Specialized Bicycle Components has been the proud sponsor of the Exel road cycling team since the end of 2005. This partnership has not only been renewed for 2007, but has also seen the addition of a MTB team. The MTB team will be named Team Exel Specialized while the road team remains Team Exel.
Team Exel Specialized 2007 will consist of the following four riders:
ELIAS (TUIS) SEBONA
DOB: September 28th 1980
Turned Pro: 2003 with HSBC.
2004: Rode for TUKS (University Pretoria)
2005 and 2006: Team Exel
Highlights:
2002: 5th overall Kremetart Tour, stage winner
2002: Team member of winning team at Tour of China with HSBC.
2003: Kremetart Tour, stage winner, plus yellow jersey wearer
2004: Winner of KoM at Jock Tour at Barberton / Nelspruit
2005: Winner of Middelburg Classic
2006: 3rd overall Middelburg Classic
2006: Crater Cruise MTB event 25th overall position
JACO VENTER
DOB: February 13th 1987
Cycling results:
2002:
U16 African and South African Champion
2004:
1st- Junior Expert Short Track, Sea Otter MTB Classic, USA
2nd- Junior Expert Road race, Sea Otter Classic, USA
2nd Overall (incl Elite) - Karoo to Coast
2005:
1st- South African Junior Timetrial Championships
Stage winner of the South African Junior Tour
5th- Overall Classification Tour de Lorraine World Cup, France
2nd- Het Volk Junior (UCI 1.1), Belgium
2006:
Crater Cruise MTB event 9th overall position
JACQUES JANSE VAN RENSBURG
DOB: September 6th 1987
Cycling Results:
2005:
1st- South African Junior Road Championships
Stage winner of the South African Junior Tour
1st- King of the Mountains Classification, Tour de Lorraine World Cup, France
2nd- Sprints Classification, Tour de Pays de Vaud, Switzerland
3rd- King of the Mountains Classification, Tour de Pays de Vaud, Switzerland
2006:
1st- Stage1, Transalp Challenge (Road)
1st- Stage 7, Transalp Challenge (Road)
Crater Cruise MTB event 15th overall position
OWEN CHAD HANNIE
DOB: June 6th 1978
Professional Cyclist
January 1999-December 2003
Teams: IBM Lotus (1999-2001), Microsoft (2002-2003), South African National Team (1999-2003)
Highlighted Achievements: First cyclist of colour to represent the South African National Team at World Road Champs in Verona, Italy (1999), South African National U/23 Champion 2001, Ranked in the South African Top from 1999 to 2003.
The riders will focus on the Drifter series, various other high profile races such as Sanie 2 C, Sabie Experience and most definitely the Cape Epic. The pairing for the Cape Epic 2007 will be Jaco/Jacques and Tuis/Owen.
The foray from road into MTB for the team offers exciting opportunities for all concerned. The co sponsors of Team Exel Specialized are:
(Exel and Specialized are naming sponsors)
Thule Bike Racks
Look Pedals,
SRAM Bicycle Components
Cyclesure Insurance
Volvo Bedfordview
Fast Fuel Supplements
Bene Water
Anatomic Clothing
The strong link between Team Exel Specialized and the Specialized Factory MTB Team (e.g. Christoph Sauser, Liam Killeen) will be strengthened over the course of 2007, especially during the Cape Epic.
The team looks forward to an exciting year ahead and will endeavour to leverage the exposure for its co sponsors as well as to create more awareness of mountain biking in South Africa.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Average Guy Experiences The Sabie Experience
I was lucky enough to be invited by the organisers of the Sabie Experience to ride a stage of the race. But this report starts a week before the Experience. I was in Sabie to do a training camp with the good people from Fritz Pienaar Cycles and the second day of our camp, we ran into Dennis Lawrie. For those of you who don’t know, he’s one of the people behind the Sabie Experience. It’s only if you happen to be there the week before the event that you realise fully what it takes to put together an event like The Experience. Dennis was out there with some enthusiastic helpers doing everything from cutting the long grass, to removing overhanging tree branches from the trail, to getting some very keen dirt bikers to ride the single track, just so that it would be fresh. I often do races without a thought of what happens behind the scenes; but seeing all this hard work happening really hit it home how much we take for granted. Every cent of race entry is worth it in my book.
So, what about the actual event? I think The Cure song “Hot, Hot, Hot” would describe the 2006 Sabie Experience best. I was extremely lucky as the third stage I rode on the Saturday was by far the coolest day of the event… my Polar measured a sweat- inducing 38 degrees! The 7 a.m. start did help a little, but speaking to some riders who perspired their way through all 4 days, they would have even been happy with a 6 a.m. start. The vibe at the start was very festive; the voice of Mountain Biking in S.A; Paul Valstar adding to the atmosphere. Those riders who escaped heat exhaustion to make day 3 were looking surprisingly fresh; I think they were invigorated by the misty cool morning.
The mist was soon burnt off by the blazing lowveld sun and things were soon back to hot, hot, hot. Day 3 was 72km and 1400m climbing, and I had much respect for those who had endured similar stages for the previous 2 days. The heat really was stifling and some riders reported a remarkable 45 degrees on the previous day, so while I sweated like a Norwegian in a sauna, I still counted myself lucky.
The route was pretty standard Sabie stuff. Good long climbs and exhilarating downhills; with nothing too challenging for day 3 in terms of technical riding. There was a really cool (literally) downhill through a forest canopy, which everyone seemed to really appreciate and enjoy. The water points were some of the best I have seen at any race! There was plenty fruit, cold water and Powerade. Also, a nice touch was a tent, where riders could get out of the sun and have some Squirt administered to dusty drive trains.
The finish had all the vibe of the start and Paul made an effort to announce each team finishing by name which is a really great way to make each person feel like the champion they are. The bike wash (and at times, person wash) was really near the finish, so you could get your bike sorted and move on to relax with minimal strain. The start/finish venue at the school was perfect, with a shaded grandstand for spectators to await the dusty bikers. For me, the ultimate, was the Chelsea bun at the end! I love to eat straight after a ride and this was an awesome touch! For me this was simply the icing on an absolutely awesome event. I have managed to miss out every year since the inception of The Experience, but next year I’ll be on the start line as a competitor. Thanks so much to all the organisers and in particular, Fiona Coward for making me feel like I was part of the race. The race bag full of goodies, reminded me of a time when I started racing and part of the fun was looking forward to the race packs.
I managed to make it to the final 25 km time trial on Sunday and this is what makes the event a must do. It was extremely exciting to sit on the grandstand and watch everyone sprint through the finish, having their times announced as they did. When Greg Minaar and Brandon Steward shot over the finish line, I didn’t think anyone would better their time. But Burry Stander and J.P. Pearton smashed any hopes of a sneak win with an unbelievable time of 51 minutes. I must confess to getting goose bumps as the announcement was made.
So, what about the actual event? I think The Cure song “Hot, Hot, Hot” would describe the 2006 Sabie Experience best. I was extremely lucky as the third stage I rode on the Saturday was by far the coolest day of the event… my Polar measured a sweat- inducing 38 degrees! The 7 a.m. start did help a little, but speaking to some riders who perspired their way through all 4 days, they would have even been happy with a 6 a.m. start. The vibe at the start was very festive; the voice of Mountain Biking in S.A; Paul Valstar adding to the atmosphere. Those riders who escaped heat exhaustion to make day 3 were looking surprisingly fresh; I think they were invigorated by the misty cool morning.
The mist was soon burnt off by the blazing lowveld sun and things were soon back to hot, hot, hot. Day 3 was 72km and 1400m climbing, and I had much respect for those who had endured similar stages for the previous 2 days. The heat really was stifling and some riders reported a remarkable 45 degrees on the previous day, so while I sweated like a Norwegian in a sauna, I still counted myself lucky.
The route was pretty standard Sabie stuff. Good long climbs and exhilarating downhills; with nothing too challenging for day 3 in terms of technical riding. There was a really cool (literally) downhill through a forest canopy, which everyone seemed to really appreciate and enjoy. The water points were some of the best I have seen at any race! There was plenty fruit, cold water and Powerade. Also, a nice touch was a tent, where riders could get out of the sun and have some Squirt administered to dusty drive trains.
The finish had all the vibe of the start and Paul made an effort to announce each team finishing by name which is a really great way to make each person feel like the champion they are. The bike wash (and at times, person wash) was really near the finish, so you could get your bike sorted and move on to relax with minimal strain. The start/finish venue at the school was perfect, with a shaded grandstand for spectators to await the dusty bikers. For me, the ultimate, was the Chelsea bun at the end! I love to eat straight after a ride and this was an awesome touch! For me this was simply the icing on an absolutely awesome event. I have managed to miss out every year since the inception of The Experience, but next year I’ll be on the start line as a competitor. Thanks so much to all the organisers and in particular, Fiona Coward for making me feel like I was part of the race. The race bag full of goodies, reminded me of a time when I started racing and part of the fun was looking forward to the race packs.
I managed to make it to the final 25 km time trial on Sunday and this is what makes the event a must do. It was extremely exciting to sit on the grandstand and watch everyone sprint through the finish, having their times announced as they did. When Greg Minaar and Brandon Steward shot over the finish line, I didn’t think anyone would better their time. But Burry Stander and J.P. Pearton smashed any hopes of a sneak win with an unbelievable time of 51 minutes. I must confess to getting goose bumps as the announcement was made.
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