Gutter Road

My personal photographer (Bonte) took these pictures of my most favourite piece of road in the whole world. If you have already forgotten, read all about our daring move on Stage 5 of the Epic.

I think I want to have my ashes scattered alongside this road.

What a thing of beauty!

Now why couldn't the whole Epic be on roads like this?

Trans Baviaans

Since most visitors to this site (real visitors, not my mom and various other friends) seem to end up on Velo Tales after having searched for some info on TransBaviaans. With my fifth Baviaans coming up this year, I thought I would put up some handy tips and hints.

Here is an email I got 5 years ago (copied verbatim), and I still use it as a guide:

1.Spare battery or light

2.Spare clothing if it gets wet

• 3 pairs on cycling pants
• warm clothes for the evening
• rainjacket
• halfjacket for windchill
• armwarmers
• booties for cold and rain
• 3 pairs of socks for ride
• extra socks in evening
• earwarmers
• balaclava
• hoodie
• 2 pairs of gloves - one for warm and one for cold
• legwarmers or long bike pants(leotard type)
• newspaper can be used in early morning and discarded
• plastic bags for shoes if it rains.

The guy who wrote this was quite worried about getting cold - half of that stuff is overkill, but rather have too much warm stuff, than too little.

3. Camelback drinking system or water bottles

4. Energy drinks and bars - get not only sweet ones, but also muesli type - one may get sick of sweet stuff, so consider potatoes, sandwiches,coffee and rusks, fruit.

5. Spare tubes, chainbreak, spare link, spare tyres, pumps, chainlubrication, spare chain, puncture kit

No wonder it takes the back markers so long - they are virtually shipping an entire bike shop through the Baviaans bit by bit. Remember, it is a team event - each person doesn't have to carry their own spares.

6.First aid kit

Somehow this has ended up in my CamelBak for 4 years now. Thankfully we have never had to use it yet

7. Camera

Nice to have - the scenery is quite spectacular, and now that the backup vehicles don't go through the Baviaans anymore, proof that you rode it is harder to get.

8. Tents

Some people do sleep along the way, or you can sleep at the finish. Obviously, this goes in the backup vehicle, and not in the CamelBak.

9. Water - in the backup vehicle

10. Bakkies

Although with the vehicles no longer going through the Baviaans Kloof, any vehicle will do.

11. Trailer

DO NOT TAKE A VENTER TRAILER THROUGH THE BAVIAANS KLOOF. Been there, done that, destroyed a trailer. And it wasn't even ours!

12. Space blankets

13. Gas stove and gas for coffee

No wonder it took us 18 hours

14. A light that works off either gas or car battery.

15. Wood,grid and meat,bread/rolls - you could do with it after eating energy bars all day !

Very sound advice - why isn't this #1?

Probably less likely -

16. Sunscreen
17. Sleeping bags
18. Prozac and condoms
19. Only joking
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into
20. Helmet and sunglasses
21. Towel and toiletries
22. Spare legs and neck

2004 - Wet

2005 - Dry

2006 - Super Wet

2007 - Dry

So, it looks like we might be in for a wet one this year.

On final thing - lights. Get the best light you can afford. But don't be silly. It is a team event, mostly on big wide roads, so the combined light of the team is usually more than enough. I rode two TransBaviaans rides with a head mounted Cateye halogen light that took 5 C batteries in a holder in my CamelBak. It wasn't great, but it did the job. It didn't cost me an arm and a leg either.



I spent a small fortune and got myself an Exposure Enduro from USE in 2006. I haven't looked back. It makes such a difference.
The better the light, the faster you go.

The race is very weather dependent. The best ride we have had was 12 hours, and the worst was 18 hours.

Oh yes - one last thing. Make sure you read the map. Otherwise you WILL get lost. You only have to make 5 turns throughout the whole race. Just make sure you make them at the right places. You have been warned.

WP Downhill Champs

Not that I have any intention of riding. I am unfit, lazy, and useless on the downhills. I just got this in my email and thought the picture looked nice.

Pipe dreams?

How cool would it be to have a cycling culture like they have in Copenhagen in any of the big South African cities? Maybe the fuel price is the first factor that might kick start such a culture. I have already noticed a lot more people on bikes commuting to work and back (and in most cases riding away from me, but I will save the tales of my lack of fitness for another day).





I admit, I did have ulterior motives in checking out the second site... ;)

The Giro

Well, we are almost halfway through the second biggest bike race in the world. And this weekend promises to mix up the general classification quite considerably.

We don't get much mainstream coverage in the media here, which is a pity. Anyway, I found this little ticker which at least gives me an idea of how things are going:

Cape Epic - Stage 8

The final morning of the 2008 Cape Epic dawned on us in Oak Valley, and although the organisers had given us an extra hour and a half to sleep in and relax, most people were up by 5am anyway. It is quite hard to break a routine that you have worked so hard to perfect.


Looking tired

For the last time we queued for breakfast, queued for the toilets, queued to get our bikes out the bike park, and Craig queued for the bum repair doctor. The mood around tent town was quite varied, some people were quite ecstatic at almost being finished, others a little sad that the adventure was almost over. Generally, people were still nervous - it might only be 60kms to the finish, but a lot can happen that might be race-ending.


An hour and a half and it is still a rush!

It was quite hard to ignore the profile today when you are riding in areas you know quite well. Today was going to be the most climbing per kilometer traveled of the entire Cape Epic - 1760m in 68km, over some hills that in the past had almost brought me to tears. Lourensford seemed so close, yet so far. Our plan for the day was to adopt the previous day's "no-plan-but-race-as-hard-as-we-can-up-the-initial-hills" plan. As I was the one now struggling - I would be the pace setter.




There's the roadie again!

I had been in two minds about getting my bike seen to by the mechanics - it was only 60km - what could go possibly go wrong. I was more concerned about my legs. We really wanted to have another great day like the previous day's stage, but I was worried that it was just too short for me to get going.


Last start for 2008

For the last time, the wives came to see us off - when we saw them next we would be finished - we hoped. Finally, after 7 days of lurking in the lower seedings, our great ride had got us back to B. We would be racing our contemporaries today, not passing slower riders. As the start time approached, the casual and festive atmosphere dissipated, and the normal pre-race tension took over.






Words escape me

Right from the start we started climbing, and I pushed hard. With my heart pounding and my legs screaming we were making good progress. A couple of hair raising descents through apple orchids and vineyards kept us on our toes. We were going well - I set the pace going up, and Craig set the pace on the flats and downs. A couple of times I had to hop off on the really steep sections and push, but it didn't cost us too much time.


And we're off


Good bye tent town

By now my bike was starting to act up - gear changing had become a bit of a lottery, and it was starting to play on my mind. We had found a good bunch to ride up the rather steep Nuweberg climb with, and it was just a little bit easier following someone else's pace, than trying to set my own. I was suffering, but the climb would soon be over.

Going over the top of Nuweberg pass Craig disappeared down the other side, I am sure with a big smile on his face. Something didn't feel right though. Looking down, I could see my back wheel was quite soft. I had two options - stop and pump it immediately, or get to the bottom and get Craig to bomb it. I decided on the latter. With all my weight over the front wheel I made my way down the pass, all the time yelling for Craig to slow down. My already fragile mental state wasn't enjoying this.

At the bottom, Craig bombed the tyre, and everything seemed fine. We hadn't lost too much time. Shortly after entering some single track I could feel the back wheel playing up again. We stopped, and Craig took over. Out came the wheel, off came the tyre, in went a tube, back on went the tyre, and he used a bomb to pump it up. All this time I was a quivering wreck, fiddling with bits and pieces in my Camelbak.



By now were were quite well entrenched in the midfield, and what had promised to be some lovely ridable single track became a frustrating walk. Once the congestion cleared and we were back on the forest roads, I could see that the tyre hadn't seated in the rim properly. We had two choices. Stop and fix it now, or wait till the waterpoint just around the corner and visit the neutral service people. We decided to wait.

On entering the waterpoint I recognised several familiar faces, but was too frustrated and annoyed with my bad luck to put on a friendly face. While the Shimano mechanic was quite helpful, his pump was clearly showing signs of aging, and we struggled to get it to seal on the valve. Eventually after much improvisation we were able to pump the tyre super hard, and managed to get it to seat properly.




Back on the road, I tried to make up for all the delays, but I was really starting to suffer. Craig's encouragement, while appreciated, just couldn't get my legs to perform. We laboured on to the Gamtou Pass, where an enforced portage section awaited us down the national monument. What a welcome relief! I tried anything to get some power back in the legs - I took a Gu, and sucked down liters of juice. I just hoped we could make up some of the time we had lost.

At the bottom of the pass we had several kilometers of railway line to deal with. Like the corrugations on day 6 into Hermanus, our plan was to ride in the middle of the tracks, as fast as we could. Unfortunately our plan was foiled by a couple of slow riders who were just out for a leisurely ride.

My gears were now a total mess, but I had found that a combination of wiggling the levers, and a well timed thump usually got them to do what I wanted. I was going ok on the flats and downhills, but just did not have the legs on the hills which was frustrating for everyone. Craig was now paying me back, and had taken to pushing me up the hills. What a difference it made! This is the first time I have been pushed, and if I had known how good it was, I think I might have been doing this from day 1!


What is taking them so long - it's just 60kms??

We were approaching the ridiculous section through Vergelegen where we weren't allowed to overtake and so wanted to pass as many people as we could before then. For 980km, every other land owner doesn't have issues with a race coming through, but Vergelegen are worried about liablity etc, and so stipulated the no overtaking rule in a bid to make the race safer. You don't need to be overtaking someone to have an accident, as the poor Epic Day Tripper with the broken wrist can attest to.

We eventually got caught behind a mixed team in this section, and Craig was eager to sneak past. I really didn't want to be disqualified so close to the end, so I just bit my tongue and slotted in behind. Craig was even kind enough to push the lady in an effort to get them to go faster.


The gathering friends - all patiently awaiting our arrival

With the silly section almost over, and the finish just around the corner, disaster struck. Well, not really disaster, but just another incident to add to my frustration. My gear lever broke clean off and went flying into the bushes. I now could not change gears at all at the back, and was stuck in the easiest gear, which I suppose was quite fortunate. It just wasn't that fortunate when you wanted to go fast on the flats! Yet again, I grabbed onto Craig, and he did the pedaling for me.



We finished the Epic to the cheering and encouragement from the crowds, but the frustration of the day somewhat dampened what should have been a joyous occasion. It was great to see all the support from friends who had made the effort to come out and see us, and of course, from the wives. We went and shook Kevin Vermaak's hand as he gave us our medals. We had survived.





Even with our various incidents we managed to finish 104th after 9 days and 76th in our category.We had spent 50h42.31 sitting on a bicycle. We had experienced the highs and lows of Epic riding, almost to the extremes. And we are still speaking to each other.

I was quite relieved to see the Wielopolska sisters finish - I had heard that they had had an incident on one of the scary downhills, and it would have been a cruel twist of fate if it had been race ending.



Without the help, support and encouragement from our wives, this would have been far tougher than it already was. And I don't think we even knew half of the torment and anguish they went through. And a big thanks to Russell, who did a great job on the bikes (most of the time), and made our lives a lot easier, while keeping an eye on the ladies.



Plans are already underway for next year's Epic - we have some unfinished business to take care of. The hunt for sponsors has begun, and our training programs are in the process of being drawn up. I don't think I can wait till then though!

STG 8 82. Cat, 110. GC

Cape Epic - Stage 7

After a good night's sleep, although it was a little bit strange to sleep in a real bed, we arose to total chaos. The routine we had so carefully worked on for the last 6 days was useless. We didn't have our usual pre-race tasks and chores to do.

There was no big dining tent - instead we had to make our own breakfast. There was no bum strapping tent, so Craig had to get Bonte to assist. I have photos, but I don't want to chase away the other 4 people that read this blog. At least there was a porcelain toilet! My stomach was still acting up, but Bonte had done a good job with her ginger and mint tea. I was even tempted to put that in my Camelbak for the day. For good measure, I took an imodium and valoid - I was not going to be stopping unnecessarily today.



For the first time in 6 days we were going to be doing less than 100kms - 91kms awaited us, with 1985m of climbing. As an added bonus, they had thrown in many kilometers of single track through Lebanon forest. We would spend the night at Oakdale farm in Grabouw.


All set to go

Lining up at the start, I really did not feel up to the day's racing. I even said that I would prefer to go to work than ride my bike. Looking back, I blame all the stomach drugs - what was I thinking.


For a change, cyclists came first

Craig's local fan club was once again out in force, offering final words of encouragement. Every little bit helped. We were starting in C again, but the wide tar section out of Hermanus would give us plenty of room to get around the slower riders. But did our legs have it in them? We didn't have a team plan for today - secretly my plan was to get through the day in one piece, as fast as possible.



Up the tarred climb or Rotarty Way I still felt good, and we quickly moved up through the bunch - Craig letting me set the pace. The view was amazing from the top, and while I would have loved to stop and enjoy it, we had other things to do. We safely navigated a tricky section down through Hamilton Russell, before climbing back up on to the Karwyderskraal road and heading towards the Babilonstoring Nature Reserve.

An Epic institution

Here we were met with lots of sand and some rocky, technical jeep track. Craig had a tumble, and although he had drawn some blood, seemed ok. Before long, we were back on the farm roads, where Craig took up his position for the day - on the front. We had been caught in no man's land, and were trying to ride across to the group ahead of us. Slowly but surely we were getting there, and just as we bridged the gap, we arrived at the first water point. Craig was eager to push through without stopping, but I needed to tend to my belly.

I sneaked in front for the photo

At the other side of the water point the ladies were waiting for us, and were as enthusiastic as usual. We crossed the R44, and were greeted with some very soft sandy conditions. Once again we were off our bike and pushing. I learned later that even the pro's pushed that section. We were now at the base of the big climb of the day. It wasn't a steep climb, just a long climb with a couple of steep sections. We made good progress up the climb - with me walking where it got too steep, but still keeping a good pace going.

The chopper having fun

At the top we were a short way behind a promising looking group, and Craig once again drove us onto the back of the bunch. I had to work hard to hang on, and when several of the other riders started to get dropped from the bunch I started to wonder when my turn would arrive. Rather miraculously, and with some hard work we were able to stay with the group until the next water point.

Lost?

Craig was busy playing mind games with me - he was reading off the distance we had done on his computer, and from the readings he was giving me, we were flying. I would come crashing down to earth at each watering point as they told us just how far we had really gone. At the second water point Craig was about 12kms out. That was 12kms he said we had already done, but we still needed to do!

As we entered the Lebanon single track, I got a scare and thought I had a puncture. After reassurances from Craig we were on our way again, and making up some good time on the single track. There is nothing that a mountain biker enjoys more than downhill single track. I heard afterwards that several of the pro's went back to Lebanon after the Epic, just to ride the single track again and again.

All smiles

I quickly lost sight of Craig, but still was keeping up a good pace. Before long we popped out of the forest, and once again were greeted with the sight of our wives, and several other familiar faces. We got the loudest cheering by far. Little did we know that just up ahead of us, one of the teams from Hermanus had just gone through.

Shower time

With the joys of the singletrack now a distant memory, we slowly start climbing our way back up. We dipped under the N2, and for the first time, I was tempted to grab onto Craig's CamelBak. But I didn't. We couldn't have much further to go. Could we? After what seemed an age of teeth gritting up farm roads, we once again turned off into some forested single track. while not as nice as Lebanon, it was still fantastic. Craig disappeared again, and I had to work hard to catch him.

When we finally popped out of the singletrack, we could see two riders up ahead in the distance, one with a very distinctive riding style - the Hermanus riders. The gap took forever to close - they were holding us on the hills, and we were closing in on the flats and downhills. On a particularly steep descent we caught and passed them. I thought that was the last we would see of them, but as we turned a corner, another uphill awaited us with 5km to go. They passed us on the hill, but a slight wobble gave us a second chance.

I don't think Craig even broke a sweat

My second best move of the Epic followed. I knew that if we could get to the top of the hill in front, we would have a good chance to stay away. Using every last bit of strength in my legs, I gave one last effort to get to the top. I think I surprised everyone - myself included. As soon as Craig joined me we made good progress in opening up a gap. Just to be extra sure we weren't going to be passed on the run in to the finish, I managed to position myself such that a media motorbike behind us was unable to get past, and in the process was kicking up lots of dust. Sneaky and devious - I know.

What an awsome ride

We crossed the line in 45th place, and suddenly, all the pain and suffering of my hardest day so far was worth it. This was the kind of riding we had been expecting to do from day one. At least we knew we could ride well.The troubles of the first few days seemed a distant memory.

A good kind of tired

The rest of the day was spent milling around with our wives and other riders - chatting, eating, chilling. We had our last massage, and Karen and Niki didn't disappoint, finding new spots to prod and poke that caused us to squirm and wriggle about on the table.

Tent town

We were 60kms away from home, but for many, the race was over. Tomorrow was just a technicality, or so we thought.

Russell sacrificed himself today in an offering so that we wouldn't have any mechanical issues. He was hit by a car just outside Hermanus - the driver didn't see him. Thankfully the bike was ok, but he didn't come off so well. Quite a few nasty scrapes and bruises.


Blood everywhere


Feeling better

STG 7 37. Cat, 45. GC