Epic 2009 - Stage 6

Date: 27 March 2009
Start/Finish: Oak Valley
Distance: 86km
Climbing: 1546m


The thing about stage racing is that you never quite know what sort of legs you are going to wake up with the next morning. There are some indicators though, like if you have a good day and rode a little too hard because you felt quite strong, chances are that the following day is going to be a killer. That was my worry after Stage 5 for Stage 6.

Today's stage was another loopy affair in and around the forests of Grabouw. I really wasn't looking forward to the stage, and the only thing getting me through was the thought of some lovely singletrack in the forests of Lebanon and Oak Valley.

First water point - getting some lube

I was suffering from some saddle sores - nothing I hadn't had before, but still pretty uncomfortable. Thankfully, they only hurt for about 10 minutes once on the bike, because after about 10 minutes, my legs started aching more than the saddle sores, and I was able to completely forget about them.

Craig having a look at the bent link in his chain (and me having a rest)

As I suspected, my legs were nowhere, and the fast start out of town didn't do much to help me either. I was only too glad to turn off the tar, but my relief was short-lived as the mass start had seen us lose quite a lot of places, and we were now sitting way back in the traffic. To make matters worse, my awesome sand skills from a few days before had mysteriously deserted me, and I was riding like a 10 year old girl through the sand (wait - that's being unkind to 10 year old girls - I am sure they would have done a better job than me).

Having fun? Craig is, not sure about me!
(Race founder and director Kevin Vermaak on the right looking on)

The first hour of the race was filled with lots of waiting (for me) - Craig spent half of that time looking over his shoulder to see where I was. The short sharp hills that I usually love were killing my legs. I wasn't having fun. Luckily, after the first hour Craig started to slow - just enough that I could hang on to his wheel, and that is pretty much how we stayed for the rest of the day - Craig on the front, with me tucked in right behind.

The first half of the stage was spent climbing up short steep climbs with loose rocks and sand. We did get a few downhills to enjoy, but had been warned that some might be a little dangerous. Being the second last day of the Epic, we chose to walk the downhills, and each time we did, our choice would be justified when a random rider with bravery levels far outweighing his skills levels would come flying down the hill, misjudge an obstacle, and end up in a heap of grazed skin and shattered ego. Just goes to show - sometimes discretion is the better part of valour (I was just glad for the opportunity to rest as we walked down the hill!).

Fueled up and back on the go.

The funny thing was that, because of our (ie. my) bad start, it felt like we were passing people all day long. This ended up giving us the false impression that we were actually riding quite well, yet the people we were passing were riders that should never have been in front of us in the first place. The only reassurance that things weren't that bad was that we were still ahead of the faffers (funny story - Yolanda had foxed Etienne into taking an anti-histamine for a bee sting, and he blamed the tablet for making him weak).

Probably the only time I was at the front!

With the race now firmly in our backyard, it was great to spot many familiar faces in the crowds, and the encouragement and support did loads to lift my spirits. Occasionally there would be so many spectators at a check point that it would be hard to spot our dedicated supporters. The crazy screams of "Craig and Dane" usually gave them away though! I made sure to match Craig snack for snack today - I didn't want to feel any worse than I already did. It was at one of the waterpoints that Craig discovered Energade's Jelly Babies. Fifteen minutes after wolfing down a whole bag of EnerJellies, Craig was like a man possessed. Thankfully I had some Gu's stashed away for emergencies just like this, and had to gulp down two just to stay on level terms. At the next water point I made sure I grabbed a bag of EnerJellies as well - I wasn't going to let a supercharged Craig do that to me again!

Keeping an eye on Craig's snack intake

We eventually made it into the single track of Lebanon - our hearts almost sank as our favourite pair of mountain bikers who can't ride downhill (CycleLab MTB Racing Team - grr!) were just in front of us, with about a kilometer to go to the single track. I was not going to let them ruin the only enjoyable highlight of my day. They must have sensed my bad vibes, and pulled over to let us past. There is nothing quite like the single track at Lebanon - it has the perfect mix of flowing technical sections, gradient, surface etc. Just perfect!

My bubble was burst slightly - I thought I was doing a great job, hanging onto Craig's wheel, flying down the single track, when out of nowhere Brendan Stewart and Max Knox of DCM Chrome came flying past - they had had some awful luck all morning, puncturing every 10 kms. It was quite amazing to see how effortlessly and controlled they rode.

Craig had bent a link in his chain earlier in the day up on of the steep inclines, and the big worry was that the chain was going to break. As it was, he had to be quite careful not to put too much power into pedaling, as the chain was skipping and slipping quite a bit. Again, this helped me out a bit, and made my ride a little easier.

Going into the some of the singletrack on Oak Valley, I got stuck behind a mixed team, while Craig had managed to sneak ahead of them. DCM Chrome had punctured again, and once again they were behind me. I can't begin to explain how nervous they made me feel. When we eventually got out of the single track, I had hoped to pass the mixed team, only for my plans to be dashed - a steep uphill awaited us, and Craig was taking a bit of strain. DCM Chrome also decided to do the gentlemanly thing of pushing the lady up the hill, so I just settled down to ride behind them - there was no way I my legs would last a sustained effort to get away from the mixed team.

Last downhill before the finish

We eventually did lose the mixed team in some single track, and it was left to Team Spot On Bevan to dice it out with DCM Chrome (the sneaky bit was that we hadn't really told DCM Chrome that we were dicing), and in the home straight, in front of our adoring fans and supporters, we pulled of a daring coup as we jumped past DCM Chrome and held them off to the finish. So if anyone asks how our stage went, we can at least say we beat DCM Chrome, and have the pictures to prove it!

DCM Chrome eating our dust!

I haven't been so relieved to see the finish of a stage at the Epic in a long time. Today was a day I was glad to have behind me, and hopefully I would find some legs overnight for the final stage into Lourensford. My worst stage of 2009 by far.

Benedikt and partner were getting stronger and stronger

Benedikt was chuffed to have beaten us, although he finished behind us


Giving orders for the final bike wash and lube


Glad that it's over

Highlights of the day: Finishing the stage, beating DCM Chrome ;)
Lowlights of the day: The bit at the beginning, the bit in the middle, and the bit at the end.

Stage
GC 113 Cat 83 4:50.12,3
Total Time
35:08.26,9

Epic 2009 - Stage 5

Date: 26 March 2009
Start/Finish: Greyton to Oak Valley
Distance: 111km
Climbing: 2233m
Cut-off time: 17:00

Stage 5 would see us leaving Greyton, and heading off to Grabouw. The end was in sight, and we were heading home. After the terrible adventure in and around the hills of Greyton, I was more than glad to leaving.

Almost time to start the stage - the chopper is warming up

As we were entering the food tent for breakfast there was a guy dishing out little pieces of paper. Always keen to see if we had won something for free, each cyclist read the little piece of paper. No prizes, but just some words of encouragement like "God is with you". Unfortunately, after 4 tough stages most cyclists had become quite cynical, and more than one rider wondered aloud if God was going to help push up the hills. Another indicator of the mood of the race was the near silence people ate their breakfast in. I was focused - trying to subtly match Craig in terms of quantity, a task I realised that was certainly easier on paper. To put it bluntly, Craig eats a lot. I am now convinced he is a cross between a human, a cow and hamster - he is able to eat enough to fill his seven stomachs, and then still has some space to stash some extra food for later in his cheeks! No wonder the Epic is running at a loss - Craig is eating all the profit. I was quite proud of myself - I though I had been able to match him in quantity, although I was completely stuffed. The wind was taken out of my sails when Craig then went back for a plate of seconds - bigger than the first!

Heading out of town

Anyway - back to the race. We were in for another fast start out of town, and I was hoping that they would get the route right this time around - I didn't want to get the scenic tour of Greyton again. As expected, we set off quite quickly, although in comparison to the previous day's first hour, it felt like we were out on a leisurely ride, with 1200 of our closest buddies. Before long, we turned off the tar, and headed towards the mountains. Craig was setting a nice pace, and I was tucked in behind him, feeling the effects of my big breakfast!

We made good progress, and got to the bottom of the first climb with the usual faces around us - the faffers were just behind us, and Auric Auto were just ahead of us. Another team that had forced it's way onto my list of teams we had to beat was Benedikt's. We had completely written them off in the first couple of stages, but they were getting stronger and stronger - particularly in the early parts of a stage, and if the stage was a short one, we would be in for some trouble trying to beat them. Benedikt's girlfriend Sarah was in a battle for third place in the ladies section, and it was great to offer her some support as we caught and passed her each morning.

Sarah - doing a last minute tyre pressure check

The first climb had us heading up towards some UFO like tower object thing - apparently it is well known in the area. Craig and I climbed like demons, and found ourselves passing people left right and center. The climb suited our riding style, and we could both power up. I kept half an eye out for the UFO tower thingy, but the hills were covered in some low cloud, and I wasn't quite sure where I was supposed to be looking. The end result was that I missed it completely. After a nice fast downhill, we found ourselves back on the valley floor, heading towards Botrivier. We had some hills to get over before we got there however.

Matching pants

Formula One repairs!

We had hooked up with a nice bunch, although they were probably going a little faster than both Craig and I would have liked. At the bottom of the next climb we waved goodbye to the bunch, and climbed up the hill at our own pace. For the first time so far at this year's Epic my bike was giving me hassles - we had treated the bikes to a service the previous day, with the result that now my bike was struggling to change into the small blade on the front - a vital requirement when climbing some of these hills. Some fancy footwork was required to convince the chain to drop down to the small chain blade, and at the next water point I fixed the problem - half a turn of the end stop screw and everything was back in business. That was the sum total of my mechanical issues. After a quick wave to the supporters, and some coke and Powerade, we were back on the bikes. I think my mechanical change would have put a Formula One team to shame!

Evidence that Craig does in fact have hamster cheeks - that is some breakfast

Leaving the water point - bike fixed and all snacked up

Craig - making the mistake of letting me go in front

We were on the sort of terrain that I love - long gradual climbs and descents on wide open roads. Unfortunately, we found ourselves in the middle of no man's land - there were no riders we could hook onto and share the work load. For the first time that day, I went to the front and took a turn, letting Craig take a bit of a breather. However, this happened to coincide with my stomach starting to digest the monster breakfast that I had had earlier, with rather unpleasant results, particularly for Craig! The end result being that my turn on the front was limited to about 5 minutes, before I was relegated to the back!

We made good progress - riding along the railway line, as we headed towards Botrivier. This was the same part of the route as the race that Craig won here, about 4 months earlier, and I was struggling to keep up with him on the downhills. Before long, we arrived in Botrivier, with the final water point of the day. Once again, our spectators were there, cheering us on. It is hard not to feel inspired to give a little extra when seeing and hearing them.

Botrivier - still feeling good

Ahead of us lay the old pass to Houw Hoek, and some ups and downs in a Cape Nature Conservation area. We made good progress up the old pass - Craig setting the pace, as we climbed through the fynbos in the midday heat. It was hot and airless up the climb, with the sun baking down on us - the cold coke and water of the previous water point a distant memory. We got to the top of the climb, and for once I regretted not looking at the stage profile - I expected that to be it for the day, and for nice flowing single track to take us to the finish. How misinformed I was. We had several short sharp leg killing, lung busting climbs ahead of us - some of them too steep to ride (although they are quite ridable if you didn't already have 100kms in your legs).

Team Spot on Bevan approaching tent city

We were passing people, and being passed - it was difficult to get a good idea of what a good pace was, we would feel good passing riders, only for our egos to take a knock when we got passed. The only thing keeping us going was the lure of the singletrack at OakValley. I half expected to see it around every corner, only to be greeted with yet another killer climb. Eventually the mythical single track appeared, and all the pain and suffering seemed worth it - this was pure mountain bike bliss. Craig was off like a rat up a drain pipe - leaving me for dead, and I was having to work hard just to keep in touch, but enjoying every second of it.

Stage 5 almost finished

Finished!

After one of the cruelest detours in cycling history - we practically rode through the camp, out the other side, before turning back towards the camp - we crossed the finish line. I really enjoyed this stage - it had been tough, but good. We rode well together, and the big breakfast had certainly helped. And home was just a stone's throw away.

Where's the coke?

A good day at the Epic

Jayne had left us, to be replaced by Wendy, and we spent the afternoon chilling, getting massaged, eating, and cheering in the riders. All in all, a great day at the Epic.

Wendy, sorting out my legs

Highlights of the day: Singletrack, singletrack, singletrack
Lowlights of the day: The obscured UFO and the soul crushing finish.

Stage
GC 89 Cat 65 5:48.33,5
Total Time
30:18.14,6

Amarider 100 Miler

A couple of weeks ago we did the Amarider 100 Miler. We thought it would be a stroll - 100 milers of flat, wide open roads. No real climbing to speak of. And with our legs still in good shape from the Epic, it was supposed to be a great ride. We had entered a team of 4 - myself, Craig, Etienne (from Team Faffers), and Marius. We were all expecting to have a great ride, until we checked the weather report. It just so happened that the Cape was to get its first cold front of the season, and not just any cold front - a MONSTER. High winds, chilly temperatures and lots of rain.

There had been some calls to cancel the event (there was supposed to be 100 mile road race the following day, but that had been cancelled), but we all know that mountain bikers are a tough, fearless lot (and probably slightly mentally challenged as well), and so the organisers had decided to let the event go ahead.

Waking up at 4 in the morning to the sound of our roof straining against the wind had me wishing they had cancelled the race. By the time we got to the start venue the rain had started, and while my bed would have been a warmer and cosier option, deep down each of us looked forward to the self abuse of a long cold, wet and thoroughly miserable day in the saddle.

Bonte had entered a team as well. Just being brave enough to rock up at the start deserved a medal. Only 200 of the 400 entrants bothered to show up, with only about 90 of those finishing the event.

A little after 7am the race started, in the cold dark pouring rain. It wasn't too bad, once you were wet, which took about 37 seconds. The rain was so hard you could barely see where you were going, and for about 10 minutes I rode behind a guy who I thought was Craig, only to realise that it wasn't, and that the rest of my team was somewhere up ahead. I don't remember too much of the first hour and a half, as it all felt the same - there was only about 5 meters of visibility, and you just followed the rider in front of you. I do remember seeing a boat, and thinking that that was probably the preferred means of transport for the day.

I experienced a lot of firsts on that day - riding upstream against the current of a flooded road, hating tar sections, actively seeking patches of water to clean the drivetrain, sediment build up in my shoe. Probably one of the most trying days I have had on a bike. The weather just didn't let up at all. The rain and cold wasn't nearly as bad as the wind, and for the first 5 hours we rode straight into it. We had to pedal on the downhills just to keep moving. It was unrelenting. And to make matters worse, Marius decided that he wasn't going to wait about as one of our riders went through a bad patch. So much for the team idea.

We eventually finished, 9 hours later (I had initially thought we would do it in around 7 hours), in 4th place in the team category (even though we were effectively a 3 man team!). Definetly tougher than an Epic stage, and most certainly the worst weather conditions I have ever ridden in. Thankfully the race the next day was cancelled - I don't think I could have gotten on a bike the next day. Svalbaard (my bike) also took quite a bit of strain, and is still currently receiving some must needed attention at the LBS.

Will we be back - I think so. It certainly was a great event, and the weather just added to difficulty.

A handful of cold and wet supporters

Gavin

Marius the team player waiting for us at the second water point

The rest of Team Harden Up arriving at the second water point

Time to restock on the snacks

The view we had when it wasn't raining.
Pity you can't see the wind on this photo.

Team Harden Up (minus one) arriving at the halfway mark

Still enjoying it, after 5 hours of ickiness

The worst tar section of the ride - straight into the wind!

Etienne's wife, escaping the cold and wet at a coffee shop in Riebeck West

Yolanda enjoying a cappachino indoors, waiting for us

Deon, Etienne's brother, was asked to take off his muddy shoes

Checkpoint 4

Giving Etienne some time to faff - it was his wedding anniversary today, so I made an exception

Chatting to the race commentator, Francois, while still waiting for Etienne - he had 3 cups of soup, which probably explains why he road the last section so well, and why I faded so badly.

Sally glad to be out the rain and cold.

Bonte, nervous of Yolanda's driving, always wears her helmet. They had to pull out, but still braved 80 kms of hell

20 kms to go, and I was struggling. Should have had more soup!

Conditions at the finish - miserable!

Glad to be done - another tough event over.

As I said - "Tougher than 5 Epics in a row!"

I was frozen onto my bike!

Trying to get warm and dry.

Dry, for the first time in 9 hours.

Ready for bed, another medal for the collection.