Sani2c 2012

I am sitting here counting myself blessed. Why you ask? One word, Sani2c!

The race, which starts itself in Underberg at the foot of the Drakensberg, and winds it’s way down to Scottsburgh by the sea over 3 days is characterised by 3 things; Cummunity upliftment, Family like hospitality, and some of the worlds best single track! Over the years the event has grown into a monster and now has 3 editions of it starting day after day, so with us doing the “race” which ran last, we had perfectly swept trails and routes to ride, bonus!

Over the past 5 years of starting this race, I have had partners such as the legend Ollie Munnik, Arno Viljoen, and David George. This year I had the pleasure of lining up alongside the gentleman of mountain biking, Ben Melt Swanepoel.

Having ridden to a podium finish in 2008, and had multiple stage podiums, we were once again vying for a great result. The conditions in Underberg were freezing, with snow on the mountain in the background and frost on the grass, the start was VERY cold!

Frost on the grass

After dealing with the frosty cold at the start in Underberg, we fought through the stage to finish at McKenzie club in a record course time beating the fastest times from the previous years. The thing is, there were 5 other teams in front of us! This is the state of South African mountain biking at the moment. The level is at an all time high, and although we had given it our best and beaten the record, we were only 6th on the day. Part of that was dues to some mechanical problems, but mostly due to the high level of racing.

Day two, the longest and hardest of the 3 days is where the race really unfolds and time gaps are made. This is also the most special of the 3 stages with the first 40km of the route being a long singltrack descent into the now famous Umkomaas valley. Words cannot describe the beauty, you simply have to experience it for yourself.

Umkomaas switchbacks

 

Umkomaas singletrack

We both felt good on the day, and put in a really solid and steady ride, but unfortunately the only time gaps that were made were by our competitors on us, ending the day in 7th position and losing more time overall. by now it was clear that, although we were both strong, we just did not have the kind of punch to match our competitors at this time of the season.

We tried to keep a positive attitude and went into day 3 to; #1- have fun, and #2 – surprise ourselves. The pace at the start of day 3 was incredibly hot, and with me having a slow start we were just not able to hang onto the front group on the fast and furious course through the sugar can fields on our way to Scottsburgh.

Chasing the leaders

Eventually though we did make our way down to the sea and up the hill to finish at Scottsburgh High School. The atmosphere and jubilation of having just done 3 days or some of the best riding you could possibly do on your mountain bike is a lot to take in at the finish, and is something that is expressed on everyone’s face as they cross the line!

From Sani to the sea!

Initially I was disappointed with the result of 6th overall, especially after all the hard work from the last few months. I really believed we were in for a solid performance. After reflecting however, I have come to realise just how blessed I am, to have had this awesome opportunity, for the 5th time! To be able to ride in God’s awesome creation and have the adventures I have had is not something everyone gets to experience.

I am really thankful to my sponsors, RSA Web, for getting me to the start, and for Rocky Mountain for providing me with what must be the best and most versatile tool one could ever need to take on events like this! Also to God for making the the unique individual I am, and the family and friends that support me back at home. Thanks guys!

This weekend is the 3rd round of the National XC series in PE. Let’s see what happens!

Renay

African Mountain Bike Championships, Casela Yemen – Maurutius

Life’s a beach…..well almost. That’s the kind of life i’ve been living for the last few days.

Last week I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to represent South Africa at the African Mountain Bike Championships in Mauritius. In all, there were about 15 of us (riders, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, helpers, and friends) who made the 3.5hour plane hop over to the island to compete and support each other.

On arrival I was completely blown away by our 5 star accommodation. Nothing I have ever stayed at before compared to this place(And I have been fortunate enough to stay at some nice places) in beauty, comfort, and service. This would be the perfect place to rest up, relax, and get the body and mind ready for some intense racing. Sofitel Resort you beauty!

Sunset as we arrived

The next 2 days my routine went something like this; Wake up, walk out the balcony, look at the sea, get dressed, smash a buffet breakfast, ride the track, swim in the sea, stretch, shower, have some lunch, nap, lie on a shaded beach bed till sunset, smash a buffet dinner, watch some live entertainment, then grab a good nights rest. Sounds good doesn’t it? It was!

Daily sunset routine

Soon enough though, race day did come, and the body was feeling very well rested and ready to make things happen.  After taking a very entertaining taxi ride I proceeded to do my normal pre-race routine before hitting the start line locked and loaded.

Taxi ride Mauritian style!

With the race being held in Mauritius, it meant that we had a small but quality field, and with the inclusion of the u23 race it meant some stiff competition. To contend with I had Philip Buys, Mannie Heymans, Marc Bassingthwaight, Rwandan Olympian Adrien Niyonshuti, James Reid, Rourke Croeser, Gert Heyns, Luke Roberts, and a host of Mauritian riders all vying for valuable UCI points.

The racing started at an extremely fast pace, but with the course being relatively flat, a group of 5 formed at the front after the 1st lap including myself, Philip Buys, Marc Bassigthwaight, Rourke Croser, Gert Heyns and myself. It didn’t stay together for long though as attacks started to fly up the big steep climb right in the middle of the lap.

Riding steady

I rode my own tempo which saw me dropping back from Philip and Marc, which left Rourke and myself riding seconds apart, with Gert Heyns off the back. The race pretty much stayed like this for the next lap or two, until a silly crash at the end of lap 3 saw me lose my rhythm and get caught by a charging Adrien Niyonshuti. As Adrien passed me there was not much I could do to stay in touch, with the flat grassy tracks suiting his riding style really well. I tried to hang on but couldn’t match his power on the flats and on the open climb. All I could do was to hang on and try fight the pain that was now screaming from my lower back, and the humidity that was beating down from the intense island sun.

I crossed the line after 6 laps in 5th place overall, but in agony as my lower back had taken some strain after the crash. I was barely able to walk, and had to lie down for the next 20 mins to let my back recover. Up in front Philip had taken the African Championships title ahead of Marc Bassigthwaight and 3rd placed Adrien Niyonshuti. I was 4th in the elite race, one place out of a medal!

Elite mens podium: 3rd Marc Massigthwaight(Namibia), 1st Philip Buys (South Africa) 2nd Adrien Niyonshuti (Rwanda)

After the race we dragged our weary bodies back to the resort we we all set about for a little down time where we were able to watch the sunset, eat as much, and what we wanted, enjoy a little entertainment, and party the night away at the full moon beach party  which saw us arrive home just before sunrise! The morning passed quickly and before we knew it we were on the plane and on our way home.

The sun finally set on our trip

I think i’m having sunset withdrawal symptoms….is that possible?

I will leave you with a little clip Philip put together which sums up the trip pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB4IPKAS68Q

Ciao for now!

African Champs Course Preview, Casela Yemen, Mauritius

So on Wednesday afternoon team SA arrived in Mauritius at the Sofitel Imperial Resort. This Saturday sees us competing against Africa’s best  in Mauritius on a course that is surprisingly better than most of us expected. I’ll let you watch the video to see what it’s all about. It really is a stunning area to ride your bike!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RruTFWpt8ag&feature=youtube_gdata

A race report will follow soon after!

Ciao from Mauritius.

Mr Price Karkloof Classic

It’s Monday morning, on my day off. I’ve got my feet up, coffee by my side, and i’m ready to tell you all about my great weekend out at Karkloof.

The Karkloof Classic, even though it is not a XC race, is probably my favourite race of the year. This is due to the fact that the race is at marathon distance, but is disguised like an XC race! The race organisers have managed to achieve this by adding about 20km of some of the best, most exciting single track there is in the country, if not the world. This is a race you simply must do!

After a series of bad runs at the marathon event I was eager to put things right. I had a good run up to the event, staying with one of my best friends Paul in Durban on Friday, before staying at some more friends, Alison and Eljoh in Hilton. Good times!

The race got off to a slightly later start than anticipated, but all the guys were out in full force. Up the first 5km climb Brandon Stewart pushed hard and took me, James Reid, and Philip Buys with him. James and I lost some time near the top but I managed to use great tyres and handling of my hardtail 29er to my advantage to catch Philip and Brandon again. It was up The famous 8km Lebanon climb that James and I had to back off as Brandon and Philip rode off the front. We kept a steady pace to ensure they didn’t get too much of a gap.

As we crested the top we were caught by Jaques Rossouw who was recovering from a late start. We burned it down more singletrack and chased after the leaders like a pack of hungry wolves, catching a glimpse of them occasionally. The next 15km we pushed hard, and it was my final effort that brought us to withing spitting distance of them. Unfortunately for me the effort proved a bad idea as I just could not sustain it as I popped and watched James and Jaques first catch Philip, drop him, and then catch Brandon.

I kept my composure and rode home at a steady tempo to claim 5th place, only to hear that Jaques had beaten James and Brandon in a 3 way sprint finish. I wanted to kick myself! Not that I would have fared well in a sprint finish anyways.

Happy with the result I returned home with my head in a good place. This week I will be doing a little bit of speed work ahead of Africa Champs in Mauritius on 5th May!

Until next time….

National XCO # 2 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria

This last Saturday saw some of the countries top XC riders assemble at Fountain Valley once again to battle it out at the second round of the National XCO Series.

The Fountains Valley course, is a venue that over the years has been featured in our National XCO series every year, barring last year in my 10 year National racing career. As always the course is made difficult, not by it’s climbing or by it’s technical nature, but rather by it’s many many tight, flowing and sweeping corners. The result is a different kind of race, and will suit a rider that can carry speed around corners, while using the least effort. Having had good and bad performances here is the past, anything could happen at this race.

On the start line we were missing some local big boys by the likes of Burry Stander, James Reid, and Rourke Croeser who were all in Houffalize, Belgium for the second UCI World Cup event. We still had a strong field at hand though with Philip Buys, Marc Bassingthwaight, Oliver Munnik, Luke Roberts, and a few other strong U23 riders who were eager to show us Elite riders up.

Photo courtesy, Zoon Cronje.

The start was crazy, with a short 200m dash with a couple bends in it before hitting a technical uphill singletrack. Position was crucial. I managed a good start and entered 4th. A small lead group formed of Marc in front, followed by Philip, Luke Roberts, and then myself, with another u23 rider Sean Craig Silver hanging on the back. Halfway through the lap Philip flew off the front. It was his home track, and suited his style of riding down to the T. No one could follow. Instead we formed a small chase group for a few laps until Marc began to pull slowly off the front.

Photo courtesy Lee- Ann Cantrell

With the race being at altitude, I had to back off and listen to my body’s screams for oxygen to avoid a major explosion later in the race. I let a couple other riders do the pacing for a while until I felt better before making my move off the front. This proved a good tactic as I had no difficulty in getting away and stayed away for the remainder of the race. All I had to to was ride as smoothly as possible and avoid making any silly mistakes. Easier said than done!

Eventually the final 7th lap came to an end and I crossed the finish line comfortably in 3rd place, 3 mins behind overall winner Philip Buys(Team Contego), and 2 mins behind Marc Bassingthwaight. What a super ride!

I was really glad to have pulled such smooth ride out of the bag, and it was also encouraging to note that I didn’t have much fatigue only two weeks after riding the Cape Epic. All my equipment also performed seamlessly, and the tyre choice seemed to be perfect for the track in the form of a set of Geax Mezcal’s.

Next up on the calendar is the Karkloof Classic up in Hilton, followed two weeks later by a silly little race called African Championships, on a tiny little island called Mauritius

Until next time,

Ride safe!

ABSA Cape Epic?

If you had told me 10 days ago that I would be sitting here writing a race report about the ABSA Cape Epic for myself, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. So here I sit laughing at myself and reflecting back on what has been one of the most testing weeks for me in a long time, both in body and spirit!

It all started on the Wednesday leading up to Epic while I was sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Stellenbosch having lunch with Erik and Ariane Kleinhans and Ollie Munnik after the Songo.info charity race, when my phone rings. On the other end was Rene Haselbacher, and asks me straight “would you like to ride the Cape Epic with me, answer me now, yes or no?”. Without giving it much thought, I blurted out and answer, yes!

3 Days later I find myself on the Cape Epic prologue start podium with my partner “Hasie”, about to tackle 8 days of racing, over 781km and over 16300m vertical ascent. For those of you who don’t know, Rene is a retired road professional who rode for team Gerolsteiner(1999-2006) Astana(2007-2008) and Vorarlberg -Corratec, and has no less than 5 grand tours under his belt, including 2 Tours de France! Quite a pedigree partner.

So instead of boring you with the details of each stage, i’m going to run you through some of the high and low points that we braved as a team over the next 8 days.

High point #1 – Prologue, Meerendal wine Estate

The prologue is not a real stage, but rather a short, hard and technical course designed to seed the riders and entertain spectators over 27km. Starting out with Rene we had no idea of what to expect. With me on top form , and Hasie having only trained for 3 weeks, we had to figure out what our best tempo would be, but once that was done we flew around the local wine farms finishing the course in a decent 31st place. It was spectacular to take part in such a big event in front of a home crowd and the spectators were so enthusiastic, especially up the hill top finish climb. Almost like the Alp d Huez of mountain biking!

High point #2 -Stage 3, Robertson to Caledon

With a stage 3 being the longest day mileage wise, and 143km to cover, we were going to be in for a loooong day! The stage started with a 18km stretch on tar and good condition gravel roads. Hasie didn’t let this opportunity slip, and soon after the 6km neutral zone, he put his road racing skills to good use and we launched our attack on the bunch. We worked well together, being sure not to go too deep, and over the next hour we were able to open up a 2-3min gap on the leading bunch before we hit the first big climb of the day.

Breakaway attempt

The aim of the attack was not to win the stage, but rather to get us to the foot of the first big climb without having to fight for position, as well as gain a little TV coverage, which never hurts! As soon as we hit the climb we settled into a steady rhythm and soon enough the front runners were with us, and then left us. I was a long day, with 2 more big climbs that saw us do a total of 2800m ascent. 6 hours 35mins later we crossed the line, quite happy with our little move, but also dog tired and ready to eat and put the feet up.

Low point – Stage 5, Caledon to Oak Valley

Having completed the previous day, stage 4, which saw us ride in a gusting North wind and spending much energy. The wind blew in some serious rain clouds. I awoke that morning to the sound of pouring rain on my tent, and as we stat there at breakfast in the marquee, you could see the rain blowing horizontally across entrance door. People did not look happy, including me! The cold I had been nursing the last few days had become worse, and this was not the weather to go riding with a cold in!

To my amazement the stage wasn’t cancelled, shortened or neutralised, and we set off in the pouring rain to cover a distance of 118km towards Oak Valley. I was not impressed. Surprisingly things went OK for a while, while a few teams all worked together to make things easier. It was obvious that our equipment was taking a beating with the amount of mud and sand lying about, and some of the roads that had turned into rivers. We got on fine for the first 3 hours, and went through a bad patch before picking it up again toward the end. The last hour of the race though was probably the coldest of my life. Once again the heavens opened up, and having ditched my rain coat earlier, every single part of me got drenched. I found myself riding as hard as I could just to keep warm, and was praying for no mechanicals as standing still would have meant hypothermia, especially with me not having much body mass. The last 5km everything had turned into a river and I was frantic to get to the finish. As I crossed the finish line I dropped my bike and went straight to the shower. I was so cold that I almost blacked out! Apparently that day there were about 20 cases of hypothermia, and a big number of drop outs. Not an experience I would like to repeat again.

High Point # 3 – Stage 7 Oak Valley to Lourensford

The last stage at the epic is traditionally a short one of around 65km. It was such a relief to be riding on terrain which I deem “mountain biking” , as opposed to some of the terrain the Dr Evil (Leon Evans, route designer) had made us endure over some of the days. The bad weather had cleared up and we had blue skies and beautiful trails to ride on towards Lourensford. The feeling and emotion of riding down that finishing straight is something that is hard to rival. Hasie and I crossed the line in 22nd position after 8 days of racing, 40 seconds ahead of RSA Web team mates Nic la Mond and Carl Pasio!

Reflecting back on this week I feel really blessed for the experiences that I have had, people I have met, lessons learnt, and also that I have come out of this race completely injury free, not even a scratch. Thanks to the big guy up stairs for having my back!

I was also impressed to note that we came out the the other end puncture free, and only having 2 minor chain mechanicals. Thanks to Geax for my awesome tyres!

Next up is the 2nd round of the SA XC series in Pretoria on the 14th April.

Until then,

Chat soon.

UCI XCO #1 – Pietermaritzburg

The day finally arrived after more that a week’s wait for the first round of the UCI XCO series, kicking off at Cascades in Pietermaritzburg.

After arriving at the venue and watching an exciting end to the Elite women’s race that saw Canada’s Emily Batty (Subaru-Trek) narrowly miss out on her first World Cup win against Poland’s Maja Wloszczowska (CCC Polkowice), it was time to kit up and hit the warm up routine.

Once the warm up was finished it was time to get into the call up loading bay and wait for your name to be called to line up for the start. Being South African, and not having a high UCI seeding, this meant I was near the back, number 102! The tension before the race could be cut with a knife, as all the worlds best XC riders had come to show their stuff and claim glory. The minutes before the start are always the worst, as the anticipation is at an all time high as all the riders are lined up, with the thousands of spectators eagerly awaiting a show down.

The gun went off and as was expected, all hell broke loose as 120 of the worlds best riders hurtled down the start straight and into their first lap. The only thing you can do in this situation is go as fast as you can and look for gaps in the field to move up position. Soon though as per usual with world cups and starting at the back, I found myself waiting at the huge bottle necks which are typical of world cup racing. Once I had pushed and fought my way through that I was able to continue the all out sprint of the first lap.

Start straight

For me, lap two was where it almost fell apart as the efforts of lap 1 caught up with me. This was by far the hardest lap as I tried to catch my breath and settle into my own rhythm, all the while fighting the urge not to go too easy, the pain almost unbearable. I lost quite a few places on lap 2 but managed to hang on to the back of a big group of about 15 riders and let them do all the pace making. Some of these riders included the likes of Adam Craig, Woflram Kurschat and Mike Broderick.

As the race progressed I managed to get into my own rhythm and wasted no time in taking back places and making up time. Any hesitation at doing this at world cup level and you soon find yourself at the back and being pulled by the 80% rule. Lap by lap I rode hard and consistently, taking a few places each time, while not taking too many risks over the technical sections of the course. The amount of spectators around the course was amazing and really inspirational to hear your home crowd shout for you.

Home crowds

I kept up the hard efforts, especially on lap 5, and was rewarded for it by managing to make it onto the last lap without being pulled. For anyone who has started at the back of a world cup, you would know this is hard! Stoked with the opportunity I gave the last lap horns as I took back a few more places to finish just as a torrential downpour started to take 78th place, and 3rd African over the line.

Up ahead of me our very own Burry Stander(Specialized Factory Racing) had an epic battle with Switzerland’s Nino Schuter (Scott- Swisspower) but came out second best by a matter of seconds, and a minute up on Germany’s Manual Fumic (Cannondal Factory Racing).

Thoroughly stoked with my performance, there was no time to hang around as the torrential downpour quickly turned the roads into rivers, and soon everyone was soaked.

The next day however the sun was out shining and it was brilliant to watch another South African, Greg Minnaar set the downhill track on fire and take the win in front of an very loud and enthusiastic crowd. What a great weekend for South Africa!

So reflecting on the race I am very happy to finally produce a performance close to what I know I can produce, which I have battled to do over over the past few years. It is a great feeling to have ridden a a close to perfect race for me. I am really looking forward to the rest of the season to see what I can pull out of it! Also a big thanks must to to the Wolhuter family for hosting me while I was there, as well as my awesome sponsors RSA Web, Rocky Mountain, and of course Jesus Christ.

This weekend is my first weekend of no racing since the middle of January, looking forward to having some fun on the bike!

Until next time!

PS, someone conveniently complied a video with some crashes over the weekend, enjoy!

Cascades World Cup track preview

So the days are rolling by, and the hype is building quickly in the town of Pietermaritzburg. Everywhere you go it’s hard not to spot one of the top international riders going out for a spin.

Something that has got everyone talking is the new design of the course, which has seen a number of new additions. Some of these include more climbing, more space to overtake on the climbs, and some interesting new technical sections which will be sure to separate the best from the rest. All of this will make for an excellent spectator experience during the race as they will be able to see all the action without having to walk too far.

Some of new and old obstacles that will challenging the riders are;

The staircase

Stair case

This new feature consists of a series on wooden slats to form a staircase. The steps are quite deep and closely spaced which makes riding it fast a very interesting affair, to top it off there is quite a sharp berm at the bottom, and the sand between the stairs is pretty soft. This is where I burped my tyre at last Saturdays race.

Drop off

Drop off

Modeled on the infamous drop of from last years Word Championship course in Champery, Switzerland, the name pretty much says it all. It requires enough speed at the entry to make the landing smooth and to ensure your tyres don’t roll off. Last week it claimed the wrist on Yolande Speedy, as well as a dislocated hip of a German rider.

Log chute

Log Chute

The log chute requires a lot of nerve to ride. The nature of the logs used in this obstacle make it easy to get psyched out and make a mistake. It is much more intimidating than it looks, especially when it’s you who is on the bike having to pilot it down!

Rock garden

Rock Garden

Last year this was the section where Nino Schurter made his move on Julien Absalon and won the race. This will be a favourite among the spectators as mistakes are bound to happen, and blood will be spill. Much like me last Saturday! Because it is so long the likelihood of making a mistake is pretty high, especially on the first lap where the pressure is high and there are plenty of riders in front and behind of you.

The Elite race starts at 2pm this Saturday at Cascades Mall. Don’t miss out on all the excitement!

Momentum Health XCO International #3 – Cascades

So, one week to go before the first round of the Rocky Roads UCI World Cup race at Cascades in Pietermaritzburg. This only means that a whole bunch of the top riders from around the world were here early to open up their legs on the pre- World Cup warm up race that happens every year on the world cup track.

I was also fortunate enough to make the trip up to Pietermaritzburg early to take part in this tough event to get my head in the game before the world cup. It was also great to see that the tough track that was presented to us last year, had become even more challenging with the addition of a a 1.5m drop off in the trail, and a very steep log schute which required a lot of confidence to guide the bike down in one piece.

The race took place on Saturday at 12 30pm, and I found myself mid-pack on the start line along with 75 of the best riders from around the globe, just like a mini world cup! The start was rapid as was expected and the usual sprint as hard as you can and then wait at the singltrack bottle neck story was in order. All in all I had a pretty decent start and seemed to be gaining places nicely when the opportunity to pass presented itself and was sitting around the middle of the field.

Those places were lost however when on the main rock garden a rider crashed right in front of me. I did my best to get around him, but I ultimately ran out of talent when I hit a tree stump and went flying over my bars and face planted off the side of the trail! Before I knew it I was back up on my feet and a quick check to see that my bike was in working order and that my teeth were all there meant that I got back on the bike and resumed the race.

I was a little shaken(not stirred) and sore, and possibly a little fatigued from the last few weeks of racing which had an affect on my next few laps. I struggled to find a rhythm and thus a few places, and finally over the last 2 laps managed to pull myself together and get going properly and take back some lost places. Unfortunately at a race at this level it meant that I was waaay back in 39th place, and one of the last riders to finish all 6 laps.

Up ahead of me Burry Stander had had a ding dong battle with Swiss Rider Nino Schurter and came off second best in a sprint finish, a little bit ahead of another Swiss rider Vlorien Vogel. The next best SA rider was Philip Buys in 15th place.

I was not disappointed however about the outcome as the race enabled me to get a good grip on this new course and how to approach it. I know the form is there, all I need to do is focus on recovering properly this week and i’ll be ready to dominate next weekend! I am also really grateful for the awesome equipment that I have the privilege of using. My Giro Aeon helmet protected my head well in that crash, and my Adidas eyewear probably saved my eye judging from the impact taken on the one lens.

I’ll keep you posted with what happens net week,

Till then,

Renay

Boschendal MTB Argus

The week before the world’s biggest timed road ride takes place, thousands of enthusiastic mountain bikers descend on on Boschendal wine Estate each year to fight it out for the title of Argus MTB Champ!

With the Columbia Grape Escape 3 day event finishing the previous day, there were a few top competitors on the start line again who obviously did not get enough of a hammering from the tough international field. Among those in the mix were Marathon World Champion Christoph Sauser, our very own Olympian Burry Stander, multiple SA marathon series winner Kevin Evans, and host host of talented riders such as Jaques Rossouw, Neil MC Donald and Charles Keey.

The 65km race started off quite sedately as was a good warm up for what was to come! Up the first serious incline the race was split, and the main contenders for the day got away up that climb, all of which included myself, Burry, Christoph, Neil, Charles, Jaques and Kevin, until the group swelled slightly when the pace became more relaxed again on the flatter roads. I think no one was interested in racing as we all knew the deciding move would be made on the major steep climb of the day a few km later.

This is pretty much what happened, and as we hit the lower slopes of the major climb the pace lifted, and lifted, and lifted. It was then that Kevin made his move, with Christoph right on his wheel. No one else followed. I surprised myself though when I found the strength to shift up a gear and ride across the gap to them, only to have to stop and tighten my rear quick release and lose the wheel I was on!

Climbing solo

This put me in no man’s land as I tried to bridge the gap on the descent but made little impact on the now 3 leaders, Burry, Kevin and Christoph. Try as I might, I couldn’t get accross to the guys on the bumpy and flat terrain, and was eventually caught by a charging Jaques Rossouw and Neil Mc Dondald, much more at home on that type of terrain! Together with our combined effort we were able to bring back the 3 leaders.

The deciding part of the race happened at a big river crossing, where Burry broke his chain, and Kevin attacked through the sandy rocky roads which sent everyone into overdrive! Christpoh tried to follow with Neil and Jaques going flat out in an attempt to stay with them. As a rider that weighs only 58kg’s this is not my strong point! No matter how good I was feeling, I would not be able to hang on, and for the next 10km I had to consolidate and keep it together to hang onto 5th place a few minutes behind the winner Kevin Evans.

Overall results 65km men

1 Kevin Evans (Nedbank Team 360Life) 02:23:19
2 Christoph Sauser (Team Songo-Specialized) 02:24:52
3 Jacques Rossouw (FedGroup – ITEC Connect) 02:25:21
4 Neil MacDonald (Team RE:CM) 02:25:56
5 Renay Goustra 02:27:28 (Team RSA Web – Rocky Mountain)

So all in all I am really stoked with my performance, and my form seems to be coming along very nicely for the Momentum XCO Cup this weekend in Cascades, followed by the UCI Rocky Roads World Cup happening on the same track the following weekend. BRING IT ON!

Until next time

Renay