with the scenery are breathtaking. You literally ride 200m then you are in the forest on single track. We really have amazing places to ride in South Africa.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sani2C
Sani2C consist of 3 stages, held over 3 days. The event started on Thursday morning in Underberg, a small village found at the bottom of Sani Pass. The route took the riders all the way down into Scottburgh to finish the last stage on the beach, hence the name Sani2C.
My partner for the event was Lisa Oliver (my team mate) who is fairly new to Mountain bike races but has luckily been training with Fritz Pienaar and his wife, Christie( who both need no introduction when it comes to technical skills on a mountain bike).
At first I thought Lise would struggle a bit on the technical parts because she said so but
Lise road great and to my surprise manage to keep up on almost all the technical stuff.
Stage 1
The start of the first stage was very fast seeing that it was the first day and everyone was a bit nervous. I made sure that Lisa and I stayed in a comfortable pace from the beginning because I didn’t want to repeat what had happened to me in Sabie last week.
This tactic seemed to pay out soon as we manage to pass a few fast starters from 10km on into the event.
It was an awesome route and the only dreadful section was going through thick mud during the last 20km. It made the track very slippery and I felt very sorry for my bike!!
We finished the day in 2nd place and were both very pleased with our result.
1st Yolande Speedy & Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
2nd Lise Olivier & Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
3rd Hanlie Boyens & Fienie Barnard ( Team Jeap)
Stage 2
After a cold and wet night the race organizers decided to change the route to make it a bit safer for the riders. Going down the muddy and slippery jeep track in misty and rainy weather conditions made it hard to believe that we were on the ‘safer ‘route. It didn’t feel very safe not being able to see what or who is in front of me in the thick mist while struggling to get mud out of my eyes. It was definitely a challenge to rely on feeling more than seeing.
I enjoyed riding with Lise’s, with her I am not pushing myself over the limit all the time. Which made me realized that I have a lot more control on the technical sections and I seem to be pacing myself better and are still able to finish the final kilometers riding strong.
We had another good day on the bike and repeated the results of the previous stage finishing in 2nd place.
1st Yolande Speedy & Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
2nd Lise Olivier & Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
3rd Hanlie Boyens & Fienie Barnard ( Team Jeap)
Stage 3
The last stage is always a very important and exciting day. Important because we had to try and keep our 2nd place until the end and exciting because you can go out and give everything without having the worry about saving a bit for the following day.
Lisa and I were very happy with how things have been going for us so far and this motivated us even more. We both felt good on the last stage and manage to stay with the leaders from the B batch which we started in.
In the first few kilometers I felt that something wasn’t right with my bike. It felt like it could possibly be the bearings in my bottom bracket that needed replacement after all the mud. So I didn’t worry at first and continued riding until my chain dropped of from one of my derailed wheels at the back.
I quickly stopped and put my chain back on without realizing what the cause was. I barely gave 3 pedal strokes and it was of again. That was when I realized that my derailleur hanger had broken of.
This happened around 20km into the race. I didn’t want to pull out of the event because we were riding well up until that point, so I decided to continue with my chain running besides the derailleur wheel instead of on it. And if this wasn’t difficult enough I was forced to stop frequently as it kept on bouncing of on the bumpy sections.
It was quite a relief to cross the finish line at the end of stage 3. We lost our 2nd place that day and were disappointed in the way we had to give it up but luckily we managed to built up a big enough lead on the previous day to hold onto 3rd place overall.
Final results:
1st Yolande Speedy & Mariska Strauss (Team MTN)
2rd Hanlie Boyens & Fienie Barnard ( Team Jeap)
3nd Lise Olivier & Yolandi du Toit (Team Bizhub)
4th Cherise Taylor & Caitlin de Wet (MR Price/Specialized/Nashua)
At the end despite having a bit of bad luck, we both were more than satisfied in our riding over the 3 days. We made a great team and I think we both enjoyed the challenge that Sani2C brings!
This weekend we will be competing in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour. So please hold thumbs that the team will have a bit more luck our side…
Monday, March 1, 2010
SABIE CLASSIC
MTN SERIES 3#
Saturday 27 February was a big day on the calendar for every professional Mountain biker in the country, considering the fact that it was our National Marathon Championships and also the 3rd leg of the MTN series.
The day turned out to be perfect for racing, with the weather being slightly overcast and cool.
As I joined the rest of the riders on the start line, I received an unexpected surprise. I was given the MTN Series Climbers jersey which is awarded to the most consistent climber in the series. It felt really special to start the event with the pink polka dot jersey on my shoulders for the first time.
There was barely enough time to get the legs going during the opening kilometers as we headed straight onto the first (13km!) climb of the day.
Starting alongside the men in the Ultra-marathon event made the start yet again extremely hard. The small group left upon reaching the bottom of the hill just goes to show how fast the pace was being made upfront.
Yolande Speedy, Carla Rowley and I were the only girls left at that point, but were also soon left behind once the guys started climbing at their ‘crazy’ pace.
This left us (Ladies category) to do the remainder of the event at our own individual pace. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t get going on the opening climb and soon the girls started passing me one by one. I lost a lot if time and it took me until half way to feel better again. By that stage I was outside the top 10 and really had to dig deep just to keep going. It is terribly frustrating when one’s body doesn’t/can’t do what the mind is telling it to do..!
I couldn’t (and still cant) understand why my legs didn’t want to respond, but I decided not to give in and kept on going in optimistic hope that I would feel better towards the end.
During the 2nd half of the event, I started to feel like my old self again.
I gave everything in an attempt to catch up to the girls up front, but I had lost too much ground already. I only managed to ride back up into 6th place.
Speedy had a great race, yet again taking 1st place, with the surprise package of the season Karien van Jaarsveld finishing 2nd and Carla Rowley in 3rd.
Sabie Classic was an important event for me and I am disappointed in my final result. Unfortunately I can’t change the past but I can learn from my mistakes and try my best to make up for it in the future.
On Thursday my teammate (Lise Olivier) and I will be taking part in the Sani2C. It’s a great event I am looking forward to it and hopefully we will have a good race!
MTN SERIES 3#
Saturday 27 February was a big day on the calendar for every professional Mountain biker in the country, considering the fact that it was our National Marathon Championships and also the 3rd leg of the MTN series.
The day turned out to be perfect for racing, with the weather being slightly overcast and cool.
As I joined the rest of the riders on the start line, I received an unexpected surprise. I was given the MTN Series Climbers jersey which is awarded to the most consistent climber in the series. It felt really special to start the event with the pink polka dot jersey on my shoulders for the first time.
There was barely enough time to get the legs going during the opening kilometers as we headed straight onto the first (13km!) climb of the day.
Starting alongside the men in the Ultra-marathon event made the start yet again extremely hard. The small group left upon reaching the bottom of the hill just goes to show how fast the pace was being made upfront.
Yolande Speedy, Carla Rowley and I were the only girls left at that point, but were also soon left behind once the guys started climbing at their ‘crazy’ pace.
This left us (Ladies category) to do the remainder of the event at our own individual pace. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t get going on the opening climb and soon the girls started passing me one by one. I lost a lot if time and it took me until half way to feel better again. By that stage I was outside the top 10 and really had to dig deep just to keep going. It is terribly frustrating when one’s body doesn’t/can’t do what the mind is telling it to do..!
I couldn’t (and still cant) understand why my legs didn’t want to respond, but I decided not to give in and kept on going in optimistic hope that I would feel better towards the end.
During the 2nd half of the event, I started to feel like my old self again.
I gave everything in an attempt to catch up to the girls up front, but I had lost too much ground already. I only managed to ride back up into 6th place.
Speedy had a great race, yet again taking 1st place, with the surprise package of the season Karien van Jaarsveld finishing 2nd and Carla Rowley in 3rd.
Sabie Classic was an important event for me and I am disappointed in my final result. Unfortunately I can’t change the past but I can learn from my mistakes and try my best to make up for it in the future.
On Thursday my teammate (Lise Olivier) and I will be taking part in the Sani2C. It’s a great event I am looking forward to it and hopefully we will have a good race!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Barberton Classic
MTN SERIES #2
In previous years the Barberton Classic was the first event on the MTN Calendar, but for 2010 Attakwas got the 1st spot making this event 2nd in the MTN SERIES.
I’ve always enjoyed Barberton, it’s a very hilly route with beautiful scenery. This year the route retained the section that wound through a lush green nature reserve.
What made the race even more enjoyable was the fact that it was not the ‘first race of the season’. This made me feel a ‘little!’ bit more at ease standing on the start line.
Since the Ultra Marathon (125km) was introduced last year, the MTN SERIES race organisers had set a principle for the woman competing in the Marathon event (75km) to start alongside the men competing in the Ultra Marathon (125km). This strategy has proved to work exceptionally good as it provides the ladies with an opportunity to race without any intrusion from other start batches. Given that the ultra-marathon contenders are too strong for us to keep up with their pace and the men in the Marathon event only start 5 minutes behind us, we usually race each other one on one.
One would think the Ultra-Marathon would set off at a decent pace bearing in mind that there is still a long 125km ahead, but as soon as our cleats were in the pedals we were sprinting for..., jeez, I still don’t know what…
The fast start caused the bunch to split up on the 3km section of tar road preceding the turn off on to dirt.
I struggled to get my legs going and on reaching the bottom of the first 15km climb I found myself in 5th position behind Yolande Speedy (Team MTN), Karien van Jaarsveld (Natro Transport), Kaitlin de Wet (MR Price) and Heletje van Staden (SCHWINN). During the week leading up to the event my team (BIZHUB) had a training camp in Clarens and I could feel my legs weren’t fully recovered after the proper training rides in the mountains.
As the race progressed I started to feel better and managed to pass Heletjie and Kaitlin around half way up the climb. I kept on pacing myself and caught up to Karien, reaching her as we got to the top of the climb. From there the two of us continued on together keeping the pace high as a result of constantly trying to slip away from one another.
The second half of the event was mostly descending towards the finish and it was great to be able to keep up on the descents with my Specialized Era.
The bike just rolled over the Rocky River crossing, grass patches etc giving me a lot more confidence than before.
In the final 15km the route took us down two short, steep downhill sections and on the last one a cyclist in front of me decided to dismount halfway down. His reaction caught me off guard and I ended up lying on the ground next to him. I quickly got back on my bike but never saw Karien again. She put in a good effort al the way to the finish line crossing it in 2nd place.
Yolande Speedy was in a class of her own leading the event from beginning to end winning this year’s Barberton Classic, Karien van Jaarsveld in 2nd place and me in 3rd.
Race Results:
1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
2nd Karien van Jaarsveld (Natro Transport)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (BIZHUB)
4th Caitlin de Wet (MR Price)
5th Heletje van Staden (SCHWINN)
This weekend the team will be travelling down to PE to participate in the EP Herald Cycle Challenge on Sunday.
MTN SERIES #2
In previous years the Barberton Classic was the first event on the MTN Calendar, but for 2010 Attakwas got the 1st spot making this event 2nd in the MTN SERIES.
I’ve always enjoyed Barberton, it’s a very hilly route with beautiful scenery. This year the route retained the section that wound through a lush green nature reserve.
What made the race even more enjoyable was the fact that it was not the ‘first race of the season’. This made me feel a ‘little!’ bit more at ease standing on the start line.
Since the Ultra Marathon (125km) was introduced last year, the MTN SERIES race organisers had set a principle for the woman competing in the Marathon event (75km) to start alongside the men competing in the Ultra Marathon (125km). This strategy has proved to work exceptionally good as it provides the ladies with an opportunity to race without any intrusion from other start batches. Given that the ultra-marathon contenders are too strong for us to keep up with their pace and the men in the Marathon event only start 5 minutes behind us, we usually race each other one on one.
One would think the Ultra-Marathon would set off at a decent pace bearing in mind that there is still a long 125km ahead, but as soon as our cleats were in the pedals we were sprinting for..., jeez, I still don’t know what…
The fast start caused the bunch to split up on the 3km section of tar road preceding the turn off on to dirt.
I struggled to get my legs going and on reaching the bottom of the first 15km climb I found myself in 5th position behind Yolande Speedy (Team MTN), Karien van Jaarsveld (Natro Transport), Kaitlin de Wet (MR Price) and Heletje van Staden (SCHWINN). During the week leading up to the event my team (BIZHUB) had a training camp in Clarens and I could feel my legs weren’t fully recovered after the proper training rides in the mountains.
As the race progressed I started to feel better and managed to pass Heletjie and Kaitlin around half way up the climb. I kept on pacing myself and caught up to Karien, reaching her as we got to the top of the climb. From there the two of us continued on together keeping the pace high as a result of constantly trying to slip away from one another.
The second half of the event was mostly descending towards the finish and it was great to be able to keep up on the descents with my Specialized Era.
The bike just rolled over the Rocky River crossing, grass patches etc giving me a lot more confidence than before.
In the final 15km the route took us down two short, steep downhill sections and on the last one a cyclist in front of me decided to dismount halfway down. His reaction caught me off guard and I ended up lying on the ground next to him. I quickly got back on my bike but never saw Karien again. She put in a good effort al the way to the finish line crossing it in 2nd place.
Yolande Speedy was in a class of her own leading the event from beginning to end winning this year’s Barberton Classic, Karien van Jaarsveld in 2nd place and me in 3rd.
Race Results:
1st Yolande Speedy (Team MTN)
2nd Karien van Jaarsveld (Natro Transport)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (BIZHUB)
4th Caitlin de Wet (MR Price)
5th Heletje van Staden (SCHWINN)
This weekend the team will be travelling down to PE to participate in the EP Herald Cycle Challenge on Sunday.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Attakwas
MTN Series #1
It was the first MTN Series Event for the 2010 racing season and the race organisers weren’t scared to start the series off throwing the most demanding one first onto the calendar. After this one its downhill to the finish The Ultra Marathon was 137km long and the ladies also had to compete in this extreme event.
One’s first race (or maybe just mine) is pretty nerve wrecking, wondering whether you have trained hard enough, is you’re form good enough compared to your rivals, did I pack everything etc.
We flew to George on Friday which also turned out to be a rather hectic day. Our flight to George was heavily delayed. As a result we only arrived in Oudtshooring at 21:00, still having to build our bikes, eat, unpack and repack for our race the following day.
The event started at Chandelier Game & Ostrich farm just outside Oudtshooring taking riders southwards to the finishing venue at Pine Creek Resort in Great Brak.
Standing on the start line Saturday morning was a great feeling. It’s a new season with so much still laying a head and this event was the start of it all…
Unfortunately my first event came to a finish a whole 30km from the finish line. I struggled with my gears throughout the race not knowing what was causing the problem or how to fix it.
Around 85km I was left without gears and had to continue in a fix gear. Luckily my team manager (John Robertson) was standing at around 106km and advised me to rather call it a day than struggling on towards the finish line.
Yolande Speedy (MTN) just again showed why she is the best in the country finishing in 1st place and 19th overall, with Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub) in 2nd and Hanlie Booyend (Jeep) in 3rd.
This coming weekend the team will be competing in THE FAST ONE (Road Race). It will be our first race together, with the team present in full.
Straight after the event we will depart to Clarens for the team’s training camp.
The camp is mainly to build good team spirit and will also include activities such as ‘hard training’, Specialized bike setups and planning for the year ahead.
MTN Series #1
It was the first MTN Series Event for the 2010 racing season and the race organisers weren’t scared to start the series off throwing the most demanding one first onto the calendar. After this one its downhill to the finish The Ultra Marathon was 137km long and the ladies also had to compete in this extreme event.
One’s first race (or maybe just mine) is pretty nerve wrecking, wondering whether you have trained hard enough, is you’re form good enough compared to your rivals, did I pack everything etc.
We flew to George on Friday which also turned out to be a rather hectic day. Our flight to George was heavily delayed. As a result we only arrived in Oudtshooring at 21:00, still having to build our bikes, eat, unpack and repack for our race the following day.
The event started at Chandelier Game & Ostrich farm just outside Oudtshooring taking riders southwards to the finishing venue at Pine Creek Resort in Great Brak.
Standing on the start line Saturday morning was a great feeling. It’s a new season with so much still laying a head and this event was the start of it all…
Unfortunately my first event came to a finish a whole 30km from the finish line. I struggled with my gears throughout the race not knowing what was causing the problem or how to fix it.
Around 85km I was left without gears and had to continue in a fix gear. Luckily my team manager (John Robertson) was standing at around 106km and advised me to rather call it a day than struggling on towards the finish line.
Yolande Speedy (MTN) just again showed why she is the best in the country finishing in 1st place and 19th overall, with Ischen Stopforth (Team Bizhub) in 2nd and Hanlie Booyend (Jeep) in 3rd.
This coming weekend the team will be competing in THE FAST ONE (Road Race). It will be our first race together, with the team present in full.
Straight after the event we will depart to Clarens for the team’s training camp.
The camp is mainly to build good team spirit and will also include activities such as ‘hard training’, Specialized bike setups and planning for the year ahead.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sabie Experience
It was my first time participating in an event during December and since December is the time to put in some base miles it was exactly what I planned on doing at the Sabie Experience.
My main reason for riding Sabie in the first place was because my partner, Dave Leiman, and I are keen to ride the Epic together in 2010.
I’ve heard a few stories about this event and it sounded like the ideal stage race to see whether Dave and my riding styles were compatible.
The first stage was a 30km time trail. Dave and I agreed from the beginning to ride the event at a steady comfortable pace and so we did. I still don’t even know our result on that day which is a nice feeling. For a change I didn’t have to worry about my placing and could only enjoy the beautiful scenery, the event itself and my new Specialised ERA which is a woman specific mountain bike.
Unfortunately I only got to ride my ERA on two occasions before the event. This didn’t give me enough time to set my bike up properly. But once on it I couldn’t get myself to leave it behind and my ERA travelled with me to the Lowveld.
The difference from riding a hardtail to a PROPER full suspension bike is incredible. For the first time I could actually ride over rocky terrain, grass patches and tricky descents without being thrown all over the place. It’s really an awesome bike.
The second stage was a very muddy, cold and wet 65km long stage. I managed to survive it but won’t like to repeat it any time soon. We were climbing solidly for the first half of the stage. Upon finally reaching the summit we crossed a plateau called the ‘Hartebeesvlakte’ where it was freezing cold. The 2nd half of the stage wasn’t easy either. Although we were gradually descending to the finish, the muddy terrain only made it feel like a second climb seeing to it that you have to push just as hard on the pedals to get through the sludge.
That afternoon my knees started to hurt, even making it uncomfortable to climb the stairs which lead to my bedroom. I kind of ignored the pain and thought some extra stretching would do the trick.
The third stage started straight up a climb and sadly my stretching didn’t help as much as I hoped it would. My knees started hurting again on the climb so much so that I decided to rather stop and turn around before I end my season before it even began.
I felt bad leaving Dave to continue on his own. Until then we had a great ride together. Dave was very supportive in my decision as he himself went through a stage where he struggled with his ITB and I guess that’s why he also understood what I was going through.
I knew before starting the event that it might be a bit too much too soon, especially with my knees being so sensitive. But one always hopes for the best!
The reality was that I only started training the week before and I was on a new bike which I haven’t been properly fitted on. I think a combination of this and the cold weather lead to my knee problems flaring up again.
A lot of positive also came from this. I learned that Dave and I can be a good team in the future and what I have to do to be able to be competitive in a long stage race. Also that its not a good idea to ride a stage race when you aren’t used to your bike, I know this but still I do it!! (That’s why I am writing it down, hopefully then I will remember it in the future)
Shortly after returning home from the Lowveld I went for a BG bike fit at Specialized.
The BG bike fit is really great. They examine your anatomy and fit you on your bike accordingly. If they find problem areas they can correct it through the right saddle width, supportive shoes, wedges, inner soles etc.
It may sound too good to be true but by only putting on the correct saddle and riding with specialised inner soles it has fixed a lot of my issues.
It’s important to feel comfortable on the bike and get yourself to ride as pain free as possible!
My first race for the new season will be on 16th January (Attakwas)
Until then HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
It was my first time participating in an event during December and since December is the time to put in some base miles it was exactly what I planned on doing at the Sabie Experience.
My main reason for riding Sabie in the first place was because my partner, Dave Leiman, and I are keen to ride the Epic together in 2010.
I’ve heard a few stories about this event and it sounded like the ideal stage race to see whether Dave and my riding styles were compatible.
The first stage was a 30km time trail. Dave and I agreed from the beginning to ride the event at a steady comfortable pace and so we did. I still don’t even know our result on that day which is a nice feeling. For a change I didn’t have to worry about my placing and could only enjoy the beautiful scenery, the event itself and my new Specialised ERA which is a woman specific mountain bike.
Unfortunately I only got to ride my ERA on two occasions before the event. This didn’t give me enough time to set my bike up properly. But once on it I couldn’t get myself to leave it behind and my ERA travelled with me to the Lowveld.
The difference from riding a hardtail to a PROPER full suspension bike is incredible. For the first time I could actually ride over rocky terrain, grass patches and tricky descents without being thrown all over the place. It’s really an awesome bike.
The second stage was a very muddy, cold and wet 65km long stage. I managed to survive it but won’t like to repeat it any time soon. We were climbing solidly for the first half of the stage. Upon finally reaching the summit we crossed a plateau called the ‘Hartebeesvlakte’ where it was freezing cold. The 2nd half of the stage wasn’t easy either. Although we were gradually descending to the finish, the muddy terrain only made it feel like a second climb seeing to it that you have to push just as hard on the pedals to get through the sludge.
That afternoon my knees started to hurt, even making it uncomfortable to climb the stairs which lead to my bedroom. I kind of ignored the pain and thought some extra stretching would do the trick.
The third stage started straight up a climb and sadly my stretching didn’t help as much as I hoped it would. My knees started hurting again on the climb so much so that I decided to rather stop and turn around before I end my season before it even began.
I felt bad leaving Dave to continue on his own. Until then we had a great ride together. Dave was very supportive in my decision as he himself went through a stage where he struggled with his ITB and I guess that’s why he also understood what I was going through.
I knew before starting the event that it might be a bit too much too soon, especially with my knees being so sensitive. But one always hopes for the best!
The reality was that I only started training the week before and I was on a new bike which I haven’t been properly fitted on. I think a combination of this and the cold weather lead to my knee problems flaring up again.
A lot of positive also came from this. I learned that Dave and I can be a good team in the future and what I have to do to be able to be competitive in a long stage race. Also that its not a good idea to ride a stage race when you aren’t used to your bike, I know this but still I do it!! (That’s why I am writing it down, hopefully then I will remember it in the future)
Shortly after returning home from the Lowveld I went for a BG bike fit at Specialized.
The BG bike fit is really great. They examine your anatomy and fit you on your bike accordingly. If they find problem areas they can correct it through the right saddle width, supportive shoes, wedges, inner soles etc.
It may sound too good to be true but by only putting on the correct saddle and riding with specialised inner soles it has fixed a lot of my issues.
It’s important to feel comfortable on the bike and get yourself to ride as pain free as possible!
My first race for the new season will be on 16th January (Attakwas)
Until then HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Monday, November 16, 2009
94.7 Cycle Challenge
Following the Argus, the 94.7 Cycle Challenge is the 2nd biggest event in South Africa. This year around 30 000 cyclists took part in the demanding route through the streets of Johannesburg.
This 2009 route took cyclist around the centre of Johannesburg instead of going through it like previous year. The new course included a few extra steep hills which made for some hard racing.
The Elite woman left the start line just after 6 am. Our group consisted of only elite lady riders, excluding the veteran and junior woman who had their own start batches. The initial part of the route took us on the M1 highway. It was here where the first break-away group formed including Joanna van der Winkel (Cycle lab), An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) and Lylanie Lauwrens (Team MTN).
With all the main contenders still tucked in the main group, the break didn’t trouble me at first. Later on it became apparent that the big teams were happy with their representatives in the break and they would let it run. Lise Olivier and I (both Konica Minolta) started taking turns up front in an attempt to keep the break in sight. We didn’t want to tire ourselves unnecessarily, but we couldn’t let the break get too much of gap either.
As we reached the halfway mark the break had managed to stretch their time gap to over 2 min. Back in the main group it seemed as if all the major teams (MTN, Nashua and Cycle lab) were racing with their hands tight on their brakes. With both of team MTN and team Nashua’s riders in the break starting to fade I couldn’t understand why they didn’t contribute to the chase...
As we reached the N14 highway I didn’t have any other option but to start chasing seriously if we were to have any chance of winning. Lise (Olivier) and I knew bringing back the break wouldn’t be ideal because it would leave us tired for the sprint, but at least it will give us some opportunity to fight for victory.
By the finish we managed to reduce the time gap to only a few seconds, but unfortunately we couldn’t close it completely and also ended up being too tired to sprint for the minor placings.
It was my last race for the season and I gave everything I had to get a good result. We were unfortunate to miss the break of the day and with the race being so tactical it cost us dearly. Despite this I was happy to cross the finishline completely ‘empty’, knowing that I had given it my all.
My next event is Sabie Experience in December and I am already looking forward to spending some time on my mountain bike again…but first I’ll have a bit of a rest!
Following the Argus, the 94.7 Cycle Challenge is the 2nd biggest event in South Africa. This year around 30 000 cyclists took part in the demanding route through the streets of Johannesburg.
This 2009 route took cyclist around the centre of Johannesburg instead of going through it like previous year. The new course included a few extra steep hills which made for some hard racing.
The Elite woman left the start line just after 6 am. Our group consisted of only elite lady riders, excluding the veteran and junior woman who had their own start batches. The initial part of the route took us on the M1 highway. It was here where the first break-away group formed including Joanna van der Winkel (Cycle lab), An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) and Lylanie Lauwrens (Team MTN).
With all the main contenders still tucked in the main group, the break didn’t trouble me at first. Later on it became apparent that the big teams were happy with their representatives in the break and they would let it run. Lise Olivier and I (both Konica Minolta) started taking turns up front in an attempt to keep the break in sight. We didn’t want to tire ourselves unnecessarily, but we couldn’t let the break get too much of gap either.
As we reached the halfway mark the break had managed to stretch their time gap to over 2 min. Back in the main group it seemed as if all the major teams (MTN, Nashua and Cycle lab) were racing with their hands tight on their brakes. With both of team MTN and team Nashua’s riders in the break starting to fade I couldn’t understand why they didn’t contribute to the chase...
As we reached the N14 highway I didn’t have any other option but to start chasing seriously if we were to have any chance of winning. Lise (Olivier) and I knew bringing back the break wouldn’t be ideal because it would leave us tired for the sprint, but at least it will give us some opportunity to fight for victory.
By the finish we managed to reduce the time gap to only a few seconds, but unfortunately we couldn’t close it completely and also ended up being too tired to sprint for the minor placings.
It was my last race for the season and I gave everything I had to get a good result. We were unfortunate to miss the break of the day and with the race being so tactical it cost us dearly. Despite this I was happy to cross the finishline completely ‘empty’, knowing that I had given it my all.
My next event is Sabie Experience in December and I am already looking forward to spending some time on my mountain bike again…but first I’ll have a bit of a rest!
Monday, November 9, 2009
AGA CYCLE CHALLENGE
On Sunday I traveled to the North West Province to participate in the AGA Cycle Challenge. It was hosted at the Oppenheimer Sports Complex in Vaal Reefs, Orkney. This year the event formed part of the Alpha Pharm Series, attracting cyclists from all across the country.
The route was very flat, taking us through the Vaal river mining area of AngloGold Ashanti.
The wind played the biggest role on the day, gusting at a strong 25 to 35km/h. This caused the bunch to string out in ‘gutters’, reducing the numbers in the main group as the kilometers rolled by.
The Elite ladies started alongside the veteran men from all age categories, making the race very fast.
The ladies bunch mainly consisted of Team Nashua (with 4 riders), Jenny Stennerhag (Alpha Pharm) and me (Konica Minolta). In the first quarter of the event, Robyn de Groot put in a good attack and managed to open up a decent gap. She was soon joined by a pair of veteran riders who bridged across to her.
Nobody thought that this attempt would last in the strong wind, but they surprised us all and stayed away until the finish. Robyn de Groot (Team Nashua) took 1st place, winning her 2nd big race in a row.
In the sprint for the line, I sat in 2nd place, behind a veteran rider going into the final corner. It was a headwind to the line and he sat up 400m to go. As I was left in front I decided to start sprinting early. It was still a long way to the finish line and the headwind proved too much for me.
Anriette Schoeman (Team Nashua) and Jenny Stennerhag ( Alpha Pharm) passed me, crossing the finish line in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Race Results
1st Robyn de Groot (Team Nashua)
2nd Anriette Schoeman(Team Nashua)
3rd Jenny Stennerhag( Alpha Pharm)
4th Carla van den Merwe (Team Nashua)
5th Jade Roberts (Team Nashua)
6th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
On Sunday I traveled to the North West Province to participate in the AGA Cycle Challenge. It was hosted at the Oppenheimer Sports Complex in Vaal Reefs, Orkney. This year the event formed part of the Alpha Pharm Series, attracting cyclists from all across the country.
The route was very flat, taking us through the Vaal river mining area of AngloGold Ashanti.
The wind played the biggest role on the day, gusting at a strong 25 to 35km/h. This caused the bunch to string out in ‘gutters’, reducing the numbers in the main group as the kilometers rolled by.
The Elite ladies started alongside the veteran men from all age categories, making the race very fast.
The ladies bunch mainly consisted of Team Nashua (with 4 riders), Jenny Stennerhag (Alpha Pharm) and me (Konica Minolta). In the first quarter of the event, Robyn de Groot put in a good attack and managed to open up a decent gap. She was soon joined by a pair of veteran riders who bridged across to her.
Nobody thought that this attempt would last in the strong wind, but they surprised us all and stayed away until the finish. Robyn de Groot (Team Nashua) took 1st place, winning her 2nd big race in a row.
In the sprint for the line, I sat in 2nd place, behind a veteran rider going into the final corner. It was a headwind to the line and he sat up 400m to go. As I was left in front I decided to start sprinting early. It was still a long way to the finish line and the headwind proved too much for me.
Anriette Schoeman (Team Nashua) and Jenny Stennerhag ( Alpha Pharm) passed me, crossing the finish line in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Race Results
1st Robyn de Groot (Team Nashua)
2nd Anriette Schoeman(Team Nashua)
3rd Jenny Stennerhag( Alpha Pharm)
4th Carla van den Merwe (Team Nashua)
5th Jade Roberts (Team Nashua)
6th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
MTN-OFM Classic
The OFM Classic turned out to be held on an ideal weekend with the Currie Cup’s final match played on Saturday night.
When I arrived in Bloemfontein on Friday, I could feel the liveliness in the air.
On Saturday I didn’t only feel it, but started to see it. Outside everything was orange, movable or immovable.
On Sunday the liveliness didn’t disappear after the Rugby match but only shifted to the OFM Cycling Classic.
This year a few changes were made to the OFM cycling route which took us first through Bloemfontein to encounter the 3 famous climbs of Bloemfontein (Harry
Smith climb, then Bloemfontein’s own ‘suikerbossie’and lastly Lucas Steyn).
On top of Lucas Steyn the Ladies peleton were reduces by a great deal and less than ¼ of the ladies were left (around 20 riders) in the group. Only when we left town I started to feel the heavy wind blowing which ended up playing a crucial roll on the day.
The familiar procedure took place on the high-way (around 40km) when all the big teams (Team MTN/Team Nashua/Cycle Lab) started to launch several attacks to get riders down the road and eventually a small break-away group formed consisting of Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab), An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) and Lilanie Lourence (MTN).
The pace back in the group was easing up, until we turned back on the high-way (around 60km). From there it felt like a chest match with all the kings (Team Captain’s) playing their pawns (team mates).
I didn’t have any other options available except to go with everything that went down the road. Luckily the 3 girls up front got brought back before we headed onto the airport circuit for the last 20km.
Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab) was very strong and determined. She managed to get herself into a solo break around 10km from the finish. This forced the MTN team to role through on the front, also putting the rest of the field in the cutter.
They managed to bring Isabel back with 5km to go and from there onwards it was a fight for position all the way to the finish.
Robyn de Groot made a smart move and attacked with 2km to go. The bunch hesitated for a moment and then only followed, but it was too late. She managed to keep free from the Peleton to take her biggest victory in her cycling career, with the rest of us sprinting for the line. The sprint was chaotic, trying to get through riders from the shorter distances, luckily nobody from the ladies crashed.
Results
1st Robyn de Groot (Nashua)
2nd Jenny Stennerhag (Alpha Pharm)
3rd Marissa van den Merwe(MTN)
4th Cherise Taylor (MTN)
5th Lynette Burger (Cycle Lab)
6th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
The OFM Classic turned out to be held on an ideal weekend with the Currie Cup’s final match played on Saturday night.
When I arrived in Bloemfontein on Friday, I could feel the liveliness in the air.
On Saturday I didn’t only feel it, but started to see it. Outside everything was orange, movable or immovable.
On Sunday the liveliness didn’t disappear after the Rugby match but only shifted to the OFM Cycling Classic.
This year a few changes were made to the OFM cycling route which took us first through Bloemfontein to encounter the 3 famous climbs of Bloemfontein (Harry
Smith climb, then Bloemfontein’s own ‘suikerbossie’and lastly Lucas Steyn).
On top of Lucas Steyn the Ladies peleton were reduces by a great deal and less than ¼ of the ladies were left (around 20 riders) in the group. Only when we left town I started to feel the heavy wind blowing which ended up playing a crucial roll on the day.
The familiar procedure took place on the high-way (around 40km) when all the big teams (Team MTN/Team Nashua/Cycle Lab) started to launch several attacks to get riders down the road and eventually a small break-away group formed consisting of Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab), An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) and Lilanie Lourence (MTN).
The pace back in the group was easing up, until we turned back on the high-way (around 60km). From there it felt like a chest match with all the kings (Team Captain’s) playing their pawns (team mates).
I didn’t have any other options available except to go with everything that went down the road. Luckily the 3 girls up front got brought back before we headed onto the airport circuit for the last 20km.
Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab) was very strong and determined. She managed to get herself into a solo break around 10km from the finish. This forced the MTN team to role through on the front, also putting the rest of the field in the cutter.
They managed to bring Isabel back with 5km to go and from there onwards it was a fight for position all the way to the finish.
Robyn de Groot made a smart move and attacked with 2km to go. The bunch hesitated for a moment and then only followed, but it was too late. She managed to keep free from the Peleton to take her biggest victory in her cycling career, with the rest of us sprinting for the line. The sprint was chaotic, trying to get through riders from the shorter distances, luckily nobody from the ladies crashed.
Results
1st Robyn de Groot (Nashua)
2nd Jenny Stennerhag (Alpha Pharm)
3rd Marissa van den Merwe(MTN)
4th Cherise Taylor (MTN)
5th Lynette Burger (Cycle Lab)
6th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
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