Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge 2011

Tropical beauty

On the 15^th of October Andre (Epic Sports and MTN mtb mechanic), Yolande and I left OR Tambo and headed off for a new adventure this time on an island just off the coast of Malaysia, somewhere none of us had ever been before - Langkawi!

99 Island Geopark

We had all heard that it was to be warm but nothing quite prepared us for the initial shock of walking out of that airplane onto the tarmac at 6:00am. Probably the combination of the heat and humidity almost knocks away your breath! Soon we were herded into a taxi thoughtfully organized by the race office and whisked away to Bayview Hotel which was to be our new home for the next 9days. 

BayView view

All of the international contestants were staying at Bayview and the staff where super friendly and very accommodating for everyone’s needs. It also gave a great opportunity to mingle and meet new people from all across the globe who had come to take part in this new event. All meals during our stay were catered for from the hotel as well as all transfers to the daily events. Each team was also allocated a tech area in the garage of the hotel which was always a hive of activity every evening when the bikes were tweaked for the next day’s events.

Team garage area

This race had a very interesting format offering a spread of disciplines starting with a marathon followed by a xco then 6hr endurance, point to point hill climb and finishing with a dirt criterium. All of these put together in a stage race format and with a very generous prize offering made for a spectacular few days of racing. The first two days also offered uci points which gave the event a different twist. The UCI guys did a great job overseeing the event and helping to give it a very high standard setting the bar for years to come. Unfortunately day 3 had to be replaced with an xco due to some problems with the original longer course prepared for the endurance course.

Final award ceremony

The event finished off with a banquet styled prize giving together with a live show which brought an end to a fantastic week of racing in Langkawi.

As far as how my race went it was unfortunately short lived with rather a dramatic finish.  On day one I had a front row start due to my marathon points which was exactly where I wanted to be with a field of over 130 lined up behind me. The start was slightly delayed while we waited for a Langkawi dignitary to get the event started officially but luckily water got passed around as the sweat was pouring off everyone even before the first pedal stroke was taken. Finally the race was underway and as expected from a world class line up the pace was quick from the gun! As we headed into the first jeep and single tracks of the thick forests I was slightly caught out behind a few riders. My legs were loosening up nicely and I started making ground but then on a quick jeep track downhill a rider in front of me lost traction with his rear wheel careering him into the foliage. As I moved to come around him he apparently hit some small bushes which shot him straight into me shooting me over the bars and into the undergrowth.

Huge local media interest!

At first I thought I had a soft landing and would get away relatively unscathed but as I tried to get up I realized there was more wrong as I couldn’t move my hand let alone hold the bar. After a stop at the medics I tried to continue for another 45min hoping that it may loosen up. By the time I got to the next tech point I realized there was no way I could finish and went to the medics. I think I must have been one of their first patients as I received full medical attention including them wanting to wheel me everywhere, red lights blazing, screaming sirens and running traffic lights made it all very theatrical! X-rays showed that there was nothing broken but because it was so swollen that I couldn’t see my knuckles and bruising on all the joints meant that rest was in order.

Woman's start day 3

I started the xco with the plan of getting lapped in the hope that if my hand got better for the last few days I would still be allowed to race. Sad thing was that I had a great start and up the first climb I worked myself up into the top 15. However on the tricky down hills the pain was too much and in danger of losing the bar I opted to walk and therefore be lapped after two laps. The same thing happened for day three but day four was the hill climb which was all on tar so thought I could give it gas there. I started right at the back and worked my way up to the front group. I stayed with them till about 12km to go where I lost contact and raced the rest of the race with a group of 5 riders. I came over the line first of our group and in 16^th position which I was quite pleased with.

View from the hill climb

This effort however took its toll as that eve I battled to sleep even with anti-inflamitries and pain killers due to the throbbing in my arm. After inspecting the crit course for the last stage and realizing with my 100^th place starting position there was no point even pretending to compete the last day. What a disappointing race for an otherwise incredible event but I guess this is mountain biking after all and these things happen. 

Yolande smashing the crit!

What a great event all in all and I am sure this will grow in the upcoming years and become one of those “must do’s” in the life of a mountain biker. From the friendliness of the people, the vision of the organizer, the beauty of the country side and the overall fantastic value for money this event exceeded all my expectations and is definitely the best event I’ve done in 2011 and hopefully will make it back in good health for next year. 

Commute option of the island

We also got a chance in our spare time to roam the island and take in some of the sights and attractions it had to offer. We did this by renting scooters and navigating our way around the streets, enjoying the local cultural, visiting all the natural sights including amazing mountains and cable cars, waterfalls, beaches, craft markets and jetty’s. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and life just seems to move at a little slower pace. We eventually even started getting used to the humidity and didn’t notice the heat as much or just didn’t mind always being sweaty – I’m still not too sure.  

Cable car and skywalk -700m up!

Anyway, till next time keep the rubber side down and while I rest and heal you better keep up the training!

Thanks to the organizers of LIMBC as well as always to MTN/Qhubeka for making this race happen, your support has been fantastic!

Regards, PC

Fast girls!
 

For more info check out: www.mtbmalaysia.com