21st June 2014 UCI Malevil Cup Marathon MTB

The international MTB Marathon Malevil Cup in the Lusatian Mountains in the Czech Republic is turning into a yearly pilgamige for me and Rob.  A mini break and a tough challenge which we both look forward to and made extra special thanks to the hospitality we receive each time we arrive.  Two years ago the Malevil Cup incorporated the European Championships , a really hard 100km with a large strong field of elite riders.  Last year I contacted the organiser, Radek Patrak who contacted local sponsor and cycle kit supplier, Eleven and I raced with their Test Team chuffed to bits to get my hands on their much sought after pink compression socks and happy to win and get those socks on the podium!!  This year we were in touch again and organised the same deal.  Mid way through fixing a broken tibia I used the race as a focus, it had UCI status so maybe I could use it as a qualifier for the World Championships until I realized it was only a week before and all the will in the world I wasn’t going to be super fit having already been off the bike 5 months.  

My Specialized 29er Epic outside our home for the weekend

With the killer aqua jogging sessions in the hydro pool with Jason Hyde at Teesside Uni and his confident attitude that I could ride even before I could walk, I managed to get back on the bike by week 9 of the fracture.  That gave me 6 weeks of progressive cycling to slowly get fit for the Malevil Cup.  Rob also joined in some of the rides and also got himself fit for the 65km challenge.  I had a pretty good idea my level of fitness coming out to the race, hanging off the back on our local Sunday ride instead of around the front of the group chatting  was one sign I wasn’t 100% and unable to sneakily catch up on the uphills in Dalby forest on the Tuesday night ‘baggy shorts’ rides was another but my endurance was fine so I was quite confident of at least getting round.  

The venue is such a beautiful place it felt like a holiday

We both woke up nervous on race day, its a challenging day out whatever and the weather was looking pretty unsettled.  At 8.30 our 100km wave set off, the elite woman up near the front with the men to a huge cheer from the crowd.  I realised within seconds my lack of power as I got swamped by so many cyclists all charging towards the first single tracks across the fields and into the forest.  

All the main woman contenders were well out of sight so I switched mentality from ‘lets try and race and see where I come’ to ‘lets just see if I can get this leg round and enjoy the day’.  I still had that blood like taste from exertion for well over an hour but I was enjoying myself and hanging onto a pretty big group of Czech men.  There was also an Austrlian girl I’d been chatting to at the start in our group and Graham Pinkney, a friend from last year whom I yo yo’d with on the descents and climbs.  At one point someone shouted that I was in 4th (when actually it was 5th) so I rode hard on the chance that a podium might still be possible, in marathon races you can never give up trying as mechanicals, hitting the wall, crashing and going off course are all part and parcel of racing.  

My knee gave me no problems at all while I rode.  I struggled a lot with the super steep hills just trying to get the power down and walking is still a bit of a challenge with a bike on uneven ground but I was chuffed to bits to ride the technical loose rocks descents and not feel terrified about falling.  I think I knew what a mission it would be to try walk down so just told myself to man up and ride them!  I did start to flag 15 km from the finish and got dropped by the Australian and the steep rooted climbs near the end zapped any energy I had left.   I finally finished in 6th place in the elite woman’s field (won by Irena Berkova) in roughly the same time as it took last year in really muddy conditions.  This year had been super dry and the most perfect conditions any rider can ask for.  So perfect in fact that we rode another 6 hours the next two days enjoying the endless forests (and getting lost on the odd occasion too).   Its been a tough last few months, there have been lots of times when I have wondered if the desire to push myself would come back, if I would get the same feeling of excitement racing and enjoy the utter exhaustion at the end of a 5 hour race and if I’d have the confidence to race over rough terrain again.  Malevil Cup put my mind to rest, even with legs that won’t go as well as I want I still loved the race and hope the yearly pilgamige continues!  

Not everyone was interested in the race!

One climb after another!

Rob was flying in the 65km race and his first 2 splits put him high up in the field till his chain snapped and some local farmer managed to lose his link trying to help leaving him to run an hour to the next tech point.  So he really got his race worth with a ride and a run and had pretty sore calves to show for it!  The beer on tap from the Eleven stand and a U2 tribute band topped off a memorable day for us both. 

Oily hands but still able to hold a beer

A huge thank you to Team Eleven for the support picking us up from Prague and beer at the end, to Radek for his relentless energy and hospitality, he puts on one of the best one day races I have ever done… and even got U2 there.  Thankyou also to Asrin and Cyclefunatics of Durbanville for the Specilaized Epic Expert 29er, riding a duel for the first year has me converted for sure!!

Not My Usual Blog.....

 I’m not one to blog about anything other than my races…. But its been a long, long time since my last event and my next event feels a long time away so for anyone ‘following’ my blogs and wondering why I’ve gone so quiet its because I’m currently recovering from breaking my leg.

After such a full on racing season last year and a long time away from Rob, my husband, we both decided mid way through the hectic year that this was the year we’d do what we have always dreamed of doing and take a job in a ski resort working in a catered chalet.  We started in December and after the initial few weeks of stress we had a ball loving every aspect of it.  Yes it was hard work at times, early starts in the dark, late nights, very basic living and acting happy and lively even when we were both shattered but the highs we super high, the clear blue sky days and fresh powder, the snowy days where we ran for miles, reliving student style nights out and the friendship we made with our collegues, were priceless and an experience we’ll never forget.

I took my exercise head with me of course and skied nearly every day, ran on top of that and cross country skied too, so much so that my knees started taking a lot of grief, to the point where the nightly clean of our kitchen floor was a challenge in itself.  But me been me I didn’t rest.  Skiing for the season there is always a high risk of injury and as we got to know the resort more and more we did take more risks though out of all the guys we skied with I was one of the most cautious and had barely fallen for months.  I also thought I’d got away lightly with a fall into a ravine.  The light was flat and we cut across off piste to join the piste a little further down.  What I didn’t see was the ravine I skied straight into and was airborne for a very long screams worth. When I landed still upright on the gentle slope at the bottom I thought I was the luckiest person alive.  Next day though I fell for no apparent reason, twisted round to the side, lost both skies and thought I had a very bruised leg.  I tried to stand up, felt the knee try to go inwards, sat down in shock and fainted.   Obviously something was seriously wrong and true enough the X ray revealed a fracture on the tibia plateau. With a tearful farewell to my friends and La Plagne I was carted off in an ambulance down the mountain, operated on and a few days later flown home with Rob.  In the course of minutes I’d gone from an indestructible pretty descent, active skier worrying about a few Kgs I’d picked up in the progress to a hobbling invalid incapable to even getting a cup of tea to the sofa!! 

 

From that.....

 

To this!!

I started off my recovery well I think.  The surgeon I went to see told me I didn’t need physio and just to move my leg around for the next 7 weeks.  When I told him I was a ‘high level’ mountain biker and it was my job he asked how far up the mountains I had been and I knew from that moment he had no idea how important it was to me to get this break fixed quick and proper. So I came home determined and got Rob to lift my onto my road bike fixed on the trainer where I pedaled for 30 minutes with my good leg in a hope that the ‘cross over’ effect might help.  I then sent a plea on Facebook asking anyone for advice and soon my window ledge was full of vitamin supplements.  I also had a reply from Jason Hynd, a cycling friend who works at Teesside University Sports Injury Centre to come and use the hydro pool. 

And so it was that I entered the warm ‘bath’. Heated to 32 degrees I first thought how lovely it was, without knowing at that point how I would come to sweat in there and pray it was a little cooler next time!!  I hadn’t even tried to bend my leg yet here I was told to aqua jog against a flume of water.  But alas it worked, even if the first few times my broken leg flopped along it all helped with circulation. Jason’s idea was that pool workouts were never going to get me fit but would hopefully stop me getting so unfit that it would take forever to get back to racing.  So twice a week Rob and me drove over to Middlesborough to do our ‘bath’ workouts.  Rob was on the under water treadmill and benefiting a lot from running without the impact.  He was getting a workout without aggravating a long-standing calf injury and getting annoyingly fit and skinny and fast in the progress! It also provided a little entertainment to me as he looked like a Lapitca horse the first few times in there. 

I backed up my pool sessions at Boro with running in the pool in Whitby where I’ll go either up and down in the deep end or if I’m lucky and its not too busy, run round in squares.  Sometimes the music is loud enough to hear and bob along to, other times there are plenty of kids in to watch as I plod up and down.  My life has changed from riding around the moors and going wherever I want every morning stopping in a café for a chat and playing in Guisborough woods to up and down the pool daily but at least it is exercise and pretty hard exercise at that.  I am also swimming and its quite funny to see my shoulders get wider and my quads get smaller.  I have to see the funny side in that anyway!!

As well as aquajogging I am now able to pedal in the trainer with both feet.  It started off with my heel on the pedal as I was unable to bend my leg quite enough without discomfort but gradually it’s improving and I’ve just made the huge step forward in pedaling with my toes. 

Here are the last 8 weeks ‘training diary’:

Week One

Fateful Saturday the first March, never again will I forget to say ‘White Rabbits’ on the first of the month.  It was a pretty unlucky day for me, started with the best powder run of the season down our favorite run and ended in a hospital bed eating Smash and asking for some more painkillers, not for the pain but just to knock me out to stop me thinking too much.  Operation to insert pins and bone graft.  Lucky to be in one of the best hospitals around for these types of operations, guess they do a fair few here!  Told I can start doing things again after 100 days…100DAYS, ahhhh

By Wednesday I’m home and working out how to manage the simplist of tasks like getting upstairs.  My biggest ‘walk’ with one leg was from the car park to the café, I had to sit down twice and Rob had to drive round to pick me up on the way back. 

Thursday I went to circuits and had my own bench and mat.  Spent most of the 50 minutes sat doing sit-ups and bicep curls! 

Having been to the fracture clinic and given no physio I came home annoyed and so got Rob to lift me on the turbo trainer positioned outside and with the broken leg rested on a pillow I pedaled with my good leg for 20 minutes with lots of rests.  Cross over effect?  Not sure but at least it’s a few endorphins!! Had my first post op accident.. Rob carefully lifted me off the turbo, I hopped across to the chair using the table that then gave way.  Managed to twist mid fall and sat on the floor unhurt, leg none the wiser. 

 

One legged cycling, something for the neighbours to look at!

Week Two

My Birthday comes and goes and leaves me pretty depressed.  It was a lovely sunny day and I’ve spent so few birthdays at home we would have gone for a long café stop bike ride.  Longest walk on Friday was at the running session.  Their efforts were on the seafront so I hobbled all the way down and back up, took over an hour and felt very light headed by the end!  Also am up to 45 minutes of non-stop single leg workout, slow cadence and hard gear. 

My supplies arrive from advice via Facebook and Google time… Engevita Yeast Flakes, L-Lysine, Zinc, Glucosamine, Bone Power with Boron, Cod Liver Oil and even Neovite, a cow’s first milk (after the calf has sipped his share).

Week Three

I start my aqua jog sessions at Teesside with Jason Hyde.  My Savior!!  With cameras underwater its pretty clear that my left leg is merely dragging along but in the second session my right leg and poor arms are making up for it as the flumes are on and I fight for my life to keep near the front of the pool.  From the first session I notice improvements in the circulation round my leg.  My foot since the accident had looked like it belonged to a dead old woman, so swollen my toes looked shrunk and so cold Rob bless him took on the evening roll of rubbing them trying to get some blood down there.  As soon as I came out of the pool my leg and foot looked a lot less purple and for a short time almost normal. 

Once home I take out membership at the pool in Whitby and begin my many hours of ‘running’ up and down with my belt on in the deep end with some swimming in between.  My crutches are left near the steps and I work out I can get out backwards then swing up and back to get out!  Thankfully my Rolls Royce of crutches from France (to go on Ebay I was advised by the doctor!) have non-slip ‘hooves’ and I have no problems or embarrassing falls in my swimming costume!

Week Four

 I do 6 hours aqua jogging in Whitby and two sessions at Teesside.  These sessions are getting very intense and with both legs looking a lot more equal I imagine I’m ‘dancing’ out of the pedals, an imagery my good friend uses when feeling invincible on the bike.  The steps I focus on in each effort aren’t steps during those flat out sprints that last forever, they are a rider’s back wheel that I’m desperately trying to hang on to.  I come out the color of a prune and we usually make a detour to sup a good strong coffee on the way home

That weekend is the club’s big outing to Coniston 14 mile road race.  I make it my mission for the day to see the runners at the1 mile point and make it after around an hour only to find the bench I’ve been focused on for the last 200 meters is up a muddy bank and out of reach!!  I sit on the grass instead resting my very sore wrists.  Once the runners have passed I walk back down and out towards the runners coming back in.  What I find very funny is the number of people wanting to share their injuries and breaks along the way even to the extent of seeing someone’s knees scars while I sit and rest.  I am now more alike to the old woman walking with me with her two hip replacements than my fellow running pals.  That’s hard to take. 

The day after while everyone goes for a hike Rob joins me in my own hike up the side of a river to a waterfall. Its my first ‘off road’ hike and very enjoyable and challenging with one leg.  I wear my leg brace just in case my ‘hooves’ let me down and slip or get lost in the mud leaving me with a sinking narrow stump. 

 

Cat one off road climb completed!!

Walking on one leg requires a number of coffee stops!

Week Five

I aquajog everyday this week while the sun is annoyingly out.  Easter holidays have begun so I jog in between kids diving in and splashing around but its something to look at.  The week ends in a pool in the Lakes.  We drop some deliveries off, Rob races in Grizedale, I know I’m missing my fat tires a lot when I look in envy at the wet, cold riders pouring in the cafe but alas I find the hotel pool has a 3x5 meter square deep enough to jog in, phew!! 

My new Specialized Epic Expert 29er arrives thanks to Team Asrin, CycleFunatic Bike shop and my patient riding partner.  Its nice that others just see this break as a tempory thing and still willing to spend a lot of money on me.  I’m desperate to jump on it but for now it will sit on the living room! 

Week Six

I get on the turbo and turn the pedal very gingerly with my heel of the broken leg.  Movement is limited, there’s no chance I can bend it enough to put my toes on the pedal but it’s a start.  I take all the resistance off and pedal in the garden for 5 minutes soaking up much missed VitB!!  We also work in York in a marquee in our stall. It’s a nightmare, I feel able at home to do a lot of things but out of my comfort zone it was impossible and once we’d set up I spent most of the day hidden on my chair and freezing in the corner.  I left Rob to it for the rest of the week, swimming and aqua jogging instead at home.  

Week Seven

I get my mid sole on the pedal and start to turn it with some resistance with not a lot of irritation on the knee other than it getting very hot in the evening.  I have a big low point mid week and have a few mornings where I find it very hard to drag myself out of bed.  My friend sends me some messages with very wise words that drag me out of the hole I’m in, she’s been through a way worse illness last year and this year is racing and loving life again.  Improvement seems to have halted and I’m so tired of been stuck at home or reliant on lifts everywhere.  It doesn’t help that my Achilles tendon on my ‘good’ leg is jiggered.  It’s painful to walk on and has a lump on it, can’t imagine if that suddenly goes then I’ll be really stuffed!!

Week Eight

My few days of low are over.  I get some good news from my x-rays.  The bone has knitted together well and the bone graft looks ‘in place’.  I don’t get a lot of information from the fracture clinic but it’s all I need to hear.  I get sent up to physio too where I get some exercises to do. Looking at my quad it looks pretty pathetic as I sit and tense what muscles are left but with all the aqua jogging and swimming and the intense sessions at Teesside I still feel quite active.  I’ve also done a few days on the trot on the bike pedaling with my toes with resistance.  Its funny that after 30 minutes I feel pretty tired but it’s a great feeling just to use my leg in a way it is so used to been used.  I start to imagine how I can strap my crutches to the bike so I can go out!!  I find it very ironic that I can now ride my bike all before I can walk.  I quite like that… it almost makes me feel like a cyclist again!!

 

Latest X ray showing good signs of recovery!

Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek 20th - 26th October

Two weeks ago I had a new focus: a running fell race called the Langdale Horseshoe over in the Lake District.  I needed it as I’d come to terms with the prospect of not returning to South Africa and finishing off my season of stage races.  I was still motivated to train and in good form and with the weather turning decided to get out of my comfort zone and race in the fells for the first time.  A few days before the race started however I became the luckiest person around by landing a place in Team Asrin, a South African company looking for a rider to take the place of an injured team mate of mine in the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek.  I was to ride with Nizaam Esa in the 7 day tour and we set about via WhatsApp to book last minute flights.  I still did the fell race all be it so cautiously I was overtaken by a woman on every descent and dropped from a pretty impressive 3^rd to an ok 6^th.  However I was unscathed and headed out to Cape Town that Wednesday. I stayed with a good friend in Stellenbosch and we crammed in as many new coffee shops and restaurants as possible before heading to the prologue in Oudtshoorn. 

Once we arrived we rode the 15km route that was far looser and trickier than I remember and even though it wasn’t that hot I had a massive headache from the heat and didn’t feel great at all.  However, plenty of water, a new Continental X King tire and a mechanic to tell me I had no back brake left and proceeding to fix it did wonders and riding round in the race was a different story. 

Stage One

15km Prologue

Ahead of us by 30 seconds were most of the other mixed teams with our teammates Asrin 1 just behind.  Nizaam started like a man possessed and I never even got a chance to sit in his slip as we raced along to the first single track.  I thought I’d catch up on the climb but my legs revolted, in fact everything did, it’s been a long time since I’d gone to such depths!!  I was given a slight relief every now and again as we caught teams in front of us and by the time we came to the descents I was actually enjoying myself.  It’s amazing how much of a boost it is to catch teams no matter who they are.  Nizaam also provided entertainment too riding into a bush on more than one occasion!  Near the end we caught up one of the favorite teams, I thought we could just sit with them but my partner had other ideas and soon I was breathing like a horse again and hanging on for grim life.  It was all worth it though when we heard we’d got 2^nd by a few seconds, with team mates Asrin 1 just behind.  It might be the last time both of us are on the podium together but for now we’ll savor it!

Tomorrow the real racing begins with 105km and 1768m of ascent.  The course has a real mixture of fast open roads to technical single tracks and with today starting hot and ending with a very unusually cold and wet evening I’m not sure what lies in store the next few days but with Nizaam’s sense of humor and go till we blow attitude its going to be fun! 

One things for sure, if I get to the end of this stage race I’ll have raced 50 days of stage races this year… its quite cool to think 2 months of the year has been taken up racing round the world and makes me feel very privileged indeed!

Three days have passed since our success in the prologue and we have somewhat plummeted down the GC to around 5^th now I think.  It rained the whole night before Stage One and though we set off fast near the front we soon hit the mud bath!  The whole road was barely ride able and when you pushed the bike the back wheel wouldn’t turn so you had to carry it and an extra 10kg of sticky mud!  We thought we were moving slowly but looked up to see even the leaders weren’t that far in front.  Finally we turned onto a sandier jeep track but as we sat in a line I slid out, crashed and two friends of mine landed on top.  We were all ok but my saddle broke.  Luckily I could still ride it after taping the front down a few times but the back was pointed pretty high so it wasn’t the most comfortable. I was struggling a lot, my legs filling with lactic as soon as I tried to ride hard and I was relived when Nizaam finally slowed, his hamstring giving him a lot of pain.  I also had such bad chain suck; it wouldn’t stay in the small ring without jamming so I rode a lot of the climbs in the big ring.  Looking back that was a bad error, putting the chain and mech through that much tension in such muddy conditions was asking for trouble and true enough soon the rear derailleur twisted up and bent into my back wheel.  Nizaam managed to straighten it up to a fashion and I rode on though pretty soon after the chain refused to go through the bottom jockey wheel so by passed it making it very loose.  I was still able to pedal all be it slowly without resistance but 5km to go it broke completely.  We split the chain and cable tied it up but with such a short distance left I said he should just pull me.  There was a fair bit of down hill luckily but I felt pretty bad for my partner!  We finished to hear that so many riders had had broken derailers that the camp was sold out, luckily my partner came with a whole new drive chain and 2 spare saddles and a mechanic who worked through the night fixing it so by morning I actually had an upgrade!  After the ordeal today I was extra happy to be in a nice clean and warm camper for the night. Out of all the stage races I’ve done I’ve never stayed in one and have to say it is so nice not to re pack every morning, to have a duvet to sleep under, water in the fridge and a toilet.  As well as a fantastic mechanic we’ve also two masseurs for the 9 riders in Team Asrin and even someone washing our kit!! 

There were still riders running around 30 minutes before the start the next morning begging any mechanic around to help fix their mess!  

Stage two was thankfully shortened to avoid another mud section and with the sun out, an 8.30 start and fast roads to ride, the mood in the group was much better.  We were flying staying with the front mixed team up until the 2^nd water point.  Nizaam had just pushed it too hard and with his hamstring also giving him grief we slowed a lot.  Backing right off I took the wind on the open roads while he set the pace on the climbs.  The race ended with the Swatberg climb, an 8km mountain that took us around an hour to ride.  Nizaam battled hard, stopping and starting and we finally made it before cruising down to Prince Albert to the luxury of our campers.  There we heard the good news that our team mates had won the stage and with it been the Swatberg Pass there was a bonus of 120 thousand rand so long as they also had a number of top 10s from here on in.

Stage three and we were back to our 7.30am start that meant waking in the dark and forcing some cereal down.  The start was on a straight open gravel road for around 15km with a stiff head wind.  It was pretty sketchy with people sliding in the sand and sudden braking and I saw at least three crashes.  Though the pace was easy it was better to finally turn off and start racing across the jeep tracks.  We were both riding well together.  In fact I was surprised how well we spot each other after only a couple of days riding together.  The pace was fast but not too uncomfortable.  After the first feed we started a rocky climb and a hairy descent.  I rode following Jennie, our Asrin teammates who were holding on to the leaders jersey.  She is technically more confident that me so I thought right if she rides it I will and was quite pleased to get to the bottom with a foot off.  Whenever I hit rocky descents I think of my poor elbows that are so battered now from crashing in the rocks that I often wear elbow pads and wished I brought them along.  We rode with the two lead mixed for a long time after that before a long drag that saw the now leaders ride off and us pull away from our team mates after their efforts over the last few days holding the jersey showed.  The finish put a smile on every ones faces, a smooth fun single track leading onto a 10km downhill on the road before riding through the finish in 2^nd place and moving up to 4^th on GC.

Stage Four was only 70km on paper but I knew from last year it was one of the toughest yet and was due to be a scorcher.  The stage traverses through a spectacular valley that is only open for cycling once a year.  While it’s really impressive that also means that the tracks are rough and rugged.  The first climb starts with a 10km or so drag where we held a good pace and sat behind Jane Nusili and Ester Suss who were 2^nd in the woman’s category.  Once at the top was the first crazy descent that was so steep Nizaam’s lightweight brakes over cooked and he had to stop a few times.  That gave me a chance to come down more cautiously!  Once at the bottom we gradually pulled away from the jersey holders in our category through countless river crossings and steep climbs.  I had one small fall and landed on a prickly bush, which was pretty uncomfortable!!  The day continued with long slow climbs and equally slow descents.  One climb was around 5km long and too steep and loose to ride and again the descents were sketchy so there was little rest at all.  To top it off we were in for a treat with 8km of single track at the end, trouble was it was back up a mountain and down so most people did have a loss of humor by then!  However as hard and tough the stage was we were elated to win the day and pull our gap back to 2 minutes behind 3^rd place on GC.  It was a good day all round as our team mates took back the leaders jersey and the boys bagged enough points with a 5^th to qualify for the 120 thousand rand prize money from the pass. 

Stage Five was forecast to rain in the afternoon but we woke up to rain in the night and the next morning didn’t look that bright.  True enough just as we pushed our bikes into the start chute it started pouring.  Everyone ran for cover and huddled in the breakfast tent but come 7.30 we were off in true mountain bike fashion.  The start loop looked pretty chaotic but it seemed to string out quickly and Nizaam and myself had a clear line through the deep-water crossings and slippery single track.  The climb then began and went on until we were well in the clouds, the rain got heavier and the lightening got closer.  The rocky descent down was also pretty sketchy but I followed Nizaam and got to the bottom safely.  He was riding very strong today and I was happy to follow his wheel down the open forest roads.  It was a little sticky but nothing like day one and while it was a lot slower riding than in the dry we did at least feel like we were covering ground nicely.  The next decent down was a lot harder in the mud but we both arrived at the tech zone unscathed.  Having had nothing to eat so far I grabbed a load of chocolate and put it up my shorts much to the amusement of the girls handing it out.  We tagged onto the Dutch Cube mixed team for a while on the road.  He is on the Rabo Bank feeder team and is strong enough to ride away from us while his partner holds on!  The road section made the kms fly by and even though it was still raining it was pretty warm.  Soon we turned into the single track, which on any normal day would have been really fun to ride.  It kind of was today to slipping and sliding round but there was no speed at all.  We were lucky, whereas on Monday half the camp broke their derailers today half the field’s pads wore out and there were a lot of stories afterwards of doing the descents using feet as brakes and skidding around hoping for an incline to slow down on.  Both of us had worn the pads but not to the extent they didn’t work and we rode in in 2^nd place and more importantly moving up to 3^rd on GC.  Our teammates made it through to but lost time to the Dutch and so lost the leaders jersey.  The camp was soon flooded and the tenters moved indoors.  We stayed happy and dry in our camper, had wellies from the race sponsor and had pizza as a pre dinner aperitif so all Team Asrin was a happy camp

Stage six, the final day and with more rain everyone was relived to hear the route would go direct to Oudtshoorn 70 odd km’s a way on gravel roads though we would Montagu Pass to conquer first.  We rolled out of George leaving a completely chewed up field behind.  Nizaam was on a mission and all I could do was hang onto his wheel. Montagu Pass is a grind at the best of times but with 6 days racing in the legs it feels super slow going and gets steeper near the top.  The scenery however is amazing and I have a big soft spot for the climb and George in general having spent a lot of time here with my teammate in the last few years.  We rode a tough but manageable pace along with her and her partner and caught another couple of teams near the top so at least had company for the long road ahead.  There were some strong riders in our group so the kilometers whizzed by as we got a bit of through and off going, to sit on the front all be it briefly at least meant you could see for a brief moment… the roads were covered in a slick mud so there was constant grit and dirt flying in your eyes and mouth.  It would have been nice to have stopped and enjoyed the last few water points but there was a sense of urgency in our group and we didn’t stop once.  Nizaam did ask if we could but I said no as it was a long road to ride alone!!  Near the end a big group caught us with another mixed team.  I wasn’t feeling that competitive until they sprinted past near the finish.  We hooked on and sprinted across the field and to the finish line where we crossed ahead of them so keeping another 2^nd place stage.  The Cube team were in their element today on the open roads and were out of sight from early on, they kept the overall win with teammates Jennie and Craig in 2^nd on GC.

Stage ‘eight’ as its become known probably took as much to recover from as the racing though as he has done all week our savior JP the mechanic looked after us all again and found the remaining few members of Team Asrin wandering around Oudtshoorn near dawn.. My 2.30 end to the night was pretty lame in comparison!   

It’s the third year I’ve done the Bridge Cape Trek Pioneer and without doubt has been most luxurious and the best laugh thanks to my partner Nizaam and the rest of Team Asrin.   It’s a great race, not too big and very well organized.  The food was better than ever this year too and though I’ve been in the saddle for 27 and a half hours this last week I’ve still managed to add a few kgs; water retention I hope but more likely excess pancakes, chocolate and Steri Stumpies!!

Genco Mongolian Bike Challenge 2013

On the 31^st August we traveled two hours by bus out to the Chinggis Khan statue. 

We had a fantastic buffet, welcome ceremony and one of the best pre race rides with amazing scenery described as ‘characteristic Siberian tundra landscape’ before bunking down in traditional yurt. There were three of us in ours with real beds and duvets and such tasty food we were definitely spoilt. 

The following day the stage race started in perfect weather along jeep tracks followed by lots of short, steep climbs.  I rode my own pace but made sure I put the effort in, in order to have wheels around me to follow on the open descents.  After those climbs we had a long open stretch with a slight head wind and I was so relieved to find someone of similar pace to ride with.  We worked nicely together, he took the lead on the descents then we shared the flat bits and gradually caught up riders dropping off the big group in front.  I was first woman over GPM 1 then around 70km our group splintered and I was alone after that.  I rode around my limit most of the day, out of breath but not in the red and ate well thanks to the varied biscuits on offer at the feed, my jam sandwiches and 32gi tabs and drink.  The scenery was amazing; so vast and open it was quite nerve racking having no one in front or behind and I found myself double checking markers. The last 10km was really tough: There must have been 4 ‘last’ climbs where I thought I’d crest the top and see the big man Chinggis on his horse!  The end did eventually come and I came in 1^st woman, in the top 15 on GC. 

Stage two was 126km and 2240m ascent in the Khan Khentii National Park to the camp at Tuul River. I hung on with the lead group up to the first water point where we hit a climb through the forest.  The scenery reminded me of home and it was a pleasant relief to climb in the trees out of the heat.  Descending back into the vast open spaces I joined two Belgium’s both called Tom and we had the most social chat I have had so far in this race.  We climbed the next GPM together and joined Brit Matt Page on the descent having had a flat.  The going was slow through the rivers after that but was good riding with smooth tracks in between getting very wet. Over the last GPM and along the headwind back I hung on and suffered silently, pleased and grateful for wheels to follow but also aware that I was burning a lot of matches riding hard for a good few hours.  The last 5km we turned with a fast tailwind and I came in 1^st woman again. The weather turned pretty quickly, the strengthening tailwind became a head wind for those further back as the clouds rolled in and blew straight through our Yurt making it a chilly night.

Stage three was due to be a long day: 175km to Khavcia Ganga and after 8 hours of rain in the night it was going to be slow going. It was only around 7 degrees on the start line and having been warned rain was due I started in two thermals and my rain jacket with a bag with a winter jacket and thicker gloves in.  I straightaway regretted the jacket.  The pace wasn’t high but it was in and out of deep rivers so was like interval session chasing back on. We climbed up and descended through a flood plain which reminded me a lot like winter riding on the moors followed by such a deep water crossing I had to lift my pocket up to save my snacks getting wet!  It was a surprise to see bikes laid around the water point at 35km until we heard the news that the river crossing was impossible and had already took hostage of our luggage trucks and that the stage was cancelled. We huddled in the vans parked there until been told to ride back over the climb to a small bunch of yurts.  As we rode back I made a small detour to join a group of cyclists hovering around a tent where the guy that lived there was handing out what tasted like a brown watery soup with Mongolian bread.  Sounds rotten but as we were all pretty cold it was perfect. 10km on I joined my Canadian and USA friends in a yurt and soon the fire was going and our kit was been hung all over. I can only imagine the smells wafting out from out drying out sweaty socks but we didn’t care, we were warm and dry and gradually peanuts and coke arrived from the feed station. 

Eventually all the Russian off road vans arrived and we piled in still in our lyrca for the long way round to camp.  The drive was a real experience and one I’ll not forget.  Those vehicles get down anything and it was great to see more of the scenery without having to pedal! We stopped at a garage and shared out whatever money we could find to buy some chocolate just before we had a major mechanical and could go no further.  A few hours later we were picked up by a local policeman and continued our drive to camp laughing at his Mongolian singing and arriving after 9pm at a freezing camp. Trying to find a tent, assemble my camp bed and having a ‘baby wipe’ shower all took time and it was gone 10pm by the time I laid down.  It had been a long tiring day but the experiences will stay with me a long time!

Stage four was meant to be 165km but as not even our bike had arrived last night we were told breakfast would be 7am and we would be given more information then. The amended route was 125km missing out more swamp land much to everyone’s relief.  I again set off over dressed in my jacked and regretted it again as we flew down the hill side.  I made a huge effort to make contact with the front group then blew up and eased up.  There was chance to get my knee warmers and jacket off before the next group came past with Sonya in before I found myself riding away with a Portuguese cyclist.  He was way stronger but I tried to do a few turns until we caught up three more riders including Mike from Australia.  We rode together, he wasn’t having a great day having previously been in the top 10 but we did catch up a pretty big group ahead then ride away from most of them over the climbs.  The wind was strong and right on our backs and we averaged just under 30km/h.  The scenery changed again from big mountains and forests to now open grassy plains with no sign of life for miles on end.  Filling up at the 3^rd feed we were really surprised to see 5km to go just after and at 97km we crossed the line.  No one was upset it was a short course and the extra time allowed kit, bikes and ourselves to be washed in the river, sleeping backs dried out and I even did an interview with the Mongolian TV!

Braving the river for a wash followed by the daily chores of washing kit

Still in the pink leaders jersey and with another stage win I won another unique Mongolian hat before dinner of the sheep that had been tied up outside the tent all morning!

Stage five at 170km was the new Queen stage and ended up my best yet. The group was steady the first 80km then the attacks started but I managed to hang on with some yo yo'ing right until 40km to go when the drags finally got the better of me and I rode into the finish with a Canadian guy around the top 10 overall.  I was glad for the company as the last 10km took us over a tough climb that felt pretty hard with 165km in the legs!  Over the top we caught one of the cyclists who had attacked from the gun, it happened to be the Portuguese whom I’d been hanging onto the other day and I slowed up and gave him my remaining water. That night before we dug into one of the best feasts yet sitting in a hall with huge wedding chairs, we all cheered as the last rider, George, came in 10 minutes before the 12-hour cut off! 

Hero of the day George after 11 hours 50 in the saddle

The last stage finished in a 13^th Century Park after 91km of racing.  Matt Page from the UK attacked from the gun that sent off numerous attacks before it settled and we formed a big group along the flat tracks.  Up the first GPM I dropped off the back and was happy for once to ride on my own not wanting to irritate the cold I picked up overnight. Once alone I was struck by the silence of the area and I fully appreciated how different this race is to many.  I eventually caught a few others and rode with them to the finish.  Sonja had a brilliant ride and flew past me on the last climb, which took us round the back of camp to take the victory with me coming in 2^nd. 

Me and Rocky appreciating the setting sun

I won the overall with Sonya Looney (Topeak-Ergon) taking 2^nd and Erin Greene (Endura)3^rd.  In the men’s race Cory Wallace held the pink jersey too all the way through with Brit Matt Page in 5^th. 

The ceremony was impressive with every rider called up to receive the finishers jersey, me and Cory dressed up in traditional dress and plenty of traditional dancers and singers.  I even rode a camel while on my way to the bathroom, which was pretty surreal!!

The camel I was invited to have a ride on

There are plenty of memories from the Genco Mongolia Bike Challenge.  The vast scenery takes your breath away, the Mongolian people are so welcoming and supportive and the camps with the Yurts made us really feel like we were experiencing real Mongolia.  The racing was fast.  I was pleased I had good enough form to hang onto the front few groups for so long each day, I did have to dig really deep to do so but it was worth it to get carried along before popping off with others and settling into a good tempo.  The race wasn’t the only effort of the day either, we washed kit and bikes in rivers, suffered in a cold shower each day and tried to stay warm in our sleeping bags when the evening temperature dipped to near 0 degrees.  But all that was fine in such good company we had and we could all have a laugh about our own pain and sufferings.  Because the race only had 100 or so riders we all knew each other by the end and I have made many new friends, hopefully some I will see again in Mongolia next year!  

Greetings from Mongolia 29th August 2013

Now I have arrived in Ulaanbaatar the realisation of racing 867km through Mongolia’s most challenging terrain is setting in and I’m almost giddy with excitement.  So many other cyclists have arrived and we’ve all the same look; nervous, excited and in slight disbelief that we are doing something so unique and tough across a country that is so unknown to most.  I lost around 7 hours of my life yesterday as we traveled straight across the time zones; it was 3pm on the flight when the lights went out yesterday and 5am this morning when I could have slept all day! However, I’ve resisted all temptation to sleep and have instead built up my bike and done the tourist bit down to see Genghis outside the tourist building.  It has been hard to resist a ride especially having seen some of the trails the guys have been out on but I’ll feel a lot better with two days off and hopefully will be fresh and ready by tomorrow to have a spin out and will be ready to race by Saturday.

The Genco Mongolia Bike Challenge is set across seven different stages spanning 7 different landscapes in Mongolia.  The longest stage is 175km and it takes place on day four – the pinnacle of four consecutively longer stages. 

The race organiser has quoted;

“It is a stage of incomparable beauty and will be a huge challenge for even the strongest of riders, over the seven days of the event competitors must ascend a total of 12,410 vertical meters.”

“It will be a very strenuous physical trial and a test of psychological endurance which will try every racer,” claim the organisers. “We have designed a course that every passionate biker may desire: extreme deserts, mountain passes, unspoiled rivers and scenery of rare beauty.”

With this in mind there is bound to be some intrepidation going into the race.  I know I have good enough endurance to race for 6 or 7 hours and have done enough stage races to know how important fuelling up before, during and after the race is.  I am also not worried about the climbing, I would much rather be going up a mountain than riding along flat windy plains and having done the Epic the meters climbing each day are pretty similar.  I am however very worried about the conditions.  The last two days were really wet and cold, today has been bright blue skies but still only around 9 degrees at 10am this morning so judging what to wear will be critical.  The temperatures here can vary from 3 degrees to 30 degrees and last year there was snow and floods.  I am useless in the cold even though I should be tougher coming from Yorkshire!  I have experienced near hyperthermia one time too many and in these extreme conditions it is so important not to get caught out.  Mechanical issues are also a worry of mine which is why racing in pairs is so much less stressful, if you have a big mechanical problem you aren’t stranded alone and if I race mixed its always been the bloke that has fixed the problem!! 

Other than those worries I’m fit and healthy (touching wood that I don’t eat anything obscure the next two days!!), training has been going well and my aim is to finish knowing I’ve gone as well as I could having enjoyed the whole experience.  Competition is tough with World 24 hour champion Jessica Douglas and many others but I will try to learn from these girls who excel in the longer events.  I see the main competition been the elements and the Mongolian landscape.