MTB Online Test Pilots

Average Guy and Alan have been selected to be test pilots for the 2009 Raleigh full suspension bikes. If you are lucky enough to catch us on the trails or at the Epic you can see it in person. Unfortuantely I cannot give any details other than to say it is a full four inch travel race machine.

Barely cycling calendar 2008

The Ride Mag folks have a hot new cycling calendar is available, the 2008 “Barely Cycling” calendar is a unique initiative and first in the cycling fraternity! A limited edition has been printed and due to demand, orders are on a first come, first served basis. This unique and first to South Africa initiative will raise funds for junior cycling development.

Cost per calendar is about R 300.00. They should be available from middle to end November. If you are interested mail us to book your copy now

Absa Cape Epic 2008 Route

“We don’t intentionally make the route harder and harder very year”, these were the words from Kevin Vermaak at the Cape Epic 2008 route launch gala last night as he introduced arguably one of the toughest routes yet. Launched at the Gala evening the route with 966km and over 18000m of climbing including the extra prologue day is going to be one serious ride. The evening was packed with the who’s who of SA MTB as well as some international MTB legends and local SA celebrities. It was a bit difficult to recognise the cyclists in black tie attire, but the local MTN Raleigh road and MTB team were there, as was Christoph Sauser and MTB pioneer Gary Fisher in amongst the other SA bike industry leaders. It was clear that the Cape Epic had reached a new level and become a truly world class and trend setting event.


The footage shown had images of climbs, rocks sand and awesome scenery showed just enough to alert the scenes, but not enough to scare you off. Introducing the new route Kevin Vermaak said the intention was not to make it harder every year, bat rather to go to new places in the Western Cape. To show off the spectacular scenery the route had to be stretched a bit to include some new technical and challenging sections. He said that history had shown more and more riders finishing the race every year, so to continue the trend this year and extra bit of training would be required.

The 2008 race route is as follows:
Prologue: 17km 310m in the Pezula estate
Stage 1: 123km 3091m : Knysna to Saarsveld
Stage 2: 137km 2518m: Saarsveld to Calitzdorp
Stage 3: 133km 2340m: Calitzdorp to Riversdale
Stage 4: 121km 2620m: Riversdale to Swellendam
Stage 5: 146km 1819m: Swellendam to Bredaarsdorp
Stage 6: 130km 2095m: Bredaarsdorp to Hermanus
Stage 7: 91km 1985m: Hermanus to Grabouw
Stage 8: 68km 1760m: Grabouw to Lourensford

There are no easy days on this route and long distances in the first 6 days are going to be challenging. Day 1 will be as tough as ever and day 2 has the potential to be the toughest day ever with a really long and hard climb towards the end of the stage. The other days are long and hard. Don’t be fooled by the shorter distances on the last two days, the climbing and the terrain will make them interesting and hard after 7 days on solid riding. It looks like there will be a fair amount of technical rocky and sandy stretches following the standard set by last years superb route. From experience the route organisers highlight the easier parts and smooth over the difficult parts, this was definitely evident from last night, with a few subtle warnings of extra training, rough conditions and long days and no mention of so called rest days. It promises to be another awesome event.

Gary Fisher was clearly impressed when he said that this type of race was exactly what he had intended back in the days when he was riding klunkers down the hills of Southern California. Clearly not a fan of the Olympic format XC racing, he was excited about taking part in the 2008 Cape Epic Event. He will be out there with some other local SA celebrities and past sports stars like Robbie Fleck, Brian McMillian, current MR SA, a previous idols contestant and a radio DJ. They will be riding for the newly launched Big Tree foundation, the formalised charity arm of the Absa Cape Epic. Asked whether he thought any of these guys would finish the race, Gary answered “No Way!”, but the bets are on the table as they ride to raise money for charity.
Full details are at www.cape-epic.com

How mountain biking is changing

While I was out this morning on one of my many to come Cape Epic training rides on a familiar route, I was wondering if I was quicker or slower today than the other day. So then I thought to myself, “Why am I doing this, why am I riding so much to try to get a better placing at Cape Epic 2008?” And so my mind wandered onto racing, what is the point, why bother? Why not just ride for enjoyment and not bother with training, programs, races, times etc. How did I land up here, in this racing mode?

Well I guess I started riding just like everyone else on weekends for fun. But with limited routes, places to ride and know how there was not much progression. Wanting more excitement, destinations and some challenges from friends, and here I am riding MTB races. Not a bad thing at all, great for fitness, health and sense of achievement having completed some of the tougher events around. But if you look carefully through the woods you will see the MTB landscape changing, there are signs all over the place.

The recent 10th anniversary edition of Ride mag shows just how everyone is into MTB. It has kept bike shops going as traffic and safety has people leaving the tar for dirt. Mountain Bike innovation is a whole topic to itself. MTB race organisers continue to innovate as MTB races have become lifestyle events. Mountain Bike Parks like Logwood and Giba Gorge start emerging and mountain bikers get stuck into trail construction like the various work parties at work in Tokai, Groenkloof and even around Braamfontein Spruit. Mountain bike holidays by South Africans in South Africa is a reality with the likes of Cycle Mashatu getting return visitors back every year.

And so the pressure mounts on both sides of the MTB fence, namely the property owners and the riders. A recent insert on 50/50 about mountain biking in the Melville Koppies area had local MTBers up in arms as does regular moans and groans from other trail users in the Cape Peninsula area. Cycling South Africa tries desperately to get more riders to register and continues to think up better ways (seems like more complicated ways sometimes) to license riders. But quietly a whole movement is gaining momentum as racing becomes just another thing to do and not the thing to do.

African Mountain Bike Association or AMA for short is the way forward for anyone who likes riding MTB. Why? Well because it is a trail advocacy organisation affiliated to IMBA (International Mountain bike Association). It is there as a voice for mountain bikers, flying the flag. AMA Rider is a mountain bike advocacy organisation aimed at improving mountain bike opportunities on the African continent. There are really exciting things in the future of MTB with long travel trail bikes starting to filter into bike shops and more riding opportunities opening up, get behind the AMA www.amarider.co.za - Its the future of MTB.

New trails bikes and rides

These last few weeks I have been fortunate enough to ride on some new trails and try out some new bikes. It reminded me how interesting and varied mountain biking really is. It also refreshing and really fun to ride some new tracks that I had never ridden before.

One of the greatest things about mountain biking must be to ride a new route. Not knowing what to expect really keeps your eyes wide open and focuses your attention. I have ridden some new fast downhills and tricky single track in the last few weeks, a welcome change from the routine of the regular routes. The feeling of blasting down a hill not knowing what is coming up and only being able to see a few meters ahead is one of the greatest feelings around. It got my adrenalin pumping and I new that if I slipped up there would be consequences.

Some of these new trails I rode with friends in various parts of the country. They showed me where to go and lead the way, a great way to get to know a new area. But some of the others I just discovered by riding out and following some paths and tracks. Exploring and finding new routes also has to be one of the great things about riding mountain bikes. It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to find new routes. More often than not you will find some great new riding by just venturing out and looking for something new.

Riding a different bike on an unknown trail is also a sure way to keep the blood flowing. I took my first real ride on a 5.5” trail bike, the Commencal Meta 5.5 – what a blast. I rode some really sweet singletrack and rocky trails at Groenkloof in Pretoria. If you are going to ride some new technical singletrack then I can recommend a long travel bike, especially the Meta 5. When I got the lines all wrong and was heading for trouble I just held on and blasted over the rocks, with the suspension looking after the rest. It was amazing and seriously fun. After riding this long travel bike I can see what all the fuss is about. Here I was on someone else’s 5.5” trail bike going faster downhill that I could with my own bike that I know backwards. The combination of the trail tuned geometry and extra suspension gives this bike the ability to push past your previous limits and discover some new ones. It is seriously fun mountain biking – when everyone else realises this you can bet the race numbers will be dropping and the bike park and trail side numbers will pickup.

So the last two weeks were really fun just by doing something different, riding some different routes and swapping out bikes and getting a feel of something completely new.

U23 World Champs

MTBOnline wants to congratulate Burry Stander on a world class performance at Fort William. The young South African placed a very respectable 6th overall in the U23 race.

Good Work!!

Mountain bikers, mountain goats, dust and mud

Some of the recent mountain bike races in the Cape have left me wondering if there are any easy MTB races south of the Karoo. Cape riders are quick to chirp the GP counterparts when it comes to mountains. But having lived in GP land for many years I know that the riding there is not just gravel travel like most Capies will have you believe. Cool west rand singletrack, technical Klaperkop decents and the holly Bredesneck rides will convince you of that. Races like the Fort to Fort, this years Heritage classic and the aptly named Magalies Monster can be technical challenges of note.

But having spent almost 3 years riding in the Cape now I have to admit that race organisers here are either not scared to throw in mountains or more than likely don’t have a choice. While GP riders wallow in the dust scared of the west Cape winters, the local riders are spoilt for choice. Just this weekend you had a choice of some green Swartland singletrack or trusty Stellenbosch mud. Koringberg in the Swartland had cool cloudy weather to tackle 70 odd kilometres with almost 1600m of climbing, mostly on technical singletrack climbs and decents. While in Stellenbosch they had mud and 40km with over 1400m of climbing on some fresh single track.

So some things are guaranteed and other not. Like if you ride in the Cape make sure you have your climbing legs on, and yes it may be wet. If you are in Gauteng, you can take your MTB along, just find some of that dusty singletrack, it is quite different to the mud.

Koringberg Singletrack

Eurobike 2007 - 1

Custom Paint Ellsworth

Industry 9

WOW!

There were plenty cruiser type bikes.

Yeti For Racing Only carbon.

Meeting an old friend.

Eurobike 2007

2008 Rock Shox SID


XTR Shadow.


XT Wheels

Merida Prototype.

Scott was showing a 6.7KG MTB!

Real Mountain biking

So you thought that the Cape Epic with its 140km 3000m ascent was a hectic mountain bike race stage? Well that ain't nothin when you look at some races in Switzeland. Christoph Sauser, winner of the ABSA Cape Epic spent over 6 hours in the saddle at the recent Swiss Bike Masters Race, and that was good enough for 2nd place after a sprint finish.

The route was 120km long with 5000m of vertical ascent, plus it was raining and wet. If that is too much then you could choose to do the shorter route at 75km and 3000m ascent. So the next time you are out on a tough MTB race route, just think that it could be so much worse - or better depending on your point of view.

Swiss Bike Masters

The end of a legend

Today is a sad day for team Subaru. Subaru South Africa will no longer support the team in the forth coming ABSA Cape Epic. To keep in line with new company strategies Subaru will be unable to continue its sponsorship of the team.
Alan and Albert would like to thank Subaru for their support over the last 3 years. It has been a great ride!

With little less than a week left until entry fees must be paid, it was doubtful that these 2 stalwarts of the Cape Epic will complete a fourth event.

But then the good news came - Team BBB Maxxis was born. Look out for news of this new team flying the flag for average guys everywhere.

Full Suspension vs Hardtail

Reading a race report on the African championships held recently in Namibia I see that a full suspension bike came out tops. Granted it was piloted by Burry Stander who has really picked up speed since he has been racing full time in the US with the GT team. But this is not the first time that Burry has won a cross country race on a full suspension bike. With most of his competitors opting for the conventional hardtails for the apparent benefits of acceleration and weight, it has to make you wonder?

Sure some sponsored riders have to ride what they are given. But when you are gunning for the top like Burry with Olympic qualifying on your mind, you take the best weapon available, as Burry puts it in his blog, “we were off to the track, i rode the ht at first to see how it would go but after two laps i decide to head back to the hotel and fetch the full suss. the gt marathon was the perfect bike for the job as the course was super rocky and the descents were long.”

Burry won that race by a comfortable 9min !

The Marathon Team has a 100mm travel carbon fiber monocoque I-Drive 4 frame. The carbon rear swingarm assembly is new and is outfitted with a full XTR group and Fox 32 RL fork. The bike is stiff and light and both Todd Wells and Burry Stander have been getting impressive World Cup results on the new frame.

Check out Burry's Blog for latest news, http://burrystander.typepad.com/

Ryan cox R.I.P.

It is a sad sad day for anyone related to cycling. Ryan Cox one of South Africas great cyclists passed away today.

He was a two-time SA road cycling champion, also won the Giro del Capo and the Malaysian Tour de Langkawi and represented South Africa at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne last year and part of the Barloworld team.

He died after recovering from a recent operation to fix a knotted artery in his leg. More on this

Long live his memory and what he achieved in cycling.

Ryancox.co.za

The Dope Fest

Cycling is under assault by the dope show. Being a mountain biker, roadie, downhiller whatever, you can’t help being drawn into this and being tarnished with the poisoned needle. I cannot agree more with the harsh penalties being dished out, there must be consequences and standards, and if you want to win the game you must play by the rules.

But it makes me wonder if it is going to make it all go away. Are we treating the cause or are we treating the symptom. The big stick approach seldom works because often you are beating an already broken man. Should we not be trying to fix this broken man. I wonder if we really understand this doping thing, I mean really understand it. Where does it all start, what drives someone like Vino to dope knowing the risks of being caught? What is someone’s state of mind when they make this decision?

Why is taking an illegal substance worse than taking a legal substance, are you not improving your performance artificially in both cases?

David Miller a reformed doper talks about and understands these things. He points out how grey the area is that when these guys start it is not for the glory and the money but more like desperation, obligations etc. Only they will know, and when no one is really talking how will we ever know what it really is all about.

But I guess for now the only route is the UCI stick route, but somehow that just seems to damage and make for the worst PR ever.


Maybe the pain we all feel is the way it is meant to be. Fact is it is happening everywhere, denying that is they got here in the first place. So the fact that everyday someone gets booted out is the right thing for now, but it can’t be the only long term solution.

South Africa on the international MTB Map

In today's Transalp stage 6 Brandon Stewart and SA Marathon champ Kevin Evans crossed the line first! They edged out Cape Epic winners; Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm in a sprint finish.

It is truly a great day for South African Mountain biking! Everyone here at MTBOnline just want you guys to know that you ROCK!!


http://www.bike-transalp.de/englisch/

Join an MTB community

Mountain biking communities are alive and well on the web. Infact they have been a real contributor to the growth of the sport in the last few years. The oldset and most estabilished is probably the warthogs group. Based in the Cape and setup as a ride notification list, this group is still as active as ever. Run as an e-mailing list you subscribe to it and can then receive all the mails and post replies. The other major mailing list out there is the spinman group which has most of its users based in Gauteng. Also an e-mail list this group of mountain bikers discuss anything and everything related to mountain biking. these lists are great to get to meet fellow riders and join on some of the informal rides organised. Find out more of these lists here



But if you are not into e-mail lists and the inevitable volume of mail, chit chat and addiction that it brings then maybe a web based forum is more for you. The recently re-vamped MTBForum is a dedicated online mountain biking forum for South Africa. It is just the place to pop in and find out some relevant info or see what is going on. There is also a facility for buying and selling bikes through a free classifieds forum. Organisers and event managers are encouraged to make use of the events forum to share information about there events.

Specialized Stumpjumper 2008 - Carbon tweaked

The new specialized stumpjumper trail mountain bike has been unveiled in Spain recently. It has not taken specialised long to re look this model. Average guy reviewed the specialized stumpjumper 2006 just the other day, and already there is a new one!

Specialized has really made some drastic improvements to the stumpy. If this isn't a sign that carbon is here to stay then I don't know what is. Just about every improvement on this bike relates to carbon tweaking. They took some design cues from the enduro and shed 200g of weight off the S-works carbon frame with a bunch of improvements. Carbon fiber seat stays shave weight, down tube is larger in diameter and now spans the full width of the bottom bracket shell and the drive side dropout is also carbon fiber.

Other weight saving comes from further integration of the frame and the fork which are now a matching set so you can't swap out. Although it is limiting for customising it makes sense from a weight and control perspective. It is a great looking mountain bike with a serious name behind it.

The verdict from Average Guy:

That bike really looks awesome! I just can’t believe that Spaz has such Cr@p cable routing!! Did you see the bottom of the bike. Dit lyk soos n hoers nes!!!!

Read the full story with pics of the Specialized Stumpjumper 2008

More new Specialized bikes

New Bikes 2008

It is that time of the year again. Bike shop stocks are low and the latest and greatest sits on the horison. News is coming in steadily of new mountain bike releases, model upgrades, lighter bikes, new dealerships etc. New bike designs and specs for 2008 are wrapped up. They are now into production to make the deadline launch dates for later in the year.


Cannondale is busy testing the new Scalpel. For 2008 Cannondale is redesigning its cross country race bike the Scalpel. It now looks like the bike will be sporting around 100mm of rear travel using flex chain stays and a swing link suspension. Rumours are that the bike will be tested this season and once all the angles and tweaks are confirmed they will be producing a carbon version.

Read the full Cannondale Scalpel 2008 story

Other news in SA is the arrival of some premium bike brands from the USA. From August you will be able to get hold of Tomac mountain bikes as well as the super cool Ibis Mojo full suspension carbon trail bike. Also set to receive a boost in our local market is the Intense range of mountain bikes. The agency was recently acquired by Probike who are set to inject new life into the brand.

Fizik Gobi 2008 - spy shots

Fizik is improving their popular Gobi saddle. Can it get better you ask? With many many endurance mountain bikers opting for the comfortable Gobi with wing flex, it seems like there is nothing to improve?

Well our spy pics show that they have improved on it.

Looking at the saddle you will notice that there is less of a curve in the middle and the nose is wider. This improved design also means that there is more flex at the end. Sounds like good improvements to me, making climbing a bit more comfortable, as you shift weight onto the front of the saddle there will be a bit more real estate to perch on.

But how do they know that this will work? Because the test it with a saddle bashing machine, check it out

So look out for the new Fizik Gobi saddles

Mountain Bike Blogging

This is my first post on Average Guy's blog. Being the average guy means that day job and life pressures don't always allow for plenty postings. That is where bUnDi comes in, the secret force behind average guy, propelling him to fame and fortune. That is mostly off the bike, on the bike it is a different story. I will share some of my experiences on and off the bike and bring you some bits and pieces from my wanderings on the Internet.

Anyway I have just updated www.mtbonline.co.za with a new page featuring some of (read only) South African biking blogs. There are some really interesting folks out there sharing their riding and biking experiences. Some ride more than others but they never the less have a passion for cycling and specifically mountain biking.

From keen mountain biker Japie to bike shop owner Steve to bike industry main man Brandon Els of Raleigh. Take a peek into their worlds and see what they are on about.

Find the links at http://www.mtbonline.co.za/averageguy/blog.htm

2008 Shimano XT

Kevin Evan's 2008 Bike

Not even Kevin Evans has seen this.

2008 Raleigh FS Sneak Peak

Raleigh 2008 Sneak Peak

STANDER EDGES OUT EVANS TO TAKE FOREST TO FALLS

Burry Stander continued his run of good form when he outsprinted national champion Kevin Evans to win the Mazda Forest to Falls 70km mountain bike race in Graskop at the weekend.Stander (Mr Price GT) started the race as the favourite, having climbed up to ninth on the UCI world cross-country rankings in recent weeks following a string of impressive results at international events. But he’d not yet won a local marathon distance race in 2007 so was under pressure to do so before he departed for another round of overseas racing.And he responded superbly to that pressure.

Stander was part of a lead group of five riders with 25km of the scenic 70km race remaining. He was joined by Mr Price GT teammate Johan van Zyl and the Raleigh MTN Energade trio of Evans, Melt Swanepoel and Mannie Heymans.

Heymans was doing most of the pace-setting on what is one of the easier marathon race routes on the calendar, allowing Evans and Swanepoel to sit in and save their legs for the end. But with 15km remaining, Swanepoel’s hopes of victory vanished when he punctured, leaving just four upfront to fight out the podium places.Having won Forest to Falls in 2006, Evans had the experience of how to ‘play’ the finish, but didn’t quite bargain for Stander’s cheeky response.“Like last year, I put in a mock attack on the second last climb just to see who had good legs,” said Evans. “I got a small gap and Burry came with me, then he kept on going which played well into my hands because I was on his wheel and he was setting a fast pace to the finish.”

Evans added one last big attack but Stander had practiced the run-in to the finish the day before and instead of easing up slightly for the right-hand turn drop-off onto the finishing straight, he kept his pace high and virtually flew past on the inside of Evans into the final metres. Evans tried to come back but couldn’t and watched his rival take the win in two hours 36 minutes and 46 seconds.

Evans finished one second later with Van Zyl (2:36:51) and Heymans (2:37:05) third and fourth respectively. Shan Wilson (Adidas William Simpson) rounded out the top five in 2:38:06 and was the first Veteran home.The battle for the women’s title proved to be most dramatic. Pre-race favourite Yolande de Villiers (Mazda Merida) crashed out after 20 minutes, virtually handing chief rival Yolande Speedy (IMC Mongoose) the win on a plate. But instead of storming to a comfortable victory as most would have predicted, Speedy struggled and was seen weaving up a climb, head hanging down in third place behind Tania Raats (Maverick Momentum) and Amy Jane Mundy (Jeep).But Speedy, a dominant winner of the Subaru Sabie Classic in February and Mixed category champion at the Absa Cape Epic in March, managed to pull herself together and mustered up a solid finale. She first passed Mundy who’d had to contend with a broken pedal and then managed to pass Raats on her way to the win in 3:05:31. Raats finished in 3:08:55 with Mundy rounding out the podium in 3:15:35. The Velotex King and Queen of the Mountains prime came after just 8km up a near vertical ascent on a wide piece of singletrack. Wearing the jerseys that denoted them the leaders in the Series mountains competition, Stander and Mundy didn’t disappoint and led the men and women respectively over the summit of the tough ascent.After three events in the 10-leg Mazda Series, Evans and Raats still lead the men and women’s categories respectively. Both have had one first and two second places. The fourth event in the Series, the Big Induna at Hazyview, is on 16 June and doubles as the 2007 South African marathon championships.Mazda Forest to Falls, 70kmGraskop, MpumalangaSaturday 5 May 2007

Leading results:

Overall men

1 Burry Stander (Mr Price GT) 2hrs36min46sec

2 Kevin Evans (Raleigh MTN Energade) 2:36:47

3 Johan van Zyl (Mr Price GT) 2:36:51

4 Mannie Heymans (Raleigh MTN Energade) 2:37:05

5 Shan Wilson (Adidas William Simpson) 2:38:06

6 John Paul Pearton (Mazda Merida) 2:39:33

7 Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Exel Specialized) 2:39:55

8 Jaco Venter (Exel Specialized) 2:40:16

9 Melt Swanepoel (Raleigh MTN Energade) 2:40:23

10 Francois Theron (Mazda Merida) 2:42:10

Senior men

1 Burry Stander (Mr Price GT) 2hrs36min46sec

2 Kevin Evans (Raleigh MTN Energade) 2:36:47

3 Johan van Zyl (Mr Price GT) 2:36:51

Sub-veteran men

1 Mannie Heymans (Raleigh MTN Energade) 2:37:05

2 Melt Swanepoel (Raleigh MTN Energade) 2:40:23

3 Shaun MacKenzie 2:52:49

Veteran men

1 Shan Wilson (Adidas William Simpson) 2:38:06

2 Damian Booth 2:52:39

3 Bryan Strauss 2:58:04

Master men

1 Tim James 3:11:47

2 Robbie McIntosh 3:22:49

3 Barend Bester 3:25:25

Overall women

1 Yolande Speedy (IMC Mongoose) 3:05:31

2 Tania Raats (Maverick Momentum) 3:08:55

3 Amy Jane Mundy (Jeep) 3:15:35

4 Marissa van der Merwe (Proline) 3:15:50

5 Carla Rowley (Raleigh MTN Energade) 3:23:30

6 Ellane van Wyk 3:26:21

7 Petruschka Constancon 3:34:43

8 Alma Bester 3:34:499 Carla Freysen 3:50:30

10 Adele Drake 4:01:17

Sub-veteran women

1 Yolande Speedy (IMC Mongoose) 3:05:31

2 Tania Raats (Maverick Momentum) 3:08:55

3 Carla Rowley (Raleigh MTN Energade) 3:23:30

Veteran women

1 Petruschka Constancon 3:34:43

2 Alma Bester 3:34:49

3 Louise Jacobs 4:19:23

Master women

1 Sally Mawson 4:29:26

Shangai Show 2007

I am just back in my hotel room after walking around the show all day, and I didn't see everything! These shows are HUGE. I took some pictures of some of the more interesting things on show. It seems that white parts are in for the new season.

That's right, these are carbon MTB Wheels!

Cool Flat Pedals.

Magalies Monster

Be warned, this is a real tough one, with some very technical terrain.

Average Guy Gets Dirty with Harry.

I headed out on Friday afternoon for Harrismith in the Freestate, with the weather forecast foremost in my mind. And 100km outside Johannesburg the rain started and the temperature dropped. Harrismith was freezing on arrival and very wet. Luckily by the 8:30 start it was a beautiful day with only a slight wind to worry about.

The start at the athletics stadium was a good venue and the sponsors (N3 Toll Concession) had made a big effort with the catering. I was also impressed to see that Mazda had brought some vehicles which were on show and also had a representative at the race. These guys put so much into the sport, but don’t really seem to take advantage of the opportunity to show their products to the mountain bikers they sponsor, so I hope that we will see more of this.

Anyone who had finished the Epic 2 weeks ago, was hesitant to talk about their prospects for the race. You never know how you’re going to feel when you first race after the Epic.

And if you weren’t feeling good, you would probably have not liked the start of this race; a couple of loops through the streets of Harrismith and then straight in to the big climb of the day. Rather than a gradual long climb this was more undulating with some really steep bits. The king and queen of the mountain were decided in the early stages. After the climb, it was onto the contour around the Platberg. This was also undulating, with a definite feeling of more up than down. There was a really cool, rocky downhill and some hike-a-bike sections, but nothing too long. The route then wound around the Platberg on some more technical up and downs and finally around the back of the Platberg onto a dirt road. Some of the guys I spoke to afterwards really didn’t enjoy this section. It was a challenge as there was a strong headwind and I could not hold on to the bunch. So I had to suffer the section alone. I felt sorry for the top ladies on this section: I went past Tania Raats and Amy-Jane Mundy on this section. They are not allowed to ride the wheels of the guys, so they have to tough it out alone.
After a left turn and a bit of tar, we turned back onto the jeep track and approached the KOM spot from a different direction. It was around this time that I realised that the race would not be 75km, but a bit longer. After going past the KOM point, we had to complete the rocky undulating jeep track that we had ridden earlier again, this time the ups seemed more, uh… up and the rocky downhill more rocky. The route then linked with the 35km course and then it was fast all the way home.
At 75km, my Cape Epic legs kicked in and I managed to make up a few places. It was a bit of a shock that the route was 7km longer than advertised. This is where I find the biggest advantage of riding my Raleigh Team hardtail. The bike feels light, even at the end of a long ride, and helps you feel like you can still climb and finish strong.
At the sharp end of the race it was Marc Bassingthwaighte (GT) edging out Kevin Evans (Raleigh MTN Energade) for first spot, with Jaco Venter (Excel) in third.
The ladies race saw Yolande De Villiers (Mazda Merida) continuing where she left off from the Epic with a win over Amy Jane Mundy (Jeep) and Tania Raats (Maverick) third.
Well done to Theo Grobler, who took over the organisation of the race at the last minute. He did an amazing job, but we really have to talk about the extra 7km…

Puncture free Cape Epic

I recently celebrated my third Cape Epic in a row - PUNCTURE FREE! That is right, no punctures. want the secret?

Maxxis Crossmark LUST UST.

These tyres are very good all - rounders and roll superfast. The sidewalls are very thick and even with me at 90kg they performed flawlessly.