Monday, February 6
My next adventure presented itself in the form of the EP Herald VW Cycle Tour, comprising of an MTB and road race event. I had an enjoyable road trip from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth with James Reid and was excited to face a challenging weekend of racing. Racing is the best form of training. With that being said, I saw this weekend as an opportunity to get in two hard days of training in the lead up to a block of XC racing happening in the next few weeks. And to be honest, I was searching for any excuse to race my BMC's.. what a thrill:)
The EP Herald MTB race on the Saturday was a mud festival! When I woke up to the pouring rain beating on my roof, I had to come to terms with the fact that we were al in the same 'boat'- literally. It had been raining in PE for the last few days and the result was a sticky, wet paste that made for slow going around the edited 90km course. The route featured one main 10km climb, at about 25kms in. The rest was a mixture of farm roads and jeep tracks- all extremely waterlogged. I started cautiously, but quickly realised there was nothing that wasnt going to get absolutely caked in mud. I rode clear of the other women in the first few kilometers, and from there, held my advantage up the main climb of the day. My BMC Team Elite 01 dealt with the mud fantastically and the stiff rear traingle was great for putting some power down, even in the slippery stuff.
On the long, mud-filled roads to the finish, I felt great and extended my advantage to come home a little less than 20 minutes ahead of Heidi Kloem. I must say a big thank you to my sponsor, BMC South Africa for the opportunity to race all over the country. Also- to Judy and the rest of the organisers at the VW Herald Cycle Tour- brilliant organisation in poor conditions!
The Road Race on Sunday is a prestigious event which sees most of the professional road teams in South Africa taking part. It was bound to be an exciting race, as the course was relatively flat with small short hills, making it difficult for attacks by riders to be successful. It felt good to have a win in the bank from yesterday- no pressure or expectations for today. Today was merely about sticking with the bunch and seeing how it pans out. My legs were feeling slightly knackered in the first few kms, but quickly came to the party as the attacks were launched early on. A group of 4 managed to get away, but i stayed with the bunch.
I was impressed with my form, and felt as if I still had quite a lot to give, despite my difficult race the day before. I felt confident on my bike, and could respond to attacks that were thrown.This is a motivating sign at this stage in my training cycle. As per usual with road racing, the final sprint determined the placings. I crossed the line in 9th place in a talented field of women. Well done to Ashleigh Moolman Passio (Toyota), Marissa Stander (Bizhub) and Anriette Schoeman (Bizhub) for their 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
I was torn apart not to be the grand winner of the VW Polo that was given away, but I still had a smile on my face due to a successful weekend of racing! Sunday evening, I was off to Plettenberg Bay with James Reid and Kevin Evans for a celebratory dinner and glass of red wine at "The Table".. What a beaut spot! Highly recommended..
Next up will be my experiences at the first National XC race in Durbanville. Holding thumbs:) Keep reading to find out more..
The EP Herald MTB race on the Saturday was a mud festival! When I woke up to the pouring rain beating on my roof, I had to come to terms with the fact that we were al in the same 'boat'- literally. It had been raining in PE for the last few days and the result was a sticky, wet paste that made for slow going around the edited 90km course. The route featured one main 10km climb, at about 25kms in. The rest was a mixture of farm roads and jeep tracks- all extremely waterlogged. I started cautiously, but quickly realised there was nothing that wasnt going to get absolutely caked in mud. I rode clear of the other women in the first few kilometers, and from there, held my advantage up the main climb of the day. My BMC Team Elite 01 dealt with the mud fantastically and the stiff rear traingle was great for putting some power down, even in the slippery stuff.
On the long, mud-filled roads to the finish, I felt great and extended my advantage to come home a little less than 20 minutes ahead of Heidi Kloem. I must say a big thank you to my sponsor, BMC South Africa for the opportunity to race all over the country. Also- to Judy and the rest of the organisers at the VW Herald Cycle Tour- brilliant organisation in poor conditions!
The Road Race on Sunday is a prestigious event which sees most of the professional road teams in South Africa taking part. It was bound to be an exciting race, as the course was relatively flat with small short hills, making it difficult for attacks by riders to be successful. It felt good to have a win in the bank from yesterday- no pressure or expectations for today. Today was merely about sticking with the bunch and seeing how it pans out. My legs were feeling slightly knackered in the first few kms, but quickly came to the party as the attacks were launched early on. A group of 4 managed to get away, but i stayed with the bunch.
I was impressed with my form, and felt as if I still had quite a lot to give, despite my difficult race the day before. I felt confident on my bike, and could respond to attacks that were thrown.This is a motivating sign at this stage in my training cycle. As per usual with road racing, the final sprint determined the placings. I crossed the line in 9th place in a talented field of women. Well done to Ashleigh Moolman Passio (Toyota), Marissa Stander (Bizhub) and Anriette Schoeman (Bizhub) for their 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
I was torn apart not to be the grand winner of the VW Polo that was given away, but I still had a smile on my face due to a successful weekend of racing! Sunday evening, I was off to Plettenberg Bay with James Reid and Kevin Evans for a celebratory dinner and glass of red wine at "The Table".. What a beaut spot! Highly recommended..
Next up will be my experiences at the first National XC race in Durbanville. Holding thumbs:) Keep reading to find out more..