What is it about the allure of something new that just wants you to go play with it?
I popped in at my parents for the night, and my father was kind enough to pick up my new wheel and to sort out the admin for me as well. Thanks dad.
I can't believe how smoothly the hub spins and how light the wheel is. They are DT Swiss 4.2d rims built on Novatec Ultralight hubs laced with DT double butted spokes. The wheel weighs 830grams. Tyres are Kenda Karma Tubeless models. I'm glad to be off the weight weenie tyres and back on a tubeless front wheel. 2 punctures in one day lead to a serious sense of humour failure. The combination of thicker tubeless tyres and Stans sealant prevents punctures and gives me a bit more peace of mind. After sliding around a bit in Eselfontein the Karma's traction will also be making a welcome return to my riding style.
On the wishlist for next month is a new BB, a fresh set of gear cables, , a bigger disc brake rotor, a new Karma for the back wheel and maybe even a new chain, cluster and chainring combo, but that might have to wait until winter is done and dusted. I also plan on finally building up the Single Speed MTB out of my old parts.
But first on the cards is the Stanford race this weekend and the Caledon race next weekend. Stanford will be my dad's comeback race. I'm especially excited to be going racing with him again.
A word of thanks have to go out to Cycle Addiction for their help, patience and for building my wheel. Thanks also to my dad for helping out with the admin when there was issues with the suppliers, and also for just always having my back when I need it. Thanks dad, much appreciated.
I hope everyone has a great week.
Enjoy life and happy trails!
Philip
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Eselfontein report.
I am a broken man. Well not broken, but definately hurting.
We've just returned from Eselfontein, a farm outside Ceres that has a longtime reputation under mountainbikers as a bit of a mecca. Well it is true.
I did about 8hrs of riding, covering 67km in two days and still I didnt ride every trail.
We were a group of 19 riders that made the eco hut camp our home. The eco huts are thatch and reed walled huts that are built using trees as corner poles. There is a huge communal braai and kitchen kuier area, and 2 bath rooms. For hot water there is a wood fired donkey.
We were the last too arrive so we quickly setup our tents and joined the others around the fire. It was a jol. Wine, beer, braaivleis and mountainbike stories were shared and set the tone for the weekend.
The routes at Eselfontein are mostly singletrack with only a few gravel road sections. The singletracks vary from technical and rocky to fast and flowy.
The saturday ride was quite an adventure. We got lost, I punctured twice, cramped and Clive bonked and I bonked. Freddie broke a spoke and Dick fell. Dick's fall was quite serious and we were scared that he was concussed. This was a turning point of the ride for me and a couple of us separated from the group and focussed on getting him home safely.
It was after this that i decided I have to come back to Eselfontein. I have to ride it when my bike that is hundreds and when I am prepared. I won't let the mountain hurt me like that again.
The ride ended up being about 48kms and 5h30 long. Dick was concussed and my legs were toast. Even with all the misfortune I had a great ride. A hot shower and a shovelfull of food and I felt like a new man again.
The other groups also had great rides, the girls had technical difficulties but still soldiered on for a second loop and also did a 5hr ride.
For supper Ulandi and Reenen made potjiekos and we helped ourself to some more of wine, braai and beer action. We swapped some war stories from our ride.
A couple of diehards went for a night ride, but the majority felt to spent for that and it turned into an early night compared to the previous night.
Sunday was real slow, but after a monster breakfast was built by John and his team we were all up for a ride again.
Some more epic singletrack followed albeit at a slower overall pace and with more stops. We managed to get lost again and had to bundu bash our way a bit to get home. Gabri put his derailleur through his spokes and we had to do a singlespeed conversion to get him home. We rode some more singletrack back to the dam at our camp. Everyone got into the dam in our cycling clothes. On this ride we did 18km in 30c heat so the dam was just what we needed.
We didnt really have any food left, so we broke up camp and headed to the Spur in Ceres.
Overall we had a couple of mechanicals, William, Nadia, Charl and myself punctured, Freddie broke a spoke, Hanri had gear issues, Marikes hub bearings gave up the ghost, Charl's shifter fell apart, JJ bent his derailleur hanger and Gabri and Clive ripped their derailleurs of. Notable falls were John down Shapiro's drop, and Dick getting concussed. Almost everyone had scratches and bruises.
All in all it was a great weekend, and I can't wait to gou back and do it all again. But only after my legs have recovered.
Happy trails
Phlippie
We've just returned from Eselfontein, a farm outside Ceres that has a longtime reputation under mountainbikers as a bit of a mecca. Well it is true.
I did about 8hrs of riding, covering 67km in two days and still I didnt ride every trail.
We were a group of 19 riders that made the eco hut camp our home. The eco huts are thatch and reed walled huts that are built using trees as corner poles. There is a huge communal braai and kitchen kuier area, and 2 bath rooms. For hot water there is a wood fired donkey.
We were the last too arrive so we quickly setup our tents and joined the others around the fire. It was a jol. Wine, beer, braaivleis and mountainbike stories were shared and set the tone for the weekend.
The routes at Eselfontein are mostly singletrack with only a few gravel road sections. The singletracks vary from technical and rocky to fast and flowy.
The saturday ride was quite an adventure. We got lost, I punctured twice, cramped and Clive bonked and I bonked. Freddie broke a spoke and Dick fell. Dick's fall was quite serious and we were scared that he was concussed. This was a turning point of the ride for me and a couple of us separated from the group and focussed on getting him home safely.
It was after this that i decided I have to come back to Eselfontein. I have to ride it when my bike that is hundreds and when I am prepared. I won't let the mountain hurt me like that again.
The ride ended up being about 48kms and 5h30 long. Dick was concussed and my legs were toast. Even with all the misfortune I had a great ride. A hot shower and a shovelfull of food and I felt like a new man again.
The other groups also had great rides, the girls had technical difficulties but still soldiered on for a second loop and also did a 5hr ride.
For supper Ulandi and Reenen made potjiekos and we helped ourself to some more of wine, braai and beer action. We swapped some war stories from our ride.
A couple of diehards went for a night ride, but the majority felt to spent for that and it turned into an early night compared to the previous night.
Sunday was real slow, but after a monster breakfast was built by John and his team we were all up for a ride again.
Some more epic singletrack followed albeit at a slower overall pace and with more stops. We managed to get lost again and had to bundu bash our way a bit to get home. Gabri put his derailleur through his spokes and we had to do a singlespeed conversion to get him home. We rode some more singletrack back to the dam at our camp. Everyone got into the dam in our cycling clothes. On this ride we did 18km in 30c heat so the dam was just what we needed.
We didnt really have any food left, so we broke up camp and headed to the Spur in Ceres.
Overall we had a couple of mechanicals, William, Nadia, Charl and myself punctured, Freddie broke a spoke, Hanri had gear issues, Marikes hub bearings gave up the ghost, Charl's shifter fell apart, JJ bent his derailleur hanger and Gabri and Clive ripped their derailleurs of. Notable falls were John down Shapiro's drop, and Dick getting concussed. Almost everyone had scratches and bruises.
All in all it was a great weekend, and I can't wait to gou back and do it all again. But only after my legs have recovered.
Happy trails
Phlippie
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Local suppliers' service levels
Much has been said lately about the issue of parralel and grey imports of cycling products in South Africa.
Grey/parralel imports happens when the local agents are bypassed by the end user. Eg me ordering a crank from an online store based in USA.
Also at the moment there is a furore about apparent price fixing agreements between retailers and suppliers.
The reason there are grey imports into SA is because local cyclists can get parts cheaper if they bypass the local supply chain. A wider range of products is also now available to the discerning buyer. With most of the overseas online stores offering free shipping if orders are above a certain threshold, groups of people have been combining orders into bulk orders to make use of the free shipping service. The downside to this is that the local supplier is under no obligation to help you if you have warrantee issues with products.
This has led to local suppliers feeling the pinch as sales that would have gone through them have bypassed them and the LBS. So bike shops have also seen a drop in their profits.
The only recourse suppliers and LBS have is to increase service levels and reduce profit margins.
I bought a proprietary wheelset about a month ago. Shortly there after I rode into a hole and consequently the front wheel is a write off.
And here my problems started. The local supplier couldn't supply me with a new rim. They assured my LBS that I will have to buy a wheel and that they have stock.
I put in an insurance claim for a new wheel after recieving a quote. The insurance approved and paid out the quote in less than a week (kudos to Santam) and I instructed my LBS to order the wheel.
The following day my LBS phoned me to say they are unable to get me a wheel. Apparently the supplier has a discrepancy between what they have on their system and what they have in stock. They couldn't find the wheel in their warehouse.
I now have to wait at least 6 weeks as the supplier needs to order it for me from overseas.
The LBS has been brilliant throughout the whole episode and can only be commended for their service, but they have been let down by their supplier.
The reality is that the only reason I didnt take my money overseas or even to one of the local online stores is because the insurance payed the claim directly into their account. If it was paid out to me I would have ordered a different wheel from an online supplier where I would have been able to afford it.
I honestly think the distribution chain in SA is based on an archaic business model. Some of the stores and suppliers have opened their eyes to this and adapted to the changing market.
Unfortunately the supplier for my wheel is letting down the stores and tarnishing the view I have of our suppliers in SA.
The main reason I didnt order overseas was because I wanted the peace of mind offered by having backup for my wheels if something went wrong.
Unfortunately for the LBS I will shop around on the internet from now on.
Oh, and I can't see myself buying any proprietary items again. If the parts arent interchangeable and readily available you can be held for ransom by the local suppliers. Not cool.
Fortunately I have a spare wheelset so my riding hasn't been affected and I will still be riding myself silly this weekend at Eselfontein.
Happy trails everyone.
Philip
edit: 30 Aug 2010
Malan Cycle Addiction has come to the rescue and is building me a lekker front wheel that will be stronger than the fulcrum wheels and only weighs 830gr. I can't to get my hands on it and to make it dirty...
Grey/parralel imports happens when the local agents are bypassed by the end user. Eg me ordering a crank from an online store based in USA.
Also at the moment there is a furore about apparent price fixing agreements between retailers and suppliers.
The reason there are grey imports into SA is because local cyclists can get parts cheaper if they bypass the local supply chain. A wider range of products is also now available to the discerning buyer. With most of the overseas online stores offering free shipping if orders are above a certain threshold, groups of people have been combining orders into bulk orders to make use of the free shipping service. The downside to this is that the local supplier is under no obligation to help you if you have warrantee issues with products.
This has led to local suppliers feeling the pinch as sales that would have gone through them have bypassed them and the LBS. So bike shops have also seen a drop in their profits.
The only recourse suppliers and LBS have is to increase service levels and reduce profit margins.
I bought a proprietary wheelset about a month ago. Shortly there after I rode into a hole and consequently the front wheel is a write off.
And here my problems started. The local supplier couldn't supply me with a new rim. They assured my LBS that I will have to buy a wheel and that they have stock.
I put in an insurance claim for a new wheel after recieving a quote. The insurance approved and paid out the quote in less than a week (kudos to Santam) and I instructed my LBS to order the wheel.
The following day my LBS phoned me to say they are unable to get me a wheel. Apparently the supplier has a discrepancy between what they have on their system and what they have in stock. They couldn't find the wheel in their warehouse.
I now have to wait at least 6 weeks as the supplier needs to order it for me from overseas.
The LBS has been brilliant throughout the whole episode and can only be commended for their service, but they have been let down by their supplier.
The reality is that the only reason I didnt take my money overseas or even to one of the local online stores is because the insurance payed the claim directly into their account. If it was paid out to me I would have ordered a different wheel from an online supplier where I would have been able to afford it.
I honestly think the distribution chain in SA is based on an archaic business model. Some of the stores and suppliers have opened their eyes to this and adapted to the changing market.
Unfortunately the supplier for my wheel is letting down the stores and tarnishing the view I have of our suppliers in SA.
The main reason I didnt order overseas was because I wanted the peace of mind offered by having backup for my wheels if something went wrong.
Unfortunately for the LBS I will shop around on the internet from now on.
Oh, and I can't see myself buying any proprietary items again. If the parts arent interchangeable and readily available you can be held for ransom by the local suppliers. Not cool.
Fortunately I have a spare wheelset so my riding hasn't been affected and I will still be riding myself silly this weekend at Eselfontein.
Happy trails everyone.
Philip
edit: 30 Aug 2010
Malan Cycle Addiction has come to the rescue and is building me a lekker front wheel that will be stronger than the fulcrum wheels and only weighs 830gr. I can't to get my hands on it and to make it dirty...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Singletrack and new wheels.
I just got a call from my insurance broker.
The claim I put in for a new front wheel has been approved. So I'll be rolling on Fulcrum wheels once again.
I really must commend Santam and my broker Fanie Viviers for their great service. Its been less than a week and they've sorted me out no questions asked.
The race is on to see wether I get them in time for the weekend.
We're going to Eselfontein near Ceres for a MTB weekend. I've been hearing legend stories about the Eselfontein singletrack for years. Apparently you can do a 70km loop with 40km of single track. Yes please!
It helps that we are a group of 20 MTB'ers going and that I'm taking a cooler box full of meat and beer. But more of that next week.
Happy trails!
The claim I put in for a new front wheel has been approved. So I'll be rolling on Fulcrum wheels once again.
I really must commend Santam and my broker Fanie Viviers for their great service. Its been less than a week and they've sorted me out no questions asked.
The race is on to see wether I get them in time for the weekend.
We're going to Eselfontein near Ceres for a MTB weekend. I've been hearing legend stories about the Eselfontein singletrack for years. Apparently you can do a 70km loop with 40km of single track. Yes please!
It helps that we are a group of 20 MTB'ers going and that I'm taking a cooler box full of meat and beer. But more of that next week.
Happy trails!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
MTB Photoshoot
Saturday was photoshoot day. Me, Fred, John and Marike joined Johann Swart at G-Spot in Stellies for a photoshoot with all his flashes and his new wireless trigger.
It was fun doing the same sections over and over while Johann clicked away. Redoing sections helped Johann to get the shots right, and helped us to get our lines right. We also did some train runs where we followed each other closely. This made for great shots, and it is lank cool seeing two other riders railig the berms just in front of you.
Marike must have gone up and down 6 times while we were fooling around, and it was cool seeing her going down faster every time she came past.
All in it was a fun day spent on a great trail and I can't wait to go do it again. We're getting faster every time and Johann's photos are also getting better. Win-win situation.
To check out photo's go to Johann's blog.
http://johannswart.wordpress.com/2010/08/22/singletrack-minded-others/
It was fun doing the same sections over and over while Johann clicked away. Redoing sections helped Johann to get the shots right, and helped us to get our lines right. We also did some train runs where we followed each other closely. This made for great shots, and it is lank cool seeing two other riders railig the berms just in front of you.
Marike must have gone up and down 6 times while we were fooling around, and it was cool seeing her going down faster every time she came past.
All in it was a fun day spent on a great trail and I can't wait to go do it again. We're getting faster every time and Johann's photos are also getting better. Win-win situation.
To check out photo's go to Johann's blog.
http://johannswart.wordpress.com/2010/08/22/singletrack-minded-others/
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Night riding is fun!
So I went night riding in Eden last night.
It was with Myra on a sedate ride, but with me, John, Freddie, Werner and Marike there the pace on the climbs was faster than I thought it would be. We were about 11 riders in the group, so we had quite a bit of fun joking and chatting and tuning each other. And plenty of rest on the hills.
I learned of some new singletrack combinations, and also rode some singletrack sections I havent done in a year. Sacrilege!
Halfway through the ride I realised that night riding with a lekker bunch of people is way more fun than sitting at home and watching series. Which is what my plan was as it looked like rain.
In Dalsig there is a trail called G-Spot, it is insanely fun. With a fast upper section and a swoopy bermed lower section that can only be described as surfing on a MTB. We went down that piece of heaven 3 times, the last time I was sandwiched between Marike and Myra, and could talk Marike through the lines while Myra could follow mine.
It was then that I came to the following epiphany:
Mountainbiking is an experience meant to be shared, and helping others and sharing your knowledge adds tremendous value to your ride. Sometimes seeing someone else nail a corner for the first time is just as satisfying as nailing it yourself.
So I'm thinking of doing a play session at the Delvera 4x track sometime with the girls so that we can do some flowing skills type stuff. Pull in if you want to join in the fun...
Peace
It was with Myra on a sedate ride, but with me, John, Freddie, Werner and Marike there the pace on the climbs was faster than I thought it would be. We were about 11 riders in the group, so we had quite a bit of fun joking and chatting and tuning each other. And plenty of rest on the hills.
I learned of some new singletrack combinations, and also rode some singletrack sections I havent done in a year. Sacrilege!
Halfway through the ride I realised that night riding with a lekker bunch of people is way more fun than sitting at home and watching series. Which is what my plan was as it looked like rain.
In Dalsig there is a trail called G-Spot, it is insanely fun. With a fast upper section and a swoopy bermed lower section that can only be described as surfing on a MTB. We went down that piece of heaven 3 times, the last time I was sandwiched between Marike and Myra, and could talk Marike through the lines while Myra could follow mine.
It was then that I came to the following epiphany:
Mountainbiking is an experience meant to be shared, and helping others and sharing your knowledge adds tremendous value to your ride. Sometimes seeing someone else nail a corner for the first time is just as satisfying as nailing it yourself.
So I'm thinking of doing a play session at the Delvera 4x track sometime with the girls so that we can do some flowing skills type stuff. Pull in if you want to join in the fun...
Peace
Monday, August 16, 2010
Back in Town
So after a bit of a holiday I am back in Cape Town.
Durban is nice and the water is warm, but man did I miss my MTB.
A quick visit to Cycle Addiction and I am still not back on my Fulcrum wheel. It seems the damage is way worse than I expected.
Nevertheless I plan on on doing a Majik night ride with Jonkershoek on saturday and maybe Tokai on sunday. I need my singletrack fix.
See you out on the trails
Peace
Durban is nice and the water is warm, but man did I miss my MTB.
A quick visit to Cycle Addiction and I am still not back on my Fulcrum wheel. It seems the damage is way worse than I expected.
Nevertheless I plan on on doing a Majik night ride with Jonkershoek on saturday and maybe Tokai on sunday. I need my singletrack fix.
See you out on the trails
Peace
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Die Burger MTB Race report
Saturday 31 August was the day for one of the biggest MTB races in the Western Cape.
Die Burger MTB Challenge is the new name for the Stellenbosch MTB Challenge. This event is one of Dirtopia's premier events, and if you only do one race in the winter, let it be this one.
Having scored VIP Parking tickets with my entry, I pulled in at Markotter with a bit of nerves.
After a quick bike prep I realised I forgot my timing chip in the flat. Epic Fail.
Nevertheless, I met Freddie and Phanus, and after a quick goodbye and goodluck kissy to my Marike (my girlfriend and Lucky charm) I headed off to the start chute with the boys.
Usually I take time to warm up as this helps me to deal with the frenetic pace after the start gun. But I had to settle for some stretching combined with shooting the breeze with those around me. John rocked up in the nick of time again, so it was good seeing everyone before the start.
As usual, after the gun clapped everyone sped off. I managed to get to the front of the pack by bunnyhopping the sidewalk and racing forward. It was quite cool seeing the Sportsmans Warehouse bakkie as the lead vehicle, even though my lungs were already clapping hands at me.
We quickly got the bit of tar behind us and went up to theCoetzenburg Cross. Going up the Proefplaas side of the mountain is not one of my favourite climbs, and when we reached the cross I was feeling the lack of hill training. We quickly despatched the contour road and the downhill on the back side of the hill.
I saw Johann Swart (johannswart.wordpress.com) with his camera on one of the hairpin bends and promptly whipped my back wheel to the side so that he could get a lekker shot. I also promptly learned that my back wheel has zero to no grip when leaned over (note to self: never change tyres before a big race) and so set the tone for most of the day's corner. Tokyo drift style. It might be slower, but sideways is way more fun.
At the Hangbrug I saw Jandre Robbertze (robbertze.wordpress.com) also with his camera and tried to keep my feet dry by popping a wheelie over the river. Didnt work. The water was cold.
After Hangbrug we went up Botmanskop, and if I didn't catch Rolf along the way that climb would have hurt me more than it did. But alas, a conversation with Rolf always takes the mind off the hurt and I managed to get all the way up without pushing.
The downhill on the Helshoogte Pass side dished up some nice sideways fun. Managed to catch Freddie just before Helshoogte and we descended the old pass together.
From here on we entered private areas and everything was new to me. I lost Freddie somewhere in Rustenberg farm where we had a bit of a headwind and fast farm road descents. As we went up Delheim we heard some dude with a PA from what must have been 60km's away. It was nice listening to him talk thrash, but knowing that I had to mission against the wind carrying his voice over to us. Hiding in a bunch I managed to finally reach the water point. The goodies they had on offer looked very enticing, but I decided to press on and make some ground on the group that stopped for water.
It was here that we entered the first singletrack. The singletrack in Delheim is amazing. This is the stuff dreams were made of. I don't know how many pieces of singletrack we rode, how long it took, how far it was or how fast I went through it. IT WAS FUN!!! I had a permasmile for the rest of the day and weekend because of that singletrack. Insane stuff.Minstrels will one day write songs about this singletrack.
In one of the many pieces of singletrack I managed to catch John and stuck with him until the water point. He missioned of and I only saw glimpses of him for the rest of the day.
After the singletrack I caught Freddie again, one of us managed to take a wrong turn. We stuck together for the rest of the race. We cruised over Elsenburg until we reached Welgevonden where we met up with the 42km route. There were a lot of the 42k riders on the road at this stage..
The kind speedcop (never thought I'd write that) blocked off the whole R101 so that we could cross the road unhindered to ascend Papegaaiberg.
Papegaaiberg is neither long, steep or high, but after 50kms it hurt. Freddie and I mustered up our last strength to ride it up. I must admit, we cruised past a lot of the 42km guys, I felt like a warrior knowing that I could still have enough speed to pass them like that after doing 50km's. We caught Bernice on one of the climbs, and she caught a very gay remark I made when Freddie asked me "does this feel okay." Sorry Bernice.
Before we knew it we were chasing down Papegaaiberg. For once I was grateful that we bypassed the singletrack as the bottleneck would have been insane.
In town we followed all the bergie roads to enable us to avoid tar all the way to Markotter. In all honesty I don't think we did more than 1km of tar road on the 60km.
As we approached the finish line my body decided to punish me for ignoring its pain the whole day, and I got a huge cramp in my calf. Thanks Fred for staying by me here when I could barely pedal the last 100m.
After 3h18 Min's i crossed the line next to my buddy Fred. We saw John and Marike, and learned that John finished 1min in front of us, and Marike also just finished the 42km. Me and Fred finished in 41 and 42 positions overall, and placed 6th and 7th in our group. I'm pretty chuffed.
All in all a awesome day and I can't wait for the next Dirtopia event. Meurant's course combined with Arina's organising skills made a great event. Thanks guys.
PS: I got an email from Racetec today. They saw me cross the line without my chip and manually took my time. Looks like I might be getting an official time still. Bargain!
Die Burger MTB Challenge is the new name for the Stellenbosch MTB Challenge. This event is one of Dirtopia's premier events, and if you only do one race in the winter, let it be this one.
Having scored VIP Parking tickets with my entry, I pulled in at Markotter with a bit of nerves.
After a quick bike prep I realised I forgot my timing chip in the flat. Epic Fail.
Nevertheless, I met Freddie and Phanus, and after a quick goodbye and goodluck kissy to my Marike (my girlfriend and Lucky charm) I headed off to the start chute with the boys.
Usually I take time to warm up as this helps me to deal with the frenetic pace after the start gun. But I had to settle for some stretching combined with shooting the breeze with those around me. John rocked up in the nick of time again, so it was good seeing everyone before the start.
As usual, after the gun clapped everyone sped off. I managed to get to the front of the pack by bunnyhopping the sidewalk and racing forward. It was quite cool seeing the Sportsmans Warehouse bakkie as the lead vehicle, even though my lungs were already clapping hands at me.
We quickly got the bit of tar behind us and went up to theCoetzenburg Cross. Going up the Proefplaas side of the mountain is not one of my favourite climbs, and when we reached the cross I was feeling the lack of hill training. We quickly despatched the contour road and the downhill on the back side of the hill.
I saw Johann Swart (johannswart.wordpress.com) with his camera on one of the hairpin bends and promptly whipped my back wheel to the side so that he could get a lekker shot. I also promptly learned that my back wheel has zero to no grip when leaned over (note to self: never change tyres before a big race) and so set the tone for most of the day's corner. Tokyo drift style. It might be slower, but sideways is way more fun.
At the Hangbrug I saw Jandre Robbertze (robbertze.wordpress.com) also with his camera and tried to keep my feet dry by popping a wheelie over the river. Didnt work. The water was cold.
After Hangbrug we went up Botmanskop, and if I didn't catch Rolf along the way that climb would have hurt me more than it did. But alas, a conversation with Rolf always takes the mind off the hurt and I managed to get all the way up without pushing.
The downhill on the Helshoogte Pass side dished up some nice sideways fun. Managed to catch Freddie just before Helshoogte and we descended the old pass together.
From here on we entered private areas and everything was new to me. I lost Freddie somewhere in Rustenberg farm where we had a bit of a headwind and fast farm road descents. As we went up Delheim we heard some dude with a PA from what must have been 60km's away. It was nice listening to him talk thrash, but knowing that I had to mission against the wind carrying his voice over to us. Hiding in a bunch I managed to finally reach the water point. The goodies they had on offer looked very enticing, but I decided to press on and make some ground on the group that stopped for water.
It was here that we entered the first singletrack. The singletrack in Delheim is amazing. This is the stuff dreams were made of. I don't know how many pieces of singletrack we rode, how long it took, how far it was or how fast I went through it. IT WAS FUN!!! I had a permasmile for the rest of the day and weekend because of that singletrack. Insane stuff.Minstrels will one day write songs about this singletrack.
In one of the many pieces of singletrack I managed to catch John and stuck with him until the water point. He missioned of and I only saw glimpses of him for the rest of the day.
After the singletrack I caught Freddie again, one of us managed to take a wrong turn. We stuck together for the rest of the race. We cruised over Elsenburg until we reached Welgevonden where we met up with the 42km route. There were a lot of the 42k riders on the road at this stage..
The kind speedcop (never thought I'd write that) blocked off the whole R101 so that we could cross the road unhindered to ascend Papegaaiberg.
Papegaaiberg is neither long, steep or high, but after 50kms it hurt. Freddie and I mustered up our last strength to ride it up. I must admit, we cruised past a lot of the 42km guys, I felt like a warrior knowing that I could still have enough speed to pass them like that after doing 50km's. We caught Bernice on one of the climbs, and she caught a very gay remark I made when Freddie asked me "does this feel okay." Sorry Bernice.
Before we knew it we were chasing down Papegaaiberg. For once I was grateful that we bypassed the singletrack as the bottleneck would have been insane.
In town we followed all the bergie roads to enable us to avoid tar all the way to Markotter. In all honesty I don't think we did more than 1km of tar road on the 60km.
As we approached the finish line my body decided to punish me for ignoring its pain the whole day, and I got a huge cramp in my calf. Thanks Fred for staying by me here when I could barely pedal the last 100m.
After 3h18 Min's i crossed the line next to my buddy Fred. We saw John and Marike, and learned that John finished 1min in front of us, and Marike also just finished the 42km. Me and Fred finished in 41 and 42 positions overall, and placed 6th and 7th in our group. I'm pretty chuffed.
All in all a awesome day and I can't wait for the next Dirtopia event. Meurant's course combined with Arina's organising skills made a great event. Thanks guys.
PS: I got an email from Racetec today. They saw me cross the line without my chip and manually took my time. Looks like I might be getting an official time still. Bargain!
About me.
Hi, I'm Philip.
I've been riding bicycles since I was yaaaay high. Never stopped, never want to stop.
My bicycle became a mountainbike, my riding became more serious, up to the point where I realise that I am a mountainbiking geek. The only worse geek is a computer geek.
As I'm writing this I am still in my riding gear, with blood on my knee, and wondering when I am going to fix the spoke I broke in my brand new front wheel. You have to realise that I tend to fall a lot.
You would think that 10 years of riding experience would teach me how to ride properly. Sadly, I've only learned how to fall properly.
In the last couple of years I have experienced some weird stuff on my mountainbike..
I have experienced pain, elation, adrenalin, endorphins, happiness, suffering, saddle sores, seen broken arms, lots of blood, the most awesome views, made best friends, dragged said friends over mountains, ridden down mountains, realised that pain is relative, that pain can be blanked out, that the human body can be pushed way further that we think it can. And finally, I have learned to do all this with a smile, and experience true joy.
This is me sharing it with the world.
I've been riding bicycles since I was yaaaay high. Never stopped, never want to stop.
My bicycle became a mountainbike, my riding became more serious, up to the point where I realise that I am a mountainbiking geek. The only worse geek is a computer geek.
As I'm writing this I am still in my riding gear, with blood on my knee, and wondering when I am going to fix the spoke I broke in my brand new front wheel. You have to realise that I tend to fall a lot.
You would think that 10 years of riding experience would teach me how to ride properly. Sadly, I've only learned how to fall properly.
In the last couple of years I have experienced some weird stuff on my mountainbike..
I have experienced pain, elation, adrenalin, endorphins, happiness, suffering, saddle sores, seen broken arms, lots of blood, the most awesome views, made best friends, dragged said friends over mountains, ridden down mountains, realised that pain is relative, that pain can be blanked out, that the human body can be pushed way further that we think it can. And finally, I have learned to do all this with a smile, and experience true joy.
This is me sharing it with the world.
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