Sani 2 c Stage Race 14th - 16th May 2015

After Joberg2c I had almost two very restful weeks down in Stellenbosch riding out to new wine estates for coffee and spending the afternoons sat around drinking more coffee at Ride In where I was also staying.  I did do a few efforts leading up to Sani where I was riding again with Yolande De Villiers in Sasol hoping to wake my legs back up.  I felt recovered for Sani but not particularly fresh and bouncy on the bike however nothing would have prepared my for the pain I was to go through on that 1^st stage!!

Day One

Glencairn Farm – MacKenzie Club

79km

We drove to the start glad we were only leaving at 8am in order for the sun to warm the temperature from the fresh 2 degrees it was first thing. Leaving with Batch A I rode flat out in the neutralized zone hanging onto the group.  I battled hard and Yolande had to drop back for me as we entered the first set of single track.  I felt drained and empty and wondered if it was the beetroot juice I’d made yesterday and made a mental note that the day before a stage race is not the time to try new fads!!  The single track was even smoother than in Joberg2c, Farmer Glen having had the team out widening and smoothing out the trails and gone were the dried up cow trodden bumps.  We rode conservatively in Joberg2c as we had a big lead but here there was nothing to lose and it felt great zipping in and out of the trees.  Yolande was convinced the trees were closer in and had a small collision with one just seconds after been told by Justin how fast she was riding.  Yolande never complains though and grabbing her bike she lost no time at all, in fact I only noticed after we’d finished the whole race that her knee was pretty scabbed up.  Over the floating bridge we settled into a group.  Well, I never felt settled, I was glad I had taken the scenery in a few weeks earlier because today I was just following wheels.  I was beating myself up for riding badly but then we saw 2 woman’s team just in front and as we caught and passed them, though my legs were still screaming, I was glad the effort was worth it and realized I wasn’t riding bad, we were just riding fast.  We caught and rode with mixed team Jeannie and Martin Dreyer for a long while and enjoyed the single-track descents a lot.  Despite Sani2c now the largest stage race in the world, the way the races are separated into the Ride, Adventure and Race and each race is batched I saw and heard no one complain about congestion on the trails. 

The new finish up through a few farms allowed us to look around to see no other woman’s team close by and we came in 2^nd to Ariane and Cherise of RECM whom had had a solid first day and finished with our team mates Johan Labuschagne and Yolandi du Toit who came first in the Mixed.  Our other team mates Leana de Jager and Dalene Van Der Leek  came in 6th Woman.  It was by far the fastest I’d ridden a race all year and my legs told me but after a great massage from Jarrad and lots of comfort food in the form of banana bread, Clover Vanilla Milk, crunchies and rusks I felt ready for the Queen stage tomorrow.   

Day 2

MacKenzie Club to Jolivet

99km

Despite a 6.30am start I think I had the record number of over 8 sleep hours in one night in the tent!  After a bowl of oats I got down to the van and found my bike already gone.  Yolande was determined to be on the front line and took our bikes there before 6am.  We laughed a lot about how she must have looked alone in the dark on that line as no one else was there for a long time. 

As soon as the sun rose up we were off racing down towards the single track and down the famous Umkomaas Valley.  The trail splits off to the right and left and while the right had more traffic on its said to be the quicker line and as Yolande was on the right I also stayed there.  Unfortunately the split track caught Candise and Bianca out as Candise went left and then took a wrong turn.  We found Bianca at the bottom of the valley asking everyone if we’d seen her. The descent down was the best I’ve ever done.  We were in a line of riders but moving along at a nice pace and for the first time I can remember the cloud allowed us to descend without been blinded by the sun and also meant there was no mist in the valley either.  By the bottom we had caught our Mixed teammates as well as Jennie andVera and then a lost looking Bianca.   We stayed together until the first water point then after that we were near the front and in and out of the river crossings we pulled away from the others.  I thankfully had much better legs and have always enjoyed this stage with the steep climbs and grinding nature that I find a lot easier than the fast flatter stages.  At one point we saw the RECM girls and got within 30 seconds though once they saw us sneaking up they pulled a gap on us again.  Through the 2^nd water point we decided it would waste too much time filling our bottles and both had a full small one left so instead of Nados burgers and coke we continued with Biogen energy drink and jels.  We didn’t catch onto the girls group though up ‘Push of a Climb’ and both knew descending down the forest without any men for company we wouldn’t catch up now.  Yolande was again a super strong teammate and though at least today I did do some turns at the front she did the lion’s share.  The downhill finish was much appreciated, as was the new spread out venue with lots of chill areas for a social afternoon (and more crunchies).  Johan and Yolandi came in 2^nd a few seconds behind 1^st so keeping their lead and the other Sasol girls came in 6^th. 

That evening for the 2^nd night running we were the audience to the live feed of interviews watched by 10000 and tonight both Yolande and me were involved.  I think I was more nervous than on the start line 12 hours earlier!! 

Day 3

Jolivet – Scottsburgh

84km

Batch A and B started out at 10am in order to let most of the riders get down to Scottsburgh and see the elite riders finish.  As it was one of the elite men racing for the win fell off the floating bridge a few hundred meters before the finish trying to overtake a rider so they did have something exciting in store to watch.  I made the most of some extra sleep and woke to hear batch C ride off at 7am.  We had a relaxed breakfast and even got a warm up in before lining up.  The downhill start was dry and dusty and it was a matter of trusting the riders in front as you couldn’t see the floor. I got stuck behind some riders and then tried to bridge across on a flat section.  I put in so much effort once we hit a hill everyone who was sat on my wheel came whizzing past and I then struggled to recover and dropped a lot of places.  I finally sat in a small group and we caught a big group in front but then I was at the back and having to do intervals out of every bend to keep up.  The group split up gradually which I was glad for, as it was way to big and I happily sat behind one of the buffalo teams (combined weight of 180 ish kg I think) who were motoring along the flat sections.

The stage defiantly went by quicker than in Sani2c and while the legs weren’t quite as sore, we rode the race much more intense not letting up or chatting much at all, especially once we caught Candise and Bianca.  I felt stronger the last 20km than the rest of the race (probably something to do with the can of Red Bull been handed out) and didn’t mind the ‘Three Bitches’ in the last 10km or the short sandy sections before the floating bridge.  As always the bridge did have a bit of sideways movement and with so many spectators it was a bit worrying but we got over dry and over the moon with another 2^nd position and 2^nd overall in best woman’s field ever assembled at Sani2c.   Our time was 10h14.55, 8 minutes down on the winners. Johan and Yolandi had a great day and finished with another win extending their lead on GC with a time of 10h12 and Leana and Dalene, Sasol’s tough cookies finished in Scottsbrough happy and looking strong despite Leana’s suspected fractured ribs from Joberg2c and Dalene’s virus picked up after the Epic.  The men’s race was a tight one with 20seconds separating 1^st and 2^nd going into the last day and was eventually won by Darren Lill and Waylon Woolcock. 

Big respect and congratulations to Ariane and Cherise, I know Cherise dug deep riding with Ariane for three days and heard how fast they were hitting every descent but they both finished without crashes or mechanicals and always with a smile and hug for us at the finish line.  In third was Jennie Stenerhag and Vera Adrian, ahead of Samantha Sanders and Theresa Ralph, followed by Bianca and Candice. It was certainly a privilege been in the mix amongst such a strong field and the friendship I see that builds up amongst our competitors in the men’s and woman’s field is pretty unique to mountain biking.  Though we are all extremely competitive and always want to do our best mountain biking is as much against the environment and conditions as fellow riders and struggling through bad and good days forms a bond amongst us allowing us to finish racing, chat, laugh and consolidate no matter the position we finish. 

Thank you for the second time in the space of a couple of weeks to Farmer Glen, family and crew for another awesome race, groomed trails, massively improved venues and competitive field.  Thank you also to Sasol, Jarryd our masseur, Johan and especially Yolande, my hard as nails partner.  I spent three days in the hurt box and loved the satisfaction and pure exhaustion by the end. I can tell I need a rest but she brought out the best in me and was a great wheel to sit on through the tress and when my legs did buckle on the fast sections.  

Old Mutual Joberg2c 9 Day Stage Race, 24th April - 2nd May

Out of all the races I missed last year Joberg2C was the biggest.  Having won here twice and 2^nd once I have so many fond memories and not only because I've had good results.   The atmosphere is way more relaxed than most races, most riders are here just to finish and waiting at each race venue are hundreds of eager school kids, happy to clean your bike, give you water and clean up after you’ve demolished one excellent meal after another.  Dinner is served by woman from the community and they are all equally happy to help.  Each night we are treated with the comedy trio of Glen, Gary and Craig as they recap the day and tell us what’s in store the next as well as speeches from sponsors, those benefitting from the race coming through and war stories and photos from the day. 

The riding itself is through such vast open landscapes of the Free State to the groomed famous Sani2c trails and varies each day until the sea at Scottsbrough finally is in sight.  Yes, I sound like I’m making an advert for the race but maybe I am as to me it is a race close to my heart and each year at the end I always hope I’ll be back in 12 months time. Here is my blog of the first four days so far:

Day One

Karan Beef near Heidelberg to Frankfort

116km

Always a non race day it suits me that everyone gets the same time as my record of feeling rubbish on the first day meant I could suffer without it mattering!  Leaving Heidelberg we soon had one of few climbs and straight away I lost Yolande de Villiers sight of the Sasol train, my fellow team mates for the race: Yolande de Villiers; my partner and Johan Labuschagne and Leana de Jager, riding mixed.  Luckily at the top the route splits and while most riders headed to the left I went right and soon got Yolande’s wheel back.  Day One is a hard one to ride; you still must get through over 100km of pretty flat but sometimes grueling going while trying not to expend much energy.  Staying in a group helps a lot but the one we were with was shifting along too fast so I dropped off with Leana forcing Yolande and Johan to also drop back.  We got a nicer steadier group and I had a good natter to friends and friends to be over the kms.  The Dragon boats had been replaced by a floating bridge which while pretty unique wasn’t quite the same as all sitting in the boats and rowing across.  The route was very muddy all day thanks to an overnight downpour and the terrain was hard going but soon we were at the third water point and we stopped to have some Karoo meat and marshmallow dipped in condensed milk, a very sweet combination!! At the finish the race took a short detour through the infant school where all the kids were there cheering us on and making us feel like super stars, before finishing at the High School.   Riding for Sasol we have our own campervan and mechanic which is a real bonus for recovery and trusting your bike is 100% when you get on it in the morning for me makes a massive difference to how I ride. 

Day Two

Frankfort School to Reitz Showgrounds

93km

The real race begun in earnest and the start I must say I struggled with for the first 30 minutes.  We rode fast along a jeep track and I seemed to find every big puddle, rut and ‘black’ mud, the kind that sucks you in and doesn’t let go!!  I saw Yolande, Johan and Leana in one line keeping out of trouble and the more I tried to catch them, the more mistakes I made.  I caught back with a big effort once on the open road and after that I was fine.  The pace was fast and our group was a nice size.  Johan sat at the front and a few guys also helped keep the pace up and the km’s flew by.  The 10km of single track near the end followed by passing Larry’s ever expanding wolf sanctuary was the best bit of the day and all four of us came in the finish together, me and Yolande winning the woman’s category, Johan and Leana winning the mixed. 

Day Three

Reitz to Sterkfontein Dam

This morning the Free State gave us a clear sky and with it much colder weather than we’ve had so far and I appreciated a bowl of oats for breakfast.  By 7am we were off in the bight sunshine.  We weren’t cold for long as we were in for another gallop as soon as we hit the dirt road out of town. I could tell straight away Yolande wasn’t comfortable and she said she had one of those days where neither leg wants to work.  That was fine as it was a pretty flat day until Mount Paul and we sat in a slightly slower group where I was able to take in the landscape a little: huge vast open spaces, the feeling of been in the middle of no where, massive corn fields and distant mountains as we neared the dam.  The 4km dam wall provided a strong tail wind thankfully and soon enough we arrived at my favorite camp venue.  Nice and compact, baths so I could have a hot and cold recovery bath and a long table full of sweet treats which has enabled me to write up this blog so far without need of a nap or 2^nd coffee!!!

Day Four

Sterkfontein Dam to Winterton

121km

We had a foggy start this morning as we prepared to move from the Free State into KwaZulu-Natal and we stayed in the camper van as long as possible before venturing out.  The start was soon onto a rough newly laid road full of big stones making it difficult to ride in a big group with so many riders around.  The rolling hills and fast pace split the groups up quickly which was a good things as we climbed up the escarpment and onto Great Wall My China, now in Berg n Bush territory in small groups.  The single track of Sollie’s Folly down is one of my favorites and by the bottom we formed a nice group with Leana and Johan and all was going well until Leana hit a huge ant hill with her pedal on a fast downhill and flew at least 10 meters through the air.  She was crying out and as I got back to her she wasn’t moving and I feared the very least a broken bone.  Someone had a phone to ring the medics and with little else to do Yolande and me left her with Johan and got to the next set of medics to inform them.  We were both very down after that but grateful that some of the group we were with hung back just for some other conversation.  The route had changed a lot since 2 years ago and instead of the steep concrete climb up Spioenkop we climbed round the edge and still got the fantastic single-track descent off it.  After the last feed we had Puff Adder climb and then it was all down hill.  Apart from Yolande taking a brief dip in the river a few kms out we finished without any issues and 12^th team in overall.  The best bit of the day was seeing Leana and Johan ride in only 15 minutes or so later.  Bruised and very sore but with no broken bones and they even held onto their 1^st place on GC!

Stage 5

Winterton to Clifton Prep School

112km

Leana managed to start the day but soon had to pull out with pain in her arm and chest but was slightly consolidated with a ride in the chopper.  We started strong and hung onto the lead group for a fair while.  Once it split we found ourselves with familiar faces.  That’s one of the nice things about this race, every day you end up riding with the same riders until they become friends and you see who is going through good and bad patches. Today was full of long but not too taxing climbs on open roads and views of central Drakensberg we appreciated more because we’d worked for them.  We finished without incident at a new venue at Clifton School. I’ve never seen kids so polite and helpful and they left cookies in the tents and had drawn pictures of bikes dotted all over the smart new hall.  After lunch and a whole hours massage I relaxed outside on the green lawns with a Seattle coffee and my third piece of lemon cake and caught up with some Australian friends; Meg and Nick.  I’d first met Meg back in Trans Alps and then in America and she has some amazing stories from other stage races.

Stage 6

Clifton to Glencairn Farm

98km

To top off a very hospitable venue we were led out of the school grounds by a few kids on their horses.  The mist was thick and the organisers decided to control the start until we were out of it.  We then had a second start up a hill so we went from freezing cold to flat out sprint up hill!  The pace felt very hard on the road and I prayed the long climb would come quickly so we could back off and ride a bit slower.  I was off the group sooner than that though with a flat tire on a fast decent and alone as Yolande was in front of me.   The camera man pulled up as I found my bomb but it wouldn’t seal.  I tried with my other bomb and a plug at the ready but could see no hole and it went flat again.  By then loads of riders had passed and thankfully Paris, a Avis rider who was sick as a dog that day came to the rescue and put my tube in and bombed it in a matter of minutes.  I lost lots of time but it did mean we climbed past loads of riders on the pass and that always makes you feel good!!  We kept the pace ‘steady’ (our word of the week we say to each other a lot when we switch turns at the front which is quite ironic as we’ve been riding as hard as could go most days!)  With 40km to go the real work started with a huge climb then lots more ups and downs.  The last 10km was the hardest finish to the race so far and took forever.  I also fell in a river and while it was nice and cooling down my back I hit my elbow and knee, which wasn’t too pleasant and my last bit of energy in the form of a fruit cake turned into a soggy mess!!  Finally the finish was in sight, a new venue to be used in Sani2c with great views from the dining marquee.   

Day 7

Glencairn Farm to MacKenzie Club

79km

Known as the rest day in Joberg2c but with 6 long days in everyone’s legs a rest day would involve no more than lounging on the sofa for the day!  I battled with the start and went backwards on the first climb.  I dug deep to stay on the wheels, blew on the first uphill single track and dug even deeper to hang onto wheels once back out in the open.  Yolande was super strong thankfully and paced us along until my legs finally clicked into action and we worked our way back up to familiar faces.  Neither of us wanted to ride flat out so we sat in a group and was able to really enjoy the groomed flowing single-track sections amongst the trees and the famous floating bridge.   We travelled through an indigenous forest and for the 4^th year saw no sign of the endangered Cape parrot.  I downed two cups of coke at the last feed before Bowman’s climb; neither of us had managed much more than a quarter of our bottles so it was much needed!  The finish was through a new farm and though still a climb to the finish was a much better end than seeing the road drag up in front of you as was the old route.  The marquee had a great chill area inside where I spent most of the afternoon lounging on sofas, eating banana bread and talking nonsense.

Day 8

MacKenzie Club to Jolivet

99km

The last ‘big’’ day of Joberg2c and in preparation for a long outing for many riders the first batch was let loose at 6.30.  I wasn’t impressed with having to set my alarm that bit earlier, I have got to the stage where the hardest and most unpleasant part of the day isn’t the first few climbs with dead heavy legs but dragging yourself from a warm sleeping back at 5am and pulling on cold lycra!  At least breakfast has been good the whole race with every village making big pots of porridge and hardly any queues.  As the sun came up we set off for the coldest start so far.  Everyone wanted to get to the single track down the Umkomaas Valley first so it was flat out from the go.  We were positioned fine until about 10 of us went the wrong way, only a few hundred meters wrong but we lost a lot of places and started the descent behind a long line of riders. It was a pretty slow descent because of the light which was so blinding you had to just hope you didn’t hit a rock in certain patches.  To do this single track in the middle of the day, with baggies on and with a few mates around to stop a few times and look at the views would really be one of the best descents in South Africa. 

Once down and past the first water point the tough riding began though the building of bridges the last few years has made the crossings a whole lot easier and amongst a group including the two top masters teams we gradually made our way to ‘Push of a climb’ where Yolande tasted the sausage she had devoured just beforehand a number of times!  The steep climbs where you must concentrate are the ones I enjoy and luckily my legs felt a whole lot better than yesterday.  Yolande was also having a good day and together we pushed on.  The single tracks back down towards the finish were smooth and felt fast in and out of the trees and with around 10km, on my request we eased up.  In a few weeks time we both knew we’d be racing flat out so for now it was a chance to appreciate the areas we were going through.  Farmer Gary had done a great job sorting out the finish down Charlie’s Catwalk.  We’d been warned about having to go down the road (which though easier on the legs was a bit dodgy with taxis) as the catwalk was a mess but since early that morning Gary had got a group of workers on the job and the finish was safe and fun. 

Much later that afternoon the commentator got a whole group of riders out on the finish straight to bring home the last tandem to a hero’s welcome.  What a story that was; blind Kenyan stoker Douglas and his 19 year old pilot John had crashed and John had broken his collarbone.  While he couldn’t carry on another rider, Darryl Gove from New Zealand brought Douglas back.  His first time on a tandem they eventually finished and Darryl was emotionally broken.  Stories that these make Joberg2c the special race it really is. The next day Darryl had offered the two Kenyan's an entry into his race, the Kiwi Crusade in New Zealand and Old Mutual offered to sponsor the flights!!

Day 9

Jolivet to Scottsburgh

84km

My memories of the last day in previous years are of been pretty sick with a stomach bug which had spread like wild fire round the camp.  If you didn’t have the bug you had a cough and the place looked and sounded like a hospital!  This year however with the thanks to hand sanitizers all over the place at every camp there very few cases of sickness and this morning was a general excited feel amongst the riders.  The changed route made the day one of steep lactic acid climbs, loose corners and long sections of downhill with some great sections of single-track inbetween.   We sat on wheels all day and let some of our usual riding buddies fly off.  Neither of us had saved anything the last 8 days so there was no way we were going to be able to race flat out to the sea.  It was still a tough and intense day but soon the sea was in sight topped off with the excitement of the floating bridge all the way to the line.  As the bridge is in the sea it does move from side to side and feels like you are riding drunk.  Falling in wouldn’t have been too bad though as it was a lovely warm day and, once finished we had a swim in there anyway!  We were both super happy with our victory and I was so pleased at how we had rode the whole race but also had a heavy heart that it was over and that our other team mates, Leana and Johan hadn't been able to finish as a team.  

Old Mutual Joberg2c stays top of my list of stage races and I can not thank Glen, Gary and Craig as well as their wives and everyone else working on the event enough for enriching my life with 9 days of pure bliss.  The ride, the people, the scenery, the journey and the challenge make this one unforgettable.  

Massive thanks to our ace mechanics Gerhard and Dennis from The Bicycle Company, to Johan and Sasol for the ride and for speaking English (apart from when it was about me!!) and to Yolande de Villiers for been such a consistently strong, fun and all round nice partner to have.