Mankele Training Camp - Amy McDougall

With the National XCO champs coming up in Mankele, Paul Cordes, Yolande Speedy and the guys from Epic Sports decided to hold a weekend training camp to prepare us for the event. I am so glad I went, the course is PROPER, doing the race without practice, would be detrimental!  Here is a run-down of how I experienced it:

Day 1 (Friday)

I was packed and ready with my trusty racing machine, the super light and fast Ghost Team edition XX bike, my Singletrack Fuel and Bryton Rider 40; prepared and anxious for what Mankele had to throw at us.
Angie and I travelled together which was, well, an adventure... We earned ourselves a collection of “Darwin awards”, from travelling in completely the wrong direction at first, having to do a U-turn through two toll roads, forgetting the flysheet to the tent and (amongst other things) only packing half a gazebo. Lucky Paul and Yolande, Petru and Francios and Wardie and El-Marie were staying in a cute wooden cabin which we all piled into during the day for breakfast lunch and dinner!

We arrived at Mankele just after lunch time. Once we had pitched the tents and settled in, it was time to test out the XCO National course...

The course: The lap begins with a flat dirt road of about 600m which would be a flat-out sprint into some single track, and out onto a short but seriously steep climb. I like the way it starts as it gives the field time to spread out before going into the proper single track that makes up the body of the technical 6km course. Most of the course is undulating but flat, twisty and at times very rocky! 

I was enjoying it until we ended up at what seemed like an impossible bridge/drop-off. It was quite terrifying and I had never seen anything like it. I watched the guys doing it numerous times from all different angles, most making it look annoyingly easy, some nearly falling from lack of speed and Rex Benson falling OTB Chin first, earning him 5 stitches and a ripped shirt.

After much consideration I resolved to “sleep on it” and try again the next day.  More single track brought us to a bull run/chicken run split. There were crowds of people, so I tottled down to see what all the fuss was about, only to find that this “drop-off” was more of a fly-off. Once again most guys made it look like a piece of cake, Joel Hieber likened it to riding off a pavement, the only difference being, that it was about a metre high, you needed to come at it at break-neck speed and brake as soon as you landed, else you’d go flying over the corner at the bottom. I was at two minds, I knew that I could do it in theory, it’s all mind over matter. There was a fair amount of broken bicycles, wheels, bones and scary falls that happened as a result of this fly-off. I was disappointed with myself for chickening out, but without the confidence, and, considering my reputation of breaking things, I figured it was the wise decision…

The rest of the course was a lot of fun with bridges, more rocky, undulating single track next to the river. There are quite a lot of roots and sticking out branches which resulted in lots of tree hugging and line re-considering. Angie, Paul and I all ripped holes in our left sleeves from bashing into the same branch which was quite amusing! The single track comes out into the BMX track, and the beginning of the next lap.

We ended the day with a yummy braai at the cabin, some wine and chatting about the course. I slept well that night but my dreams were riddled with riding off the drop offs.

Day 2 (Saturday)

The morning was freezing and I began my day with a 15 minute roller session. This was my first time on rollers and it was really weird and unstable at first, I even came off once, which, of course, was caught on video camera. I got the hang of it pretty quickly… Concentration and speed is the key!

Today was proper. Straight after breakfast, we practiced the start; 6 sprints from the start to the single track. I pushed myself so hard to try and keep up with Yolande that I thought I might see my breakfast again! After a few minutes rest, we did 6 hill attacks up the first climb which was also very painful but great training and I was feeling good!

I was most nervous about having to face the drop offs. After analysing that first drop-off for what seemed like hours, Yolande, Francois and I finally plucked up the courage. It was now or never! Francois and Yolande went first, doing it a lot smoother than me, I must have gone a bit slowly, I made it down but then fell quite hard at the bottom. I luckily fell into a bush and had a relatively soft landing escaping with a few scratches. I was shaking from nerves and adrenaline but I knew I had to “get back on the horse” and do it again. I made it down the second time I felt elated, that was scary but so much fun! High fives all around, we did it! I was starting to feel more confident, it was really helpful and challenging chasing such an experienced, willing to teach, seasoned racer, Yolande, around the course!

That afternoon we did two more laps, I was still a bit rough around the edges but felt I was getting smoother and more confident as I practiced.

We finished in time to watch the last few km of the Tour de France.
All the riders looked rather zombie-like and some more worse for wear than others, Joel sadly broke his thumb and tore ligaments in his shoulder; Werner broke a wheel and hurt his arm coming down the fly-off, me, just full of scratches and bruises. 

An awesome, scary, painful and fun day was a good day in the office indeed, a delicious braai with great company made all the effort worthwhile!

Day 3 (Sunday)

The third and final day was a longer ride. To mix it up, we did some of the Avalanche route which is technical, rocky and steep. Besides falling a few times it was a lot of fun.
We then did a final two laps of the XC course.

I’m really stoked to have done the training camp, aside from an amazing experience, I feel strong. The hard, quality training from Paul is paying off, my Ghost feels fast and nippy and I am happy with the course. I now feel far more confident about the race!

Much thanks to Epic Sports and everyone involved for an awesome weekend!! 

Nashua Mobile Ladies’ Challenge Race Report - Amy McDougall

The Nashua Mobile Ladies Challenge, held at one of my favourite MTB venues in South Africa, is the biggest Ladies only MTB event on the continent, with 600 ladies split between the 40km, 25km and 10km disciplines. It is one of the best races as far as vibe and festivity is concerned. A good time is guaranteed!

I felt confident; I have gotten stronger and having top end equipment and kit makes a world of a difference! As usual I was on my Ghost Team edition XX bike fitted with Sram XX, Ritchey handlebar and seat post, Crank Brothers egg beater 3 peddles and ESI grips. In my bottles was the No Bonk Guarantee Singletrack Fuel, on my stem, my Bryton to track my race!

I won this event last year and felt obliged to defend my title! The route in Van Gaalens Cheese Farm, is specifically designed by Eric Schiper for the ladies; not technical and really flat. Although the race is only 40km long, for me, it is a flat out 40km sprint! I wanted to get a good lead, so I went flat out from the sound of the whistle.

My legs and lungs were burning, probably from the cold and dust. I got the gap I wanted, and just carried on pushing myself as hard as I could to see how far ahead I could get, and how far I could beat my time by from last year.

There was not much climbing and my Ghost and I were flying, I was loving the speed! All the Marshals were either ladies, or men dressed up in ridiculous outfits with tutus, wigs, bras etc which was very entertaining, I managed a giggle as I passed!

When I reached that fun bit of single-track that runs parallel to the river, I knew that I had it. I sprinted over the finish line in a time of 1:44, 9 minutes faster than my time from last year!

Our efforts were rewarded with a glass of Champaign, free massages and an amazing lunch, and, of course, the inevitable shot of tequila you get whenever you podium at a Leverage Corporation event!

Keep the rubber side down and remember to give it horns.....

The Road to Recovery - Yolande Speedy

It's been a really bumpy ride the last couple of years, but such is my passion for mountain biking that I plan to come back fighting again

After recovering from my surgery last year April, I had a fairly decent end to the season, managing to hold on to the MTN Marathon Series overall. After deciding not to continue with Team MTN/Qhubeka, it was time for me and Paul to focus on building our own team again – not an easy feat in this economic climate and with so many sponsors having been burnt in the past. A lot of time and effort later and after getting our hopes up with a few close calls, we were still at square one.  Fortunately we had no problem organising product sponsors with Omnico coming on board with two GT Zaskar 29ers (race and training); Giro helmets, shoes and gloves; USN as a nutrition sponsor; Squirt Lube; ASG providing us with Rudy glasses, San Marco saddles and F-Tech kit; CycleOps giving us power with their Powertap MTB hub and Epic Sports providing race support. We were all set equipment-wise for a good 2012 season.

With 2012 being an Olympic year and although my direct communication with SASCOC indicated there would be little chance that I would make the team, I was still going to give it my best shot, so XCO and especially the World XCO Cup in PMB became my main focus.

Starting with base training in November, Paul and I made the shift to hardtail 29ers. I must say it took some getting used to as they definitely require extra horsepower to get going and aren't as nimble in single track, but once up to speed they're super quick and handle awesomely over rough, technical terrain. This became without a doubt my bike of choice for marathon and it was pleasantly surprising on the XCO courses I have ridden this year.

We had a really good build-up to the start of the race season and after a good warm-up race at the first USN Cup Marathon, we headed for the MTN Marathon in Barberton with high race expectations.  Unfortunately, nothing seemed to flow that day and it was back to the drawing board.

The first SA XC Cup held in Cape Town on a newly built course was up next. After a few laps the day before I knew we were in for a tough race – the steep climbs and technicality of the track would definitely take its toll. Following my bad day on the bike at Barberton I made good use of our USN sponsorship supplementing to prepare. This paid off and I had good legs on the day, keeping consistent lap times and taking the win.

Sabie is always one of my favourite race venues and this year’s second MTN Marathon held there was also the first World Cup Marathon, which added to the race excitement. Despite a slow start I had a strong race finishing in 3rd behind Ariane and Therresa.

It was then time to focus on the Momentum XCO Series building up UCI points and improving my ranking and start position for the PMB XCO World Cup. I had a really good race at the first event held at Giba Gorge, taking the win and finding my flow on the 29er. After a few weeks back in PTA spent fine-tuning my training together with my coach and team mate Paul, we headed back to PMB for the next two events and the World Cup. A number of international riders lined up at the start of the second event in Karkloof, making it a highly competitive field and good preparation for the next two weekends of racing. I had another strong ride finishing 3rd, not far behind the two international GT Skoda riders and finally feeling my form coming on.

It was a few days and a nasty crash on the Cascades XC course later that put an end to my short-term goals and found me back in hospital waiting for surgery on my right wrist. A tough but valuable lesson learnt.

It's now been just over four months. I spent 2.5 months on a CycleOps indoor trainer, one month on the road, plenty of rehab including sessions with Dimension Sport and their acupressure pens, and I’ve finally been able to get back to some mountain biking in the last few weeks. My first race back was the 3rd USN Cup which I had planned to take fairly easily, however, once on the starting line my competitive nature kicked in and it was race on. I was very happy to take the win, even more so to be back on the trails.

My next goal will be the SA XC Champs in Mankele. Having been out of the racing scene for so long I'm not sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to some good racing.

Till then,

Yolande

XCO Fourth and Final Cup - Arno du Toit

The fourth and final leg of the 2012 National XCO Cup Series was held at World’s View, just outside Pietermaritzburg. I've raced there before as a sprog a few years ago, but since then they have changed the course completely. It was pretty straightforward with only one or two sections and lines to worry about and not a lot of climbing. However, there were some tight and twisty corners and most of them where dry and loose.

On race day I was as ready as can be and with some of the big guns racing in Canada, I knew I had to grab the opportunity. The sudden rainy weather on the starting line made things interesting over the first three laps, and with everyone on dry tires, traction was a problem for some of the guys! However, I had a good start and it wasn't long until Renay Goustra and I managed to open a slight gap over the rest of the field.

It was a ding dong battle with a lot of cat and mouse games going on, but we stuck together for the first four laps. Renay put in a big effort, the same as every previous lap, but this time I just couldn't stay on his wheel. The gap slowly opened and I couldn't do anything about it. He was on a mission! I dragged myself through the last two laps and managed to hang on to 2nd overall and 1st u/23.

With the Cannondale running smoothly this season and with the support from Epic Cycle Shop, I also ended up winning the u/23 Men XCO Cup Series for 2012.

Trailseeker #1: Tyger Valley - Arno du Toit

We all know the Nissan Trailseeker Series is very popular amongst the Gauteng riders, so for me this was a good opportunity to test myself against some of the biggest names in SA marathon racing.

It was a rather chilly start, so for once being from the Free State actually helped a bit. However, the racing was soon very hot at the front with a few guys constantly trying their luck. Somehow Gawie Combrink managed to get a gap and everyone thought it would be fine to let him in stay front for a little while. Gawie had a different idea! While he rode at a steady pace at the front, the racing in the chasing pack was a bit negative for mountain biking. It was like a road race. There were a lot of furious attacks, but with the route being so flat, no one was able to get away.

I must say I was irritated by the way the guys attacked and then sat up and looked at each other, so I went and tapped out a steady pace at the front of the chasing pack. I reckon this is a nice way to gain some respect from the bigger names in the business. Unfortunately no one wanted to roll through and help, but at least the attacking sort of ended for a while.

Even though we didn't have the time to stop at the neutral tech zone, the support from the Epic Sports guys was really amazing! Sometimes that extra motivation can really change the outcome of your race.

In the last quarter of the race, things got pretty aggressive! They realised Gawie's gap was bigger than expected so once again the attacks began, but only this time there was no sitting up in between.

I felt really good on the day and even though the race was rather short for a marathon, it wasn't exactly short enough for me...

I got dropped from the chasing bunch of six with about 8km to go. I don't know what happened, I just suddenly had nothing left. Luckily I had a USN Vooma Gel so I could get my body over the line without losing too much time.

Update from Paul and Yolande

Hi all

The first part of the season is well under way and as expected it has been a frantic start to another year. Yolande and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support thus far. Without everyone’s help this 2012 season would not be possible and we are very grateful for all the assistance both large and small that helped make this happen. We’d also like to let everyone into a bit of what we have been up to. Firstly, we have moved and expanded our shop and that has made a big difference as far as our customer care goes, which goes hand in hand with sales and is ultimately what it is all about.

Our sponsors:

Epic Sports is our main sponsor covering our training, race, travel and accommodation expenses as well as looking after our bikes and sending backup and support to the races.

Omnico who in the past have been one of our biggest supporters have returned with us in a big way supplying fantastic bikes (GT Zaskar 29ers), race wheels (Easton) and Giro equipment (gloves, helmet and shoes) on both race and training levels.

USN have supported us with their massive nutrition range as well as their fantastic advice, helping us get the most out of their products as well as some event entries.

CycleOps have come on board with MTB power metres which as you all know are essential for accurate training.

ASG have done a great job with the new kit covering us from head to toe with their fantastic F-Tech brand as well as Rudy Project glasses, San Marco saddles and Sixz undergarments.

Biccicletta continues with their support (5 years?) supplying CrankBros pedals, Ritchey stems and tires.

Squirt Lube have continued their support since their inception, helping to give our bikes longer life.

Continental have always been a great help with their continual support of tires.

Training:

Training has gone according to plan this year even with so much on the cards, including the new shop and Yolande’s involvement in web development. Our build has been steady and the numbers on the power metres continue to climb so we have been happy. I will admit that moving to the big wheels, new gearing ratios and set-up has taken some adjustment, but I think we are eventually starting to get it all together. We have been using our Power Tap hubs on MTB for both training and racing which has been fantastic, giving us really good data and motivation to fine-tune our programmes.

Racing:

Racing started out well with Yolande winning the opening marathon of the USN Series and me finishing second in the elite. I followed that up with a 3rd place in the second round of the series, so I’m in a nice position for the overall. Yolande won the opening round of the SA XCO Series in CT as well as Round 1 of the Momentum UCI XCO Series in Giba Gorge. She then followed that up with a 3rd place in Round 2 of the series in Karkloof against international competition, proving that form is where she wanted to be going into the world cup in Pietermaritzburg. We also raced the marathon and ultra-marathons at both Barberton and Sabie which turned out to be a little disastrous. The good taken away from them was tweaking of the bike set-ups to hopefully ensure marathons go a little better from now on as well as a little bit of exposure and preparation to our goal events.

Speed bump:

Some unfortunate news was that Yolande, while practising the course in PMB, had a huge crash and consequently fractured her wrist which required surgery and therefore she obviously couldn’t compete in her goal event of Round 1 of the World Cup Series. This was a blow, but after all this is mountain biking and a part of the risk we run daily.

Where from here?

Yolande is already onto the trainer, but it will be around 8-10 weeks before the cast and wires can be removed and then there will be some rehab time. I will continue with a lot of local racing as well as pairing up with talented youngster Arno du Toit for Joberg2c and possibly Sani2c. After that Yolande should be up and firing again and we will turn our focus to the SA title races which are luckily far closer to the end of the season this year. We will also look at a return to mixed racing (it has been over two years since we have raced this format).

Other info:

I have been writing a short blog every week for the Waterpoint website which is very popular and helps to bring exposure. We have also launched our shop website (www.epicsports.co.za) with an online community where we can post comments and give advice and it has been growing in popularity. Our personal blog spot is very behind, but we will be spending some time on that soon to get it up to speed (www.blogspot/pycycling.com). Yolande and I are also involved with a couple of other projects, one being coaching, where we currently have four SA champs in our portfolio as well as some interesting up-and-comers. We are also involved with and support two local schools and their programmes and focus on the Anatomic/Spur school series with things like skills clinics, mechanical clinics and support at events. It has been very exciting and growing in leaps and bounds (our one school had their opening ride/function and 62 kids showed up to ride at Groenkloof!)

Thanks again for your continued support and we will try to keep the updates and results coming. For those of you not aware you can also follow our progress on Twitter with our feeds from @pcordesracing and @yolandes.

Regards,

Paul and Yolande

Mid-year Update - Arno du Toit

During the past month or so, I had a couple of good races, but there were a few misfires as well. After Joberg2c and the nine days of breaking my legs, I had to take some time to recover with about half of the season still lying ahead. This is not an easy task to pull off if you want to race almost every weekend! Luckily I can depend on Paul to get this balance just right and if my legs don't pitch, I have someone to blame.

So I did Mabalingwe, aka The Lion Man, and it went pretty well. I tried to make the racing hard after the first 10km and I was surprised to see that only about three guys could follow. Then Lourens Luus destroyed everyone on Vodacom Hill! Taking a few risks, I managed to pull him back on the decent and from there on we rode together for most of the race. With about 10km to go he opened a gap on a portage section. Even though my Giro shoes are really great and comfortable, walking isn't one of my talents... The gap opened a bit, but luckily we were close to the finish, or so we thought! At the last water table we sort of took a wrong turn and ended up doing almost 100km instead of the 70km as planned.

I must say I was happy with 2nd place and after a few USN Spikes, the extra 30km didn't really seem that bad anymore.

Back to XCO racing! I decided to do a CGC Provincial – thought it would be a good opportunity for some high-intensity training, just to get back into aggressive race mode. I think it was the first time I lined up at the start of an XCO race without having done a practice lap. Well, let's just say it was pretty interesting. After some amateur riding I was lucky enough to leave with minor injuries and a silver medal. Well done to Stephan Reyneke for taking the win.

All and all it was a fun outing with the guys from Epic Sports!

After living out of a few bags for more than a month, I was happy to get home for a change, even though it was only about three days until the next road trip, this time the 3rd leg of the National XCO Cup Series at Addo Elephant Park near PE. The course had a couple of really nice sections. It was obvious that the organisers put a lot of effort into building most of those trails.

Race day came and everything was as ready as can be. I soon found out that my legs weren’t bad, but they were only going one speed, and I couldn't follow the sharp attacks. This is a problem when you're racing XCO. After the first lap it was all still pretty much together, but then we ran into some juniors, and the next lap some youth riders, which made it hard to keep a steady pace.

Passing slower riders was also a major problem on this course, especially if you don't have that kick in your legs! At the end of the day, looking at my lap times, the last lap was my second fastest lap which means there is nothing wrong with my fitness, it just needs a bit of sharpening!