Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve ride 31st July

After a few weeks messing around in the flat wasteland of the Benoni outback it was time again to venture to the hills at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. It was a chilly start -2 when we got there at 7 but as soon as the sun rose, it warmed up nicely.

Clint could not join us today to be our tour guide, as he was bailing his Garden Executive out of jail. Greg and me were fortunate to be joined by my work colleague Malcolm - real tough guy after doing the Iron Man and Comrades last year. 

It was a fantastic ride, we were the first riders to hit the road and it worked in our favour as we saw tons of game - herds of zebra, eland, wilderbeest, impala, baboons and a colony of meerkats. At one stage whilst I was in front going down a hill at 60km/h an eland gazelle ran across the road and I had too hit the brakes or else I would have come off second best.

Below are a few snippets off my headcam of the ride - the first part is when I was speeding down a hill at 72km/h (my best time on a mountain bike) when Malcolm shot past and the unclipped his feet and was vertical for the best arodynamic positon - all I can say that he is one crazy bugger...

1200 metres of climbing in just over 57km, really good tester for the legs. We managed to do it 5 minutes quicker than last time.

Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve ride 3rd July

Wow, we arrived in Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve just before 7 on a chilly morning with the temperature outside the car at -5 degrees. Not knowing what to expect Greg and me eagerly followed Clint on our first ride around the reserve. Clint said it would be tough and it sure was - 1200m of climbing in 57km. There were no flats like we are used to riding in the outskirts of  Benoni, it was either up or down. It was a fantastic yet painful experience, the reserve was lovely we saw lots of game and there road was pretty much only used by cyclists. Our legs took a hamering and I used all 30 of my gears. Great to have Clint as our guide - he let us know in advance what to expect and was supportive all the way.

After a cappuccino to warm us up, the boys are ready to go.



Yup one of the 'small hills' we were down there at one stage..(you can see Clint isn't sweating yet)



At least the views were good near the top of the climb

Greg didn't care about the view here.



Edited a few minutes of the ride on the headcam below..

Nissan Hazeldean MTB Series race 25th June 2011

Only crazy dedicated mountain bikers would get ready for a race when it is minus one outside...brrrr. Up early to be collected by Greg by 05:45, wearing a few more layers of clothes then normal. Greg arrived looking a nice green colour, as he had already vomited up the previous nights dinner. Fortunately Pretoria was one or two degrees warmer than Benoni, but it was still freezing whilst we set up our bikes and headed out to the start of the race.

Before heading to the start at 1 degree celsius

Greg was in group E (after giving up his A status in the 40km race) and Clint and myself were in group G - which started at 08:00. And off we went - I managed to keep up with Clint for the first 5km on his 'training ride' and then my heart rate monitor was beeping like crazy, so I slowed it down. At 10km there was Greg on the side of the road, now a darker shade of green as he had just done another huge projectile deposit next to the single track. We had a quick chat and he told me he was heading back as he couldn't keep anything down - eish how unlucky.

A few km's later came my nemesis the dreaded bridge that I had been dreaming about. The 9m wooden bridge was crossing a river and there was a drop off and climb on the other side - I hesitated whilst going down and braked which sent me over the handle bars and landing square on the bridge (ok I am getting better as I fell into to the water off 2 bridges last year :-). My tool canister plopped in the water and bobbed down the river, I waved goodbye to my tubeless repair kit, bombs and multitool etc as there was no way I was going into the freezing water.

The rest of the race was hard - the cold wind was terrible and with the fall my confidence had taken a major knock, so I walked a lot of the technical stuff. I was also more carefull than normal as I did not want any punctures with my repair kit on its way to the sea. I switched on my headcam after 56km and got about half an hour of footage - below is a few minutes of what was recorded. There was some fantastic single track on the race that left me in awe well into the night.

This race wasn't my race, I was cold and my energy levels were just not there - so many people went past me like I was standing still. Eventually after 4 and 1/2 hours I trundled over the finish line - poor Greg was there to greet me after waiting for the past 3 odd hours, not feeling good at all (thanks you are a good mate). At least I managed to get some bling to take home, so I can remember this race and the challenge it threw my way. Well on the positive at least I got my value for money and was on the route longer than others.  

After a 70km slog I deserve a medal....

P.S. I think I owe Jacques a bike wash

Father's Day 19th June

What better way then to spend father's day riding than on my mountain bike. I was woken up at 05:00 with the dog chunking next my bed just to remind me that being a father does not stop with my 4 kids. Got up and made a fire to take off the chill while I waited until it was time to hit the road.

Needed to take this with me on the bike this morning.

After receiving a message from Clint that the flu had chained him to his bed, I met Greg at the gym and then Jaques, Hennie and Karen at the BP. The weather was slightly nippy but warmed up as we rode, we did a pleasant ride, a little slower and shorter than expected but it was awesome to be out in the great outdoors. We split up from Jaques and Karen at one stage, but got called back as Karen had a flat and did not have a spare tube. Below are the knights in shining armour quickly putting the new tube in her wheel.

Nice ride and back home in time for a breakfast with the kids and braai for lunch. Did 50km exactly at just under 20km/h, ave heart rate a low 130. Think I am ready for the Nissan Hazeldean race next weekend - can't wait.

Guess I will have to ride a bit harder to work off some of these father day presents....

MTB Skills Clinic with Dylan Victor

Friday the 17th of June was a good day to be off work and riding my bike in one of the best bike parks in South Africa - Groenkloof/Fountains. I was fortunate enough to have been bought a couple of lessons with Dylan Victor by my 2 friends Melt and Pierre (guess they were worried about me after 3 trips to the emergency rooms in the last year).

Melt was Dylan's partner for 2 ABSA Cape Epics and knew how knowledgeable he was with mountain bike skills (he trains a lot of the professional riders). This was my second lesson and it was incredible how much I learnt, you realise that it is all about positioning, momentum and weight distribution on the bike. Dylan is a brilliant teacher and really installs confidence in you and knows exactly how to improve your riding skills. Greg came with me and also partook in parts of the lesson, so I am sure he will be reminding me of what I learnt over the next few weeks/months/years of riding.

Below are a few photos taken by Dylan during the lesson, as you can see I have learnt to lean into corners, straightening and putting pressure on the outside leg and also crouching forward allowing flexibility with the arms etc.  

 



Dylan after the lesson

This was an incredible experience and I would recommend to every mountian biker to go on a skills course to get the fundamentals of riding. No, this will not stop you from falling (I had at least 4 big falls during the lesson) but it will limit the number and the type of falls you have. A big thank you to my friends Melt and Pierre who made this possible for me.

Sunday MTB ride 12-06-2011

At last the cold spell is over and we can come out of hibernation and put some time in the saddle and not freeze our nuts off. Greg and me met up with Clint at the BP at 07:30 and it was a beautiful day for riding. We headed out past Dunblane Estate and then past Barnstormers model flying club.

Unfortunate stop for my #@$%^&* rear tyre that flated again - couple of bombs and a plug soon sorted it out. I also lost a screw for my cleat and envisaged an awkward ride home - Greg managed to find something that could fit in and secure the cleat and we were back in business. All three of us had a fall each - I think Greg won the trophy for the best one, as he ended up in a puddle and got a bit wet. I managed to get some of the ride in a video below.

Another awesome ride 63km total distance, ave speed 20km/h, ave heart rate 154bpm, 355m ascent.
Greg rode like he had a plane to catch (which he did - Nigeria for a few days), guess I will have to brave the cold and dark alone for the morning rides...

Group Mountain Bike Ride 4th June 2011

Brrrr cold start to an early Saturday morning ride, I left home at 06:20 to meet Greg at the gym at 06:35. My Garmin was showing me it was 2 degrees Celsius, my new gloves and inners were doing their job, but my face was freezing (being the only exposed area). I picked up Greg and headed off to the BP to meet Clint and the gang. Greg sent me loads of SMSs and a missed call trying to try bail out of the ride (his week in Kenya left him with a Delhi belly), fortunately these were ignored and he joined us anyway.

Was a nice group ride, 7 of us in total and from home and back it was just under 50km. Below is a short video of parts of the ride.

Sun 22nd and 29th May Rides

Sunday 22nd May was another awesome ride - we met Clint and Dee at the BP at 07:00 and then did the same route as the previous Wednesday ride. You think we would have learnt - still loads of mud and water and we all got our feet wet again (Clint did a nice dodge on the last big puddle - choosing the tar instead, in his words "if you can't beat them then cheat")

Unfortunately I forgot to clear the last video off my head cam so I only has some space for a few minutes filming of the ride (pity cause there were some good water crossing shots).

All in all a good ride I felt strong, maxed out my heart rate a few times, we did 68km at a relatively quick pace given the mud and water. Nice to ride with Dee and Clint - great people and strong mountain bike riders even if they are converted roadies....

Sunday 29th of May - brrrr been really the last few days, Greg and me chickened out of riding on Thursday morn because of the wind and the sudden cold spell. We started our Sunday ride with our Garmins reading only 3 degrees, our fingers and toes feeling the brunt of the cold. Different route this Sunday - out past the model aircraft flying club and up the small koppie. Good to do some hills, the route in some parts was overgrown, so we had to do some real mountain biking - our leg warmers covered in black jacks.

In total 64kms at 19.5km/h average speed, both of us a bit tired at the end but it was memorable.

Vote day....18th May

Wednesday the 18th of May was a public holiday in South Africa which means a day off work - oh what to do, oh what to do....

How about a nice mountain bike ride and then vote later. Once this was decided and Greg was keen (as always), plans were made - wait a tweet from The Saint (Clint) saying they were meeting at  the BP a 07:00 for a ride. Scrap the plans and lets join Clint and his group for a ride. Having never met Clint before this seemed like a great opportunity - it is amazing how technology can connect people with similar interests - Twitter is awesome. 

Greg and me met Clint, Jacques, Hennie, Mark and Karen at the BP and we then went on a nice muddy and sometimes wet outride. It was really great to be around other like minded people that ride at a similar pace. It was really fun chatting to new people and sharing our ideas, thoughts and passion for cycling. All in all, a great ride - from home and back it was just under 70km with an average speed of 19.5. Good thing is, that they meet every weekend so I am sure we will see more of them.

Good week of riding...

It has been so good to be on leave the last week. I have managed to ride 5 times and averaged over 50km per ride. Greg had 8 rides and did over 400kms in total - I will be playing catch up the next few rides. Unfortunately I had a few problems with my rear tyre that messed up 2 of my rides and I even had to get a lift home from my wife the one ride - plenty of side wall cuts (5 plugs couldn't fix it). Seems like the Continental Race Kings recently put on the back, are not the greatest (time to put the Hutchinson's back on). The 2.4 Mountain Kings on the front are a bit heavy, but have plenty of grip when climbing up hills - who am I kidding we don't have real hills in the East Rand.

The weather has not been too kind, loads of rain which means water and mud. The crunch crunch of the working parts after a few hours of mud will make any mountain biker cringe. Today we did a 67km ride that was going well until my @#$%^&* rear tyre went flat again, a few bombs and visit to the garage helped me limp home. Here a a short video of parts of the ride I did with Greg and Justin.

2nd May route through the Benoni outback...

 2,530 km done over the last 4 months, hope that winter will be kind to us and let us ride at least half  of this....

Kids big race - Walkerville Country Challenge

Wow how proud am I doing this blog, my kids completed their second mountain bike race yesterday at Walkerville - Country Challenge. They did just under 10kms and it was a beautiful route in the mist. This was thier first real mountain bike ride with jeep track, dirt road and single track. There was loads of mud and puddles so this also added to the excitement. I entered the race with them (I really wanted to do the 60km route but as a parent you have to make sacrifices for your kids), unfortunately I flated 4km into the race and had no bombs or repair kit to fix my @$#$%^& back tyre. I managed to convince a bakkie to give me a lift back to the start/finish just after my beautiful children finished the race. They really enjoyed it and are eager to do another one.



Before the start of the race

 

ok some of the hills were tough for the girls...

 

Victory and medals to prove



MUD, Rain and more MUD!!!!

The last few weeks have been quite challenging, it has rained constantly for the past 2 weeks. Greg and me have managed a few short rides in the mornings (which are very dark and cold) and the weekends we have managed a few longer ones with plenty of mud.

On Saturday we joined Justin, Wynand and Garreth (pictured below), Greg and me did almost 60km and we chased a few hill's to get warm and shake off the layer of mud on our bikes. On the ride home going through Government Village (for the second time in a week) Greg rode past a few dogs and they gave him a curious look - but when I came past they barked like crazy and chased after me. Nothing like warm dog breath on your heels to get your heart rate and cadence up. Not having much luck with dogs this year.....


Wynand and Greg

 

Garreth and Justin

Monday 25th of April, Andrew joined Greg and me for a really misty, wet and muddy ride. Visibility was extremely poor and the jeep track was very muddy and slippery. Below is a short video of the fall I had - you can't see much because of the mist, but it was a goody. After dunking the bike in the river we managed to find a Wimpy for a coffee to warm us up.

I downloaded my Garmin today here are my MTB stats for the last 4 months (I got the Garmin as a Christmas present from my beautiful wife). My goal for the next 4 months is to get the average speed over 20kms per hour.
Distance: 2,370.68 km
Time: 126:33:26 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 14,775 m
Avg Speed: 18.7 km/h
Avg HR: 137 bpm
Calories: 88,318 C

Now I just need to find out what supplements Greg is taking as he is riding like a champ....

Route42 race report

Another big milestone in my short mountain biking lifespan has been accomplished: I completed the John Deere Route42 Suikerbosrand classic race yesterday and no, not the short distance but the full 75km race (entered as the 85km but we were fortunately short changed).

I rode with Jacque and Darren the entire distance which was an awesome experience. It made the race a lot more enjoyable as we chatted and chirped the whole way and helped each other out with mechanicals (not to mention the customary stop for lunch under a tree - potatoes, eggs and minute steaks). There was no monotonous battle with yourself and this made the route much more enjoyable. I had a big fall near the beginning - similar to the one at the Epic this year on the following link: (yes you must click on the word)Except I didn't cry so much and nothing was broken besides my pride (nice roasty on the arm and bruised hip).

The route itself was fantastic: loads of jeep and single track with a few climbs mixed with forrests, sand and mud. The water points were great with friendly people and there were marshals at every turn showing you the right way. I was impressed by the helpers that  carried our bikes across the canal crossing and had them ready for us on the other side. Congrats to the organisers.

In summary it was the best and longest race I have done. Our moving time was 4:12 and my average heart rate was 164 beats per minute for the duration of the ride - so we never took it easy.

After the ride (I was leaning on the bike as I couldn't stand properly after my fall)

Human 'Rides' Day 21st March

After a few hard rides in the early mornings last week (05:00 to 06:30) it was nice to have a few days off the bike to recover and increase the shares on the home front. Monday was a holiday in South Africa so me an Greg had an extra day to go and see what damage the recent rain had done to our weekend route.

We did a 50km ride that was very muddy, we came back a few shades darker than we left and our bikes were seriously caked in mud. Below are photos of the bidge that we usually cross that was covered in water (the pallisade fense bearing under the strain) and the road that was completely flooded - looks more like a dam then a road (no we didn't attempt it this time round).

Dunblane MTB outride

Greg and me took the opportunity to ride most of the 60km route that was done the previous weekend's MTB race. It was one of the best rides I have ever been on. I felt strong and the weather and conditions were simply fantastic (only one horse fly bite - urgh!!). We went a very fast pace, a lot faster then some of the shorter rides we have done before, in total we rode for 73km and averaged 22km per hour. We rode past a few MTB riders doing a similar route and I realise just how far I have come in the last 6 months (it must be the 7kgs I have recently lost that makes me a little faster...). This ride made me realise how lucky we are to be living in Africa and to have easy access to great outrides.

I made a short video of the ride to remember the fantastic open space of the great 'beautiful' outdoors, the lyrics of the song are to emphasise this (and my of course my beautiful wife) - there are no Broke Back Mountain connotations here.

Dunblane March Hare MTB race

The evolution of Richard was taken to a higher level when my two girls (Jenna and Erin) entered their first MTB race. As a father I was so proud to see them at the start of the race and then to see them complete the race (well up the field I may add). It is a moment I will cherish for a very long time and I know they will enter and complete many more races through the years and hopefully will love mountain biking as much as I do.

Erin at the finish

Jen giving it all till the end

Last week in Feb

Interesting week the last week of Feb - the fine balance of riding and healing. I didn't have a big week on the bike as the dog bite is still sore and healing slowly.

Tuesday I took the day off work and took the opportunity to use the present that my two friends Melt and Pierre organised for my birthday i.e. MTB skills clinic with Dylan Victor. The lesson was really an eye opener, Dylan is awesome and really knows his stuff, I definitely came away a much better rider. I learnt all about weight on the bike, posture, taking corners correctly, momentum, climbing, descending etc etc.

I also had a couple of gentle rides with my children this week, as I have entered them in a race next weekend. They got up really early (for them at least), to ride with me - below is a picture of them admiring the sun rise.  

Sunday - I went to Groenkloof in Pretoria to test out my newly acquired MTB skills. It was a fantastic ride and besides the fact I did not fall once, I achieved loads of little milestones in having more confidence in some of the technical bits and also climbing the koppie that I struggled with last year.  I saw plenty of game: 2 kudu bulls, a wildebeest, a herd of impala and I almost rode into a few zebra. I got so close to them I could have touched them.



Who put a Zebra Crossing on a MTB track?



I am ready for the next week and hope to spend more time on the bike (giving all dogs a wide berth).

Bite of a dog

Sunday the 20th of February 2011 and my first visit to the doctors emergency rooms for the year. For once it was not a result of falling off my mountain bike. We were riding  next to Serengeti Golf Estate on jeep track, when I saw an unusual  sight - slay dogs pulling carts on wheels. I stopped and chatted to the first cart (she had 8 dogs pulling her cart) and she gave me the run down of the sport (and told me she was getting used to her new disc brakes etc.). Unfortunately when I passed the second cart the lead dog decided to sink his teeth into my calve (twice). It all happened in slow motion and I couldn't actually comprehend that the dog wanted to tear my leg off my body.

I eventually caught Greg and Andrew (they are not as social as me and don't stop to talk to strangers) and they were pretty shocked. Ok, to tell a long story short - we had another 20km to go to home before I headed to the emergency room (on my wife's insistence) and they cleaned and dressed the wounds - they apparently don't stitch dog bites (pic below).



3 nice puncture wounds



I also had my headcam on and made a short video of the ride (including the bite) - excuse the swearing it was pretty painful...

Mitsubishi Valentines MTB Dirt Ride





At 04:30 on Saturday the 12th of Feb 2011 the alarm buzzed and I sprang into action ready for my next challenge - the 67km Mitsubishi Valentines MTB Dirt Ride. Greg and me were joined by Gerry to experience this race in a game reserve outside Pretoria.   We met at my place at 05:00 and Gerry followed Greg and me to the Blue Moonlight Lodge 30 clicks outside of Pretoria. Greg and me were doing the 67km (our longest MTB race yet) and Gerry the 30km.



Greg and Gerry before the race

The race itself was pretty neat, not too hilly, plenty of jeep track with a sprinkle of mud and water thrown in. I had a few falls - once after hitting a hole in a water crossing (complete dunk and messing up yet another BlackBerry) and other times after tredging through muddy patches and not being able to uncleat in time.  There was a nasty little hill right at the end (about 150m in altitude) that punished the legs (I was fortunate to see the profile n the Hub before the race and was prepared for it).  Greg kicked my arse again and was relaxing in a camping chair under a tree when I trundled in (#competitive).

After returning back to the start/finish we found that (Dr) Gerry had already left (we thought because he was doing the shorter distance and had to leave to go back to the hospital etc as he is an Intensive Care Specialist). I only found out later in the day that he had actually had a very bad fall and had broken his scapula and fractured 2 ribs - so his visit to hospital was as a patient this time. He had managed to push his bike to the nearest help and then after seeing the medics, to push his shoulder back in place, he got in his car and drove home - my phone was now water logged so he could not contact me. Gerry we have a new respect for you and wish you all the best in your recovery. 

Cleaner version of yours truly before the layer of mud was applied in the race



Bikes have seen cleaner days....

Weekend rides

Saturday 05-02-2011

Greg and me joined the Procycles bunch on Saturday morning 05:30. Paul or Ian did not make it today so the 9 of us were at the mercy of Cliff to take through the mine dumps. I must admit it was not one of my best rides, there was plenty of fine mine dump sand which was pretty hard getting through and I had loads of falls (5), resulting in a few bruises and cuts. Ok I won't be mocking Greg again for his fall in the last week as karma came back and gave me a fat smack.
Horror - my saddle also fell off at the end of the ride and had to zipped tied back onto the seat post. The ride home was pretty interesting as the zip ties came undone and I had to ride without a saddle for awhile #roughride.

Sunday 06-02-2011

Having done the Emperor Palace MTB race once before you realise that is better to do the route without the 1000 or so people competing for the single track. The day after in fact is ideal as the grass has been cut and the route is pristine. Greg and me had a great time doing the route next to the airport (which is an easy 10km ride from home). There was a bit of mud in places but otherwise the single track and forest ride were awesome.  Below is Greg riding through the septic factory water before going through the tunnel going under the road.

I had my head camera on and made a short video of our ride below: