Guilty blog from the lame blogger..

So after 7 odd years later after my first blog post in February 2009 I have become a blog slacker. Life has overtaken me and the time to reflect on my MTB memoirs is sadly reduced. Never a less lots has happened since my last blog post. I have had some fantastic rides (most of them involving a voluntary coffee stop) and witnessed some incredible feats in this wonderful sport of mountain biking. 

Everest challenge 2016 - I went and supported Becky and Sean on their amazing feat of riding the same ascent as it would be to climb Mount Everest. They chose a hill in Linksfield over a 30 hour period (against adverse weather conditions) they climbed almost 9000 meters. They did 113 laps up the hill to get the 9000m which was incredibly tough and resilient. I did 10 laps with them and really admire their determination to complete this feat. They are amazing athletes and we are proud to have them as members of the Benoni Rough Riders MTB group. 

Mini Everest that had to be claimed 133 times

Sean, Becky and Rene the Everest conquerors

Everest route was drawn on their car to plot their progress 

Tired Champs after 30 hours slogging uphill

November was 94.7 road race month and I had a few rides to train for this. Not as many as I should of and I was a little under prepared once again. We had a great group ride out at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve with the Apricot Tree charity group. Pretty hot ride with temps hitting 40 degrees Celsius - always a tough ride with loads of climbing. Sean was not riding after his Everest challenge the weekend before and brought the trailer and gas cooker to provide refreshments for the riders once they completed the route. Was really awesome - the nose cone of his trailer was filled with ice and packed with beers and cold drinks - these went down extremely well. 

One of the many 'training' rides followed by coffee and breakfast (Marco and Mark with no cash to pay the bill) 

94.7 road race 2016 was another awesome race. Once again I did this race with Wayne on our mountain bikes. We started at 7 o'clock and had a great chilled ride. Wayne had to wait for me on a few of the hills as my body had not yet recovered from the few days of drinking an eating I had subjected it to in Cape Town a few days before. The route this year was a lot better with us going around Kyalami race track instead of the inner city. Great ride once again representing the Apricot Tree school charity. Awesome support from the school with refreshments and massages once we crossed the finish line. 

Me and Wayne at the start of the race

At the finish - just over 4hours in the saddle

OK this is the end of the blog post - hoping for some long rides in December and will post more I promise. 

Start of new things...

So almost three months after Sani 2 Sea I have got my new frame and am in the process of spraying all the old parts from my existing bike that would need to go onto the new frame (seat post, crank and handle bars). Hopefully my next blog post will be about my new bike - I am so excited and can't wait.  In the mean time I have been limping around on my old frame - trying to be extra careful that the compromised frame (frame is 2 inches shorter at the seat post clamp) does not snap completely. 

Compulsory portage over a river crossing at the Witklip MTB race

A couple of Saturdays ago Wayne and I did a new race at Bronkorspruit call the Witklip MTB race. It was a cold winter's morning reaching -4 degrees outside the car on the way there. It was also the first time I could use my new car (I got a brand new Hyundai Tuscon) to go to a race. This car is a SUV so it is higher off the ground then a normal sedan car and therefore great to ride on dirt roads and park in grassy fields for MTB races. The race was awesome - bedsides the fact that we had to wait 1/2 an hour to collect our race numbers in the cold before the start of the race. Also because of the delay at the start we had to start at the back of the race and had a couple of hundred cyclists ahead of us. There was loads of single track so we had to be very patient in the race and we slowly passed a lot of the riders but we knew we could never do a good time and just resigned ourselves to enjoy the new route. Wayne and I rode together and the route was great - I anticipated just district roads next to the mealie fields but in fact it was about 70% single track (a lot if it was purpose cut). We finished the 50km route with ease and saw Yvonne (one of the girls on the Benoni Rough Riders group) at the finish - she was the first lady home and also won the QOM spot prize also which was an incredible feat. 

Wayne and I at the finish 

New car which makes getting to races much easier 

August we are fortunate enough to have two public holidays - which means more time to spend on the bike. On the 3rd of August (holiday because of municipal elections) a bunch of 12 of us headed out to Big Red Barn near Irene.  This was a great 90km ride with a great group of people with a compulsory coffee at the half way mark, here are the Strava stats for this ride. 

Yesterday we did our first Apricot Tree 94.7 road race training ride. It was a pleasant ride with some awesome people however it reminded my of why I don't road bike anymore. The cars and trucks on the roads are too hectic and I am not too comfortable especially as I had a tangle with a car earlier this week. A lady went through a stop street and rode straight towards me (it was dark and I had my light on). I tried my best to get out the way but her side mirror clipped my handle bars. She was a bit shaken and confused saying she just rode towards the light - even though I was (oncoming) on the other side of the road. Close call but fortunately everything was fine on my side.  

The other reason I don't road bike - punctures (Sean fixing Becky's tyre)

My new frame and the start of a new era in my riding :-)

94.7 x 2 for the Apricot Tree

2015 is a milestone year for me as I have raced in some awesome new races and also not been in hospital once :-) It was also the first time that I also did the double in the 94.7 race - doing the mountain bike race and then the road race in 2 consecutive weekends. It was my first 94.7 MTB race, as I have normally avoid this  race because of the bottlenecks and bad routes etc... This is one case, when the organisers have learnt from their previous mistakes (unlike the Nissan series) and this event was extremely well run and the route was awesome. There were 2 completely different routes for the 30km and the 55km distances so you never had to worry about other slower riders not doing the same distance. I was pleasantly surprised by the route and the amount of purpose built single track that was in the 55km route. 

Me kicking up some dust followed by Hansie

I did the race with Hansie one of my fellow Benoni Rough Riders which was a great experience. Below is a video he took on his Garmin of a me following a female rider and stopping when she fell down a short drop off. She really came down hard and landed on her face. We stopped to help her until her boyfriend came back to assist her and wait for the medics. There were quite a few nasty falls in the race, given the hot, dry conditions and all the loose soil. 

I also had the misfortune of wiping out. I rode into some thick river sand and my bike came to a sudden halt ejecting me over the handle bars. Unfortunately I landed on my front wheel buckling it so badly that it couldn't rotate anymore. I thought my race was over when this happened 15km before the end  of the race. Fortunately, Hansie came to my rescue and took the wheel off my bike and managed to sort of straighten it on a tree stump so I could finish the rest of the race. This worked out to be quite costly as I had to buy a new DT Swiss rim as it was impossible to straighten out my old one. I enjoyed the race even though there were plenty of hills and it was very hot and dusty.   

Hansie and I at the end of the race, trying to cool down...

The next Sunday, I finished my 7th Momentum 94.7 road race. I once again did the race on my mountain bike which is a lot more fun (and safer) but just a bit slower. I also did the race with a friend (and fellow Rough Rider) Wayne and it was great sharing this experience with him and to have someone to chat to for the 95km route. I rode for The Apricot Tree  which is a Public Beneficiary Organisation (PBO) and is involved in the stimulation and development of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was a privilege riding for them once again, as it really is a great organisation with some incredible people involved in running it and raising money. I managed to raise R25,000 after getting sponsorships for the 94.7 race from my friends, family, work colleagues and the company that I work for MultiChoice. I was pretty chuffed with the money that I raised and happy to see that it be put to good use to offer more to the children that they help. 

Selfie with Wayne and I shortly before we set off on the race

Start of the Momentum 94.7 road race

Benchwarmers get out in the cold and wind. Today I managed to get Paul and Greg out for a chilly and windy ride. They have been warming the bench on the sidelines whilst the rest of us have been riding. It was great to have them back out there and hopefully we will see more of them as winter is long gone and the excuses have run out ;-)

Greg and Paul on a cold and windy 'summers day'

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 

Racing against time.......

There are 2 meanings to the heading of this post: Firstly I am running out of time before my Berg & Bush stage race next month (need to up the training intensity) and secondly I have been riding with a younger version of me (my son Caiden). It has been a very diffferent month of riding as I have managed to spark some interest in my 13 year old son to ride with me on the weekends. We would ride out to the Benoni plots and stop for a coffee and a muffin before returning home (28km round trip). Awesome bonding time to spend with my son (with having 4 children it is sometimes difficult to spend individual time with one sibling). He even did a couple of races - the first was a 15km race which he did with his friend - whilst I did the 44km race (I came 22nd out of 90 riders) and the second was a 20km race which we did together. The latter was an awesome experience, we did the Witpoort Primary School MTB race out in the miellie fields near Bapsfontein. Really awesome to share the great outdoor experience with my son. Also it was an interesting start as it had to be delayed by 10 minutes so a herd of cows could pass down the road (and we had to pass the herd twice in the race). 

Caiden on our coffee ride

Caiden and his mate at the finish of the 15km race. 

The herd of cows obstacle that we encountered in our 20km race

Tired young man but still smiling

The idea was to then do a 35km race with my son but unfortunately we had our first summer rains and the route was extremely muddy so I did the race alone - Transvaal Galvanisers MTB race. It was a great race despite the conditions and it even had a floating bridge. I managed a respectable 23rd out of 85 entrants for the 50km race which was shortened to 37km because some of the route was unrideable. Few more weeks until my stage race experience in the Berg so time to bite the bullet and do some longer, harder and more technical rides. 

So there was water as well as mud...

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!!!!!

Best 94.7 yet...

Last weekend I participated in my 6th Momentum 94,7 Cycle Challenge and as the title says above, it was my best one yet. Ok lets clarify that statement a bit - it wasn't my fastest time (click here for my stats of the ride) but the most enjoyable. This year, I decided to do it differently, firstly I rode for a cause - The Apricot Tree (a school for special needs children in Benoni) where I raised some money for this charitable cause and secondly I did the race on my mountain bike instead of my road bike.

I decided not to race the 94.7 this year but instead rode it to enjoy it. I knew I would not be able to beat my best time of last year (3:11) as I was not fit enough because of all my injuries (and the route had changed). So why not go out on my MTB which would be much harder and slower, but a lot more enjoyable. It was so great to ride the race and not race it, I managed to ride at a decent pace and left plenty in the tank for the last 20kms. The MTB is also a lot safer, I saw a lot of accidents and even had a tandem fall in front of me when we went through a paved traffic circle near the end in Steyn City, I had to brake really hard not to ride over the women that landed in front of me. I later heard that she was admitted to hospital with a broken scapula, clavicle and 3 fractured ribs.

The start of the race, Wayne already leaving me behind on the first hill

 

At the finish with a well deserved medal and coke...

All in all it was a really great race, I really enjoyed it. I managed to finish in a respectable time of 03:57 and was not exhausted afterwards. In fact I had plenty left at the end to fly past all the roadies on the last few hills and was the chief motivator in helping a lot of people forget about their pain whilst listening to my ridicule. It was also good to ride for a cause (the Apricot Tree) and in the true spirit of the race. I managed to raise R3500 in sponsorship funds and know that this really goes to a very worthwhile cause.

Wayne and I before the start.in our Apricot Tree kit