Back in the mielies

So after a fantastic holiday it is back to the Benoni flatland's, chasing dust in the mielie fields. I have had some great rides last Saturday (77km) and again today (75km). Weather has turned and at last there are clear skies and great summer days. Today I had the privilege of leading a group of 10 riders out for a mielie field, train track dash. The group split at 40km after Dee had a tumble, hitting the ground really hard and she and her hubby, Adriaan decided to head home (and 3 others joined them). This left Roy, Mandy, Nadine and Gary and myself to go hill hunting. The rest of the ride was awesome, fantastic ride with good company. Everyone had a good laugh when I was crossing a dry stream bed and my front wheel hit the rise on the other side with comical effect. My bike stopped dead and the back wheel rose up at 90 degrees and I stayed there for a while before crashing to the ground.

Vlakfontein single track...

Summer holiday

I was fortunate enough to spend 9 glorious days on the Northern Coast of KwaZulu Natal with my family. This holiday was a long time coming and it was really awesome to share this experience with my wonderful wife and kids. As per usual my trusty mountain bike was the first thing to be packed and I managed to go on a few incredible rides. It is really thrilling to go and explore new areas and find the best routes or places to ride. We stayed in a small resort/town called Tinley Manor and this secluded little village had loads of open sugarcane fields to explore when I got the opportunity to head out. I really enjoy exploring and venturing out into the great unknown, the terrain is very different from where I stay and there are loads of hills. The riding was really fantastic, below are some of the pictures of my adventures.

Early morning sunrises were fantastic

Riding back to Tinley Manor (in the background) this lagoon stopped my route

Sugarcane fields

I came round a corner and wiped out in the soft sand

Holla Trails - just north of Ballito there is some of the best riding one could experience. I was blown away by my first experience at Holla Trails, I was a bit nervous about going there by myself as I had now idea of what route to ride etc... Fortunately the guys I parked next to took me in an insisted that I ride with them. These guys (Allan, Pete and Ken) were amazing, veterans of Holla Trails and they showed me all the best bits. 

 

Besides sugarcane, there is plenty of single track, forests etc

Yours truly

Well deserved coffee afterwards

was great having Pete behind me warning me of all the sharp climbs

 More exploring the sugarcane fields near Tinley Manor....

My best photo, great riding and great views

First summer ride

First ride in the last few months that the second layer of clothing is not required to keep frost bite off the exposed limbs. Lovely sunny weather, I am so chuffed summer is finally here. Today I had a great chilled ride out into the farmlands. I started off on my own and then met 2 guys (Ian and Warren) on route and asked to join them (safety in numbers etc...). I sort of took over their ride and achieved my goal of doing over 70km (I think they were not planning to go as far as they did but were chuffed with the routes I showed them). The pace was moderate as I was riding at their pace and it was good not gunning it all the time. 

What we saw on this ride: 

We saw a black backed jackal racing ahead of us when going down the service road next to the railway line and a mongoose chilling in the sun a few kms later. Plenty birds, horses, cows, sheep and yes a few other bikers. 

After splitting from Ian and Warren at Dunblane horse estate, I opened up for the chase home and managed to take a King of the Mountain (KOM) crown on one of the Strava segments - Pre Balls to the Wall.  Here are the details of my ride on Strava. 

Enough now - get out of here winter

So just when I thought summer was on its way we have had some really crappy weather the past 2 weekends. Last Saturday I took part in the 66km Auto Alpina Springs Mountain Bike Challenge. The race took place just outside Springs and Nigel and we started in freezing and windy conditions. Besides the weather this was a great race, the route was fairly flat with a few hills that surprised me. 20 odd kms into the race, with the wind being really hectic, I made friends with 2 guys - Greg and Kev and we took turns riding in front shielding the other 2 from the wind (well some of the time). We passed Renier a couple of times as he had a few punctures but he quickly caught up and passed us again. The three of us stuck together for the rest of the race and the chirping/banter made the unpleasant conditions bearable.

Renier being 'safe' while riding

The only issue that I had with this race is that we had to use our 'road bike' timing chip (Champion Chip) and I saw some people did not ride with one (even though they told you at registration). This is unheard of in MTB races and normally you have number boards that either have chips in them or they scan them when you go over the finish line. Fortunately I brought mine with (after being alerted via Jacques on our MTB group) and ended up finishing in a time of 3:15. What shocked me was the results afterwards, I was recorded as finishing in 16th place overall and 3rd in my category. Not sure what to think, it is an awesome result (my best ever) but I keep wondering if there were any people ahead of me without Champion Chips.

Roy with Jacques eating his dust behind him :)

Yours truly gun-ing against the wind

Today the weather was even worse, with temperatures plummeting to lows of around 0 degrees. I went on a nice solo ride out into the farmlands. Sometimes it is nice to ride by yourself as you can explore and play around a bit. I managed to find a few new tracks that I had not ridden before and also when exploring into a farmers field I got chased by 2 very irritated dogs. I managed to do 60km in slightly cold and windy weather - well what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Come on summer I miss you so bad. Below is a lovely sunrise I took on one of my morning rides - nothing better then watching a great sunrise when others are sleeping boy I love cycling.

Rule #9

If you have ever read Velominati - The Rules of Cycling you will understand the what I am on about. We had long since passed Rule #5 by going out on a public holiday when the weather was really looking shocking. Little did we know that the weather would really turn on us and make this ride one of the most memorable rides ever (for all the wrong reasons). I joined Roy, Mandy, Werner, Natasha, Mark, Jess, Becky, Jay and Bevan for a group ride. Roy took us on some new routes that I had not ridden before - we went out to Sentrarand and then back via the train tracks. Half way though the ride the wind really started blowing and then the rain came. This I can honestly say, was one of the hardest rides I have ever done, by the time I got home (after riding 70km) I was completely wet to the bone and frozen solid. Here are my Strava stats for the ride - whoohoo I got one KOM.

Here are a few photos of the group when we stopped for a puncture (before the rain and wind set in)...

Jess and Becky

Roy tackling his tube

Aaah so that’s what a cyclist brain looks like!!!

Safety in numbers...

Great ride last Sunday organized by George, there were 11 other passionate mountain bike riders and I had the esteemed opportunity to lead them on some of the routes that Greg, Mark, Adam and I had pioneered before. It was great to be riding in such a big group for the first time, especially after hearing about another bike jacking near the R21 highway on the previous day (close to where we rode).

 

We met at the BP garage and then headed out past Dunblane, past the quarry, brick works and back via Serengeti. My Strava stats for the ride are on this link. Another highlight was the brief coffee stop at the end of the ride, great to spend time with like minded souls intertwined with the fantastic sport of cycling.  The group was a great fit as all of the riders were at the same level and we never really had to wait for people to catch up. What a fantastic experience to meet new people and to also be given that mantle of route director - thanks George for you efforts in organizing these group rides - they are a lot safer and social.

The group dazzled by the early morning sun..

Christi wondering why the pace is so slow...

 

Beautiful parts of the East Rand where a house can not be seen anywhere

Time for a quick stop to fuel up.

 

Coffee stop pic 1 - spot Gary's racing strips on his forehead

Coffee stop pic2

 

Back to basics

So after a few weeks of eating and drinking toooo much I decided to get back into riding again. The cold weather has definitely been a joy kill. I had a great business trip overseas to England and France and the weather was amazing, hot days and sun only setting at 10 at night. Coming back home, it is difficult to face the cold morning air, for early morning rides before work. Nevertheless I have committed to do at least 3 rides per week. Today Adam and I went out for a great ride out into the Benoni outback, phew my legs were tired, cant believe how quickly I have lost the little fitness that I had. Here are the stats for my ride.

Oh!! the past few weeks have been enthralling, 3 weeks of closely watching the Tour De France 2013. It has been amazing, those guys are just incredible athletes. I have been cheering for Chris Froome (as he is an African and was educated here in Johannesburg). He will win the 100th Tour De France today and I can't wait as I have been wearing my Sky shirt that I got in London for the past few days and it is beginning to ripen...

On a more serious note, I heard when I got back from my ride today that a mountain biker was knocked over and killed close to where we rode. Really sad news and my thoughts are with his family. RIP.

Impey you biscuit

Wow how awesome it is to have the first South African Daryl Impey to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour De France. As South Africans we are so very proud of this moment and what makes it even better is that Daryl went to the same school as me, Jeppe High School for Boys. Lets hope he can keep the yellow for a few days.

Battle of the burrs...

Fantastic ride today with a good bunch of people and some warmer weather. I joined Juan, Val, Terry, Tony and Renier for a ride out into the 'outback of Benoni', chasing a few hills and coming back via the train tracks. The route was great with a challenging short drag and some great new single track down the other side. We stopped at the top of the hill and Tony has us laughing when he sat down to take off his leg warmers and sat on a bunch of burrs and was covered all over. He then took his shoes off and was hoping around as his socks also got covered. These burrs are really difficult to take off as they stick to everything.



The battle of the burrs...

I had to keep a close eye on Renier as he was trying to take some of my Strava segments, so there were a few stages of chasing his back wheel. Near the end of the ride we met up with Richard and Bruce at a new restaurant (at the end of the Vlakfontein single track) for a great cappuccino and my first ever breakfast pizza (Tony spent most of the time still picking the rest of the burrs off his clothes....). Here are the Strava details of my ride.

The group relaxing after a great ride.

Jaaging in the mielies

So it has been a month since our epic Sani adventure. Before Sani I think I was the fittest I have ever been and it is amazing how quickly you lose that edge. Coming back home it has been difficult to get back into training again, as we have no events in the near future. Not to mention that winter has descended on our fair lands and it is extremely difficult to dress up like a Michelin man and go out in the freezing cold. I seem to only manage maybe one or two early morning rides during the week and our valiant group of 10 mountain bikers has now been reduced to Mark and I (and sometimes  Greg2). Mark and I have found a good incentive to brave the freezing cold we stop for a nice coffee at the new Mug and Bean outlet situated at the Total garage on Altas road.

Mark at our coffee stop, average temp for this ride was under 2 degrees

Jack Frost has added a bit of nip in the air

After a few weekends of very limited riding I really had to get out there and test the boundaries of my declining fitness. I joined the group of like minded mountain bikers at the BP garage on chilly Sunday morning. There were about 20 riders, some were doing a long ride to Big Red Barn mountain bike track, near Irene and a few other doing a shorter dash in the mielie fields. I decided to stick to the shorter route because of time restraints (and BRB route would be over 100km ride for me and I am not sure I was up for that just yet). We had an awesome ride out into the mielie fields, initially there were 6 of us but Ryan turned back after awhile as his legs were shot from the ride the day before. Renier, Jess, Dee and Adriaan ended up dashing (Jaaging) in the mielie (corn) fields, nice fast exhilarating tempo. Was really great to be out there and riding in the wide open spaces with great company. I ended up doing over 70km here are the stats from my Garmin.

Great way to finish a winter ride is to have a nice warm cappuccino

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)....

 

One week to go....

So in one weeks time we will be heading out to Underburg to start our epic journey to the sea on pristine single track. Wow I can't wait. Am I prepared? Ummm yeah I think so, much better then last year at least. My riding this week started with a nice early ride on Wednesday, we had a great 77km spin out into the Benoni outback via the train tracks etc...I managed to get one Strava - King of the Mountain (KOM) crown on the ride. For the ride stats click HERE 

 

Today was my last big ride for my Sani2C preparation. It was truly a memorable ride because I met some great new like minded people and did a hard 90 odd km ride with them. Rebbecca and I got into contact via Strava and Twitter and then arranged a ride today from Benoni to Modderfontein Central Park Trails MTB park and back. Greg and Adam sent early morning sick notes but Mark man-ed up and joined Rebbecca, Juan, Craig, Jason, Jessica, Kevin and I. Great to ride with new people (although I have known Craig for years) and some of them are also riding Sani2C next week. The pace was fast and I pushed myself till the legs burned hoping that I will reap the benefits of this effort when climbing out of the Umkomaas valley. For the ride stats click HERE

The group at the end of the tussle with the dirt track..

Welcome customary stop at the garage for a coke and food...