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

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. 



Sani2C Trail 2012 - my story

So my mountain biking goal has been achieved, I have managed to complete the illustrious Sani to Sea mountain bike race.My senses have had a serious overload over the 3 magnificent days that I tested my body and rode 260kms from Underberg in the Drakensberg Mountains to Scottbourough by the sea in beautiful South Africa. 

This is a team event and you have to ride the whole time with a partner, I was very fortunate to do this with my good mate Greg Heunis and our months of training paid off. We also had the privilege of sharing this magnificent event with our new riding mates Adam and Mark and these guys really helped the 'old men' out. Yes, the event was very hard, as there were hills on serious steroids (not like the flat lands of Benoni that we are used to). It was a real tester for both of us and our bodies took strain, but we went with the right mindset that we would enjoy no matter what and took our time to at least appreciate the spectacular scenery.

Day 1 was a 80km ride from Underberg to Mackenzie Farm and after having no sleep, being fumed out by the trucks outside our (school room) sleeping quarters at 04:00 in the morning and freezing temperatures, we were not feeling too strong for the start of our journey. Adam and Mark started 20 minutes behind us (batched starts) and passed us a few kms before the end of the day's route. The route was a bit muddy and slippery in places but was otherwise spectacular. My phobia of riding over bridges was finally put to the test, as we had to ride over a long floating bridge over a dam (this had me waking up nights in a cold sweat). I really thought that I was going to fall in and swim and ride the remaining 50km in wet clothes, but it came and I conquered it with no problem - what an awesome personal achievement (never mind the 30 or so other bridges they had in the rest of the race).

Start of Day 1

What fun riding the floating bridge over the dam...

Sheer joy at riding over this hoodo...

Tented camp at the end of Day1

Adam showing us how bridges should be ridden

Day 2 This 100km ride with over 2000m ascent will be etched in my mind forever - the first 40km, is the best riding one could ever imagine, going down into the Umkomaas Valley and then the hardest 60km ride out the valley to the Day 2 rest camp.But wow, it was worth every minute of the almost 8 hours that we spent out there....the photos don't really do the views any justice.

Beautiful Umkomaas Valley

Yes those are clouds down there....we were really high and we rode all the way down to the bottom.

Hard sublime tracks all the way down...

Bit of congestion before Heaven or Hell track..

So there was loads to eat at the water points...

Route profile for Day 2 - that is a lot of climbing after 40km

Adam tearing up the Umkomaas valley decent track

 The long hill to the 'Nandos' water point, my legs will remember for ages, it was so nice to get off the bike and have a Nandos burger and relax in the shade for 20 minutes or so until my body could continue and tackle the next 'Push of a Climb' hill...

Our cozy tent in the macadamia tree orchard...

Day 3 - 75km at least this day was shorter and faster than the previous day so our bodies could recover and we could enjoy the last day of this incredible journey. There was a lot of fast downhill mixed with some really testing climbs. The scenery was once again out of this world...

So much single track you just couldn't help but smile all the time....

View of the sugar cane hills we climbed

Vernon Crookes climb

At the top of Heart Rate Hill

Really happy tired boys at the finish line...

Mark and Adam at the finish

 What a fantastic experience, I definitely want to do this one again, it was hard but incredible. We were not racing but rather enjoying the ride as much as we could, nevertheless a long time in the saddle 17 hours 21 minutes over 3 days (but at least we beat over 400 people). After the race Greg, Mark, Adam and I were fortunate enough to stay with Greg's parents for the evening and be fed some fantastic food that I will also remember for years to come. Thank you Mr and Mrs Heunis for your hospitality it really is much appreciated. We went down to the beach and had a nice swim in the sea followed by a few well earned beers.

Tradional swim in the sea after the race...