IMANA WILD RIDE 2012

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Result: 2nd Overall

Racing and traveling had been a bit hectic before the Wild Ride so Sean and I decided that we again would not do a dry run of the 4 days and rather rely on our previous GPS routes and following other teams when we weren't sure. This was however a major mistake as just the week before the race we were informed that GPS devices were being banned for the event which left us fairly clueless as to where we were going. This lead to many hours of attempting to memorize Google Earth images.

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Day 1: Low tide was very early in the morning this year which lead to some extremely early starts and plenty of shivering. After dropping the bags off it was a short cycle in the dark over to the ferry crossing over the Kei River for the start. 

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

This year had the same rule as last year which stated we had to go to the top of Sunrise Surprise climb and then straight to the beach. The inland route was no longer allowed. Sean and I decided to go out hard up the climb and try separate the field a bit before we reached the first beach and then from there decide who we were going to follow. However the one thing we didn't expect was to arrive at the first beach with tracks ahead. To our surprise Warren and Craig had gone backwards from the start and gone straight to the beach which were really hard compared to years past. This was exactly what we were hoping to avoid by being out front early. We tried to chase but as we got off the first beach section they were out of sight and we were left guessing where to go. That one sneak had changed our entire race. 

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

We tried chasing on our own but with every mistake we would just lose more time. Eventually Nick and Iain had caught us and to make our day that little bit worse a pin had pulled loose on my rear shifter which left me with just the front 2 gears available and with the insanely powerful Sean as a team mate this meant I had to do some extreme cadence work on the fast beaches. 

Swimming across a river and watching an opposing team wade across just meters away is the WORST feeling EVER!!!

Sean pushed the pace hard on one of the beaches and we broke clear of Nick and Iain. This left us to focus on looking for tracks so as not to get lost and lose time. We managed to pull back some time towards the end of the stage and finished around 3m30 down on the stage winners. Definitely not what we had hoped for on Day 1. The awesome thing about the Imana Wild Ride that sets it apart from other stage races is that instead of spending every night in a tent you spend every evening in brilliant accommodation over the looking the sea. You just can't ask for more.

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Day 2: As with previous years the top 10 teams are started in condensed elapsed time of 2min. We went out hard on day 2 trying to get within sight of the leaders. We did a good job and only a few km's into the stage we had pulled back 45sec. 

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Sadly that was pretty much as good as stage 2 was going to get for us as the leaders took a new route we were not familiar with and we ended up losing heaps of time and Nick and Iain had caught up time on us. We kept riding on our own trying to hold off the chasers. We held on well despite our numerous small navigational errors. Day 2 brings with it the first of the "Mothers" which is basically an extremely steep mountain which you have to walk up while carrying your bike. This tends to bring on an extreme burn in your calves and achilles which makes jumping back on the bike and riding pretty difficult. At the top of the Mother Sean and I made a crucial error by going past the entrance to "Rhino Valley" which is one of the few compulsory sections. We quickly tried to back track and get onto the wheels of Nick and Iain. 

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

It actually worked out well as we were left chasing Nick and Iain who were just in sight but pushing hard to stay ahead of us, this meant we would both be making up time on the leaders which we needed. We caught Nick and Iain just before the finish which meant we had lost 2mins to them and lost a further 1m30 to the leaders.

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Day 3: we were now starting Day 3 only 20sec ahead of Nick and Iain so after discussing it and looking at how hard we worked for no gain on day 2 due to navigational errors we decided to sit up and rather ride with Nick and Iain and see if we could rather work with them to make up time. Nick took off like a man possessed and we were taking large chunks out of their lead. We had caught up to just 45sec behind Warren and Craig when Nick made a crucial decision to take a different sneak and try jump around the leaders. Luck was not on our side however when we got smashed by a wave trying to sneak round the front of a rocky outcrop. 3 of us were left washed up against the rocks and Sean made sure we could hear his laughing as he managed to walk around the rocks safely on a sand bank. 

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

After eventually getting back on track we took a time check and the leaders were back out to 3mins. Nicks earlier efforts were starting to show now but we stayed with them through to the finish. It was quite a sight riding past The Hole In The Wall and it sucked not being able to spend some time enjoying the sights of the day. Would love to go back next year and do a dry run to be able to fully appreciate the beauty of the wild coast.

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Another brilliant aspect of the Imana Wild Ride is that the focus of the race is on raising money to build classrooms for the underprivileged schools along the race route. This year enough money was raised to build 4 classrooms which is an amazing feat from a race of just 80 teams. The good that is being done for the communities is evident everyday as you are welcomed with open arms by everyone  along each stage as you literally ride past their front doors.

Photo courtesy of ©JONIVINS.COM

Day 4: We were starting day four 7mins down on the leaders and tied for 2nd place with Nick and Iain. We had nothing to lose so Sean and I went out extremely hard from the start. I knew the first 8-10km pretty well so we were hoping to make the catch before we got into areas I wasn't sure about. This worked extremely well and by the first river crossing we had caught the leaders. 

XTERRA KNYSNA 2012

Result: 4th Overall

It was a very last minute decision to head down to Knysna for the XTERRA. I didn't feel that my form was good and decided it wasn't worth spending the money to head down especially with The Imana Wild Ride around the corner. However Nic Visser from AHT Cooling Systems felt differently and told me I couldnt miss out and had to go down and do my best, so he offered to cover my entire trip to Knysna which Im extremely grateful for as it was a brilliant race for me.

The weather had been terrible leading up to XTERRA however on race day we were greeted by a chilly yet cloud free morning. It was going to be a day of fun in the mud for sure. The first 3km run got under way with Stuart Marais taking off like I have never seen. My aim for this run was to try stay as close to Nico as possible to hopefully work with him on the bike. I felt surprising good on the run and came into transition just behind him.

We got onto the bike together and I jumped onto his wheel to give myself time to recover from the effort on the run. Soon Kevin Evans came by and immediately put in a surge to get away. A short while later we caught back up to Stuart and had a good pace leading back towards transition, however luck was not on my side and with about 2km to go on the bike I suffered a rear puncture. I knew we were close and I wasnt carrying my POWASOL Weld Fast to try and save weight and looking back that was definitely an error. I rode back to transition on the rim but lost a lot of time and my chance to fight for a podium spot was gone.

Now to far back to challenge the 3 up front I settled into a comfortable final run and actually thoroughly enjoyed myself running through the extremely scenic Phezula estate. I crossed the line in 4th overall and 2nd in category. Big congrats to Stuart Marais on his win, a great guy whose definitely going places in XTERRA. I have left Knysna pretty happy as I felt great and even with the lack of training I was able to compete up front. It was another great XTERRA experience and had so much fun out at the event. Was nice to see so many KZN boys down at the race and all doing extremely well even after competing in the BIG 5.

Need to say a huge thanks again to Nic from AHT Cooling Systems for giving me the opportunity to race in Knysna. Thanks also to my major sponsor THULE for always being behind me 100% and for the amazing lugguage which always makes traveling a pleasure. Thanks to a new sponsor of mine 32GI I was amazed at how stable and constant my energy levels were and its a true testament to your great low GI energy drink. Also to POWASOL for making cleaning my bike after the muddy race a breeze. Thanks also to Compressport and Saucony for the ongoing support with your exceptional products which help me to perform at my best.

VARSITY COLLEGE MULTI-SPORT SERIES EVENT #1

Result: 1st Overall

What felt like a pure summers storm swept through Ballito on Saturday night and absolutely drenched Holla Trails. And yet we were greeted by spectacular weather on Sunday morning. These are actually my favourite conditions, warm and sunny yet extremely slippery and muddy. It was set to be a fun days racing.

Felt great to roll out of bed and drive about 2kms to the start on Sunday morning. Not often us Ballito folk get races on our doorstep so was a nice change. There was such a cool vibe at the race venue with all the Varsity College students getting involved.

It was a very fast start to the first run with Gareth taking off out the holla gates. It soon became a bit of a comedy fest when we hit the first descent and realised there was absolutely zero traction, this led to some quite funny shouting and arm waving as we all tried to stay upright. Soon after that Derrin and John managed to get away and that left myself, Dan and Gareth chasing. We came into transition 50 seconds down on the leaders.

After a hard early effort on the bike I got onto the wheel of Derrin and John and chose not to attack until we reached the only single track section on the route. I managed to get a gap on Derrin after some serious dodging of the back markers of the MTB races which had started just before us. I kept a good solid pace the rest of the bike and got off with a comfortable lead.

This allowed me to take no risks on the treacherous final run route as I managed to bring it home for the win, ahead of Derrin in 2nd and John in 3rd. Was great to get a win on home ground and with so many locals at the event. It was as always a very well run event and good to see Varsity College getting so involved in our sport. Also very stoked that my personal sponsors Powasol were on hand to get the bikes looking like new again after such a muddy ride.

Photo Credit: QuickPix

 

MOMENTUM HEALTH IFLEX DUATHLON EVENT #4

Result: 2nd Overall

Weather predictions for Sundays Momentum Health IFlex Duathlon were not looking good with rain and gale force winds on the forecast however we woke to a chilly yet still and clear day. It was set to be a brilliant day for racing.



 I was very unsure of how my body would perform after my injuries I sustained before Sani2C and only having just over a week of training in the legs before this event, however I couldn’t bare to miss a hometown national event. All I could do was give my best and see where that got me.



 It felt good to be back on the start line and after the gun went to start the first run leg I tried to settle into a comfortable pace not over pushing myself. I could see Brand Du Plesis disappearing into the distance and following close behind were JP Ten Napel, Derrin Smith and John Ntuli. I tried to stay calm and save energy for the bike.



 I exited transition onto the bike leg with lots of work to do. I planned to go out hard on the first lap and see where that got me and then hopefully hold on for the tough second lap. I managed to catch John and Derrin up the first climb and worked hard through the second single track section to get a gap. There was now just JP and Brand ahead. Finally about three quarters of the way through lap one I caught JP and quickly tried to put daylight between us, knowing he would have a strong final run. After lap one I had only made up a small amount of time on Brand as he was having a storming race. I could feel my legs were a little weary and chose to back off the second lap rather then risk blowing up spectacularly.



 Onto the final run I was sitting comfortably in second place, Brand was gone up ahead and I had a very comfortable cushion over JP behind me third which allowed me to bring it home in the final run without to much pressure.



 I was very happy with my second place after the injuries and lack of training. Obviously I would have liked to retain my win from last year but it just wasn’t possible. It was nevertheless a brilliant day of racing close to home with a good testing course with some hard climbs. Looking forward to building from this race towards the Imana Wild Ride

XTERRA SA CHAMPS GRABOUW

Result: 6th Overall

I cannot believe XTERRA Grabouw has come and gone already. I am left wanting more. I knew my form wouldn't be perfect after having time off after XTERRA Worlds but I still felt like my body had more in it, I just couldn't access the power needed on the day. I have again left XTERRA Grabouw having learnt a lot about how best to attack these courses.

To say the field was stacked is the biggest understatement ever. With the likes of 4 x XTERRA World Champ Conrad Stoltz, Ironman legend Raynard Tissink, Dan Hugo, Stuart Marais, Nico Pfitzenmeier, Raoul De Jongh, Theo Blignaut and many other top names, even the likes of Ultra distance running star Ryan Sandes were out giving XTERRA a go.

A perfect morning greeted us upon arrival at Grabouw Country Club. It was set to be a scorcher of a day with minimal wind. The pro's were given a 10 meter start advantage in the swim which was great to allow me to get away from the usual chaos at the swim starts esp with there being just under 1000 entries. I am not in great swim form and had planned to get through the swim without having pushed to hard, saving energy for later. I ended up on Justin Porteous' feet and he held a good pace throughout the swim. I got out the water around 2mins down on the leaders and inside the top 25.

I had a quick transition and set about working my way up the order. The bike course was one of the toughest routes I have done, it consisted of a lot of climbing early on and some spectacular single track on the way home. I could feel on the early climbs that my legs weren't offering me what I'm used to so I found a rhythm and hoped to make up time in the single track later on. By the highest point of the route I managed to just get in front of Raynard and Raoul and was now lying in 6th. By the bottom of the rocky single track I was on the wheel of Stuart and we managed to get by Carl Pasio shortly after. Unfortunately I lost Stuarts wheel slightly and entered transition a few seconds back in 5th.

I ran knowing Raynard would be coming strong but just didn't have the leg speed I was hoping for. I was in a mental battle against my tired legs and against the brutal course. Fighting the urge to slow down up the, what seemed like vertical climbs. Unfortunately with about 2kms to go Raynard caught and passed me. I ended up around 30sec behind him in 6th overall to end a very tough day mentally and physically. Not exactly the position I was hoping for but taking a lot of positives away from the days racing.

Another brilliantly organized event by the guys at Stillwater sports and so impressed with the calibre of the course they set. Moving forward I now have 4 weeks to get myself ready for The Cape Epic, which I'm really looking forward to experiencing with Guylin Van Den Berg.

Amazing feeling being on the podium with my 2 childhood heroes Conrad and Raynard

Having some fun with the GoPro in the awesome Elgin Dam water

XTERRA BUFFELSPOORT 2012

RESULT: 4th Overall : 3rd in Category

Finally the first race of the season has come and gone. It's been a roller coaster build up to say the least. Huge respect must go out to Conrad and Dan. Its really not easy to end off the season with World Champs at the end of October, have a good rest and be on form for the early season XTERRA's.

I have been looking forward to Buffelspoort XTERRA for a while now. I love the course and have had some bad luck in the past so was hoping for a good clean race.

I arrived at the line feeling way more relaxed than years before. Although once the siren echoed out across the dam the familiar chaos of white water, stray arms and wild feet ensued. It took the entire distance to the first bouey for things to calm down. I decided to sit comfortable in the swim and rather get out feeling fresh, especially due to the race being at altitude. I exited the water in a big pack including Carla, Justin, Mitch, Adam & Dan Carleton.

Photo Credit ~ Cherie Vale / Stillwater Sport & Entertainment

I had a quick transition and got onto the bike with clear track ahead allowing me to push the early single track and open a gap on the chasers. Inside I was hoping to come off the bike in 3rd but this was going to be a massive ask after getting out the water just inside the top 20 and it being a fully stacked field. I slowly worked my way through a few of the roadies and once into the beautiful mountain sanctuary I could see Stuart Marais ahead. I was making progress which gave me more motivation to push harder. By the time we exited the sanctuary we had caught Carl Pasio for 3rd. Unfortunately Stuart then had a fairly big crash and lost the group so I rode with Carl through to transition and exited the bike in 3rd.

Photo Credit ~ Cherie Vale / Stillwater Sport & Entertainment

I paid for this effort on the bike, in transition while donning my Saucony Kinvara's both legs cramped. I was in for a serious amount of suffering over the next 12km's of grueling trail running. I set off just behind Carl after a bit of stretching and found my stride about a km in and moved back into 3rd. This was short lived however and as we started climbing the huge steps at the dam wall the cramp dug its claws back in and I was forced to stretch for quite a while. This allowed both Carl and Stuart to get back passed. I was now down in 5th and very aggravated. Again I got going and had to maintain a much slower pace. I kept Carl in my sights the rest of the run and managed to get passed him with about 2kms to go and maintained it to the finish, claiming 4th Overall on a very tough day at Buffelspoort.

I feel like I have learnt a lot from 2011's racing and as my form improves hopefully the results will follow. Thanks to my Dad and Coach Russell White for all his help and even managing to comfortably beat everyone in the lite's race to take the win overall, he's an absolute machine. Also thanks to my girlfriend Jo-Anne for helping me feel at home up in Pretoria for 2 weeks and for being an amazing supporter on the day. Finally a big thanks to everyone whose making this all possible. Thule South Africa, Clive Damant from Ballito Crushers, Warren Richards (all-round awesome guy), Karen Keyter from ChiroKare, Saucony, Powasol, PeptoSport and BeeWise. Very privileged to have you all backing me in what I love.