A tough muddy affair at Dullstroom–MTN National MTB Series

It was a very early wake up call, my family and I had to leave Centurion at 3am for Dullstroom.  We arrived to a very beautiful misty morning with friendly marshals’ directing everyone to the venue.   Riding around the venue for a bit of a warm up on the chilly misty morning I felt calm and confidentabout the seemingly though 77km route. 

After all the interviews and race briefing they sent us on our way. The start was very easy, everyone getting the blood flowing through their legs. I felt good enough to go sit in the front of the group up the first few kicks.

 

About 4km into the race team mate Arno decided it's time, he put in a good acceleration, only Jan and Stuart could go with, this left the big group from the start scattered all over the place. After around 3km everybody settled in. We hit a big district road, JP and I found our self’s alone behind the leading group. Making turns at the front we made good progress slowly catching up to the leaders. Going up a very slippery MUDDY climb to the first proper single track of the day we had to dodge some of the back markers of the ultra, riding the continental x-king on the front and race king on the back I could easily pedal through the slippery stuff. We got to the single track, now this was proper slippery, snaking through the trail everything went smoothly until I had to pass a back marker, I made a stupid pilot error and jammed my front wheel into a hole, I got up very quickly out of the very thick, sticky black mud and off I was chasing down the Westvaal man. I turned up a steep single track climb, the words of my coach, Paul, went running through my head, :" use your arms and not only your legs". The climb was over quite quick, I stopped at the top for a second or two just to straighten my bars from the mud dive in the single track at the bottom. I started descending down to the first tech point, there I put on some of the white gold Squirt lube. After the tech zone it was pretty flat and fast to the final big climb of the day. I got to the climb, funny that there was a lot of walking going on up there, following coaches orders I yanked on the bars the whole way up the steep climb. At the top I put on some more Squirt lube for a smooth ride to the finish. The concrete downhill was dirty fast. On my way to the last single track I was almost pulled off my bike by the race organizer, they had to re-route us because of a swarm of bees being a threat to the riders. With some energy left in the tank I gave everything the last 6km.

Covered with mud from head to toes I ended up rolling through the line 10th overall and 3rd in the U/23 category, my first national podium.  It was a tough muddy day on the bike but overall happy with my performance.

Edwill