09 May 2012 Van Wyk thrilled with victory at African Continental Championships, Mauritius
The 2012 African Continental Championships was held on the lovely island of Mauritius on the 5th of May. Team bizhub-FCF’s Junior Linda Van Wyk participated in the ...
Jade Roberts
(January 2010, Clarence Training Camp)
MTN Sabie Marathon
The 3rd race of the MTN Marathon series in Clarens last weekend was turned into
a mud-fest with the hardest and most impossible racing conditions I have ever experienced.
Added to this the shock of racing at altitude with thin mountain air and being given
a proper beating by two of my team members – one a youngster half my age and the
other a roadie!! – I have to admit, my ego was hurting more than my body… So after
spending hours to get my bike in an almost acceptable condition, we drove up to
Graskop in preparation of the next race of the series in Sabie, only one week later.
I spent the week licking my wounds, breathing in thin oxygen-deprived air, eating
Harry’s pancakes and enjoying some amazing cycling in the area.
This was the first time for me at the Sabie race; all I knew was that it was described
as a climbers’ race with two major big climbs, each of course followed by a major
big fun downhill. Driving up to the Sabie area I was just again amazed at the beauty
of our country, and specifically that part of our country is a mountain bikers’
heaven, with endless tails and forestry roads and beautiful indigenous forests,
waterfalls and obviously MOUNTAINS!! But it is very lush and green for one reason:
lots and lots of rain in summer; and the week before the race was no exception.
I was dreading another mud fight, so I was extremely relieved that we were blessed
with a beautiful morning, perfect for riding. The route really was hardly wet or
muddy at all, the roads really drain well up in the mountains in spite of all the
recent downpours.
The Elite ladies again lined up to start 10 minutes behind the Ultra-Marathon men;
and for some reason it was an extremely small field this weekend – maybe the Clarens
ordeal had taken its’ toll under other riders as well! The route basically starts
with the first major climb of the day and shortly after the turn off from the neutral
section tar road it was Yolande Speedy & Esther Erdelyi setting the pace, followed
by Ariane Luthi and myself. I had lost a few seconds on the other three, but suddenly
saw that Esther and Ariane had made a gap on Yolande. I wasn’t sure if she was having
a bad day or had mechanical problems but I dug deep and kept on chasing, hoping
to catch up to her. Mamba switchbacks kicked once, twice and then I realised that
I would not be able to keep that pace up for another 10 km of climbing, so I tapped
off a bit and hoped that they would kill each other on the first climb and that
I would reel someone in on the second climb – the Glass’ Sawmill climb.
As I reached the summit I could see Ariane Luthi about a minute ahead of me, the
two MTN-Qhubeka girls had clearly shaken her off on the climb as they were nowhere
in sight. The downhill sections and single track were all very enjoyable – thanks
again to our Specialized dual suspension bikes! – but I lost even more time in the
last 30 km which was mainly downhill. In the end I had to be happy with a fourth
position. It was Esther Erdelyi who beat Yolande Speedy (both MTN/Qhubeka) to the
finish line after Yolande had suffered some mechanical problems on the first descent
and had to stop at the technical assistance zone for a quick wheel change. Arian
Luthi (Swiss Miss) riding for Contego was in third position, followed by myself
and Yolandi de Villiers (both Bizhub) in 5th position.
This was one of the most enjoyable and beautiful races I have done in a while, so
absolutely wonderful not to have to run and push your bike!!! The race organisation
could not have been better, thank you so much – this is a race every mountain biker
should put on his/her calendar!
After the prize giving I had to hit the long road home: 1600km with an overnight
stop and reaching George late Sunday afternoon. How true the saying: Home, sweet
home! Driving through our country again made me realize how beautiful our country
is but also how terrible the road conditions and drivers are. So thank you to Road
Cover, one of our team sponsors, for the work they do in promoting safer road conditions
for all of us out there.
Next up for me is the Mountain Bike Argus, 6th of March… first have to get my bike
stripped and serviced and still trying to get my cycling kit and shoes mud-free!
