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

My Brother - The Winner!

A few weeks ago my brother Igor did the last of his 'training' events. He landed up winning his class! Well done Chief!

Here are a few pics...

Today he's travelling down to the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho with his trusty KTM steed to take on one of the toughest enduro events in the world: Roof of Africa Extreme Enduro.
Look out for No. 275...

Good luck Chief!

Erzberg Prologue - Day 2

Up with the sparrows and to Erzberg for Day 2 of the Prologue - last chance to qualify for the Harescramble. Clear, sunny day. Woke with a cracking headache... feeling tired, shit and forearms/arms and shoulders already stiff and sore.

More surface area on the knobs to get traction in the soft sand 

Started at about 11:00. The course had dried up a bit. Still a few big water holes but I got through them ok. I definitely felt fatser through the first sections. But the long, fast sections were full of holes and rocks. Bumpy as fuck! The bike was bucking a weaving all over the place. I just held on and pretty soon the burning feeling in my forearms came back.

My Brit neighbors - Shane, Shane's dad, Ian and Chris (who qualified)

As the pain came... so my speed dropped. Flat-out 6th gear sections became flat-out 5th gear sections. I was just fighting the bars, fighting the pain.

It was great fun, but wasn't enjoying it as much as Friday's Prologue. I think my body was just tired and a bit worn out from not enough sleep, travel and the baptism on Friday. I pushed on but was slow through the turns and not flat-out on the flat-out bits. Braking early or just rolling the throttle to try slow down and give my arms some rest. Not the way to get a good time.

Taddy (white cap) in the KTM garage

I crossed the finish with no mistakes - I was going too slow to make any!

Another awesomly pretty trail ride back to the paddock... with a few excursions along the way. :-)

I got back to the hill-climb 'Rocket Ride' of Thursday. Pointed the four-fiddy at it and let her rip in second gear. She just climbed all the way up - no problem! Ha! Then the next one... alll the way up! The final hill was barricaded.

There were quite a few rally bikes competing in the Prologue - mostly old-skool

On Friday night I chatted with the brits I'm camped next to. He had fiited a cheap 45 Euro Taiwanese tyre with huge, chunky knobs and tried the hill-climb again. He said it was "like cheating". I had one of those Taiwanese wonders on a MX rim in my van and had fitted it Saturday morning. Yes... it was like cheating.

The Austrian Hummer club had fun all weekend long with drives out into the mine

I rode down teh hill-climbs then went for an even bigger hill on the other side of the quarry... the first big climb of the Harscramble. There was a group of about 50 riders just watching and only about 10 attempting this monster. Brimming with confidence I let the old gal rip up that hill. Up, up, up... to the top! It was easier than the hill-climb hills! Forget about F.I.M. approved tyres, cheap Taiwanese tyres are fuckin' A!

Bikes hammered along the Prologue course non-stop the whole day

I knew I wasn't fast enough to qaualify in the top 500... so I just rode around climbing-hills and doing skids. Until I ran out of juice. Forgot that I'd only put enough in the tank for the Prologue, the return and a bit extra. A fellow Austrian competitor had camped only 100 yards from where I stopped and kindly gave me a liter or so to get back to the van.

Hot and dry - the Erzberg dust-bowl

The Chevy wasn't too happy about it...

A fun day's riding, but a bit disappiointed with my lack-lustre performance. I didn't attack the course enough... my fitness failed me.
:-(

More Austrian scenery on my commute

Erzberg Prologue - Day 1

It was raining when I got to Erzberg - had been raining all night. Mud and water everywhere.

I put some risers on the bars (thanks Igor) as the replacements for the bars I bent in Scotland didn't have enough rise on them. Checked the gas and gave everything a once over. Good to go!

The Prologue is a 13km time trial up the mine access roads. The fastest 500 qualify for the main event on Sunday, the 4 hour Harescramble - this is my objective. My race number is 320 out of about 1800... and we get to do the prologue roughly by race number. Prologue started at 09h00 with the pros and factory riders (all low numbers) blasting off into the puddles.

All's quiet early on Prologue Day 1 

The rain had stopped at about 08h00 so it was looking better by the time I was in the gathering area at about 10h00. I only started at 11h00... hurry up and wait. The plan was to make a good clean run. Not push it too much as I'd never seen the course before and had no idea what to expect.

I rode up onto the start platform. 1st gear... wait for the green light and go! Down the ramp and acelerate hard, up through the gears, looking for the first turn. Here? No... further... whooooah. Hold-up there boy! I brake hard, nearly missing the turn and the bike stalls (we're not allowed to run engines in the 1 hour wait for our turn... she was a bit cold). A bit of nerves there... but only a few seconds lost as I fire her up and gas out of the turn.

There were a few lady riders out there too - 5 or 6 of them beat me!

Fast, wide roads but bumpy as fuck. Sections of cricket-ball sized rocks and some deep pools. I'm slower than I know I should be as I find my feet around the loose, slippery, rocky turns. But pretty soon I get into the flatout-anchors-hairpin bend-flatout nature of the course. It's not all straightforward or well marked.

I get passed early on, but hold onto the passing rider. I always go quicker when chasing... which is not great becasue it means there needs to be someone to chase!

I come around a left hairpin and am a bit eager on the gas in teh wet conditions. The rear comes around and I'm off. Bollocks. 3 riders grouped together pass me as pick the bike up and blast after them. I catch another slower rider. Think I'm at the finish when I not only half way there and slither, slip, slide and fly up the mountain. It's hard work and at speed the bike is bucking and shaking it's head over the rough surface and rocks. I try keep her flat-out. Not so easy!

After about 10 minutes my forearms begin to ache from the extreme workout they're getting. This is where my lack of bike-time tells. 3 minutes later and my forearms are burning. I try relax, but as soon as I do, the bike gets so out of shape and want's to have me off. I have to just grit my teeth and hang on. My speed drops off as I fight the pain. My forearms just aren't working as they should.

Bejeesus my arms hurt! But blasting up the mountain is just oh so much fuckin fun!

A bit of damage from the Rocket Ride the day before

I reach the top without seeing any other riders en-route. Geez! That was fun!

I join the group of about 30 other riders, barely have a few minutes to let the pain in my forearms subside and the guides start up thier engines to take us back. I've done hardly any trail riding, but the route around the back of the mountain is just spectacular. I just soak it all in. Mountains, forest, waterfalls... beautiful! I also get to see just how frikking high we are. We've climbed about 700 metres from the start. Were in the clouds!

Awesome!

Don't think my time was that good because by 12h00 the sun was shinning and everything was drying up. The guys starting later in the day will easily be faster. No worries... we have another run tomorrow.

My daily commute to Erzberg (town of Eisenerz) was pretty

I helmet-cammed my run. I'll get it up on YouTube as soon as I have time to.

Erzberg - The Iron Mountain Calls!

Funny thing happened to me... I managed to get an entry to the Erzberg Rodeo XVI.

I'm race number 320 and I have entries into all 3 events.
It's going to be carnage!
Mad!