Big 5 plus 1 MTB Super Series 2012 (Event #3) Babbas Lodge: 35km: 30 September 2012 - Edwill O'Neill

On Sunday I ended up going out to Bultfontein with Ben to do the Babbas Lodge #3 race. We decided to hit the road to Babbas on our mountain bikes.

Ben and I left early morning in some chilly spring weather for Babbas. Geared up we hit the road from Centurion to Babbas Lodge, an estimated 45km. We started out nice and easy. Well, it felt nice and easy at the time. We wasted a little time by stopping at a garage to check out an Audi R8… not a good idea but we just had to check out this supercar. Because of the stop at the garage we eventually found ourselves under pressure, and the nice and easy ride to Babbas ended up a fast and furious ride to make it to the start in time.

We just made it… two minutes before the race started Ben and I lined up at the back and off we went.

It was not my intention to race this race, but to take it relatively easy as a good training ride. We just rode at a nice, easy pace. However, as we hit the 1^st climb I managed to climb it pretty well and as I reached the top of the climb I broke away from the group.

The initial plan of having a chilled ride for some reason didn’t happen; I started to pedal hard till the end and finished 1^st in the Junior Men category and 1^st overall… an unexpected win after a looooong, warm ride of +- 45km to Babbas.

I enjoyed the route. There had been a few changes to the route from the last time I was there, one or two technical climbs, some awesome single tracks and then as always LOTS of soft sand! One thing about a Babbas race: it’s fast and hard.

All in all ben and I had great fun! What a ride!

Thank you Reginald for giving us a lift back to Centurion in the Vito… a life saver!

Edwill