South African Adventure - part 2

As I'm seeing my arse again and going down onto the rocks on the big climb, another rider blasting up narrowly misses me. He gets to the top no problem, stops, puts his bik on the stand and starts scrambling down the trail. He gets to me and my strewn bike and it's only then that I realise that it's my brother. He was on his last lap.

Igor was in for a good finish, but drowned his bike after going down in one of the crossings on his last lap...

"You okay?"
"Yup. Just cream-fuckin' crackerd."

Igor hauls then fires the bike up, and picks his way up to the top of the hill, only pausing for seconds at a tricky sloping rock section. Awesome! Another rider, one of course the marshalls and event organisers, stops at the top of the hill and comes down to help the fellow struggler up. Rescued!

I trudge to the top of the hill - bejeesus - that was tough. My gear feels like it is 500kg, dragging me down. I crawl to the bike, absolutely exhausted from a 50 yard scramble. I rest while the other guy and the marshal get up the hill. We rest, eat, drink and rest another 10 minutes after they get up. I get back on the bike. The marshal says it's just a big descent and then a trail ride back to the start/finish. He'll follow us.

Puff-adder - a bite from this local bad boy and you're in shit. My cousin nearly lost her leg from one... she still walks with a limp.

I move off, and get to the descent. Within a minute, I've left them behind. I press on carefully and get down without seeing my arse again. Little victories. Onto the trail ride... this was fun. Too knackered to give it beans and have a blast, I just cruise along enjoying all the scenery and awesome riding.

One more big river crossing and I'm back at the start/finish. My other brother Nic is waiting there, ready to refuel and get me going onto lap 2. It took me 3 hours, 20 minutes to do one lap! I had struggled, fallen, gotten back up, fallen again, learned a lot about two-smoke riding... crashed myself to the point of exhaution, but most of all... I had fun.

A reprofiled shin - fuck that hurt!

One lap was enough - that was it for me. A bunch of competitors didn't even make it around for 1 lap - so I was happy with my effort. I got my gear off and recovered while Igor went off and did a 4th lap - just for fun!

Igor and Tanna

In South Africa I had fantastic time with my brothers, father, niece and friends... racing, sightseeing, chilling-out and even managed to get a wee safari in :-) The trip reminded me of all the great things about South Africa - I want to visit more often than every 4 years.

You don't want to get stoon on by a hippo

Bourke's Luck Pot-Holes

Lisbon Falls

Safari!

Gettin' close!

The King!

South African Adventure - part 1

Back in November I was out in South Africa. Took the opportunity to do an Enduro with my brother Igor. Brother NIc and Niece Tanna as pit crew. We camped out in a nature reserve (complete with wild antelope, hippo and rinocerous...) and were up at first-light on race day.

Nic getting breakfast on the go

The race was near the old 19th century prospector's gold-panning town of Pilgrim's Rest. One of my favourite parts of South Africa - we spent many a childhood vacation in this area. It was an hour drive through this beautiful land to the race start.

We unpacked, set-up, checked the bikes and socialised. Races in South Africa are a far more social affair than in the UK. Mabe it's the weather. I took the KTM 300 EXC (two-smoke) my brother loaned me up and down the dirt road. It felt good... everything in the right place. It's then that I learn my brother and lot of the competitors use this event as training for the Roof of Africa extreme enduro. The alarm bells started ringing.

I started in the 'Senior' class. The objective was to complete 3 laps of the 25km course as fast as possible. It was estimated an hour per lap should be reasonable. I get going shortly after 09h00
.

'Action' shot - hardly...

The first 15 minutes were great... hooning across country on a super-fast trail ride. I cought and passed a few riders on the trail and about 6 or 7 others that were stuck at the two river crossings. Then I reached the first big climb. I tried once, twice and after the third fail I rested a bit at the bottom chatting to another guy who was struggling. I decided to try find a way around - he was going to try the climb again.

Igor - showing how it's done

I picked my way off-piste around the hill - bouncing through foot-ball sized rocks and venturing way off course. Eventually I come to an access road that led to the top of the hill. Thank fuck for that! I blast it up to the top of the bloody hill... only to find the guy I was chatting to has just made it up... exhausted and panting. Whooo-hooo! Nice one!

Watchin' bikes go by...

I leave him there to recover and head off to the next big climb. This time there's no way around - the trail goes up the easiest path. I attack it.

I spent a lot of time resting and enjoying the scenery

Less than a minute later, I come clattering down. Shit! I rest a minute or two and try again. I'm off half-way up. I am over the hardest part so just hang in there. I sit on the hill and rest for five minutes.. some food, drink and photos. I push on and come off two or three times more before eventually getting around the hill. Then the descents... just as gnarly and treacherous as the ascents.

Igor climbing mountains!

Typical Mpumalanga high-veld scene

Before I get to the next ascent, I have to rest. I'm feeling pretty tired - falling off on a rock-strewn hill and getting going again is flippin' hard work! Rested, fuelled and watered, I go for the next climb. It's on this climb that the penny drops...

We stalked within 10 yards of these rhino near the camp - dehorned to discourage poachers

I'd been riding the unfamiliar two-smoke like the big 'ol fourfiddy. On the fourfiddy, one uses the throttle, get's momentum and just smash through and over the obstacles. With the two-smoke one has to finesse it, use the clutch and just pop, hop and thread through and over the obstacles. I start to get the knack of this and get to the top of the climb without issue. But I'm knackered. The shenanigans on the first two hills really took it out of me and the leaders are now lapping me.

Fire-gazing brothers

The race is lost. It's then that I decide to just chill-out, enjoy the scenery, riding and generally have a good time. Some fast trails and few more hills later and I'm at the first check-point. I sit there for 15 minutes, resting, eating, drinking taking in the scenery and giving the riders lapping me encouragement. I do the same at the second check-point.

River crossings... this one had a bridge... the crossings of this river during the race didn't

I get to another bad-ass climb. Get half-way up and go down. There is already another rider struggling on this climb. We both try again. We both go down half-way up. I am absolutely wasted. I sit under a bush having a snack, drinking and trying to recover. Twenty minutes later and we give it another go - we both get about 10 yards futher up than from we went down before and then both go down - so tired I'm struggling to hold onto the bike. Fuck!

The last climb - our nemesis

Roof of Africa 2012 - part 2

Friday night I slept like the dead, in spite of....' bastard fowl!'
I was bright and chipper at the start, right up until I asked a marshal my start position, only to be told I was listed as a DNF the day before and now had to start 135th or something.....REALLY !

The reality was that I should have started 51st, but due to a timing 'glitch', acknowledged by organizers, and was told at the time to come talk to them after the race....WTF ! Does not help me when I have to fight my way through all the slower riders I had already dealt with the day before up the side of a mountain.....I was pissed ! And even forgot to take my med's.

So it was on.... and I uncharacteristically whacked it from the word go, blitzing my way through slower riders sometimes 4 or 5 at a time, damn the ankle, I was charging!!

Where I encountered riders all switch-backing up a rocky step section, I would plant it straight up the face, where they were all hair-pinning around the end of a trench I would jump the thing, they would all meander thru a bushy stage on the path, I would bash and crash straight thru cross country, foliage caught up in bike and helmet flaying behind. Not pretty but I was getting the job done.

I had a good chuckle to myself on a good few occasions. The best was a horrible angled rock step at the top of a steep narrow off-camber pass called "music box". It was close to the first refuel so there were allot of spectators helping at the step as well as sitting across the valley watching. I saw the drama up ahead and dropped off the sheer rock-face left, down into the valley, over the stream and up the steep spectator littered climb on the other side, missing out all the tomfoolery. To the adulation of some on-lookers who gave thumbs up, and horror of others who gave looks of "hey you cant do that"....just did !

The day wore on with strength sapping sections coming and going and the only real lapse in concentration I suffered was when I lost the front wheel down a very steep, sandy, step off section and fell on my head then somersaulted over the edge down the side of the mountain with the bike landing on top of me...dumb-ass !

By lunch with only 30 km or so to go we knew I would not have a problem making the cut off so started riding a little slower, just getting it home. Then energy started to really fade a little in the early afternoon as I, in my usual haste forgot to eat at the last refuel....brilliant!

It worked on my mind for a while until I came across a mate and 'demanded' food. All he had was a rancid protein bar, good enough. Truth is it was like chewing on a big lump of window putty but it got me there I suppose.

The day and race finish was achieved with the hectically steep, rocky but spectator lined climb "bushman's pass" really took a big effort, but a awesome feeling having them all cheering and whistling you on.

Got home in 8 hours and 44 mins, even taking my support crew, brother Nic by surprise, he was still farting around down in the parking instead of being at the finish taking pics of my moment of glory..... NICHOLAS...!!??

Total race distance 400 km
Total time 18 hours and 35 mins
Position 53rd in Expert class
Silver medal

The Roof of Africa will always remain one of the toughest enduro races in the world, and its an awesome feeling to take on and master all the challenges it throws you. Or at least the experience of throwing yourself and bike at them.... with zest.

Thanks Nic, Enduroworld, Nomadik, ASAP Racing and School of hard rocks.
Bring on Roof 2013

Roof of Africa 2012 - part 1

A few weeks ago, my brother Igor competed in the 2012 Roof of Africa - one of the toughest enduros around. Here is his story...

Before I knew it the year had rolled around and it was already time to pack and head back to Lesotho to take on "The mother of hard enduro", THE ROOF OF AFRICA ...Crap, so soon!

As in years past I had no time ( or the will ) to put any serious training I mean why suffer all that time before the event and then go and do some more of it at the race, just do it once at the race and finished.

I had only done two races the whole year, the last being with brother Paul (*a forthcoming blog attraction*) a mere two weeks before, but fortunately my work with my club Enduroworld keeps me on the bike regularly.

The event traditionally kicks off on the Thursday morning with the 'round the houses' race. An all tar, 10 km race through the streets of Maseru town. A non seeding exhibition race, so the plan is always not to burn it and rather save the tyres and bike, but this is extremely difficult when there are a myriad bikes overtaking you left and right, so the result, a heavier throttle hand is employed somewhere early in the first lap, good to settle the nerves I suppose.

With the formalities out the way it was off to the hills for the time trial and down to business.
Time trial was 60km long and took a little over two hours. I am abit of a late starter and need a good hour of riding to get into a good rhythm, so half the time trial is over before I even get going, that's just how I roll. Nevertheless I had a clean run, kept it smooth and consistent with my navigation also being pretty much spot on.

Result 90th in a class of about 180 riders, mid-pack, all good.
On the way back to the lodge to take care of bike prep I noticed as I was cooling down my left ankle was getting increasingly more painful and swollen...problem!

It took a bit of a crush between a rock and the bike in the last race but was no more than a niggle for the last couple of weeks, so what is this all about ?

It got worse and worse as the night went on, this worked on my mind a lot, all this work and money and I cant even put my boot on to start the race....bollocks!


I proceeded to gulp down handfuls of pain killers and sleeping tabs, which just made things worse, it seemed they were battling each other all night, result: pain and sleeplessness ....the 'bastard fowl' that piped up at 1:30am( outside the front door it seemed) and continued until 'real' dawn at 4:30 helped nothing...Superb, exactly what you want before the big race.

So Thursday became Friday and I was not in a good mood, what with an ankle now the size of a grapefruit and a head full of pharmaceuticals.

Fortunately I could still get my boot on so I was racing, all be it with no movement in that foot, so gear change was going to be a challenge, false neutral being the gear I rode in most of the day...!

The day started slow and deliberate, just wanted to keep the wheels turning and on the right track. My reflexes were a little off due to the pain killers and anti-inflammatory so consistency was going to be the name of this game.

Every gear change was like I was being stabbed in the foot. In spite of this, by the second refuel I was still feeling strong and decided to start pushing a little.

The last stretch was a long one, way up in the highlands in the middle of literally, no where..... This works on peoples minds, most riders are not used to being out alone for very long periods in very testing, treacherous and unfamiliar territory. I am, to a degree and felt comfortable. So I used this to my advantage and gained a good 10 or 12 places. Just kept my pace up and did not stop to rest at the end of tiring sections, but rather kept moving. This also maintains a cooler body temp with air moving over you constantly ( temperatures were in mid 30s).

The section boasted the most difficult and feared section "Big dick pass", a rocky, tight switch back drop of about 300m off the side of a cliff. I tackled it without and problem and felt confident at the bottom and mowed down the last 20km home at a good clip.

Days time 7 hours and 30 mins