BestMed BALLITO EXPEDITION MTB RACE

 

Result: 1st Overall

The 2013 season is coming to a close and with it the number of races to choose from dwindling. After hearing the BestMed Expedition was moving to Ballito and no longer in the Inanda Valley I decided it was a must do event for me. We have such great riding in the Ballito areas and not many races taking advantage of it.

In the end I met with the organizers and was asked to help scout out a route for the event starting from the new Sugar Rush Adventures. I was more than happy to help out with what ended up being a tall order to get new trails made in the 5 weeks left till the event. But I was extremely impressed with the professionalism of the event organizers from ASG Events.

Race day arrived, the route was marked and I was ready to go. The field was quite strong with the Kargo Pro MTB Team, Tyron Bird, Tim Stark and Werner Moolman all braving the early morning rain storm. 

The race started off at an easy pace with everyone having a bit of fun in the muddy conditions. About 6km in the pace lifted and the lead bunch was down to 4 riders, up the first climb I lifted the pace again and it was down to just Tyron Bird and myself. I was happy with this as it was a VERY tough 50km course and riding with someone would definitely help. This was short lived however as about 1km further on Tyron punctured on one of the river crossings. I decided not to sit up and wait for Tim Stark who was chasing and rather go alone. 

At the half way mark with most of the climbing done my lead was up to 5min. I was confident I could hold onto this for the remainder of the ride. 

I crossed the line taking the win just over 4mins ahead of Tim Stark in 2nd and Werner Moolman in 3rd. I was surprised by how good I felt after putting so much work into getting the course ready for race day. 

Need to say a huge thank you to Richard Downey from THULE South Africa for their continuous support over the last few years and always believing in my abilities through the ups and downs, also thanks to Tony from the SFERA Group for the support this year. Chasing my dreams wouldnt be possible without the backing from great people.

MiWay BIG FIVE KWAMBO MTB CLASSIC

 

Result: 1st Overall

The final race in the MiWay Big 5 Mountain Bike Series had arrived and having missed one race in the series due to international commitments I had to race Kwambo to qualify for the series. It was set to be a tough day with very cold wet and muddy conditions welcoming the many keen riders.

It was good to have XTERRA athlete Mitchell Ginsberg out at the race doing final preps for World Champs in Hawaii at the end of October.

From the gun I had planned to set a strong pace firstly to try ensure the fastest finish time possible for the overall series as well as getting in a last hard race effort before the upcoming Berg&Bush stage race. About 3km into the course I lifted the pace up the first slight drag of a climb and looked back at the top to notice I had a gap over the chasers Mitch and Werner Moolman.

The muddy slippery conditions kept things interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed pushing myself the entire way. The legs were responding every time I asked for a little more and this is always a brilliant feeling.

I felt strong all the way to the line managing a time of 1:57.00 which looks like is enough to take the overall series win as well. Mitch Came in for a strong second in 2:04.27 and Werner Moolman in third in 2:04.57

Well done to the organizers of the series, they did an amazing job with the 2013 series and everyone really appreciates what MiWay is doing for Mountain Biking in Zululand. Hoping the series grows even bigger in 2014. Thanks to all who have backed me during this year through all the ups and downs. Thule South Africa, Sfera Group, CoolPoint, 32Gi, Powasol, Concept Cyclery Ballito, FutureLife, Saucony. Without all the support I have received this wouldnt be possible so I cant thank everyone enough.

MiWay BIG FIVE MONZI MTB CLASSIC

Result: 1st Overall

It has been a while since my last race and after a few weeks of good consistent training I was really keen to head out to Monzi and test the legs. The Big Five races are always great fun and the organizers do a great job of putting on well run events.

It looked like it was going to be a scorcher of a day but I don't think anyone realised just how hot it would get with some people recording well over 40 degrees Celsius and with the wind doing the usual Zululand thing and absolutely howling it would make for a good tough days racing.
 

I knew the course was relatively flat so I had decided to just attack every small incline that came my way to make things difficult. After about 2kms I found myself out front on my own with Werner Moolman and Sean Merridew chasing just behind. Not wanting to go alone to early I backed off slightly and rode with the two rather then burning myself out into the head wind.

About 16kms into the 50km race we came to another short steep climb, I decided to have another go and was once again off the front on my own so instead of sitting up I went for it alone, this is always a risk on such a flat course with howling winds as both Sean and Werner are extremely strong and could work together to bring me back but I was there for a good hard day on the bike and decided to back myself. It was mentally quite tough after that as they were out of sight but I was constantly worried they would be chasing back so I kept my head down and pushed on.

I eventually crossed the finish line victorious and not realizing I had managed to pull an 8min gap over Gareth Harrington who had come back very well to finish in 2nd overall and Sean Merridew crossing in 3rd with my Dad and Coach finishing just behind in a close 4th.

Varsity College Multisport Series Event #3

Result: 1st Overall

Last minute the decision was made to head up to Eston and race the final of the Varsity College Multisport series. They are always such great fun and even though I haven't done any running since returning from Greece I hoped that I would be able to hang tough and make the bike count.

It was a chilly start but the racing was set to be hot up front with the likes of the usual contenders Daniel Carleton, Gareth Harrington and Mitchell Ginsberg who is back from work and training hard for XTERRA Worlds.

 From the gun Gareth set an extremely fast pace which I expected and knew I couldnt match it so I aimed to try hang on to the second group of Mitch and Dan. It was a tough pace to follow with my lack of running.

We reached T1 at the end of the run all together and my best chance of taking the win was to blitz the transition and get out onto the bike before anyone could jump on my wheel as it was an easy bike and would be tough to get away. The run took a lot out of me and the first few km's of the bike were brutal trying to stay ahead of the chasing pack. Half way through the bike and I was starting to pull a slight gap over the 3 chasers but not as much as I would have hoped due to the course being so flat but I kept at it and by the end of the bike I had built up a reasonable gap.

Another quick transition and I was onto the short final run. I got into a comfortable pace and was really happy to cross the line 1st ahead of Mitch Ginsberg who had a storming final run and Daniel Carleton in 3rd

I was really pleased to take the win and be able to give some coverage to my sponsors who have backed me this year. Thanks to THULE South Africa, Sfera Group, CoolPoint, POWASOL, 32GI, Concept Cyclery KZN, Futurelife, Saucony, and my Dad Coach Russ for all the help.

Varsity College Multisport Series Event #1

Result: 1st Overall

Training leading up to the first Varsity College Multi-Sport event had been far from smooth. After having completed The ABSA Cape Epic 2 weeks ago my legs have been left in tatters. This years Epic took a lot more then expected out of me and I had only managed a handful of bike rides and 2 runs before Sundays race arrived. I was a little nervous as to how deep I was going to have to dig to try get a decent result.

It was yet another perfect day at Albert falls, The Dam was dead calm and the sun was out, cant ask for better weather to be out in the Albert Falls Reserve. There is a race to suit everyone at the Varsity College Series, with Multi-Sport, Mountain Bike and even trail running events all on the same day at the same venue. A really nice way to get everyone out and enjoying what Albert Falls had to offer.

The race got under way with a 5km run and straight from the gun Gareth Harrington took off at a pace way faster then my short legs could handle, I knew I was about to bleed for every single km of that run, I managed to get in behind him once we started the single track climbing and from there I was just holding on for dear life and hoping not to blow before we got to transition. We were opening up a good gap on the chasers, Daniel Carleton, Justin Porteous, Daryn Purtell and Chris Visser.

We entered transition and I did my best to get out onto the bike as quick as possible, Max had warned that it was an extremely fast bike route and I wanted to be alone so no one had the chance to sit my wheel. After Epic the 20km went by in a flash averaging just under 29km/h on a Mountain Bike. I barely had time to get to my bottle of 32GI Accelerate. Even though it was so fast I thoroughly enjoyed the route, having a bit of everything yet not very technical so the beginners would still enjoy themselves.

Into T2 and I donned my Saucony Kinvara's for the final 2.5km dash for the finish. I had opened up a good gap by then and felt really comfortable on the final run, crossing the finish line in a time of 1h08.06 with Daniel Carleton coming home in 2nd in 1h10.33 and Gareth Harrington having a solid final run to finish up in 3rd.

It was another brilliant event by the team at Max Cluer Sports Marketing and to make the day even better Prize Giving was made earlier by some 40mins, this is definitely a first for me and shows how well oiled the team is.

Next weekend is the final event in the 2013 MudMan Series so time to recover up and fine tune before another Dash for the finish line.

Epworth MudMan 2013

Result: 1st Overall

I arrived at Albert Falls to another absolutely perfect day, not a breath of wind and not a cloud in the sky. Couldn't ask for better racing weather. It was set to be a very fast days racing with some great competition from Mitchell Ginsberg and Justin Porteous.

The race went like clockwork for me, one of those days you always hope for but rarely get. I got away early in the swim and felt comfortable in the water on my own. Knowing the bike course was extremely fast I wanted to be alone on the bike, so I was happy to be putting some time into Mitch and Justin.

Onto the bike I put my head down and treated it as a 20km time trial. Its the fastest MTB course I have raced on with no technical sections so it would be down to pushing the entire bike with no rest.

Getting onto the run I had built up quite a comfortable gap but still felt really good so I kept the pace high and finished with a smile on my face. I thoroughly enjoyed the race and taking the win finished the day off perfectly. Mitch had a solid day to come in 2nd with Justin closing out the podium positions.

MUDMAN HERMANSBURG

Result: 1st Overall

After my poor performance at XTERRA Buffelspoort the weekend before I was looking forward to turning things around at the first MudMan of 2013. I have been unbeaten in the MudMan series for the last 2 years and this was also a streak I didnt want to end.

The first MudMan of the year is always slightly different with its afternoon start but it was warm and a perfect day for racing. The swim got off to its usual frantic start and I pushed hard to get away from the flying fists early. I quickly got onto the feet of the swimmer out front which was a team swimmer and found my rhythm. We rounded the first can and I could see we were opening up a gap over the chasers. I stuck to his feet saving as much energy for the bike and run as possible.

We exited the water with around 25 seconds on the chasers. I was now on my own on the bike and set about creating a good buffer for the run. I knew Daniel and Mitch are strong bikers and could be working together to reel me in so I couldnt afford to let up. I thoroughly enjoyed the bike course with my new Specialized S-Works Epic soaking up the bumps and making riding such a pleasure. I also found the SRAM XX1 with a 36 tooth front chainring perfect for this kind of racing.

Going onto the run I had now built up the lead to 2m40s and just had 5km of running to get through. My footwear of choice for this race was the Saucony Kinvara 3's. It was a toss up between these and my old Type A3's but decided to go with the Kinvaras as those will be my choice for the longer XTERRA coming up in Feb. I had an interesting run having to dodge the athletes racing the half event who were still on their bikes and even watching as one of the ladies rode off the floating bridge and into the dam. Couldnt help but have a giggle before helping her out. I crossed the line to take the win just under 3mins ahead of my training partner Mitchell Ginsberg who had a epic dice with Daniel Carleton to complete the podium.

It was really great to see so many athletes from the Russell White Academy out at the race, having a blast and doing exceptionally well at the same. Good to see the sport growing and the younger generation getting involved and loving it.