Provincial XCO number 3. Thaba trails - Kyle Wood

Myself and a few team mates had gone to check the course the Thursday before the race and upon arrival I could already see this course would suit me a whole lot! A gap jump with a sneaky berm straight after, loose and fast technical down hills with plenty big rocks and tight corners in between and just to make sure you stayed awake there were sharp steep up hills that would surely burn the legs. After a few laps with Marcel I felt comfortable with every thing and felt ready. That was until young Jack 'attempted' the gap jump. He landed the jump perfectly and was so excited he just forgot the berm. After jumping the berm and using his head to break the fall I felt as if we needed allot more practice before the race.

Race day had come and I was feeling very cheerful, my legs felt great during warm up and after a good start with the elites and U23s I found myself lying in 3rd position. I knew if I stayed consistent I would be able to hold off the others. By climbing hard and recovery on the top flat section of the course I managed to hold 3rd. The climbing was tough and after a few laps I was finding it hard to stay concentrated on the down hills, time for a High 5 energy gel! Lap 4 was the toughest for me. I found myself playing mind games and kept thinking 'keep it together' I knew I was almost done.

Half way into my 5th lap I looked down the mountain and saw that Edwil was slowly gaining on me. It was time to dig deep and push it one more time up the massive climb. I was at the top and only a few small climbs and some down hills lay between me and the finish. After a few close calls I sprinted into the finish I realized I had got my best result of the year and it felt great pushing my body to the limit.

With Steph finishing 1st and myself in 3rd it was a great result to add to the many other podiums of the day.
Kyle 'woody' Wood