Gans Baai MTB race

This past weekend was a biggie.

It was the Gans Baai MTB race, one of my favourites and one of the harder 45km races on the calender.

This is also a special event for me as we have a beach house there, and I do a lot of training in the summer holiday in this area.

So Alicia and I headed out to Goosebay the friday after work. Luckily for me my parents were also there and started the fire so long. I love going to races with my dad. he is the best support crew anyone can wish for. And I got to bond with him while Alicia and my mom went to the Festival of the Geese (don't ask.)

I had a really rough week at work, so the frustration was high. Perfect race fuel. The knee fellt good, so I wanted to pound the hills into oblivion.

Riding over the weir.

Race briefing was very chilled, with Corrie warning us about the weir. I rode it last year and planned to do it again. Aapparently five guys rode it last year. And one dude didn't make it. The weir is basically a piece of wall with rocks on the one side, and water on the other side. With two bends thrown in for good measure.

The race set off at a frenetic pace. I joined the front group for a couple of minutes before deciding to let them go. Watching as four guys rode away into the wind. I knew it would still be a long day with lots of climbing having done the race last year as well.I got caught by John on the first climb so we rode a bit together. He wasn't having the greatest day and losing both waterbottles didn't help. After some tough climbs,sweet singletrack, amazing views and a very fast descent  we reached the first water point at 15kms. on the descent i zoomed past the leading lady singing while racing past her, only to have her pass me while  I was having a picnic at the WP. I never saw her again...

I felt strong, was having a good time and filled my bottle and hydration pack thinking that I won't stop again.

 My dad was parked off to one side and John grabbed a bottle from the collection in my bakkie. for the next 15km after the waterpoint I rode with John or just slightly behind him. we cruised the middle section, I rode over the weir trying my best to smile for the camera man while focusing on the narrow wall. Apparently I was the first to ride over, and only three of us tried it (one of the other two is Werner, my Sani partner.)
On the next long climb John pulled away again and I tried my best to keep him in sight, but the elastic snapped on the last climb. I just couldn't keep up. I started suffering like a dog. the new climb up to the mast (I hear it is the highest point reachable by MTB in the Overberg) sucked. steep, loose and at the end of a long climb. Offside. I pushd up. like a girl. And got caught here by another girl. I promptly dropped her on the descent, only to have har pass me (again) while I was puking my lungs out by the side of the road. this was when I realised that I was in trouble. he last time this happened was in the Argus in 2008 when I rode with flu (not smart.) I was spent. But I chugged the last of my juice to replace what I left behind. and lo and behold, one always feels better after puking. I had legs again. And a downhill. Booyah! I never caught the second lady again, but the downhill was super fun. My Merida tracked like a missile, the terrain was nicely moist and very grippy and I klapped it down there like a redheaded stepchild. I felt in control again. Right up until the last 5kms. After battling not to cramp down the long downhill section the bottom false flat hurt like hell. It was right into the wind. And had little rolling hills in it that stinged. I had to stop for another chunder session. this time I didn't feel too lekker afterwards. luckily it was only another 2kms before we turned back downwind for the last stretch home. with the wind behind me and knowing the finish line was very close I clocked 45km/h to the finish. Where were these legs when I needed them, like going uphill, or into the wind? Nevertheless I rolled over the finish line to see my great rent-a-crowd with very worried faces. Apparently I looked like a zombie. Alicia got me some coke while I got closer acquainted with the ground. My race time was 3h26min to end in13th place. I'll claim that thank you very much. It was a hard day on the bike.

After regaining some life in my body I went for a shower, ate all the remaining pancakes, a cheeseburger, drank two cokes and a fanta, and even charmed the food lady to make me a chicken salad. So healthy!

Afterwards I chilled a bit with John, Ewan, Naomi and Gabri. Gabri won the 30km, and walked away with 4 shark cage diving trips. Not bad a bad prize for an ex fish sales rep. The rest of the afternoon entailed a decent siesta, watching the Stormers game, and braaing (yes, it is a verb, okay!) with Grant and Werner. 

This race really is a highlight. It doesn't have the crowds that races like Die Burger and Argus or even Lourensford have, but the route and the vibe is a lot better. As in a lot. Corrie and Aalwyn went out of their way to make the 45km route fun, but still a challenge. and the route marking was done well. Corrie is also the type of guy who stands at the finish line until the last rider gets home, no matter if the prize giving has started. The level pf involvement by the local community is also amazing. there was so many volunteers, everything went off smoothly, and the locals really sponsor some cool prizes.

This race is a must do. I will be back next year with out a doubt. and you really should do it as well.

So for me that is my important races all wrapped up. I might do Karoo2COast, and will look at some summer races. But in the meantime I want to drop some weight, regain upper body strength, rehabilitate my leg's muscle imbalances, get fit with trail running again and a church camp to organise. And there are some big changes in my personal life as well, but more on that later.

Through all this I will definitely still ride though.

Go play outside.

Peace
Phlip