Holiday riding

Great few rides to end off 2018 and start 2019 with a the joy of mountain biking. Pictures tell the story:

Returning from a Irene ride

Forbidden quarry ride

Jumping the fence to get out the quarry

Benoni Rough Riders on a Friday coffee ride

Michael on the dry pan before the rains

Mile, Mark and Rene

Becky picked up a stray at the BP beautiful puppy who has a new loving home.

So the cold begins...

Life after Sani - after returning from our value for money Sani, I took my bike to Procycles to send to the Giant agents to see if I could if they would replace my frame under the warranty. Sean Brown was incredible in letting me use his new fat bike until my bike returned. I spent a week riding on the fat bike - wow it was a different ride and is really awesome. Good news is that Giant will be replacing my broken frame with a new one at the end of June - super amped. 

Riding in the mornings before work is getting harder, with the temperatures plummeting and the sun only rising once you get home. Plenty of the crew are hibernating until the weather warms up but as usual I will soldier on through winter. As long as we ride at least 2 times during the week and once on the weekend the winter fat rolls should be kept abated.

Incredible photo of the misty sunrise on my ride this morning

Fat bike riding 

Sean and Becky training for their Race to Rhodes race

Realising how flat the East Rand is..

I was fortunate enough to be able to do the Eqstra Spring Classic MTB race last weekend with Sean and Rebecca. Wow what a tough race and it made me realise once again that all the training that I do on the flatlands of the East Rand is not enough because you get a big reality check when you hit a proper mountain bike route. I thought I was pretty fit after averaging 24km/h in the Nigel AutoAlpina MTB race last month, but that was a flat non technical route next to the mielie fields. The Eqstra race was loads of single track and plenty of hills, my average was under 15km/h for the 44km route. An hour slower then the Nigel route for the same distance!!!! It really was a great race though, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was special sharing the experience with Sean and Becky. 

The three of us after the race, all a bit tired. 

The 24th of September was a public holiday in South Africa - Heritage Day and what better way to celebrate then do a 100km MTB ride. The ride started out as being The Apricot Tree charity MTB outride but we had a lot of other riders join us also (we were 25 in all). We had a fantastic ride out to Heidelberg from Benoni and back, with a climb up to the Telkom radio mast. Awesome ride and a fantastic route with great people. It was great doing a new route, as this was different to our normal Heidelberg radio mast rides (different tower and way to get there). We were all pretty thirsty by the time we got back, as it was very hot and most of us had run out of water with there being no water/coffee stops on the way back. Unfortunately, this ride was a game changer for Sean as he had a mild heart attack on the ride and got his son to pick him up half way before going to the hospital in the afternoon. He had a stomach virus earlier in the week and on the long ride his heart took strain. Fortunately he was wise enough to call it quits when he was not feeling too well. He is ok now and just needs a month off the bike before reassessment by the cardiologist. Wishing you all the best Sean on your speedy recovery. 

The group at the start of the ride (taken by Sean) Becky and me in the front in our Apricot Tree colours...

Group photo on the top of the Telkom tower hill

Quick stop to wait for stragglers (Telkom tower in the distant background)

Yes we did the bridge again, Wayne showing us how it is done.

Becky finishing the climb up to the tower

This morning we did a great ride out to the cell tower, brickyard, Serengeti and back via Monument hill before stopping for coffee at Mug & Bean on Atlas road. I was feeling strong and really enjoyed the ride. It makes such a difference if all your cylinders are firing. Nice group consisting of Becky, Greg, Paul, Alistair, Juan, Wayne and Mark. I finished on 80km and managed to sneak in to share Greg's KOM with Paul on the Atlas drop off single track segment. 

Stop to admire the view 

Apricot Tree MTB training ride

Once again this year I am riding for a charity during the 94.7 mountain bike and road races that will happen in November. The charity is the Apricot Tree that is an organisation that committed to the stimulation and development of children with intellectual and development disabilities. There are a number of riders that are also riding for the Apricot Tree and a few group rides have been organised by Rebecca Sands. We did a road bike group ride a few weeks ago and last Sunday we did a MTB outride arranged by Athol. It was a great ride with some awesome people. Really nice to do other routes besides what we have been doing out by Dunblane/Serengeti the last few years. 

Group photo taken by Rebecca. 

Sean going over the floating bridge. 

Marc and Jess on their single speed bikes 

Had to walk my bike home after I slashed my rear tyre near the end... 

So I had to throw away my new Racing Ralph tyre after getting a few large cuts during this ride. Fortunately I could get a lift home with Sean and Becky and Sean very kindly took my wheel home and replaced my tyre with a Continental Race King. Awesome stuff thank you Sean!!!!!

As luck would have it...

I has been an exciting few weeks, I won a fabulous prize from Schwalbe (‏@SchwalbeZA) of 2 MTB tyres just by following them on Twitter and to be the lucky one to be picked as the winner!!!! The arrival of these tyres could not have come at a better time as the next ride after they arrived I slashed my tyre on some glass on our morning ride. Fortunately Wayne had a tube for me so I could put in a gator and the tube and finish the ride in one piece. My bike went in for a well deserved service and I had the components changed and front and rear shocks serviced. This cost more then my car service in the same week, but please don't tell my wife :-) 

My awesome winnings 

I have had a few great rides with my son and he is starting to love this sport and is always eager to go and ride on the weekends. I have entered him in for a 35km Transvaal Galvanisers MTB race in September so we have a goal to work towards to. 

Caiden at the Country Club riding under a peacock

Last weekend we join the Cycle Lab group for a fantastic ride out in south of Boksburg and doing part of the route for the race mentioned above in September. It was really awesome doing a new route for a change after slogging through our normal routes North East of Benoni for many years. There was a floating bridge that added a bit of adrenalin in the middle of the route also. Unfortunately Marco broke his rear derailer during the ride and we could not convert his bike to a single speed as the chain was twisted. We were about 15km away from home and took turns pushing/pulling him (Mark doing the majority of the work). Click here are the Strava stats of the ride... and click here for the Youtube video of the ride curtesy of Hanise. 

Hansie flying over the bridge

Sean breaking Marco's chain in an attempt to make it a single speed...

Marco walking through the ice cold water as his single speed was not working... 

4th of July 2015 - Irene Market ride

I arranged a ride out to Irene Market and back and was presently surprised by the turnout for the ride with a total of 23 people rocking up for this memorable experience. It was really great to see some friends I had not seen/ridden with for sometime like Roy, Mandi, Clint, Kathy, Ashley, Ross, Bevan etc... There were the usual Rough Rider suspects like Becky, Sean, Greg, Michael and Ian that joined us, my mate Pierre from Northcliffe and then some of Ash's mates that are training for Trans Baviaans.  It was a great bunch of people and it was a fantastic ride out to Irene Market - we changed the route slightly from the last time we rode and found a new 'technical' hill just before we hit the market. There were a few falls in the group during the whole ride and fortunately nothing too serious. 

Irene Market is special, there is a nice vibe, great coffee and the best home made muffins that one could ever taste. We went back home a different way (which is always my preferred option) and unfortunately the group split up with the racing snakes not waiting for the second group. This ride is one of my favourite rides and I finished on 102km - click here for the Strava stats of the ride. 

Group photo after coffee and muffin's at Irene Market 

Still pedalling...

So it has been a few weeks since my last Blog post and yes I have been riding and not succumbed to an early winter slumber like some people. The early morning rides before work are getting difficult I must admit, it is starting to get really cold and is dark for most of the ride. I have been doing a few spins out to the Broodblik on Saturday morning with the CycleLab group. Below is a picture courtesy of Hansie from one of the rides:

In the same breath I have also had a few longer rides on a Sunday that have been incredible routes with good company. Below is a sunrise from 2 Sundays ago when I went out with Greg and Paul.

I have also entered a new era in my life and have the absolute joy of having my 13 year old son ride with me at the Benoni Country Club mountain bike trails. It is awesome to be able to share this experience with him and see his eagerness to ride and then we can share a coke and have a chat after the ride. Below is a pic that I took last Saturday of some of the wildlife we encountered on the route - and I am not talking about the golfer in the background ;-)

And just to remind me that mountain biking is not for sissies below is a graphic picture (apologies) of my run in with a fence a few weeks ago, leaving a nice cut on my leg. Yes I was late for a ride and should have been more careful but hey s*^t happens.

Longest ride take 2

Ok so my last post was about my longest mountain bike ride - well yesterday I went one up and went on a 121km ride to Irene market and beyond. Strava activity link

Fantastic group consisting of some of our regular morning 'Rough Riders' - Greg, Wayne, Paul, Mark, Becky, Sean, Anton, Juan and a mate from my work, Graeme joining us as well (Hansie and Aiden joined us for the beginning of the ride - at least until my KOM was lost on the Jess segment - thanks Hansie....).  

Awesome route to Irene with a great stop at the Irene market where we ordered cappuccinos and demolished the best muffins in the world - well worth the slog to get there. The route back was around the Cornwall Estate, along outskirts of the Rietvlei Nature Reserve and then along the power lines until the train tracks. Then the real slog started with a 10km lung burner along the railway lines until the welcome stop at the legendary Broodblik for a refreshing coke. 

Becky, Graeme and I in front of the incredible muffin man...

Group photo at the Irene Market

Graeme, Mark and Anton in front of the Broodblik

Longest MTB ride

Saturday the 7th of February was the day I recorded my longest MTB ride to date - 108km. The plan was to do 120km but the mind was willing and the body was not. There were 8 of us that embarked on a memorable ride to Irene and back - Paul, Greg, Wayne, Michael, Von, Ashley and Billy. A really hot day rushed up on us, after our early 5:00 start. The route that we took was pretty well known to Greg and I after doing a few Irene trips before. This time however we were going around Irene and not just to the edge of it, so there was a bit of clueless wondering to find some tracks until we ended up at the Irene market. 

This was a great place for a pit stop as there was plenty shade and food and coffee stalls to refresh our battered bodies. 

On the way to Irene when going through the bush we came upon a tame Zebra. This was an awesome sight as the Zebra was out of place and must have escaped from the nearby game reserve. 

The ride to Irene I can honestly say was one of my better rides. It was pretty amazing route with a bit of everything. Unfortunately Greg had a silly fall and besides ending up in a thorn bush his knee connected with a rock and it looked pretty painful (and is still swollen today). Hope it does not slow down his training for Joburg to Sea. I managed on the ride better then I thought I would, however spending 6 hours in the saddle was a bit hectic (given that I am not fully recovered from all my injuries) but it was totally worth it. 

Mid morning and the heat came up and sapped the energy out of our willing bodies, the last 20km of the ride was pretty soul searching and the coke at the end at the BP garage had never tasted better. Here are my Strava stats of the ride:

This has been a great week as I was able to have a few rides with my beautiful wife Linda. It's really awesome that she now shares the passion I have for mountain biking. We have done a few evening rides around our suburb and today we did a 34km ride out in the plots and had a breakfast stop in between. She is now on Strava and loves competing and working her way up the ladies leader board, she has a couple of top places and will soon have a QOM as she gets fitter. 

Evening rides around Korsman Pan watching the sun go down

Linda going down 'Mark the other way' segment

She loves taking photos on the rides so I will have plenty of shots of me...

Still riding but not staying upright

So chicks dig scars - well I hope so because I have added few more to my body in the last few weeks. Yup it has been a rough few weeks, lower back is still troubling me from the taxi hitting me but I am still trying to churn up the kms as I have the 94.7 road race in a few weeks. I have had a few silly falls that have left their mark. One of those was clipping Greg's back wheel and hitting the tar pretty hard. I've been a regular at my pyshio and chiropractor the past few months.

 

Nice 70km outride - Paul watering the bushes in the background

Greg and I attempted the Juma last weekend and after flying over the handle bars in the Melville koppies I slashed my tyre in the 800m tunnel (in the storm water drains) which ended my race after 20km. Not lekker to not be able to finish a race, but 4 bombs and a spare tube later there was no way Greg and I could fix it. Quite a rough race, rode past lots of riders that had wiped out and were just lying there waiting for medics.  

Start of the Juma race

Juma selfie

 

Frustrating end with a 5cm cut in my tyre

Lots of bridges to ride over busy roads 



Awesome ride today, Greg, Wayne and I rode to Modderfontein - Central Trails mountain bike park and back. Nice long ride (almost 90km) and with a few hills to keep the legs honest. Click here for the Strava stats.

Greg

Wayne