SA XCO National #1

It was as always a super long drive down to Cape Town for the first leg of the XCO National series. We only arrived at the venue on Friday afternoon and I was amped to get on the course. Practice went well. I followed Matthys and Gert for a couple of laps and felt comfortable with the dry an dusty conditions.

The confusion before the start made it hard to stay  focused on the race ahead, but when the whistle blew things got real intense. I managed a proper start and even with a few mistakes the first lap flew by.

Half way into the 2nd lap I cut a sidewall on my rear tyre and I tried to plug it. For about 30 seconds it felt fine until the plug shot out. I had to run the rest of the lap or destroy my rim. Running it was! 

In the tech zone Andre Cordes from Epic Sports helped me out with a wheel. The new goal was not to get lapped. Unfortunitly the course was really short and fast and after losing more than 7 minutes...

The legs felt fresh but I just didn't feel comfortable on the day. I managed a steady pace but Rourke passed me before I could start my final lap.

Till next time!

A

How to fix a cut:

Barberton, one of those days...

It was exciting to see who is wearing what on the start line of the first national race of the season. It was my first proper marathon ever and the start was rather easy compared to the shorter xco or even half-marathons i am used to.

Things changed once we hit the bottom of the climb. I knew it was going to be hard, so I stuck to a comfortable rhythm. After about 1h10min of pure climbing my rhythm wasn't so comfortable any more, rookie error!

It took me a while to get the legs working properly again and just as things started looking better with 20kilos to go.... 

Well the photo speaks for it self

I used an empty USN Vooma gel to keep the tube inside the tyre. still had to ride it pretty soft which made the river crossings very interesting.

Glad I managed to finish the race! 

Getting started!

Hey guys

It's a new year with new experiences for me so I decided to start a blog to keep everyone posted on my activities in the pursuite of happiness as a cyclist! 

I am very excited to be joining Matthys Beukes and Gert Heyns this year racing for MTBdestination. I'm sure we will be an exciting team to watch in the future.

keep those cranks turning

A