Aquelle Harburg Tour De Krans

Hi guys Great weekend was had by all.... Race took place on Saturday, with conditions being Great Benitez a little breeze that has blowing. With SA marathon championships coming up next weekend, it's was my final race to add some final conditioning to my race fitness but at the same time it's always nice to win. So trying to win was still the objective without taking any risks that would cause injury or hinder my performance for the bigger goals in mind. With the route been pretty much the same as 2011, I knew it would be nice and tough with some good single track as well. I was defending my title from the three previous years which I had managed to win. The start was the same with a couple guys hungry for a taste at the front of the race. Soon after one or two climbs I put in some surges and pretty quickly getting rid of the challengers. I just wanted to keep a steady pace and just maintain the gap and gauge my effort accordingly, which enable to ride without putting pressure on myself. With about 5pm to go I could see the race was pretty much consolidated and eased off a bit to the finish to take the win ahead of Andrew Hill, Travis Walker and Luke Roberts. Bridgette also had a great ride and finished 2nd overall in the woman and 2nd in the sub vet category... Almost edging out The Plumber (Marcus Kaumpek)he took their fierce battle by a mere 30secs... Now the attention will turn to what lies ahead next weekend. Till then chat soon

COWAN HOUSE CLASSIC

Sunday 12th August was the annual hosting of the 42km Cowan House classic a great local race on the calendar, sponsored by Bonitas and the Wildlands conservation trust. Known for its fantastic mix of single track and good climbing, this event normally attracts large numbers. In 2011 the conditions were terrible with a mix of cold, rain and mud. This year was very different with a dry track and sunshine, it planned to be a great event. After a disappointing ride at Eston the previous weekend and a week of Anti Biotics a race was never on the cards as the recovery from my chest infection was going to take its toll, but the Saturday before the race I went for a spin on the mountain bike to see how the body would be feeling and i felt pretty much recovered enough to give the race a go. My plan would be to just sit in and try and take it as easy as possible to see how i would feel. We started the race in really good conditions, but the wind was blowing pretty hard which always makes riding on your own that much more difficult. The first 10km I was happy to just ride at a steady pace and then see how I felt. Andrew Hill came with me and when we got into one of the single track sections where there was no slip stream from the wind, I gave it a test and managed to get a gap. I kept riding at my own steady pace and by the time I had got to the KOM point I had established a good lead and now could ride comfortable to the finish for the last 20km. With these trails being my training ground it was pretty easy for me in the single tracks to keep a good rhythm. I managed to win overall and defend my title from 2011, which is always great and helps the confidence to get back on track and now stay focused on the bigger goals ahead.

IMANA WILD RIDE

Hi Guys The wild ride was amazing and once again one of my best life experiences. You realize by these types of experiences how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful country by transversing the Transkei coast line by bike and also how fortunate we are to be able to experience theses types of things and try to make a difference in the communities that we pass through. You see how basic and simple life can be to some people and how lucky we are to have what we do. Imana as a company, stand for great principles and genuinely try to make a difference by donation class rooms ect to the communities. Something that is a solid structure that cannot be taken from them. Bridgette and I enjoyed the first two days of riding of the 4 day Adventure. Our main aim was to Promote our sponsors and just enjoy a bit a PR with the guys at the event. On the 3rd day we decided to put our heads down and give it a go, we ended up finishing 7th Overall and 1st mixed team which was pretty cool. But in the end we were there for enjoyment. Eston which was a focus for me was a little disappointing as I seemed to pick up the dreaded flu bug and by the time we were home on Friday I was officially pretty Ill. I was really hoping that it was just a simple cold and on the morning of the race made the call to ride and see what happened. We went over the first climb and I managed to win the sprint and take KOM whichnwas great but just felt like someone was grabbing my wind pipe and couldn't get oxygen into my body and felt everything kind of leave me. This left me no option but to slow down and later have to abandon the race. Never a nice thing to do but rather safe than sorry as anyone will tell you what happens if you push yourself with flu. Now to focus on getting better and healthy, ready for some more racing again. Till next time chat soon