Varsity College 12-hour Enduro at Avianto - Arno du Toit with Marcel Marais and Edwill O'Neill

After a couple of hard training weeks, Marcel Marais and I decided to team up for this 12-hour Enduro challenge as a two-man team for some quality time in the saddle and having fun while doing so. We didn't really discuss any team tactics, but after a chat with Coach Paul, we decided to take it on in two-hour shifts at a time. This is probably not the fastest way of doing things, but looking at the bigger picture with a few longer races lined up, it seemed like the way to go.

I haven't done any relay-type races in a while, so I was sort of excited about this idea. Well at least until we had to load the bikes in the rain Saturday morning before heading out to Avianto. It's hard enough to look forward to a normal race once it's wet, but 12 hours in mud... Not my idea of fun!

As we arrived there were some nervous-looking faces, one of which was also a PYcycling athlete, Edwill O'Neill. He teamed up with Ben Viljoen from Epic Sports and also two of the country's fastest juniors, Ferdi Botha and Werner van Heerden, racing in the four-man relay team: Die Frikkies.

Luckily as the start time came closer the rain moved away and the spirits lifted. I knew there were going to be some racing snakes hammering it from the gun, so I let Marcel start while I enjoyed some coffee. I was pleasantly suprised by the consistent lap times he was riding over the first two hours or five laps - not bad for a matriculant currently in the middel of prelims.

It was soon time for myself to get ready and after a proper route recce with Tiaan, better known as Mr Mountain Biking, I started my five-lap journey on the 8.5km course with 150m ascent per lap. I soon forgot that I had to do six hours in total and went out cross country style on the first lap, must have been the excitement of the fast and flowing single track. I tried a new tire - Continental Race King - and it was perfect for the course, and might just be a new favourite for myself. From the second lap on I settled into a comfortable rhythm and managed to keep a decent pace clocking my fastest and slowest lap only 30 seconds apart.

Meanwhile the game plan for Edwill and the other Frikkies was to go out really hard and then swap every lap. They soon realised that it takes about half a lap to get going or to lose the lactate build-up from the previous effort so they changed it to two laps per shift. ''Werner did a great job at the start of the race setting the bar really high on his first lap. Ferdi then didn't have any hassles matching that. Handing over to me the challenge was on to keep the pace high and remain on top of the leaderboard,'' Edwill said.

I must admit they were pretty quick!

As Marcel was busy ticking over the laps for us on his second two-hour shift, I had some time to refill. All the tannies did a great job with the food and kept us well hydrated at all times. Fatigue started to show all-round, but my partner kept fighting and completed another five gruelling laps. Once again as I started round two, I got excited and started racing guys like Bryce Munro and some other fast guys that were doing one or two laps at a time. Even though the legs were burning, I was happy with my consistent lap times.

Back at the base, Die Frikkies called a team meeting. ''The interesting part of the race came when the sun started to set. We got ourselves geared for the darkness with all the lights we had. We had a team caucus and changed our game plan again, from two laps per rider to one lap per rider,'' Edwill said.

After the first eight hours, Marcel and I started to lose the second spot overall as fatigue took over. This didn’t bother us too much; I mean four legs can’t really compete against eight or more.

Marcel managed three more laps in the darkness and I decided to take over with about two hours and 40 minutes remaining in the race. At this point I must admit I was over-cycling, but the adrenalin of riding in the dark kept me going. The first two laps were fun, but then half way through the third or 13th in total the wind started blowing with severe clouds covering the venue. The organisers decided to call it a day after 11 hours, just before the storm hit. Unfortunately for some, they were still out there on the course, including poor Edwill: ''I was caught half way through the course in this crazy storm! Everybody was soaking wet and cold but this did not ruin the riders' spirits. They all waited for the prize giving."

After all it was a fun day out with good results from PYcycling athletes. Edwill and Die Frikkies took the overall win and Macel and I finished 4th overall and won the two-man relay.

"It was an amazing experience. A great 8.5km course with a bit of everything.  A few sharp but short climbs, some tight corners and fast straights - nothing overly technical but challenging. Our mountain biking skills were definitely tested. Fantastic track!" Marcel said.

Big thanks to all who made it possible.

Arno

SA Marathon Champs - MTN Gravel Travel - Yolande Speedy

After a very successful SA XC Champs and my wrist finally on the mend the SA Marathon title was my next goal.

With the level and depth of Elite ladies racing in SA having improved dramatically over the last few years I knew that it would be a tough battle for the jersey and that I needed a really focused and strong training block leading up to it.

Paul meticulously engineered my training plan but life threw a few spanners in the works and before I knew it 2 weeks had passed with very little structured training. I made the last two weeks count and being happy with the numbers from my Cycleops PowerTap booked my ticket to Cape Town.

EpicSports made the final touches to my GT Zaskar ensuring it was race ready with a Continental Race-King rear tire and X-King front to handle the course terrain in the predicted wet conditions and I headed off early Thursday morning with Amy for our flight to the Cape. Owe Paul a coffee or two for the early morning lift to the airport!

We were met by Amy's Aunt who had kindly offered a place to stay for the weekend and spent the next couple of days focusing and preparing for the race.

Waking up a few times the night before to howling winds and rain I knew as predicted we were in for a cold wet race and that was confirmed during our dark early morning drive out to the start at Diemersfontein Wine Estate.

I went through my normal pre-race routine trying not to shiver too much and soon it was time to line up at the start. After a quick race briefing we were off at a pace up the first climb with Araine, Cherise and Therresa battling it out in front.

I hung in as long as I could but soon knew I was in trouble and that I would have to hang back and settle into my own pace.

I fell into 8th place; Ischen, Amy, Mariske and Sam passing me. Keeping a steady pace, all the time hoping I would feel my racing legs coming back I caught Sam further up the climb and seeing Mariske not far ahead I focused on closing the gap.

The hard climb was rewarded with some awesome flowing single-track and my GT with it's Conti tires handled superbly. Unfortunately my nirvana was suddenly interrupted when coming around a sharp corner onto a rocky drop-off and finding two riders portaging I was forced to take a dodgy line to avoid crashing into them consequently sending myself over the bars. As Murphy would have it I tweaked my sore wrist which made any further descending much less enjoyable.

Luckily my bike was unharmed though and I was quickly on my way.

Sadly not even my USN Vooma Gels could help me find my legs and I lost sight of Mariske. With about 15kms to go Sam was hot on my tail and we passed Amy who had stopped with a puncture (Very sad as she had an amazingly strong and had been lying 5th). After quickly asking if she was okay I pushed hard to keep ahead of Sam but it was not my day and I had to settle for a disappointing 7th place.

Congrats to Cherise for a great ride in tough conditions and welcome to the sport of MTBiking :)

A big thanks to all my sponsors and supporters for believing in me, sorry I could not bring home the jersey but I'll be back to fight another day!

Thanks too to Advendurance for an awesome marathon course and event and Powasol for the much needed bike wash!

Till next time,

Yolande

MTN Gravel Travel; SA Marathon Champs in Wellington - Amy McDougall

I was in two minds about doing SA Champs as I couldn’t afford flights and accommodation but really wanted to do it. About a week before the race, I found a special on flights, and my aunt who lives in Cape Town offered for Yolande and me to stay with them over the weekend.
I was excited as I had never raced and barely ridden that side of the world. I love hard marathon racing. I was amped for the challenge that lay ahead!

Yolande and I arrived in Cape Town on Thursday morning at 9 20. The weather was nippy but beautiful and sunny. Looked like a perfect weekend ahead! Right..?

Thursday and Friday’s weather was so stunning in Cape Town, it was hard to believe the predictions for Saturday were all: very cold, very windy and rainy. This would add a nice twist to the already challenging course set out for us!

As I opened my eyes at 5am on race day, low and behold, I was greeted by the sound of rain and wind, and the cold was almost audible! I found myself wondering: Uh, what am I doing?? Parting with my bed was a feat in its self. Half of me wanted to roll back over, but no, over 1800m of climbing and endless amounts of Single Track lay ahead… I had a good feeling about this one; it was going to be epic!

My Team Edition Ghost XX fitted with Ritchey, Sram, Crank Bros egg beater peddles and Continental tyres; was packed, and ready for whatever the elements and Mother Nature (who seemed to be on PMS) had to through at us! 

I slipped into my Decca kit, groggily downed a bowl of oats and coffee with Yolande before setting off on our adventure.
The drive from Cape Town took us an hour and a half; it was dark and rainy the entire way, the car swerving from the wind at times. Uh, what am I doing??

Luckily the rain had stopped and it was semi-light by the time we got to the race venue but it was freezing. All the big names in Mountain biking were there, all hungry for that SA Champ jersey! I was anxious on the start line, the field was super strong and I was not quite sure what to expect.

As the whistle blew we immediately started climbing the longest climb of the day. The leading group of ladies consisted of Cherise Stander, Ariaan Kleinhans, Ischen Stopforth and Therisa Rahlf. I found myself not too far behind in fifth. I maintained this position till about 50km in. I was pushing hard; the uphills were steep and painful, but totally worth the effort when the downhills came! The single track was phenomenal, it was super smooth and bermed so you could just fly through it sometimes literally! This course was very challenging but I was in my element!  

Mariska Strauss caught me and I started feeling the beginnings of cramps in my right leg. Putting less pressure on the right leg only started the left leg going… I carried on for about 10 km before having to stop and stretch it out. 

To my relief the cramps stopped, this was about when the rain started properly. With 15km to go, I slipped on loose sand around a corner causing my tyre to burp. For some reason, a faulty bomb adapter or maybe a combination of nerves and frozen, fumbly fingers, I couldn’t get the thing to work. Eventually I got help from a guy with a broken bike. By the time I got going, I had lost 3 places, the chances of me gaining them back in the last 15km were minimal but I fought back as hard as I could.

I was upset about losing those positions, but I rode my heart out and this was definitely one of the best mountain biking experiences of my life!  I have made huge improvements in my performance since the beginning of the year and I am looking forward to new challenges, more exciting experiences and getting better and better!

The race was extremely well organised by Advendurance, the course was exceptional, no problems with the markings and no bottle necking. Big congrats to Cherise Stander for taking the honours in the ladies race, and Max Knox in the men’s Ultra marathon. Also, Kudos to everyone who dragged themselves out of bed for the race, I’m sure it was well worth it!

Until then, keep the rubber side down, later!

Time to Taper f or SA Champs in Wellington - Amy McDougall

With a tough three weeks of training done; tough because of the howling winds, freezing weather and even some snow. I am glad I managed to grit my teeth and do the base miles regardless!

My training previously, was higher intensity in preparation for SA Cross Country champs in July and since then has been more time in the saddle which has prepared me for the tough Marathon coming up this weekend in Wellington. I am looking forward to the race as I hear it is very technical, which is my biggest strength, not to mention loads of fun!!

My trusty, light and fast Team Edition Ghost bike has just been serviced at Ballistic Bike Trading and is in tip top shape, ready to take whatever this tough course has to offer!

I am flying down with Yolande Speedy and staying with family in Cape Town who stay (conveniently) a few km from Tokai Forest. We are spending a few extra days down there which will be undoubtedly spent exploring and making the most out of the great trails down there!

My exciting weekend (and some) will of course be recorded with my Bryton Rider 40, which I have become completely reliant on during and after my training!

Until then, keep the rubber side down!

Later

SA XCO Champs: Race + Build-up - Mankele - Arno du Toit

After a good result at World's View, it was time for me to focus on the big one, the fight for the stripes and the title of South African Champion. Being first year u/23 in a really competitive field of riders, I set myself a realistic but still very challenging goal at the beginning of the season. I wanted to be on that podium!

PYCycling arranged a training camp for us at Mankele two weeks before the big day to get ourselves comfortable on the course and to all round improve and gain confidence in our technical riding ability.

Seeing that this was during a solid training block we also worked in a couple of hard efforts on the track, which took its toll on most of us...

Edwill after a little interval session

Paul showing the "girls" how its done

Marcel and Edwill not convinced by the statement it's like riding of a pavement

Back to Pretoria and it was time for the second Nissan Trailseeker at Cullinan. The wind blew us apart and I managed 7th overall in the marathon. All and all it wasn't my best day on the bike, but none the less good legs stretch before the war.

During the week Epic Sports sorted out my Cannondale and Dimension Sports took care of my legs. Everything was ready and early Friday morning we hit the road with the wolf pack.

As we arrived at Mankele Bike Park, I did my final prep on the course and then it was chill time. Even though the stress levels were through the roof, the atmosphere in the squad was filled with jokes and laughs. No better way to calm the nerves!

Paul and I felt this was a good opportunity to try some new things on race day, so after breakfast I did a light roller spin. With the Elite u/23 men only starting at 13:30 I stayed at the guest house, trying to relax as much as possible during the morning. Well that was the plan... The Twitter feeds from the ladies' race had me jumping up and down for about 90 minutes. Thanks Yolande!

Warming up the engin

As I started warming up I felt fresh and awake! Even though I had the outside line on the start shoot, I got away nicely and was happy with my position heading into the first single track.

As we came through after lap 1, I was feeling pretty comfortable in the leading group of six or seven riders with the two Olympians Burry and Phil setting the pace. Small gaps started to open as we hit the gruelling tar climb on lap 2. Soon Rourke was out of sight for me, but I could still see Luke on the longer open straights. The mentorship of Paul kicked in and I kept telling myself what he told me to remember: "Just keep it smooth and keep flowing, you know you can".

The BIG drop

Halfway through lap 5 I noticed Luke was fading a little, and once again I heard Paul's voice: "They will fade, just keep it smooth". I took a few risks to get back and managed to catch him and Max just as we started the final lap. Game on! I considered attacking straight away, but I knew my legs wouldn't have survived such an effort. I was also confident in my ability to sprint, so I was happy to take it to the line with a skinny oke.

However, Max picked up the pace and I must say I was impressed with his technical riding for someone who hasn't raced XCO in a few years. He had me fighting to stay on the train through the twisty single track, but once we came out onto the BMX track and into the crowd the sprint was on between the youngsters.

POWER!! Trying to sprint while cramping

Somehow Luke opened a solid gap in the first corner, but then made it easy for me to get back when he made a slight mistake going into the second corner a bit too hot! I was right on his wheel over the jumps and bridges and it came down to a kick on the final stretch towards the line. Unfortunately for me that line came too soon and I finished 3rd u/23 less than half a wheel behind Luke Roberts with Rourke Croeser taking the win.

Photo finish

I must say I am happy with the way my XCO season ended. Thanks to everyone for the support, especially Paul. Not only did his coaching make a big difference, but also from a motivation point of view he is a great guy to be around.

2012 SA Champs for U/23 Men

Luke Roberts, Rourke Croeser, Arno du Toit

2012 SA Cup Series Podium for U/23 Men

Jason Meaton, Arno du Toit, Shaun Silver

SA XC Champs, Mankele - Yolande Speedy

With a strong, XC focused training block up behind me; Paul's mentorship helping me to believe in myself again, my Powertap finally starting to show me some familiar numbers and a good race result at Nissan Trailseeker #2 in Cullinan I felt confident heading to Mankele for SA XC Champs

We headed to Nelspruit where we would be staying early Friday morning riding in convoy with our super group of fellow Mountain bikers and supporters for another fun filled and exciting MTB weekend.

Having pre-ridden the course on our training camp 2 weeks earlier I was already confident on it and of my tire selection (Continental Race King on the front and Maxxis Icon back) so after 2 laps; one to double check the race lines and one to give my legs and lungs a good stretch it was time to head to our accommodation and get feet up.

With so many of our riders racing Paul had decided not to race but to play support role and quickly got stuck into maticulously preparing our race machines for the next day.

Soon it was race day and I cannot remember when last I felt so many nerves creeping in!

After completing my pre-race routine; warm up rub, USN supplements and a few hard efforts on the bike I headed to the start line where I was really impressed with the turn out. One of the biggest ladies fields I've seen for XC!!

It was great to have Mariske back on the start line after being based in the States for most of the year and we shared a few jokes trying to calm our shattered nerves. A short race briefing and we were off in a cloud of dust, I had a good start getting the whole shot and into the single track in the lead the rest of the field hot on my heels. Candice passed me on the climb going into the rocky technical section ahead of me Sam catching up to us through the next few technical sections.

The course surface had become rough and lose in the corners but the race lines smoother and more flowing in general and we flew through it soon reaching the big drop off. Unfortunately I did not have the confidence to take it with my injury and Sam overtook me as I went round on the chicken run. I chased back reclaiming my 2nd place in the 2nd lap Candice now with about a 20sec gap. Feeling the pressure I made a few mistakes and Sam again passed me again forming a gap on the technical sections which I worked hard to try and close on the climbs.

Going through for my 3rd lap feeling the effect of the hard racing I gratefully grabbed my 2nd bottle of USN BCAA-Vitargo and made use of the first flat open section to take in some Vooma gel.

The race situation remained the same for the next 2 laps, Candice in the lead Sam 2nd and me chasing hard from behind. I was unable to make up enough  time on the few climbs and I knew I was losing too much time not taking the big drop especially as the chicken run became more rutted and slower through out the race. I was thinking I'd have to take a flyer at it on my last lap if I couldn't get a big enough gap but fortunately it did not come down to that. 

Going into the last lap Sam had a 10sec lead on me and Candice 22secs. I caught Sam on the first climb and pushed as hard as I could to try get enough of a gap before the drop. Catching Candice on the short steep climb after the wooden bridge drop off was a surprise and I knew I would have to give 100 percent with no mistakes to keep a lead. Fortunately we were both taking the 2nd chicken run and I got into the last single track section with a few seconds lead. 1 slip out through a corner lost me some time but I came into the last bmx section in the lead and gave everything I had left to the finish line Candice on my wheel. I was super happy to take the win, one of my most exciting race finishes for sure and a proper battle from start to finish with both Candice and Sam in great form having raced in Europe and Candice preparing for Olympics!

More overwhelming than my win was the support from everyone throughout the race and all my supporters and friends waiting at the finish to give me a big hug and words of congratulations!! All I can says is WOW and a big heart felt thanks, you guys are truly special!

Enough about me, it was a fantastic and exciting day of racing for all of our PYCycling atheltes all ourt hard work coming to fruition!

Catherine(Bizhub) finished 3rd in youth women, a great race for her and big improvement on her last XC Cup result.

Amy(Decca/Ghost) 3rd in elite women and 3rd in the overall series

Andrea 7th U23 but close to finishing 5th had she not faded in her last lap

Francois(USN) 2nd vet men and taking the overall series win

Marcel 12th youth men despite 3 punctures and a super exciting U23 men's race for Arno finishing 3rd half a wheel length behind 2nd place's Luke.

BIG Congrats to everyone!!

After a great day's racing all that was left to do was celebrate and we did that in style having a fun and festive group dinner.

We ended our weekend with one of my all time favourite MTB rides up to the Avalanche, back down it ending with the extremely technical mine shaft.  Now that's what I call real MTB trails!

Thanks Mankele and to all the race organisers for a fantastic weekend.

And a very special thanks to Paul and EpicSports for the super race support and for helping me to believe in what a few weeks earlier seemed to be the impossible!

Till next time

Yolande

SA Champs, Mankele - Amy McDougall

The weekend of SA Champs had finally arrived! The last few months of my life have been centred on this one race, the South African Cross Country National Champs. I felt ready; Coach Paul Cordes had prepared me with a specific training program that I had followed pedantically and the training camp at Mankele two weeks earlier with Epic Sports was invaluable! My Ghost bike was serviced to perfection and I was feeling fast and ready to rock!

The Elite, U23, Junior and sub junior girls all started at 9:15. It was probably the biggest group of ladies I have seen lined up at a XCO event, which is fantastic, but got the nerves going too.

Lined up in the second line of ladies in the start chute meant I would have to push hard from the gun to get into a good position before the single track! I was nervous but concentrated on keeping calm and focused, playing over in my head the route that I had prepared for and now knew so well.

When the gun went, we all sprinted furiously for the single-track. I saw Yolande Speedy get in first, then Samantha Sanders, Candice Neethling, Mariska Strauss and me in 5^th place. Up the climb the order stayed the same, but I managed to get past Mariska and push up to fourth overall in the second section of single track.

I quickly gained a gap on the girls behind me, but the top 3 were out of sight. I chased hard but kept within myself, not underestimating this hectic course in Mankele! The trails were awesome, challenging, technical and fun, and had claimed many victims in the past few weeks, including me, with many falls and close calls while practicing!

Up in front in the ladies it was an exciting, close battle between Candice Neething, our Olympiad; Local rider, Samantha Sanders and Yolande Speedy, no introduction needed there! Yolande and Samantha were neck and neck, battling it out, chasing Candice. Yolande finally managed to catch Candice in the last lap (her fastest lap) and get a gap on Samantha. Despite a long road to recovery from a broken wrist Yolande beat Candice in a sprint finish to claim her 6^th SA Champ title! Nail biting stuff!


I finished fourth overall, and third Elite lady. It is a great achievement, considering the size and calibre of the field I was racing in.

I am thoroughly enjoying racing my Ghost  XX Team edition bike, fitted with Ritchey, Crank Bros pedals and XX Sram. It is super-fast, responsive and light: built for racing. We are making a good team! In my bottles I used Singletrack Fuel XC, specifically designed with more carbs and less protein than the Marathon Fuel. Just right for the punch you need.

The more I race XCO, the more I realise what a complex discipline it is; fitness is only a portion of what it takes to be the best. You have to be exceptionally skilled technically, and consistent, with a huge amount of mental strength and the fight and ability to push through the pain. It is all about balance, the balance between taking too many risks or doing “stupid” things, and playing it too safe, between pushing yourself beyond your limit to stay with your competition and racing your own race. Being over- confident could make you complacent, and not being confident enough means self-doubt, a recipe for failure. Neither being a stressed bundle of nerves nor being nonchalant is helpful.

Anyway, my point is that XCO is fun, exciting, painful, challenging, fast and unpredictable. I am looking forward to racing the series next year, working on building my strengths, turning my weaknesses into strengths and getting the balance right. Until then, I am excited for more marathon racing and hopefully some stage racing, another ballgame altogether!