Sani to Sea Trial 2016

Sani to Sea 2016 was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done. Having completed this race three times before, I knew what to expect but this year there were a few curve balls that made this race incredibly difficult. The omens were there even before we arrived at the start of the race when the car behind us rolled while trying to avoid riding into to us as we slowed down for massive rocks in the road left behind from an earlier protest action from the locals. 

This year I was doing the race with a fellow Benoni Rough Rider - Wayne Korsman which I was looking forward to after doing the previous 3 Sani's with Greg. 

GlenCairn Camp sunset Day0

Bumped into some other Benoni riders the first night

Before the start of day 1  

Day1 started off ok, the route had changed from previous years, as they added more single track in the beginning instead of the customary district road. Unfortunately, I had a small tumble 20km in when we crossed a railway line. The stones were slippery and my bike shot out from underneath me and I fell on the hard railway stones (spraining my ribs in the process). A bit shaken, I got back on and caught up with Wayne.  I had another silly fall after the floating bridge at 30km and this proved to be very costly. I fell sideways when my front wheel lifted while powering up a small climb. Unfortunately in the process my seat post snapped off where it attaches to the frame - taking the seat clamp and a few centimetres of my carbon frame with it. I was in a huge predicament now as I could not clamp my seat post onto my frame. Wayne and me tried a few things with no resolve. I really thought my Sani was over. Fortunately, I did not take my rear seat post's bottle cage holder off before the race (even though I was not using it as I use my Camelbak for stage races) and this would stop my seat from going all the way down. I thought, let me try and finish Day1 at least. The next 50km was tough. I couldn't put too much pressure on my seat as the bottle cage was cracking the carbon frame and I had to stand a lot (but the seat was not clamped so it would swivel around adding to my discomfort). It was really difficult to finish but I did and my body was extremely sore at the end from the falls and the discomfort of a different riding set up because of the broken seat.  Wayne had to wait for me often, as I was slow and cautious - we finished in 6h01. 

Loads of great forest single track (note Wayne riding behind me)

Floating bridge was awesome

After washing our bikes and grabbing a quick shower after finishing Day1 I went to Paul from Procycles, he had a stand and was servicing bikes for some of his clients.  I gave Paul my bike and begged him to try and make a plan and do a temporary fix so I could at least finish the rest of Sani .  Next was supper and then a late physio appointment to try and repair (and strap) my body for the next day's toil. 

Customary selfie at the start of Day2

Amazing views going down into the Umkomaas Valley

Captivating....

Day2 - Bike had a temp fix and we started late because of out slow time the day before which turned out to be a disadvantage later in the day. Going down into the valley was awesome, easy and relaxed riding, getting a chance to look at the amazing scenery. But then the toil started at the bottom of the valley, there was plenty of mud as a result of the previous day's thunder storm. This proved very taxing, at one point we had to push our bikes and the wheels clogged up with mud and would turn not turn. After water point 1 I started to take strain and pushed up a few hills that I should have ridden. Wayne was ever patient and waited for me often to catch up. 

Spur (ex Nandos) stop at Water point 2

After a few bites of a burger at Water Point 2 we pushed on to try and get to Water Point 3 before the cut off. This is where I really hit the wall - my body was exhausted from the day before and the exertion from pushing and riding through the mud. Wayne pushed on ahead riding at his own pace, I really struggled, still riding but ever so slow. My Garmin's battery died which made it even harder not knowing how far you had to go and also where to go, as the field was thinning out and there were not too many riders to follow who had GPS devices showing them the way (as the route was unmarked). I was not feeling well at all and at one stage had to sit under some trees for awhile to try and recover. I kept saying I have done this before and pain is temporary but failure is forever. It was starting to get dark when I rolled into High Flats Water Point 3 and there, they stopped me from going further because it would be too dangerous to finish in the dark (Wayne had waited for me but then left just before they closed the route so he could finish the day). Myself and a few other riders got a lift to Jollievet (the day2 camp), getting there after 6 o'clock in the pitch dark. After finding my bike (and Wayne) I took my broken body to find our tent and then off to the showers followed by a late lunch/supper. A long 9 hours of riding really punished my body and mind. 

Vernon Crookes Day3

Wayne having a wee with a view :-)

Day3 - after a horrid two days all I wanted to do was finish. Somehow my body recovered and I felt relatively strong, as I warmed up I started to enjoy the ride and stormed up all the hills. Wow what an awesome day, I enjoyed every minute of it and had fun. We started in the last group because of our slow time the day before and this group was incredible. It consisted of people all riding to enjoy the route and not race to the end. There was never anyone breathing behind your back waiting to pass, everything was in good spirit and there were jokes a plenty. We rolled into the finish after the floating bridge (with some added bumps) relaxed and elated to have finished this extreme event. Thanks to my fantastic riding partner Wayne, he was incredible and it was an absolute pleasure sharing the experience with him.  

After 20 odd hours in the saddle we really got our moneys worth....

Well deserved finishes medal

Route 42 and some more

It has been a great few weeks of riding, I have had some really awesome rides and I am starting to feel fit enough to tackle my fourth Sani to Sea mountain bike stage race in two weeks time. 

On the 17th of April, Wayne, Michael, myself (and a few others) did the Route 42 MTB race just outside Nigel. It was an awesome race and was pretty testing at times, with rocky climbs and push your bike up hills. Michael did the race on his fat bike and Wayne and I spent the first 60km trying to catch him. This was the first race that Wayne and I rode together as a pair and it was good prep for Sani2C. The good news is that we are evenly matched and ride well together. It is going to be an awesome race and I am really forward to it. 

Me dodging the rocks

Nice shot of me followed by Mike and Wayne - in 3rd and 4th place :-)

Last weekend whilst a lot of the Benoni Rough Rider gang (7 in total) are doing the Joburg to Sea MTB stage race, Michael and I joined Rebecca, Sean, Pierre and Robyn for a great ride. Mike and I had time constraints, so we turned back early (the others were going to Rosemary Hill east of  Pretoria) - but I still managed to do 100km ride at a good pace. Becky and Sean were doing a 'recovery ride' after their valiant effort at the 360 One MTB race the weekend before. They cycled a whopping 283km in one day on some treacherous terrain, before sanity prevailed.  

Playing chicken

Train spotting 

Today was a public holiday in South Africa and it was a great time for an awesome social breakfast ride with fellow like minded souls. There were 12 of us that rode out to Duanblane, Cell Tower, Brick Yard, Motor Cross Track and then stopping for great coffee and breakfast at Hava Java Cafe. It was an awesome 75km ride which I really enjoyed (I spent most of the time chasing Ian - phew he is riding strong). Below are a few photos from the ride:

Crossing the train tracks to avoid the mud...

Welcome breather...

Rebecca (with a train in the distance)

Quickie breakfast (for R20) with an awesome group of people

I even managed to play waiter and went and fetched Sean's food that was taking too long 

Sani selfies

Some photos taken during the Sani2C showing that my fear for bridges on Day1, 2 and 3 has been conquered in totality.  

Sani2C Trail 2014 - demons conquered

Sani to Sea 'Trail' 2014 was spectacular for many reasons but the two that stick out are my knee injury and that I conquered all the demons from previous Sanis'.

Just over a week before the start of our 3rd Sani, I fell on a training ride and badly sprained my right knee. It was really a stupid fall: I was leading a group of 20 mountain bikers on an outride when I looked back to see if everybody had caught up, hit a bit of a ditch and didn't un-cleat properly resulting in a really hard fall on some small rocks. What a painful ride, I gritted my teeth for another 60km before hobbling home. After X-rays, a few days off work, physio, anti-inflammatories, trans-act patches and plenty of ice, I made a call a few days before we were meant to leave - that I would be able to ride. There were some dark moments when I thought I wouldn't make it at all and even asked Greg to find a standby replacement just in case (thanks Paul).  So this was my most nerve wracking Sani ever - I was not sure if I had made the right decision and whether my knee would hold up for a very tough 266km. What makes it even harder is that there are 2 of you in a team and I did not want to mess Greg's ride up by falling out after a day or 2.

 

So the journey begins - Greg picked me up at 07:00 and we headed out to Underberg me still tenderly nursing my knee on the way down. Traditional Wimpy breakfast at Mooiriver and then registration in Sani2C village in the primary school in Underberg by 13:30. Wow did we get some loverly kit this year - jackets, jerseys, t-shirts etc...  Next was the drive to our bed and breakfast The Old Hatchery and we hit some heavy traffic....

 Great accommodation at The Old Hatchery and a fantastic steak, eggs and chips for supper. I had to spoon with my bike for the night....

Day1 - 82km nervous cold start, will my knee hold up? I had a trans-act patch and a knee guard on to protect it. One fall on my right knee and my Sani was over.

So started my self conservancy journey to protect my knee from stress and any falls. After about 20km my right foot was numb so I had to loose the knee guard. We were fortunate to have a few friends doing the Sani with us this year. Rebecca, Molly, Juan, Ian, Marius and a few others.... Day1 we rode most of the way with Becky and Juan and their partners. It was great fun.  

Becky and Marlette

 I rode everything on Day1 only stopping at Water points, a little slower then I could have but I was worried about the next 2 days, never the less it was a great ride. Unfortunately I couldn't stand on down hills or technical bits as it would have put pressure on my knee. With 3 kms to go I experienced my first cramps on a bike when my right hamstring seized up and I had to get off the bike to stretch - ouch!! We managed to beat our best time by 7mins, Greg rode well and had to wait for me for quite often. Strava ride stats click here.  

Greg stashing the free drinks in his shirt :-)

Great overnight stay at Mackenzie tented village, great massage to get the blood flowing in the legs, best tent position, fantastic food, awesome neighbors....  



+700 two man tents and a massive catering tent 

Supper with another 1400 riders





Day2 - 100km this is the notoriously hard day of Sani. 30km of breathtaking riding in the beginning going down the Umkomaas Valley followed by a uphill slog of another 70km to get to Jolivet Farm. Another day where plenty of demons were conquered, I rode areas that I couldn't the year before and paced my self nicely to finish without any injuries. Greg had to wait for me once again and we could have beaten our time by a least an hour if I didn't stop to take photos and ride carefully protecting my knee. Also after leaving WP1 I realized that I only had one glove on as I'd dropped my other glove, so I had to ride 1 km back to find my glove while Greg patiently waited.



Awesome view over the Umkomaas Valley



I was pretty tired towards the end of Day2 but happy that we still beat our time by 20min. Click here for the Strava stats of my ride. Unfortunately Rebecca fell on a rock in the Valley knocking her knee and had to be flown out in the helicopter -  that was to be the end of her Sani2C for 2014. I only had one fall the whole of Sani when I ran out of talent up Push of a Climb and used a thorn tree as a pin cushion to stop my fall. The camp at Jolivet was amazing once again, the addition of the Barn where the riders could relax afterwards with plenty of free stuff was a great...



The Barn

The local Farmers cooking thick juicy steaks for 1500 people

Great supper with friends - Greg, myself, Ian, Juan, Molly and Becky

Day3 - 84km So my knee survived 2 grueling days and I could ride the last day without any worries. Day3 was a great day - Greg and I rode strong together and it really was a awesome riding.  A few more demons were overcome - I rode down a long drop-off where I crashed on both previous years and rode up steep hills where I un-cleated before. I really enjoyed this day and we managed to finish 30mins faster than the previous year. Click here for the Strava stats.

Greg and I ready for Day3

Plenty of riding through the sugar cane fields https://www.facebook.com/sani2c?fref=nf

Yes Greg also falls sometimes :-)

Greg and I at the top of Work to Be Done climb

Traditional finish on the beach and a photo with Farmer Glen

We were fortunate to stay with Greg's parents who spoiled us with their hospitality once again in Scottborough before driving back to JHB the next day (stopping for our traditional Wimpy Bacon Burger in Harrismith). Wow, this was another fantastic experience that I shared with my good (kind and very patient) friend Greg. I was so relieved that my knee held up for the 3 days and we could still finish faster than the year before. What an epic adventure!!!!!

 

Lastly thanks to my beautiful wife Linda for her for holding the fort at home during my long training rides on some weekends, this would not have been possible without her support and encouragement. 



Sani to Sea Trail 2013 - my story

So the story begins: after a few hard weeks of training we were in much better shape then last year (injury free) to tackle the 2013 Sani2C Trail event. This year we were going to do a few things different, firstly we were not going to spend the first night at the Underberg school opting rather to pay a little bit extra and stay in a self catering cottage. At least we were guaranteed a nice warm sleep before our epic journey instead of sucking diesel fumes from the trucks parked outside the classroom. Secondly we were not going to kill ourselves and race everyday but rather just enjoy the experience and appreciate the fantastic scenery and wonderful tracks.  We were not sure if we would do this event again, not because of the cost but because we would like to use our limited sports leave to race/ride in a different part of the country. Below are a few photos that capture the essence of our exhilarating 3 days riding some of the best tracks in the country.

Our river view cottage for the first night stay before the race start

We went on a great adventure ride and found some great MTB tracks and views



Greg and I had an awesome time exploring the place where we stayed

Day1 was a lot warmer than last year and we had an advantage this time as we knew what to expect. This day was my best day of all three, as there was fantastic single track through the forest and of course the bridge over the dam which was really easy compared to last year. We had a very pleasant ride not exerting ourselves and finishing just under 5 hours for the 82km route.

Greg and I before the start of Day1



Awesome forest tracks on Day1



Day2 For the first time we were not scared for this day but rather looking forward to the challenge. Going down into the valley was absolutely amazing, the views are incredible except you don't have much time to look at them as you have to really focus on the single track in front of you, one mistake and you are over the edge (I believe one person was airlifted after falling and breaking a few vertebrae). Then came the long climbs, a lot easier than last year as we knew what to expect this time and we saved our legs for them. It was a long day - 7 hours of riding and 1 hour of stopping (we got our moneys worth at the water points). I had a bit of a de-javu moment when I hit the bolt on the end of the scaffold bridge going over the river before WP1 and did a fantastic tumble over the handle bars. A superb tuck and roll and back on my feet in a few seconds. Funny thing is I hit the exact same bolt last year and did the same tuck and roll. The heat on Day2 was something else - we hit highs of 39 degrees Celsius so it was pretty energy sapping but it was a great feeling finishing the 102km ride.  





Descending down the valley on Day2





Going over the Umkomaas river (Greg in the background)





Customary Nandos burger after slogging up a loooong climb

Best massage ever from Melissa after 7 odd hours in the saddle

Day3 Feeling a lot better than last year we eagerly started day 3, this was another fantastic day in the saddle. Farmer Glen talked up the last 16km so we were a bit nervous not knowing what to expect and pretty terrified for the new bridges at Scottborough.  I had another fall in the same place as last year whilst going down a steep decline, both brakes could not stop me sliding down this hill and I eventually lost control and ended up using my elbow as a brake pad. After washing my wounds at the first water point I was ready to tackle the rest of the day. I am not sure that the new route at the end of Day3 was better, I think I preferred going up Heart Rate hill and the fast declines thereafter. The bridge at the end was awesome,  800m  of narrow bridge winding over the lagoon at Scottborough with a few meters going over the sea at the end. Fortunately Greg was behind me (hoping to catch me on the GoPro taking a dive into the lagoon) and held back the other riders as I had a nervous start when riding the bridge and had to stop to change gears. Once going the bridge experience was fantastic, the bridge actually moved as you were riding so you had to really concentrate and keep your line. The last bit of the bridge went into the sea but it low tide so did not having any big waves rocking the bridge. 5 hours to complete the 86km and finish our second Sani2C.
 

Before the start of Day3 feeling a lot better than last year...

Partner Greg armed with the GoPro as I fall too much.... 

Hey is this thing recording or what?

Vernon Crookes Day3

Great to finish another Sani2C and the photo with Farmer Glen

What an awesome experience to share with my good mate Greg Heunis, 3 days riding over 270km of the best mountain bike tracks in South Africa. Below is some video footage of Day2 and Day3 recovered off the GoPro camera (long story but the SD card on the camera reformated itself and all footage was lost)....