Thursday, March 29
Hello from a snowy Switzerland:)
I am writing this from high up in the mountains.
Not sure how they even have wi-fi here, nor am I sure how I managed to salvage
the code off the tiny lady who speaks only German. We arrived here last
night in the dark, so this morning as I crawled out of bed, I was presented
with a winter wonderland outside. Needless to say, training will take place at
the bottom of the steep 10km pass, where the temperature is at least 10 degrees
warmer. But for now ill just sit by the crackling fire and enjoy its warmth.
Before we made the trek across Austria, we raced in
the Kamptal-Klassik Cup, which is a Category 1 race in Langenlois (Austria).
The track was a 5km circuit with 330m of vertical ascent per lap. Insanity I
say! The start was at the bottom of a mountain in a small town, and the rest of
the course extended skyward. A sustained power on the climbs, and a wreckless
speed on the downhills was the key to success. The technical aspect of the
track was almost non-existent, with only two rocky downhills to test your
skill. I think that if such a course was to be designed in SA, people would
probably lay complaints. But in Europe, the nature of the course in irrelevant.
They place emphasis on pedalling the bike as fast as possible and being first
across the line. Us South Africans can learn a lot from this winning attitude.
Racing in the Elite Womens Category, my start was
at 10, along with the Junior Men, Junior Women and Master Men. Having 350
people on the course at once was going to be interesting! Nevertheless, I was
happy to have made it to the startline at the correct time (daylight saving
began on that day). Although, I did feel robbed of an hour of precious sleep.
The gun goes and the girls went off firing on all cylinders! It was a steep
5min climb before we could start descending for the first time. I felt
terrible! Passing the feedzone in 21st position after the startloop,
I knew I had work to do. I also knew that I had gotten rid of the heavy legs on
that single climb. All I had to do was stay mentally strong and race smartly.
As I had predicted, people started giving up one by one as the race progressed.
The brutality of the course begins to take its toll about midway through the
race. People who had played all their cards on the climb out the start gate
really started battling, and I could see it. This gave me a mental edge. I
discovered and learnt a lot about the importance of cadence on steep climbing
courses. Keep those pedals turning at a brisk pace. I witnessed girls trying to
grind big gears. It is unsustainable and your legs will sieze up.
After moving through the field of Elite riders
throughout the race, I ended 14th at the finish line. (3rd
U23). I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the race and with the way I
felt. It is always a confidence booster when you begin to reap the rewards of
the hours you have put in. Also, its always beneficial to steal a few more UCI
pointsJ
Well done to my BMC counterparts Savannah Vosloo, Ashleigh
Parker Moffatt and Jaco Pelser for their results- go check out their blogs for
more info. Kyle dorkin (outcast on his Ellsworth Enlightenment) placed 3rd
in the Junior Mens Category! Excellent job young manJ And where would we be
without our faithful back-up, managers, feeders and supporters all-in-one..
Johann Wykerd and Willie Pelser. Thank you endlessly!
Catch us on Sunday at the BMC Swiss Cup for some
more entertaining racing. Cant wait!
Tuesday, March 20
World Cup #1 Pietermaritzburg
This picture says it all..
It had been a perfect day up until thirty minutes before the start. Racing at 4:30 in the afternoon is something that i am not accustomed to, and after this experience, i would have to say that its not my favourite thing in the world.
After living in Pietermaritzburg for a month in order to prepare for this race, things turned out differently to what I had anticipated. All those hours I had spent perfecting lines and braving rocks suddenly all went down the drain. The cards changed in a matter of minutes, and the race became one of survival. Survival of who could remain un-injured. It was all about who could manuevre themselves and their bike through the treacherous conditions in the fastest time. The Europeans immediately jumped at the opportunity to shine after racing cyclocross in these conditions. For me, it was another story...
In an attempt to remain warm for the longest possible time, everyone kept their jackets on until 1 minute to go. Whipping my jacket off and chucking it to James, I embraced the conditions and decided to give it a shot. It was just a mindshift.
The course was absolute madness!I have never experienced such dangerous and slippery conditions. It was definitely a new experience. It felt as if someone had placed dishwashing liquid all the track and instructed us to ride. The first of many crashes for me began about 5 minutes into the race. I realised that I better get used to this sensation of my wheels sliding, if I was going to get anywhere in this race. For safety reasons, the organisers had closed off all the A lines, which took away the excitement for the spectators, but the riders were grateful! It was such a demotivating thing to hit the floor every time I tried to up the intensity, making it a mental battle more than anything else.
On this day with these conditions, I could not compete with the skill and experience of the European girls. I took a lot from this race though- the key lessons I learnt from this race will be carried with me in into the future. Mountain Bike racing is an unforgiving sport and you have to be able to handle many aspects. Its all part of becoming the best. After fluctuating between 9th and 12th the entire race, I finished 11th, just outside the top 10, but was happy to be in one piece!
Thank you thank you thank you to the people who remained on the course to support me. You are my true supporters, and it was evident. And to Johann who stood in the pouring rain to give me a bottle and receive my "angry" glare each lap, you are a star. Thank you.
So currently I am sitting at JHB Airport, ready for my next adventure:) Im excited to be competing in some European cat 1 and 2 races with my BMC team mates. Can we have some dry weather please...
Tuesday, March 13
Momentum Health XCO Internationals #3
The last two weeks have been a buzz of excitement. Judging by the number of complaints I have received after somewhat slacking with my updates, it is evident that people enjoy my post race reflections. So this is my apology. But in the same breath- thanks for complaining. It made me smile:)
This past weekend acted as the "dress rehearsal" for the World Cup taking place this coming weekend. (17/18 March) For many, having survived the European winter, this was the first race of the season. A great time to flush out all the cobwebs and get the legs firing again. I was grateful to KZNMTB for having given us South Africans the opportunity to get some beneficial racing experience under the belt so early in the season. You are doing amazing things for our sport!
We stood on the start line on a typically sunny South African morning. The conditions were perfect for some fast, furious racing. The pro-elite womens category (U23 and Elite) had one start time. After being told that we were in for 5 laps, I knew this was going to be a battle. However, that didnt stop me from going out guns blazing. I seem to be making a habit of this! Its good to experiment though- especially when presented with a challenge larger than you are accustomed to. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can, and then try hold out for the rest of the way. This way, i know exactly where the point is where I start battling to turn the pedals with the same power. The start was absolute chaos (as expected), as everyone scrambled to be in the front up the first singletrack switchback climb. There was a bottleneck of riders on the first sharp corner entering the climb. Lesson learnt- be in the front up to this point, or if not, quickly make a plan to be there. Otherwise the time you lose is completely unnecessary, and waste energy trying to make it up.
After much stumbling and crashing, I found my rhythm going into the second lap. After the 280m of vertical ascent in one lap, you wonder if you will ever be able to repeat that another 4 times! The course is unforgiving, as it requires 100% concentration ALL THE TIME. Those logs have my heart rate sky rocketing every time I approach them! To those of you wanting to experience the thrills and spills of racing this weekend- I recommend you position yourself in the amphitheatre, where all the action takes place. For the riders, this section is beautifully placed, as it begins at the top of a long climb, and you are able to let go and have some fun. The trick is to make it through in one piece, still mounted on your bike. Nick has done an excellent job at making this course one of the most challenging on the World Cup circuit. Come check it out on Saturday.
I felt strong until the second half of the 4th lap, where the brutality of the course started to take its toll on me. However, knew I only had to make it to the finish line. Those last few climbs were a slog, and I was finding it difficult to have a focussed approach through those technical sections. This is when the support and encouragement of the spectators mean the most. It literally got me through. Having my mother running behind me shouting at the top of her lungs made me start to wonder whether I was going fast enough. Thanks for the boost mom. I cant wait to experience the excitement and support of the spectators in the World Cup. Keep it going guys! It does amazing things for us:)
I get the feeling that everyone battled equally on that last lap, as I wasnt passed by anyone, nor did I do any overtaking. To finish in 15th place in a field made up of top international elite riders gave me a lot of motivation going into the World Cup- where I will compete in my category. (U23) This test run taught me many beneficial lessons that will definitely be put to good use next week. I will also be racing my BMC TE01 and not the fourstroke, as I believe this is predominantly a climbing course, where my hardtail will shine.
Our community of cyclists has grown over the past weeks. as more and more international riders arrive in South Africa. Its great to have you all. I wish you all the best for your races, and I hope you experience the friendliness and hospitality of our beautiful country:)
Please come support on Saturday at Cascades. Racing takes place all day. My race goes off at 4:30. See you there:)
This past weekend acted as the "dress rehearsal" for the World Cup taking place this coming weekend. (17/18 March) For many, having survived the European winter, this was the first race of the season. A great time to flush out all the cobwebs and get the legs firing again. I was grateful to KZNMTB for having given us South Africans the opportunity to get some beneficial racing experience under the belt so early in the season. You are doing amazing things for our sport!
We stood on the start line on a typically sunny South African morning. The conditions were perfect for some fast, furious racing. The pro-elite womens category (U23 and Elite) had one start time. After being told that we were in for 5 laps, I knew this was going to be a battle. However, that didnt stop me from going out guns blazing. I seem to be making a habit of this! Its good to experiment though- especially when presented with a challenge larger than you are accustomed to. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can, and then try hold out for the rest of the way. This way, i know exactly where the point is where I start battling to turn the pedals with the same power. The start was absolute chaos (as expected), as everyone scrambled to be in the front up the first singletrack switchback climb. There was a bottleneck of riders on the first sharp corner entering the climb. Lesson learnt- be in the front up to this point, or if not, quickly make a plan to be there. Otherwise the time you lose is completely unnecessary, and waste energy trying to make it up.
After much stumbling and crashing, I found my rhythm going into the second lap. After the 280m of vertical ascent in one lap, you wonder if you will ever be able to repeat that another 4 times! The course is unforgiving, as it requires 100% concentration ALL THE TIME. Those logs have my heart rate sky rocketing every time I approach them! To those of you wanting to experience the thrills and spills of racing this weekend- I recommend you position yourself in the amphitheatre, where all the action takes place. For the riders, this section is beautifully placed, as it begins at the top of a long climb, and you are able to let go and have some fun. The trick is to make it through in one piece, still mounted on your bike. Nick has done an excellent job at making this course one of the most challenging on the World Cup circuit. Come check it out on Saturday.
I felt strong until the second half of the 4th lap, where the brutality of the course started to take its toll on me. However, knew I only had to make it to the finish line. Those last few climbs were a slog, and I was finding it difficult to have a focussed approach through those technical sections. This is when the support and encouragement of the spectators mean the most. It literally got me through. Having my mother running behind me shouting at the top of her lungs made me start to wonder whether I was going fast enough. Thanks for the boost mom. I cant wait to experience the excitement and support of the spectators in the World Cup. Keep it going guys! It does amazing things for us:)
I get the feeling that everyone battled equally on that last lap, as I wasnt passed by anyone, nor did I do any overtaking. To finish in 15th place in a field made up of top international elite riders gave me a lot of motivation going into the World Cup- where I will compete in my category. (U23) This test run taught me many beneficial lessons that will definitely be put to good use next week. I will also be racing my BMC TE01 and not the fourstroke, as I believe this is predominantly a climbing course, where my hardtail will shine.
Our community of cyclists has grown over the past weeks. as more and more international riders arrive in South Africa. Its great to have you all. I wish you all the best for your races, and I hope you experience the friendliness and hospitality of our beautiful country:)
Please come support on Saturday at Cascades. Racing takes place all day. My race goes off at 4:30. See you there:)
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