Telkom Satellite challenge
The event was held at the Hartebeeshoek Satellite Station, just outside Johannesburg. It’s a popular event amongst cyclist with a vast number of participants.
Even as the woman’s group started the 107km race, a string of cars were still waiting on the road to get into the parking area. Come to think of it, getting up so early to start amongst the first groups is actually not that bad….
The woman’s field was very strong, with all the major teams coming out to do this event. Also with the continental games coming up in 2 weeks time, we even had international riders in our group, a Mauritian, Namibian and a Zimbabwean.
The race was made hard from the start with all the teams consistently launching attacks in an attempt to get their riders down the road.
As the bunch came up to the hot spot sprint, Roben de Groot (Nashua) and Ashleigh Moolman (Cycle lab) were the two girls challenging each other to the line. As they crossed the hot spot line they managed to open a small gap on the rest of the field. On realizing this, they put their heads down in an effort to extend their time gap. Marissa van der Merwe (MTN) quickly responded and bridged across to the break.
This break, that at first appeared to be a hot spot sprint, now suddenly turned out to be very dangerous to the rest of us who didn’t have a team mate present in the break.
Only 4 girls (Jenny Stennerhag, Lise Olivier, Arien Torsius and I) worked hard up front trying to bring the break back.
As we closed the gap on the 3 girls that were in front, Cashandra Slingerland (Team MTN) launched a counter attack. I immediately follower her with Arien Torsius (Dilila), Lizanne Naude (Cycle lab) and An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) behind me.
This formed the final break of the day as we headed towards the most challenging part of the day- Hekpoort climb.
The road leading towards Hekpoort is quite hilly and a headwind made it extra hard.
At the bottom of Hekpoort it was only Lizanne Naude (Cycle lab) and myself (Konica Minolta) left of the break away group, with the main bunch breathing down our necks.
On the climb I focussed on a good rhythm and tempo as I made my way to the top of Hekpoort. As we crested the hill, Anriette Schoeman (Nashua) and Ashleigh Moolman (Cycle lab) rode clear from the main bunch, and crossed to Lizanne and me.
With 10 km left to the finish, the 4 of us worked together as best as riders from different teams could!!!
Ashleigh and Lizanne (both Cycle Lab) tried to tire Anriette and myself by taking turns to attack us. This lead to Lizanne getting dropped in the penultimate climb to the finish. Now everything was to be decided through that final 90 degree turn before the finish.
It was Ashleigh who dived into the corner first, taking the victory with me and Anriette finishing in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
It is a nice event, one I’ve always enjoyed with the challenging Hekpoort climb thrown in right at end to make this event truly demanding…..
Results
1st Ashleigh Moolman (Cycle Lab)
2nd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
3rd Anriette Schoeman (Nashua)
4th Lizanne Naude (Cycle Lab)
5th Lynette Burger (Cycle Lab)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Amashova weekend
Asishova Mountain bike event:
This past weekend I travelled down to Natal for the Amashova Mountain bike and road event on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The weather forecast predicted heavy rain on the weekend and I thought my preparations were adequate... I had my mud tyres on, packed my rain jacket but still it wasn’t nearly enough for what I was about to experience at the MTB race on Saturday!
The event started in misty rain and very cold conditions. As we left the start I was positioned behind a few riders, concentrating hard on following their wheels. Then suddenly we went onto an open stretch of field without any tracks to ride on. There were only confused riders heading in all directions - we had gone the wrong way!
The leading quad bike that was missing at the start came to our rescue and took us back to the race route. In the meantime the rest of the 70km participants were already out on the ‘correct’ course which left us to ride back up and past them.
Samantha Oosthuisen (Karsten Cycles) took the lead during the first part of the event with me lying in 2nd position.
Unfortunately around 20km into the event, I had to stop to fix my flat rear tyre.
Once my tyre was fixed I got back on my bike and started my chase back to the girls in the front.
With all the rain some of the route markings got lost and I ended up passing some riders a few times. It felt very unfair and demoralising to chase very hard, only to catch up to the same guys over and over again.
My last 10km turned into a nightmare! As I got onto the last section of singletrack, the trail was like a mud bath! The mud just stuck to my bike and tyres, which eventually even caused my wheels to stop turning.
I had to stop every few meters and try to remove some of the mud, just to get my wheels turning again. Carrying my bike was also not an option because it got too heavy to pick up.
If I was told this might happen to my bike on muddy trails I wouldn’t have believed it. It was crazy and frustrating with the end being so close but not knowing how in the world I was going the get there….
They made the route very challenging, climbing mostly on dirt routes and then descending on technical twisting singletrack. You never really got an opportunity to rest or stop pedalling. With the downhill sections on singletrack it also took longer than usual and this made the event even more gruelling. I managed to finish in 5th place with a time of 5:27min.
Amashova Road event:
This year more than 300 girls stood on the start line of the 107 km Amashova Classic.
As we left the start in Pietermaritzburg, heading towards Durban, we encountered the first challenges of the event. The route rolled over 3 consecutive climbs which caused the field to split and only around 30 ladies were left in the front.
The big teams (MTN, Nashua, Cycle lab) kept the racing interesting throughout the entire event as they consistently tried to launch attacks off the front of the bunch.
The second challenge of the event came around 40km from the finish when we had to go over another series of hills. This reduced the leading bunch to a small group of around 15 girls and I was happy to still be up in front after the previous day’s outing.
As we got onto the highway with 10km left to the finish I just couldn’t keep up with the pace anymore. The previous day’s effort finally caught up with me.
On one of the drags Cashandra Slingerland (MTN), Lizanne Naude (Cycle lab), Carla van den Merwe (Nashua) and I (Konica Minolta) got left behind and we were forced to chase. Unfortunately we couldn’t get back in the final few kilometres and we finished a few seconds behind the first bunch.
Jenny Stenerhagdt (Alpha Pharm) won the sprint for 1st place in an exciting finale.
Asishova Mountain bike event:
This past weekend I travelled down to Natal for the Amashova Mountain bike and road event on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The weather forecast predicted heavy rain on the weekend and I thought my preparations were adequate... I had my mud tyres on, packed my rain jacket but still it wasn’t nearly enough for what I was about to experience at the MTB race on Saturday!
The event started in misty rain and very cold conditions. As we left the start I was positioned behind a few riders, concentrating hard on following their wheels. Then suddenly we went onto an open stretch of field without any tracks to ride on. There were only confused riders heading in all directions - we had gone the wrong way!
The leading quad bike that was missing at the start came to our rescue and took us back to the race route. In the meantime the rest of the 70km participants were already out on the ‘correct’ course which left us to ride back up and past them.
Samantha Oosthuisen (Karsten Cycles) took the lead during the first part of the event with me lying in 2nd position.
Unfortunately around 20km into the event, I had to stop to fix my flat rear tyre.
Once my tyre was fixed I got back on my bike and started my chase back to the girls in the front.
With all the rain some of the route markings got lost and I ended up passing some riders a few times. It felt very unfair and demoralising to chase very hard, only to catch up to the same guys over and over again.
My last 10km turned into a nightmare! As I got onto the last section of singletrack, the trail was like a mud bath! The mud just stuck to my bike and tyres, which eventually even caused my wheels to stop turning.
I had to stop every few meters and try to remove some of the mud, just to get my wheels turning again. Carrying my bike was also not an option because it got too heavy to pick up.
If I was told this might happen to my bike on muddy trails I wouldn’t have believed it. It was crazy and frustrating with the end being so close but not knowing how in the world I was going the get there….
They made the route very challenging, climbing mostly on dirt routes and then descending on technical twisting singletrack. You never really got an opportunity to rest or stop pedalling. With the downhill sections on singletrack it also took longer than usual and this made the event even more gruelling. I managed to finish in 5th place with a time of 5:27min.
Amashova Road event:
This year more than 300 girls stood on the start line of the 107 km Amashova Classic.
As we left the start in Pietermaritzburg, heading towards Durban, we encountered the first challenges of the event. The route rolled over 3 consecutive climbs which caused the field to split and only around 30 ladies were left in the front.
The big teams (MTN, Nashua, Cycle lab) kept the racing interesting throughout the entire event as they consistently tried to launch attacks off the front of the bunch.
The second challenge of the event came around 40km from the finish when we had to go over another series of hills. This reduced the leading bunch to a small group of around 15 girls and I was happy to still be up in front after the previous day’s outing.
As we got onto the highway with 10km left to the finish I just couldn’t keep up with the pace anymore. The previous day’s effort finally caught up with me.
On one of the drags Cashandra Slingerland (MTN), Lizanne Naude (Cycle lab), Carla van den Merwe (Nashua) and I (Konica Minolta) got left behind and we were forced to chase. Unfortunately we couldn’t get back in the final few kilometres and we finished a few seconds behind the first bunch.
Jenny Stenerhagdt (Alpha Pharm) won the sprint for 1st place in an exciting finale.
Monday, October 12, 2009
101km Crater Cruise
The event started in Carl Preller Avenue opposite the horse riding Arena in Parys.
It is very popular with both on and off road cyclist and the increasing number of riders from the road participating was astonishing. Mountain biking is becoming a very popular sport.
The group rolled out on relatively flat tarmac and after 8km we went onto a rather rocky dirt road.
With 2500 participants one can only imagine the chaos in the front group. Every rider was fighting for a front seat rolling onto the dirt road.
I tried to position myself as good as possible in the group, before heading into the first of 2 stretches of singletrack. These sections lead to the bunch being spread out and formed smaller groups once back on the main dirt road around 22km.
This is when I first realized that I might be in front of my competitors. During mountain bike events it’s difficult to identify in what position you are out in the field as a lady. Throughout the event I was never thinking “I want to win this”. My focus was mostly on finding the best lines, avoiding badly corrugated sections, eating and drinking and getting to the finish line in one piece.
We ended the main dirt road with a long drag (Suikerbossie). Then from the main road we were lead through a few game farms on mostly jeep and singletrack which also included the toughest rocky climb of the day.
After we left the main dirt road (33km) it became an individual TT for me. I knew the route before hand and it helped me a lot being mentally prepared.
Coming out of the game farms the route continued on more corrugated dirt roads before we turned onto a farm with more technical singletrack, including some rock gardens, sandy spots and short steep climbs over rocky sections. I found this section hard because if you don’t ride smoothly through it you end up like me braking before each corner then sprinting to the next.
After this section I had around 20km remaining on more corrugated roads and rutted singletrack laid out on farm roads. My final 20km felt like a never ending nightmare. Everything was hurting, even my feet couldn’t bear the bumpy surface any longer.
The finish line was my rescuer on Saturday and crossing it in first place made it definitely worth doing all over again! I am very happy with my result. It’s my biggest MTB victory. One that I couldn’t and didn’t achieve on my own!!!
Race Results
1st Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
2nd Samantha Oosthuisen
3rd Carla Rowley.
The event started in Carl Preller Avenue opposite the horse riding Arena in Parys.
It is very popular with both on and off road cyclist and the increasing number of riders from the road participating was astonishing. Mountain biking is becoming a very popular sport.
The group rolled out on relatively flat tarmac and after 8km we went onto a rather rocky dirt road.
With 2500 participants one can only imagine the chaos in the front group. Every rider was fighting for a front seat rolling onto the dirt road.
I tried to position myself as good as possible in the group, before heading into the first of 2 stretches of singletrack. These sections lead to the bunch being spread out and formed smaller groups once back on the main dirt road around 22km.
This is when I first realized that I might be in front of my competitors. During mountain bike events it’s difficult to identify in what position you are out in the field as a lady. Throughout the event I was never thinking “I want to win this”. My focus was mostly on finding the best lines, avoiding badly corrugated sections, eating and drinking and getting to the finish line in one piece.
We ended the main dirt road with a long drag (Suikerbossie). Then from the main road we were lead through a few game farms on mostly jeep and singletrack which also included the toughest rocky climb of the day.
After we left the main dirt road (33km) it became an individual TT for me. I knew the route before hand and it helped me a lot being mentally prepared.
Coming out of the game farms the route continued on more corrugated dirt roads before we turned onto a farm with more technical singletrack, including some rock gardens, sandy spots and short steep climbs over rocky sections. I found this section hard because if you don’t ride smoothly through it you end up like me braking before each corner then sprinting to the next.
After this section I had around 20km remaining on more corrugated roads and rutted singletrack laid out on farm roads. My final 20km felt like a never ending nightmare. Everything was hurting, even my feet couldn’t bear the bumpy surface any longer.
The finish line was my rescuer on Saturday and crossing it in first place made it definitely worth doing all over again! I am very happy with my result. It’s my biggest MTB victory. One that I couldn’t and didn’t achieve on my own!!!
Race Results
1st Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
2nd Samantha Oosthuisen
3rd Carla Rowley.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Clarens MTN Series
The event was held in Clarens, a little village situated in the foothills of the Maluti-Mountains in close proximity to the Golden Gate National Park.
The woman in the Marathon event (80km) started alongside the Elite men in the Ultra-Marathon (109 km). The group left the village square with a neutralised start on the gravel roads. We headed on the tar road towards Bethelem and cycled for about 3km before we turned onto some rugged singletrack. As we turned the guys started to lift the pace, which lead to the group being spread out all along the trail.
Yolandi de Villiers (Cycle lab), Ischen Stopforth and Samantha Oosthuizen were in front of me going onto the singletrack. I sat only a few meters behind them preferring to have a better view of what was coming.
I struggled to get into a rhythm on the bumpy trail and couldn’t get myself to sit comfortably on my bike. It felt like my bike was directing me where to go and that was everywhere except on the track.
After 15km of singletrack we reached a district road. Upfront I could see the 3 ladies working together and tried hard to get across to them before the next section of farm roads. I didn’t manage to get across but kept on pacing myself as best as I could.
I felt very demoralised for not being able to make contact again and struggled to keep up my morale. My aching knee also didn’t help the situation.
Despite everything I wasn’t going to give up. Around halfway I passed Yolandi de Villiers while she was fixing a flat tyre. Moving up into 3rd position was just what I needed to get my motivation back. Now I had to maintain my podium position.
After passing Yolandi the race took us on a hiking trail into the mountains. We were actually riding on the narrow sandstone trails. I didn’t want to look at the view because if I accidentally rode where I was looking, they might not find me again. It was a long way down! The hiking trail was scary, exciting and very hard all at the same time.
After the hiking trail we returned back onto the route finishing the last 20km on the same section of singletrack back to Clarens.
I managed to hold onto 3rd position, behind Ischen Stopforth and Samantha Oosthuisen who took 1st and 2nd place respectively.
I enjoyed the circuit even though it was extremely hard and technical. Being forced to ride trails I would normally walk was a huge boost to my confidence. The beautiful scenery of the surrounding area made the race a truly unique experience.
Results
1st Ichen Stopforth
2nd Yolandi de Villiers
3rd Yolandi du Toit
The event was held in Clarens, a little village situated in the foothills of the Maluti-Mountains in close proximity to the Golden Gate National Park.
The woman in the Marathon event (80km) started alongside the Elite men in the Ultra-Marathon (109 km). The group left the village square with a neutralised start on the gravel roads. We headed on the tar road towards Bethelem and cycled for about 3km before we turned onto some rugged singletrack. As we turned the guys started to lift the pace, which lead to the group being spread out all along the trail.
Yolandi de Villiers (Cycle lab), Ischen Stopforth and Samantha Oosthuizen were in front of me going onto the singletrack. I sat only a few meters behind them preferring to have a better view of what was coming.
I struggled to get into a rhythm on the bumpy trail and couldn’t get myself to sit comfortably on my bike. It felt like my bike was directing me where to go and that was everywhere except on the track.
After 15km of singletrack we reached a district road. Upfront I could see the 3 ladies working together and tried hard to get across to them before the next section of farm roads. I didn’t manage to get across but kept on pacing myself as best as I could.
I felt very demoralised for not being able to make contact again and struggled to keep up my morale. My aching knee also didn’t help the situation.
Despite everything I wasn’t going to give up. Around halfway I passed Yolandi de Villiers while she was fixing a flat tyre. Moving up into 3rd position was just what I needed to get my motivation back. Now I had to maintain my podium position.
After passing Yolandi the race took us on a hiking trail into the mountains. We were actually riding on the narrow sandstone trails. I didn’t want to look at the view because if I accidentally rode where I was looking, they might not find me again. It was a long way down! The hiking trail was scary, exciting and very hard all at the same time.
After the hiking trail we returned back onto the route finishing the last 20km on the same section of singletrack back to Clarens.
I managed to hold onto 3rd position, behind Ischen Stopforth and Samantha Oosthuisen who took 1st and 2nd place respectively.
I enjoyed the circuit even though it was extremely hard and technical. Being forced to ride trails I would normally walk was a huge boost to my confidence. The beautiful scenery of the surrounding area made the race a truly unique experience.
Results
1st Ichen Stopforth
2nd Yolandi de Villiers
3rd Yolandi du Toit
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Campus2Campus
The first time I road this event, it was held from the Potchefstroom Campus to the Vanderbijlpark Campus, hence the name. This year Vanderbijlpark Campus was the start and finish venue for the race. This made it easier for participants as no travel arrangements from start to finish were necessary.
The 106km ladies race started along with the Veteran 50+ men. It was very noticeable that the Veteran tour held in Parys, Freestate, will be starting in two weeks time.
There was a large number of Veterans participating to sharpen up their form ahead of the “Master Blaster Tour”.
The circular route took cyclist in the direction of Parys, including 2 climbs - ‘klein ertjies’ and ‘ertjies berg’. The name originates from a cyclist called Ertjies Besuidenhout, who lived in Parys and used this circuit as his general training route. He was considered as one of SA’s best climbers back in the day.
The group stayed together until the bottom of ‘klein ertjies’. Going over the top, a few riders couldn’t keep up with the pace and the bunch was thinned out.
Ertjies berg followed only 4km afterwards and this was the deciding factor of the day. It was on this climb that Johan Spies showed us why he is one of the best veteran cyclists in our country.
He attacked halfway up and continued pacing hard on the front. On top a small break formed including a few veteran men, Joanna van der Winkel, Lizanne Naude, Lynette Burger ( all Cycle lab), Lilanie Lourens, Cherise Taylor (both MTN),
An-Li Pretorius (Nashua), and me (Konica Minolta).
We all worked well together until around 30km from the finish. I had a few problems and was forced to sit at the back. It didn’t make it any easier as I had to follow attacks while being unable to stand and sprint.
Joanna van der Winkel road very aggressively for her team and attacked on several occasions in an attempt to get away. Luckily for me the group stayed together for a bunch finish, and I was able to chase back and hang on after all the attacks in the closing kilometres. Eventually I even managed to position myself well for the final sprint and finished in a self surprising 2nd place behind Cherise Taylor who took the victory at this years Campus to Campus. Its great seeing her back in form!!!!
My next race will be on my mountain bike in Clarens, participating in a MTN Series event.
I am looking forward to racing in the dirt again – just me and my bike!!
Results:
1st Cherise Taylor
2nd Yolandi du Toit
3rd An-li Pretorius
4th Lynette Burger.
5th Lilanie Lourence
The first time I road this event, it was held from the Potchefstroom Campus to the Vanderbijlpark Campus, hence the name. This year Vanderbijlpark Campus was the start and finish venue for the race. This made it easier for participants as no travel arrangements from start to finish were necessary.
The 106km ladies race started along with the Veteran 50+ men. It was very noticeable that the Veteran tour held in Parys, Freestate, will be starting in two weeks time.
There was a large number of Veterans participating to sharpen up their form ahead of the “Master Blaster Tour”.
The circular route took cyclist in the direction of Parys, including 2 climbs - ‘klein ertjies’ and ‘ertjies berg’. The name originates from a cyclist called Ertjies Besuidenhout, who lived in Parys and used this circuit as his general training route. He was considered as one of SA’s best climbers back in the day.
The group stayed together until the bottom of ‘klein ertjies’. Going over the top, a few riders couldn’t keep up with the pace and the bunch was thinned out.
Ertjies berg followed only 4km afterwards and this was the deciding factor of the day. It was on this climb that Johan Spies showed us why he is one of the best veteran cyclists in our country.
He attacked halfway up and continued pacing hard on the front. On top a small break formed including a few veteran men, Joanna van der Winkel, Lizanne Naude, Lynette Burger ( all Cycle lab), Lilanie Lourens, Cherise Taylor (both MTN),
An-Li Pretorius (Nashua), and me (Konica Minolta).
We all worked well together until around 30km from the finish. I had a few problems and was forced to sit at the back. It didn’t make it any easier as I had to follow attacks while being unable to stand and sprint.
Joanna van der Winkel road very aggressively for her team and attacked on several occasions in an attempt to get away. Luckily for me the group stayed together for a bunch finish, and I was able to chase back and hang on after all the attacks in the closing kilometres. Eventually I even managed to position myself well for the final sprint and finished in a self surprising 2nd place behind Cherise Taylor who took the victory at this years Campus to Campus. Its great seeing her back in form!!!!
My next race will be on my mountain bike in Clarens, participating in a MTN Series event.
I am looking forward to racing in the dirt again – just me and my bike!!
Results:
1st Cherise Taylor
2nd Yolandi du Toit
3rd An-li Pretorius
4th Lynette Burger.
5th Lilanie Lourence
Thursday, September 24, 2009
MTN Zoo Lake Criterium
After Hill2Hill mountain bike race, I didn’t quite know what to expect for this event. I only wanted and hoped to do and feel better than what I did at my previous race.
The event was held at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg and this year Fritz Pienaar and his team organized the event. They changed the route to last year by making the riders go the opposite way around the lake. I personally enjoyed the circuit more this way, it added an extra gradual climb and it gave spectators the opportunity to see cyclist sprinting for the finishing line from 500m to go, in comparison to last years 200m.
With al the major teams (MTN, Nashua, Cycle lab, Konica Minolta) and a few individual riders present, the race was made extremely hard for the whole 25min + 1 lap.
The teams were taking turns attacking continuously which lead to the front group getting smaller each time we crossed the finish line.
The last 2km was on a gradual climb where you turned left at the top onto the finishing straight with around 500m left to the finish.
On our last lap going onto the gradual climb the pace were quite high which led to the bunch being stretched out in a line. I decided to try my luck and attacked half way up and actually got away on my own. As I turned left I managed to open a good gap on the rest of the field. As I saw the finish line getting closer I really hoped that I would stay away until crossing it. Unfortunately Cherise Taylor (MTN) and Lynette Burger (Cycle lab) came past me just before the line to take 1st and 2nd respectively.
Result
1st Cherise Taylor (MTN)
2nd Lynette Burger (Cycle lab)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
After Hill2Hill mountain bike race, I didn’t quite know what to expect for this event. I only wanted and hoped to do and feel better than what I did at my previous race.
The event was held at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg and this year Fritz Pienaar and his team organized the event. They changed the route to last year by making the riders go the opposite way around the lake. I personally enjoyed the circuit more this way, it added an extra gradual climb and it gave spectators the opportunity to see cyclist sprinting for the finishing line from 500m to go, in comparison to last years 200m.
With al the major teams (MTN, Nashua, Cycle lab, Konica Minolta) and a few individual riders present, the race was made extremely hard for the whole 25min + 1 lap.
The teams were taking turns attacking continuously which lead to the front group getting smaller each time we crossed the finish line.
The last 2km was on a gradual climb where you turned left at the top onto the finishing straight with around 500m left to the finish.
On our last lap going onto the gradual climb the pace were quite high which led to the bunch being stretched out in a line. I decided to try my luck and attacked half way up and actually got away on my own. As I turned left I managed to open a good gap on the rest of the field. As I saw the finish line getting closer I really hoped that I would stay away until crossing it. Unfortunately Cherise Taylor (MTN) and Lynette Burger (Cycle lab) came past me just before the line to take 1st and 2nd respectively.
Result
1st Cherise Taylor (MTN)
2nd Lynette Burger (Cycle lab)
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday Tribune/Jeep Hill2Hill MTB
The event started at Hillton in Pietermaritzburg and took the riders all the way to Hillcrest in Durban, the finishing venue for the race.
We had a very early 6am start and the weather conditions wasn’t exactly morale boosting.
It was freezing outside and a strong wind made it even worse. Luckily the car had enough space to get dressed in before we left for the start line.
Warming up for the race seemed easier in the car than outside on the bike.
The race started very fast and my legs couldn’t respond to the fast pace. I saw Samantha Oosthuizen and Tanya Raats up front but didn’t notice any other ladies as I was concentrating too much on the technical downhill start.
I tried to get into a good rhythm, despite my legs feeling very sluggish. To stay motivated I just focussed on doing my solo effort as best as I could.
Being a first timer at the event I found the route very interesting. The first part of the race included a rocky descent, a very dark tunnel, steps, and even a slippery bridge thrown in for good measure.
Then for a few kilometres’s the route went on tar road through Pietermaritzburg.
The second part of the race was on district roads as well as jeep and singletrack through sugar cane plantations. It included more hills, which got quite technical on some of the singletrack littered with rocks.
To see the finish line after 105km on my mountain bike made me very happy!
I didn’t manage to get a good results and I feel very disappointed. However, it was my first time competing in the event and at least now for next year I know the route and what to expect. I’ll put this one down to experience.
It was a nice event with an interesting route. I would really like to do it again next year and hopefully have a better day out on my bike!
The event started at Hillton in Pietermaritzburg and took the riders all the way to Hillcrest in Durban, the finishing venue for the race.
We had a very early 6am start and the weather conditions wasn’t exactly morale boosting.
It was freezing outside and a strong wind made it even worse. Luckily the car had enough space to get dressed in before we left for the start line.
Warming up for the race seemed easier in the car than outside on the bike.
The race started very fast and my legs couldn’t respond to the fast pace. I saw Samantha Oosthuizen and Tanya Raats up front but didn’t notice any other ladies as I was concentrating too much on the technical downhill start.
I tried to get into a good rhythm, despite my legs feeling very sluggish. To stay motivated I just focussed on doing my solo effort as best as I could.
Being a first timer at the event I found the route very interesting. The first part of the race included a rocky descent, a very dark tunnel, steps, and even a slippery bridge thrown in for good measure.
Then for a few kilometres’s the route went on tar road through Pietermaritzburg.
The second part of the race was on district roads as well as jeep and singletrack through sugar cane plantations. It included more hills, which got quite technical on some of the singletrack littered with rocks.
To see the finish line after 105km on my mountain bike made me very happy!
I didn’t manage to get a good results and I feel very disappointed. However, it was my first time competing in the event and at least now for next year I know the route and what to expect. I’ll put this one down to experience.
It was a nice event with an interesting route. I would really like to do it again next year and hopefully have a better day out on my bike!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Powerade Dome to dome
The event was held at the Coca-Cola Dome, in the vicinity of Northgate shopping centre,Johannesburg. The venue provided supporters with something to do as well, while participants where out on the open roads racing hard and this created a friendly family atmosphere.
I had an early morning start, leaving my home just after 4am. It was definitely worth getting up so early because outside it was a beautiful morning.
I enjoyed the race route, it was a very demanding which helps a lot when you are on your own against other teams.
The first move of the day came when An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) attacked taking Cashandra Slingerland (MTN) with her.
With a MTN and Nashua rider present in the break I knew I had to do something. I decided to wait for one of the major climbs around 20km into the event to give it a go.
Half way up the climb I attacked in attempt to catch up with the leading duo. As I managed to make contact with the leading two, Marissa van den Merwe (MTN) counter attacked immediately and this led to a small break away group of 9 girls containing Cashandra Sllingerland, Marissa van den Merwe, Cherise Taylor, Larissa Kleinmann (all MTN), Jade Thompson, Anriette Schoeman (Both Nashua), myself (Konica Minolta) and two other girls that I haven’t seen at cycling events before, but road very well.
Team MTN attacked several times and on a few occasions Cashandra Slingerland, Marissa van den Merwe, Cherise Taylor (all MTN), Andriette Schoeman and myself managed to open a small gap on the rest of the field., which didn’t last very long because we couldn’t work well together.
On the last occasion (around 30km from the finish) MTN started taking turns in attacking Anriette and myself. Eventually Cashandra Slingerland got away.
The other girls made contact with us again and from then onwards until the finish line nobody really wanted to contribute to the pace. Even when I managed to get away alone with two MTN girls they also didn’t want to help keeping the pace high.
Cashandra, who is very well know for her incredible time trail ability, managed to stay away and won the event.
I enjoyed the race, knowing that I gave my best makes every event I participate in meaningful.
Results:
1st Cashandra Slingerland (MTN)
2nd Cherise Taylor (MTN)
3rd Marissa van den Merwe (MTN)
4th Andriette Schoeman(Nashua)
5th Larissa Kleinmann (MTN)
6th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
The event was held at the Coca-Cola Dome, in the vicinity of Northgate shopping centre,Johannesburg. The venue provided supporters with something to do as well, while participants where out on the open roads racing hard and this created a friendly family atmosphere.
I had an early morning start, leaving my home just after 4am. It was definitely worth getting up so early because outside it was a beautiful morning.
I enjoyed the race route, it was a very demanding which helps a lot when you are on your own against other teams.
The first move of the day came when An-Li Pretorius (Nashua) attacked taking Cashandra Slingerland (MTN) with her.
With a MTN and Nashua rider present in the break I knew I had to do something. I decided to wait for one of the major climbs around 20km into the event to give it a go.
Half way up the climb I attacked in attempt to catch up with the leading duo. As I managed to make contact with the leading two, Marissa van den Merwe (MTN) counter attacked immediately and this led to a small break away group of 9 girls containing Cashandra Sllingerland, Marissa van den Merwe, Cherise Taylor, Larissa Kleinmann (all MTN), Jade Thompson, Anriette Schoeman (Both Nashua), myself (Konica Minolta) and two other girls that I haven’t seen at cycling events before, but road very well.
Team MTN attacked several times and on a few occasions Cashandra Slingerland, Marissa van den Merwe, Cherise Taylor (all MTN), Andriette Schoeman and myself managed to open a small gap on the rest of the field., which didn’t last very long because we couldn’t work well together.
On the last occasion (around 30km from the finish) MTN started taking turns in attacking Anriette and myself. Eventually Cashandra Slingerland got away.
The other girls made contact with us again and from then onwards until the finish line nobody really wanted to contribute to the pace. Even when I managed to get away alone with two MTN girls they also didn’t want to help keeping the pace high.
Cashandra, who is very well know for her incredible time trail ability, managed to stay away and won the event.
I enjoyed the race, knowing that I gave my best makes every event I participate in meaningful.
Results:
1st Cashandra Slingerland (MTN)
2nd Cherise Taylor (MTN)
3rd Marissa van den Merwe (MTN)
4th Andriette Schoeman(Nashua)
5th Larissa Kleinmann (MTN)
6th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
Monday, September 7, 2009
MARGATE CENTENARY CYCLE CHALLANGE
Over the past weekend the team travelled down to Margate to participate in some local racing at the South Coast. It was one of those small events that no one really knows about, but actually should. The race organisers put a lot of effort into the event and the terrain is ideal for hard racing!
The 94km event started at Margate’s main beach and took the riders all the way to the Sun Coast Casino and back, riding mostly on the N2.
I started in the second group with the woman, under 16 boys and veteran men.
Waking up the morning I felt like I’ve never gone to bed although I had 7h of sleep in. I recognized that I might have a difficult day out on my bike but still wanted to go and give it my best.
The group started quite fast and around 10km only a few was left up front, including Isable Moolman (Cycle Lab) and myself out of woman’s category. I tried to stick on as long as possible, but the rolling terrain and wind made the race very hard and half way into the event I lost contact with the main group.
I didn’t deliver a very good performance, but I know one can’t always have a good day although it would be nice! Its days like this that motivates me to work harder or rest more if my body needs it.
Race Results:
1st Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab)
2nd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
Over the past weekend the team travelled down to Margate to participate in some local racing at the South Coast. It was one of those small events that no one really knows about, but actually should. The race organisers put a lot of effort into the event and the terrain is ideal for hard racing!
The 94km event started at Margate’s main beach and took the riders all the way to the Sun Coast Casino and back, riding mostly on the N2.
I started in the second group with the woman, under 16 boys and veteran men.
Waking up the morning I felt like I’ve never gone to bed although I had 7h of sleep in. I recognized that I might have a difficult day out on my bike but still wanted to go and give it my best.
The group started quite fast and around 10km only a few was left up front, including Isable Moolman (Cycle Lab) and myself out of woman’s category. I tried to stick on as long as possible, but the rolling terrain and wind made the race very hard and half way into the event I lost contact with the main group.
I didn’t deliver a very good performance, but I know one can’t always have a good day although it would be nice! Its days like this that motivates me to work harder or rest more if my body needs it.
Race Results:
1st Isabel Moolman (Cycle Lab)
2nd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Blockhouse
MTN National MTB Series # 5
The event was held in Randvaal, Meyerton at the Circus located just outside of town.
It was great to have a weekend without traveling hours on the road with the MTN series event held so close to home. One thing is for certain, it doesn’t make the racing any easier.
The 78km route was very flat and fast. I have to admit, at first I thought the race wouldn’t be too hard because it was described as a very fast and technically undemanding circuit.
These predictions would turn out to be very wide of the mark. The route was indeed very flat but this only meant one had to pedal continuously, without any place to recover…
The woman in the Marathon (78km) event started with the Elite men in the Ultra-marathon (110km). As we left the start line, the pace was very high and soon the group split up.
I found myself together with Yolande de Villiers (Cycle lab) and Ischen Stopforth. The three of us worked well together, fighting to keep the chasing girls off. The circuit was very hard for me, especially going through the moto-cross track and the twisty single track crammed full of rocks. Through these sections I couldn’t stay on Yolandi and Ischen’s wheels. A few times they would open up 2/3 sec gaps on me which I had to close again.
The final 4km single track was on an open stretch of field, twisting and turning on itself continuously to make up the last few miles. We also joined the riders from the shorter distances on this section making it even more challenging. I sat behind de Villiers and Ishchen going into the single track and through every corning/turn they would open a small gap on me and eventually I couldn’t stay with them anymore and lost contact within 4km from the finish.
Yolande de Villiers took the win over Ischen Stopforth, and I came home in 3rd position.
I am happy with my result. It was a tough circuit and I had to fight hard to finish were I did.
Results:
1st Yolande de Villiers (Cycle lab)
2nd Ischen Stopforth
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
4th Samantha Oosthuizen
4th Nicole Murphy
5th Beatrice Hogan
MTN National MTB Series # 5
The event was held in Randvaal, Meyerton at the Circus located just outside of town.
It was great to have a weekend without traveling hours on the road with the MTN series event held so close to home. One thing is for certain, it doesn’t make the racing any easier.
The 78km route was very flat and fast. I have to admit, at first I thought the race wouldn’t be too hard because it was described as a very fast and technically undemanding circuit.
These predictions would turn out to be very wide of the mark. The route was indeed very flat but this only meant one had to pedal continuously, without any place to recover…
The woman in the Marathon (78km) event started with the Elite men in the Ultra-marathon (110km). As we left the start line, the pace was very high and soon the group split up.
I found myself together with Yolande de Villiers (Cycle lab) and Ischen Stopforth. The three of us worked well together, fighting to keep the chasing girls off. The circuit was very hard for me, especially going through the moto-cross track and the twisty single track crammed full of rocks. Through these sections I couldn’t stay on Yolandi and Ischen’s wheels. A few times they would open up 2/3 sec gaps on me which I had to close again.
The final 4km single track was on an open stretch of field, twisting and turning on itself continuously to make up the last few miles. We also joined the riders from the shorter distances on this section making it even more challenging. I sat behind de Villiers and Ishchen going into the single track and through every corning/turn they would open a small gap on me and eventually I couldn’t stay with them anymore and lost contact within 4km from the finish.
Yolande de Villiers took the win over Ischen Stopforth, and I came home in 3rd position.
I am happy with my result. It was a tough circuit and I had to fight hard to finish were I did.
Results:
1st Yolande de Villiers (Cycle lab)
2nd Ischen Stopforth
3rd Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
4th Samantha Oosthuizen
4th Nicole Murphy
5th Beatrice Hogan
Monday, August 24, 2009
Powerade Lost City Cycle challenge
The event was held at Sun City Casino in the North West province, situated on the outskirts of Rustenburg.
The 103km pan flat route is laid out on the open straight roads in the Pilanesberg area. This circuit can be very hard on a windy day, but luckily we had perfect weather for racing.
I didn’t enjoy my race so much today. My legs didn’t feel so good and the route doesn’t suit me. It was almost impossible to get away with the route being so flat. Except if you have 6 or 7 girls in your team and you can use team tactics to your advantage. This was the situation with the MTN team today.
They took turns to attack us and with only a few of the girls in the large bunch willing to actually race, the gaps started to appear. The end result saw a small group containing Marissa van de Merwe, Carla Swart, Cashandra Slingerland (all MTN), Ann-Li Pretorius and Altie Clark (both Nashua) sprint for the finishing line. I was caught behind in the chasing group, together with 6 other girls. Arien Torsius (Team Delila ) and I tried hard to bring the leading group back, but unfortunately we didn’t succeed and had to be satisfied with the end result.
Subaru Mountain bike Challenge
Saturday during the road race I didn’t feel so good on my bike and on Sunday I was dreading a repeat of the previous day. The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 am. But only took off at 8:30am. This was ideal for me because it gave me 20min extra to warm up and get my legs loose from the previous day’s effort. It definitely helped me a lot, because I felt good during the event.
The start was extremely fast, with a lot of road riders also participating.
As I left the start I had to ride as hard as my ability allowed me to, because this was the most crucial point in the race. Up front I could see a small group of around 5/6 riders forming and behind them a small group chasing hard. I was just behind the chasing group, together with 4 other guys.
I saw Sanet Small (Nashua) and Laetitia Botha during the fight to get to the front just after the start. In my group I didn’t notice them around, and knew I had to work hard to stay in my current position.
The course was fairly flat, with no technical sections to speak of. This made the race extremely fast. With the race being only 50km (2x25km) long, it felt like an all out effort for 1:33min.
The group I was in worked very well together and I managed to take the win and also finished 19th overall.
I enjoyed the circuit. The route was very winding, with a lot of turns and small drags added to it.
After the event we cycled around the Casino area, and the scenery is breathtaking! The race was held at a beautiful venue, and if you don’t take a minute to look around you might miss out!
Results:
1st Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta) 1:33
2nd Theresa Ralph 1:39
3rd Karien, van Jaarsveld 1:40
4th Laetitia Botha 1:43
The event was held at Sun City Casino in the North West province, situated on the outskirts of Rustenburg.
The 103km pan flat route is laid out on the open straight roads in the Pilanesberg area. This circuit can be very hard on a windy day, but luckily we had perfect weather for racing.
I didn’t enjoy my race so much today. My legs didn’t feel so good and the route doesn’t suit me. It was almost impossible to get away with the route being so flat. Except if you have 6 or 7 girls in your team and you can use team tactics to your advantage. This was the situation with the MTN team today.
They took turns to attack us and with only a few of the girls in the large bunch willing to actually race, the gaps started to appear. The end result saw a small group containing Marissa van de Merwe, Carla Swart, Cashandra Slingerland (all MTN), Ann-Li Pretorius and Altie Clark (both Nashua) sprint for the finishing line. I was caught behind in the chasing group, together with 6 other girls. Arien Torsius (Team Delila ) and I tried hard to bring the leading group back, but unfortunately we didn’t succeed and had to be satisfied with the end result.
Subaru Mountain bike Challenge
Saturday during the road race I didn’t feel so good on my bike and on Sunday I was dreading a repeat of the previous day. The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 am. But only took off at 8:30am. This was ideal for me because it gave me 20min extra to warm up and get my legs loose from the previous day’s effort. It definitely helped me a lot, because I felt good during the event.
The start was extremely fast, with a lot of road riders also participating.
As I left the start I had to ride as hard as my ability allowed me to, because this was the most crucial point in the race. Up front I could see a small group of around 5/6 riders forming and behind them a small group chasing hard. I was just behind the chasing group, together with 4 other guys.
I saw Sanet Small (Nashua) and Laetitia Botha during the fight to get to the front just after the start. In my group I didn’t notice them around, and knew I had to work hard to stay in my current position.
The course was fairly flat, with no technical sections to speak of. This made the race extremely fast. With the race being only 50km (2x25km) long, it felt like an all out effort for 1:33min.
The group I was in worked very well together and I managed to take the win and also finished 19th overall.
I enjoyed the circuit. The route was very winding, with a lot of turns and small drags added to it.
After the event we cycled around the Casino area, and the scenery is breathtaking! The race was held at a beautiful venue, and if you don’t take a minute to look around you might miss out!
Results:
1st Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta) 1:33
2nd Theresa Ralph 1:39
3rd Karien, van Jaarsveld 1:40
4th Laetitia Botha 1:43
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sungardens Carousel Classic 2009
We kicked of the second part of the season at the Sungardens Carousel Classic north of Pretoria. It was a great opportunity for all cyclists to test their level of fitness after the cold winter months. For everyone else it was a public holiday, celebrating Woman’s day.
The Elite men were the only category allowed to participate in the 150km event, while the rest could decide between the 110km or 40km event.
Four ladies teams were present at the race (6 girls from Cycle Lab, 7 girls from MTN, 2 from Nashua and me riding for Konica Minolta). Unfortunately Cycle Lab’s girls decided to ride with the Veteran men, reducing the field to only three teams and a few individual riders.
The ladies race (110km) started around 7:30am. It was a typical cold winter morning, but luckily it warmed up soon after we left the start line. The flat race route was made very treacherous by huge potholes in the middle of the road and traffic passing the riders regularly from both directions.
Early into the race MTN started launching attacks one after the other. They had the numbers and dominated the race completely. Roben de Groot and I tried hard to make our presence felt but MTN just had too many riders. Once hey had 3 girls in the break the rest of the team just covered all the counter attacks and kept the bunch together.
The only counter attack that stayed away consisted of Roben de Groot, Altie Clark and me with Chrissie Viljoen sitting on as a ‘policeman’ for MTN. We rode hard in an attempt to catch the 3 leaders, Marissa van der Merwe, Cashandra Slingerland and Carla Swart – all MTN. Our disorganized chase wasn’t making an impact on the MTN team time trial and to rub salt into our wounds Chrissie sprinted us all at the finish line after sitting on the whole way.
It wasn’t a great day, but I was happy to reach the finish in one piece. Let’s hope next week’s racing at the Tour de Soweto is a bit more positive and not just all about tactics.
Race Results:
1st Carla Swart (MTN)
2nd Cashandra Slingerland (MTN)
3rd Marissa vd Merwe (MTN)
4th Chrissie Viljoen (MTN)
5th Altie Clark (Nashua)
6th Roben de Groot (Nashua)
7th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
We kicked of the second part of the season at the Sungardens Carousel Classic north of Pretoria. It was a great opportunity for all cyclists to test their level of fitness after the cold winter months. For everyone else it was a public holiday, celebrating Woman’s day.
The Elite men were the only category allowed to participate in the 150km event, while the rest could decide between the 110km or 40km event.
Four ladies teams were present at the race (6 girls from Cycle Lab, 7 girls from MTN, 2 from Nashua and me riding for Konica Minolta). Unfortunately Cycle Lab’s girls decided to ride with the Veteran men, reducing the field to only three teams and a few individual riders.
The ladies race (110km) started around 7:30am. It was a typical cold winter morning, but luckily it warmed up soon after we left the start line. The flat race route was made very treacherous by huge potholes in the middle of the road and traffic passing the riders regularly from both directions.
Early into the race MTN started launching attacks one after the other. They had the numbers and dominated the race completely. Roben de Groot and I tried hard to make our presence felt but MTN just had too many riders. Once hey had 3 girls in the break the rest of the team just covered all the counter attacks and kept the bunch together.
The only counter attack that stayed away consisted of Roben de Groot, Altie Clark and me with Chrissie Viljoen sitting on as a ‘policeman’ for MTN. We rode hard in an attempt to catch the 3 leaders, Marissa van der Merwe, Cashandra Slingerland and Carla Swart – all MTN. Our disorganized chase wasn’t making an impact on the MTN team time trial and to rub salt into our wounds Chrissie sprinted us all at the finish line after sitting on the whole way.
It wasn’t a great day, but I was happy to reach the finish in one piece. Let’s hope next week’s racing at the Tour de Soweto is a bit more positive and not just all about tactics.
Race Results:
1st Carla Swart (MTN)
2nd Cashandra Slingerland (MTN)
3rd Marissa vd Merwe (MTN)
4th Chrissie Viljoen (MTN)
5th Altie Clark (Nashua)
6th Roben de Groot (Nashua)
7th Yolandi du Toit (Konica Minolta)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The N3TC Dirty Harry
SA Mountain bike Marathon Championships
The event was hosted at Platberg Stadium in Harrismith, together with the town’s annual "Berg Bohaai" festival. This created a warm, friendly atmosphere with most of the town’s people not only coming to the fair but also supporting and cheering the riders as we crossed the finish line.
The morning while we were driving down to Harrismith on the N3, I notice the bill boards at the side of the road flashing “MTB SA championships/ Good luck cyclist”. N3TC is a sponsor of the event, and it was great to ‘see’ their support!
The event started at 8:30am. At first I thought it was going to be a ‘cool’ day out on the bikes, but luckily it turned into a great day with sunshine and no wind.
The Elite men in the ultra marathon (120km) and the Elite ladies in the marathon (75km) started together. We had a neutralized start through town until we reached a gravel road that lead the riders out of Harrismith towards Platberg.
The first part of the gravel road was on a slight drag and it was here when Yolande Speedy made the first move for the day, trying to slip away. I tried to get across to her but Yolandi de Villiers wasn’t going to let any break go away and jumped onto my wheel. I decided to rather sit up and wait instead of tiring myself before the single track.
Speedy was first to go into the single track section, with Ischen Stopforth and me chasing hard. Around 7km into the race Ischen and I managed to close the gap to Speedy. The three of us rode together until we got to the bottom of the Platberg climb.
On the climb I passed Speedy and Ischen, reaching the top first. I didn’t have an idea of the time gap between me and the other girls. I was only thinking of keeping calm, concentrating on the circuit and riding as hard as my body would allow me to.
Halfway down the climb Speedy passed me using her exceptional bike handling skills.
On the next climb around 26km into the race I managed to catch up to Speedy again, passing her and opening a small gap before the summit.
Reaching the top, I realized that although I’m in the leading position for now, Speedy is very well known for getting stronger into the event. So if I wanted to stay away I would really have to concentrate more than ever.
Fritz Pienaar came past me in his ‘bakkie’ around the 55km mark and said I had a 1min gap over Yolande.
As the finish line came closer, so did Speedy. She caught me with 8km remaining. I had nothing left in my body and couldn’t do anything except watch her ride away from me.
It was a very rocky and bumpy course and the challenge at the end wasn’t only Speedy, but also trying to hold on to my handlebars with my arms and hands hurting the way they did!
I am more than satisfied with my result. I went into the race not really expecting a medal, although hoping for one. I knew I would give my best, I always do. At the end finishing with a Silver Medal at the South African Marathon Mountain Bike championships was an overwhelming feeling!
Results:
1 Yolande Speedy - IMC Momentum
2 Yolandi du Toit – Konica Minolta
3 Ischen Stopforth
SA Mountain bike Marathon Championships
The event was hosted at Platberg Stadium in Harrismith, together with the town’s annual "Berg Bohaai" festival. This created a warm, friendly atmosphere with most of the town’s people not only coming to the fair but also supporting and cheering the riders as we crossed the finish line.
The morning while we were driving down to Harrismith on the N3, I notice the bill boards at the side of the road flashing “MTB SA championships/ Good luck cyclist”. N3TC is a sponsor of the event, and it was great to ‘see’ their support!
The event started at 8:30am. At first I thought it was going to be a ‘cool’ day out on the bikes, but luckily it turned into a great day with sunshine and no wind.
The Elite men in the ultra marathon (120km) and the Elite ladies in the marathon (75km) started together. We had a neutralized start through town until we reached a gravel road that lead the riders out of Harrismith towards Platberg.
The first part of the gravel road was on a slight drag and it was here when Yolande Speedy made the first move for the day, trying to slip away. I tried to get across to her but Yolandi de Villiers wasn’t going to let any break go away and jumped onto my wheel. I decided to rather sit up and wait instead of tiring myself before the single track.
Speedy was first to go into the single track section, with Ischen Stopforth and me chasing hard. Around 7km into the race Ischen and I managed to close the gap to Speedy. The three of us rode together until we got to the bottom of the Platberg climb.
On the climb I passed Speedy and Ischen, reaching the top first. I didn’t have an idea of the time gap between me and the other girls. I was only thinking of keeping calm, concentrating on the circuit and riding as hard as my body would allow me to.
Halfway down the climb Speedy passed me using her exceptional bike handling skills.
On the next climb around 26km into the race I managed to catch up to Speedy again, passing her and opening a small gap before the summit.
Reaching the top, I realized that although I’m in the leading position for now, Speedy is very well known for getting stronger into the event. So if I wanted to stay away I would really have to concentrate more than ever.
Fritz Pienaar came past me in his ‘bakkie’ around the 55km mark and said I had a 1min gap over Yolande.
As the finish line came closer, so did Speedy. She caught me with 8km remaining. I had nothing left in my body and couldn’t do anything except watch her ride away from me.
It was a very rocky and bumpy course and the challenge at the end wasn’t only Speedy, but also trying to hold on to my handlebars with my arms and hands hurting the way they did!
I am more than satisfied with my result. I went into the race not really expecting a medal, although hoping for one. I knew I would give my best, I always do. At the end finishing with a Silver Medal at the South African Marathon Mountain Bike championships was an overwhelming feeling!
Results:
1 Yolande Speedy - IMC Momentum
2 Yolandi du Toit – Konica Minolta
3 Ischen Stopforth
Monday, August 3, 2009
Illovo Eston MTB challenge
The event was held in Eston, Pietermaritzburg. With rain pouring down throughout the whole of Saturday, we were in for a tough challenge.
I was surprised by the number of woman that turned up to participate in the 60km Marathon event despite the challenging weather conditions.
It was quite a spectacular sight as we left the start line. With all the rain falling on the open trails it was very slippery and one only saw girls sliding across the trail from one side to the other.
It was only for a short 200m section and riding on to more compact ground Speedy used her technical skills to open a small gap on the rest of us. The Queen of the mountain was situated only 3km into the event, which made the racing aggressive from the start.
Samantha Oosthuisen made the first move to try and bridge the gap to Speedy. I reacted immediately and went with her. We caught up to Yolande 1km before the Queen of the mountain. At this stage the pace was uncomfortably high for me, and I decided to rather back off a bit. I didn’t want to dig to deep at the start and then blow up only a few kilometres later.
Tanya Raats bridged up to me and the two of us rode together on the first flat and windy part of the course.
As the climbing started Tanya was unable to keep up with me as I chased hard to catch up with the two frontrunners (Samantha and Speedy).
The mud on the trails made the event truly challenging and I had to jump off a few times because of chain suck. My gears also suffered in the muddy conditions and it was a challenge just to keep the wheels turning smoothly.
.
Luckily I had mud tires on, which meant the riding on technical trails was made a bit easier. I actually enjoyed the route in the wet conditions. It meant your approach to a situation had to be calculated. You had to think how to handle it without slipping or where to ride to get the most traction in the mud and on top of that still concentrate on pushing your pedals as hard as possible.
After leaving Tanya around 10km into the race I was left to ride alone throughout the remainder of the event. It was hard at times being alone with no one in sight behind or in front of me, never quite sure if I was still on the correct route while doing a 3:30h effort.
As I approached the 5km to go sign, I was completely finished. I don’t know how I reached the finish line, but I eventually did crossing the line in 3rd place.
Results for the day
1st Yolande Speedy
2nd Samantha Oosthuisen
3rd Yolandi du Toit
4th Shawna Thunder
The event was held in Eston, Pietermaritzburg. With rain pouring down throughout the whole of Saturday, we were in for a tough challenge.
I was surprised by the number of woman that turned up to participate in the 60km Marathon event despite the challenging weather conditions.
It was quite a spectacular sight as we left the start line. With all the rain falling on the open trails it was very slippery and one only saw girls sliding across the trail from one side to the other.
It was only for a short 200m section and riding on to more compact ground Speedy used her technical skills to open a small gap on the rest of us. The Queen of the mountain was situated only 3km into the event, which made the racing aggressive from the start.
Samantha Oosthuisen made the first move to try and bridge the gap to Speedy. I reacted immediately and went with her. We caught up to Yolande 1km before the Queen of the mountain. At this stage the pace was uncomfortably high for me, and I decided to rather back off a bit. I didn’t want to dig to deep at the start and then blow up only a few kilometres later.
Tanya Raats bridged up to me and the two of us rode together on the first flat and windy part of the course.
As the climbing started Tanya was unable to keep up with me as I chased hard to catch up with the two frontrunners (Samantha and Speedy).
The mud on the trails made the event truly challenging and I had to jump off a few times because of chain suck. My gears also suffered in the muddy conditions and it was a challenge just to keep the wheels turning smoothly.
.
Luckily I had mud tires on, which meant the riding on technical trails was made a bit easier. I actually enjoyed the route in the wet conditions. It meant your approach to a situation had to be calculated. You had to think how to handle it without slipping or where to ride to get the most traction in the mud and on top of that still concentrate on pushing your pedals as hard as possible.
After leaving Tanya around 10km into the race I was left to ride alone throughout the remainder of the event. It was hard at times being alone with no one in sight behind or in front of me, never quite sure if I was still on the correct route while doing a 3:30h effort.
As I approached the 5km to go sign, I was completely finished. I don’t know how I reached the finish line, but I eventually did crossing the line in 3rd place.
Results for the day
1st Yolande Speedy
2nd Samantha Oosthuisen
3rd Yolandi du Toit
4th Shawna Thunder
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