Training continues..

Training is on track and going well. The Plett bunch has swelled to about 50 riders on a good day. Even the Viking is making regular guest appearances, if he can wake up on time!
The Boss has found his climbing legs of old days and is starting to contemplate a return to the sport. DG will be joining us from next week, and then the real epic training will begin.
Now I must just get through the season in the shop...

Training started!

Break is officially over and the training has resumed. Time flies when you having fun I guess. Feels good to be back on the program and after an all day team meeting up in Jozi last week, the new season is sounding exciting and refreshing. One thing is for sure, the racing next year is going to be really hard! All the better for us and the sport. Well gotta go get some base going, whilst showing face in my shop for the rest of the days, but all good. Till later, hasta la pasta!

Best coffee in town..

Sorry Karin, this post has been a long time coming, but for those who don't know, the best coffee in town, or the whole of the Southern Cape, is from Doubleshot coffee bar. Right opposite Checkers, they serve up the best "cappos" around and will be legendry when I start training again next month. They also make some incredible looking healthy food. Thanks Karin and Karin, keep up the great buzz...
www.godoubleshot.com for your caffeine hit.

Golf at Pezula

So my mates and I played an awesome round yesterday morning, compliments of "The Mighty Quin" at Knysna Country Club. We played such fantastic golf that we then hit Simola for another 18 holes in the afternoon. That game didn't go as well for me.
Then we had the ultimate game, thanks to my Sister at Pezula. And as amazing as the course is, was how my game sucked. I lost every ball I had and never hit a single decent shot, geez it was terrible. I think I basically used up all my good golf yesterday, and will take me another year to get it back! But eat your heart out Todd, check these tee boxes!

Nearly time to ride..

So just a quick update from Ruby's side.... "As you can see I can reach the handlebars now and just waiting for my legs to grow a bit.."
So now I better go build her a bike, I'm sure she'll take "The Viking" out at least.. ha ha.

Working proper!

So been back at my shop, now my second week and finally know where everything is and what the prices of the different bikes are. It's been a good season, if you can be on holiday when the 94.7 is on, you've gone alright. Well that was on our objectives so we've met another one then!
Got final confirmation of the Drifter series final points and I've got my 4th consecutive series in the bag. Awesome way to finish of my year. Anyway, waiting for the weather to clear down here, the golf course is calling!

Hell and Back 08

So after much deliberating, I landed up going to ride the Hell and back. Well it was my 12th time doing this event which has just become an annual party weekend. So Dr Evil and I set off for the weekend and had a great time. Drank loads of red wine, plenty beers and I just really enjoyed it in Hel. Was a little dissapointed to see "The Viking" not suffer enough, but then again at least he was there this time! So for now I'm stuck in the Shop, catching up on a year of admin and cleaning, with season just round the corner, trying to get all my ducks in a row and enjoying my time off the bike. Should anything exciting happen I'll keep you in the loop. Like a round of golf yesterday with some mates up at Simola, good round, shot 117, lost 85bucks but only 3 balls, great day, not bad considering my last round was a year ago. Look out Tiger!

Chandelier Drifter and Mondi Addo challenge

Ok so I'm about two weeks behind, but herewith a quick update...The Chandelier Drifter went well, with a win there, will be enough to give me the overall series for a 4th consecutive season, and a great way to finish off my year. With the last Drifter this weekend in Howick, not much can change in the overall, looks like another one two in the series for MTN Cycling. Last weekend Dave and I took the wives and the Ruby away to the Addo park where we took part in there new race. The race was really tough and with no training for 10 days, I managed to finish second, not bad considering John-Lee Augustyn was there and my form was out the window. We did however see the big five and Ruby came to her first race! I'm contemplating going to the Hell and back this weekend, kind of expected for me to be there... let me see if the weather clears first!

Family updated picture!

Just a picture of the Ruby and family... growing fast!

Seweweekspoort MTB Challenge

The last time I took part in the event was two years ago and I was pleasantly surprised to see how this great event has turned into such a fantastic race, attracting nearly 800 riders from all around the Southern and Western Cape. Not only has the race grown in numbers but also has some great sponsors onboard, with the faithful Ladismith Cheese Company still being the main sponsor, to MTN and Nokia who have now come on board and added a new dimension to the even, as well as many others on the day.
As usual for the Klein Karoo region, the weather on the day was near perfect, and the ride through the Seweweekspoort is a spectacular ride. If you take your time to have a look around especially when you get to the top of the Poort, the views into the Great Karoo are amazing.
Unfortunately the “racing snakes” in the front didn’t have so much time to look around but I did manage to sneak a couple of looks around the Poort. Soon after the start a small group was established at the front of the race with about six riders. Dave George and I took a few hard pulls on the front and when the time looked right, I put in a big effort to break away and claim the new “King of the Poort” prize. Soon there after I slowed down as I saw Dave riding about 30 seconds in front of the chasing group. Once he joined me we made a fast descent back through the Poort and slowly extended our lead from 30 seconds to a minute. With the chasers working together and holding the gap at a minute, we couldn’t take it easy and enjoy the final 25km, which is the same final 25km as in stage 3 of the Cape-Epic from 2007.
Through the farms Dave and I enjoyed the ride and managed to increase our gap to the finish where we fought it out in a sprint finish. Dave needs to work on his sprints! In the end it was a great day and another good one two for our team MTN who are a sponsor of the event. Thanks to Pieter and the organizers for accommodating us and having us at your super event, hope to be back next year!

Crater Cruise, Race for Victory

So the Crater Cruise has become a really hard MTB race and is no longer a contest between the "roadies" and mountain bikers. This became evident after the first really tough section, where the head of the race contained only the full MTN squad and Burry Stander(GT/Mr Price). It was some what suprising to see only five riders left so early on in the race. It seemed that it was going to be a good day for our team and with numbers like that, it would be hard to loose the race. However this is mountain biking and in the long singletrack section, Dave was first to bow out when a stick caught his rear mech and ripped it clear off the frame. At this stage my time spent on the road bike was starting to show as I was battling through the "track", and even smashed into a low tree which didn't move out my way. This caught me in my back and I suffered from there till the end with back ache. Mannie then got the first of his punctures for the day which then left only Melt, Burry and myself. I had to stop for water at the second last water point and the heat was taking effect. Apparently the guys weren't to keen to loose any time and I spent a few pennies chasing to get back. It was looking like it was going to be a hard finish and with 9km left to race, Burry cut his front tire and crashed. This left Melt and I to take a one two for the team. Melt still looked fresh and deserved to claim "his" race, as I eased off, content with the days performance.
The Race for Victory is one of the hardest around the south of Jozi and goes through the Suikerbosrand Reserve. The legs were a little flat from the previous days efforts however once the engine was going, it felt pretty good. Dave and I battled with the very early start to the day but once the racing was on, we were good. In the end we forced a split through the reserve and then held it together for Malcom to take the win.

World Road Championships, Varese, Italy

So my first World road championships didn't quite play out as I saw it in my head. 200 of the worlds fastest road riders, on a technically demanding course, over 260km, not sure what I was expecting but it was going to be a tall ask just to finish, let alone get a "result". We had to do 15laps of the 17km course and the race would take the better part of about six and half hours. So the plan was to ride in the bunch, save every bit of energy and then when the racing really starts with 5 laps to go, be there and there about to follow the moves. This worked fine until lap 12 where I knew it was time to move up in the peleton, except after 200km the legs were feeling the effect of the many climbs and corners, and i simply got tailed of the bunch. When you dropped at Worlds, even though you still in a small group, the guys just stop. I guess the race is over and there is no point in banging your head against a wall for another 60km. Anyway, it was a great experience and with half a million screamimg fans around the course, was an incredible vibe. The info I got out of my SRM was the best part, I have some incredible data to use now and if selected again, have a much better idea of the training required to compete on this level.
So great to be home, in a routine and just absorbing all the racing I have done over the past 6weeks. We should have some awesome form left now for the Crater Cruise and to hopefully defend my Drifter Series title. Otherwise it's just great to be back on my fat tires and in the Harkerville forest! Till then, ciao.

2008 National Road Selection

So based on my road performances throughout the year, and a successful Ireland and Britain, I have been selected for the National Road Team, to race the World Championships in Varesse, Italy. This will be a first for me and I’m really excited that I’ve been given the opportunity to compete in another World Championships this year.
This should be exciting but also rather tough, racing over 260km against the fastest riders in the world! So needless to say I was only home for 4days after the last trip, and now I’m off again. Didn’t get too much time in on the bike at home, rather caught up on my parenting skills which evidently need some work!
So off to Italy tonight, hopefully we will have some affordable internet there and I can keep you updated. Till then, hasta la pasta.

Tour of Britain

Yes, this update is about a week behind, but for those who haven't seen any results, Team MTN put in a really good performance at the Tour of Great Britain. Up against quite a few of the biggest Pro-Tour Teams in the world, we managed to finish 7th in the team competiton, only a few seconds behind Barloworld. DG was top on GC in 15th, I managed 19th after loosing some time in the final few kilometeres of the second day which proved to be the decisive stage for the GC contenders. Other than that all I can say is wow, we averaged an unbelievable 43km/hr for the 1100km we raced all around the country! To be mixing it with the best in the world was a fantastic experience and one where I gained a serious amount of "road knowledge", to be put to futher use still this season. (checknext update)

Tour of Ireland

Hi there, well bouncing around from hotel to hotel after racing 200km stages and still trying to find time to log onto the net is almost impossible. At the moment we in Britain waiting for the Tour of Britain which starts on Sunday. This week we've had time to use the net, but dam it's expensive this side! Will try give a comprehensive update on Ireland later today, possibly with some pics. The team had a super tour and racing with the "big boys" was fun. DG was second in the mountains comp, while I managed to sneak a 10th on GC. Not bad for the MTB rider gone "roadie".
Till later.

Ruby Ruby Ruby

Well nothing I've seen in my life came close to watching the birth of my daughter Ruby, on 22 August at 08:00. All I can see is it was an emotional and incredible moment in my life that will stay close to me forever. Mwah to my wife Kari and to the start of an amazing chapter in our lives!

No rest just yet!

So life goes on and the training continues. I'm busy preparing for the two tours the MTN road team will compete in at the end of the month. The team will race in the Tour of Ireland followed by the Tour of Britain. The events are UCI 2.1's and will feature some of the top Protour teams. So I will have to work on my speed and endurance and try and carry my form over to these two events. It's an awesome chance for me to get some valuable "Tour" expeirence as I try further my road career. If the team can do well at these, it may open the doors for some more invitations next year.
All the while my wife is into her last 10days of the pregnancy and looking swell, I mean well! Ruby will be a new challenge in our lives that we are really looking forward to! Anyway, got to go train again, till later, Hasta la pasta!

SA Marathon champs, Stellenbosch

Defending a title is always going to be tough, and especially on your third attempt, the pressure seems to add up as do the expectations. However with a strong mind,good team and good preparation, one can overcome this to produce the result you want.
As it had not stopped raining in the Cape almost the whole winter, the course was always going to be really wet, muddy and slippery. Most of my preparation went into the equipment for the bike, as Tyronne replaced basically my whole drivetrain before the race. I stuck to my trusted Conti Mountain King’s though and they handled the mud really well.
So the race saw two and a half thousand riders starting and I was quick to start setting the tempo on the first climb. As the first 11km went straight up, I tried to force the split early on and put everyone else on the back foot. Just before the king of the mountain, I saw Mannie was on his own riding across to me. I eased up slightly for him and once he joined me, the race was almost done and dusted bar any mishaps or mechanicals. Mannie and I drove it really hard, he was pacing the flats and downs, myself pacing the climbs. Mannie putting in some final Olympic prep was looking great and a big help on the day. There were some very interesting twists and turns to the course, with some fun singletrack and various “road” crossings. Even though the distance was short for a “true’ marathon, the route still had over 1500metres of climbing in it, tough by anyone’s standards.
On the final climb with about 8km to go, I rode a very hard tempo, and with Mannie nursing a slight flu, he dropped off and I was free to ride solo to the finish.
Melt at this stage had caught and past Mannie taking second place, third then going to Mannie. Another 1,2,3 for our team, and the SA title stays in the team camp for another year, job well done.

Illovo Eston

After 2 days of travelling what felt like around the country, Mannie, Melt and I arrived at the Illovo Eston Mountain bike race. The event in the past was a drifter race, this year however it was not but this did nothing to detract from the three thousand riders that lined up on Sunday for the various distances. Our MTN team dominated with a first,second,third, riding a big gap into the rest of the field. Now I'm home, doing some last preperations to try and defend my marathon title this coming Saturday. I've prepared harder than ever and the raw data from Activeworx with the SRM powermeters is looking more than on track. The legs are feeling good and based on this weekends race, should be enough. Just need a small bit of luck too!

MTN Team training camp

Herewith just a short update on my last 10 days or so: basically flew home last week Wednesday after my short European trip and was great to spend some time at home with the family. Training at home was a bit of a shock hitting winter weather after being used to super summer days in Austria. Presently I'm in Nelspruit on a team camp with the road team. We raced the Jock cycle tour on Saturday, was my first time and I battled a bit with the adaption back to the road bike after spending all my time in Europe on the MTB. DG and I smashed Boulders and rode about 4min into the bunch in the next 40km, however with 25km to go I formed a "mushroom cloud" explosion as I blew badly. Just managed to peice myself together to the finish but at least Dave was able to stay away to win. Neil finished 3rd in the bunch kick to the line. The rest of the week will be spent doing some specific training with Activeworx and will be final prep for Marathon SA's. All said and done though I should be on track for that one. At least we have summer weather here, great for training! Keep you posted, hasta la pasta.

Race Report Worlds

Marathon World Championships, Villabassa ,Italy

Well my fifth Marathon World Championships is in the bag and although it was by far my best ever result, I have some mixed feelings about the race.
To begin with, I was only seeded in 88th place, and with the first climb of the day starting immediately, it would mean I would have to go flat out from the start, maybe using up too much energy for nothing.
So we began with the first climb of about 1000m vertical, and I had fought my way into the front pack of about 20 riders, containing all the favorites. After the long descent the group simply sat up. This allowed for more riders to join from behind and ultimately meant I probably could have saved a little energy up the first climb. I found this frustrating but none the less, you never know and always have to be near the front of the race to be in contention.
The second climb of the day, although not so long but steeper than the first, the race exploded and soon I found myself with only about seven riders, still all the big names left giving me extra motivation to ride myself into the ground. As we started the third climb, the remaining group began to splinter and soon I was on my own. I was starting to feel the first two hours of hard racing and needed to eat and drink more which is difficult to do when you on the limit.
At this stage in the race, I had left Karl Platt and Thomas Frischneckt and was riding in “no mans land” to try and get on to the wheels of a Swiss trio including Buchli and Naef. I think this was my big mistake as if I had just slowed down as paced myself with Thomas and Karl, my top ten place was almost secured. Instead I went with a “go until I blow” attitude, and it was a pity but a valuable learning experience as Thomas and Karl came flying past me just before the start of the final climb. Thomas would go onto catch some more riders and finish in seventh. I would suffer on riding with Frenchman Thomas Dietch, loosing three more places to finish in 14th spot. The final 30km was a real suffer fest and most of the riders were taking strain at this point, however with some reserved energy here, you could have made up a few valuable places. My finishing time was 5hrs5min for the course of 120km with 4000m of climbing, about 20minutes off Sauser and Paulissen who were simply in a league of their own. It was great to see Gilberto Simoni and Mirko Celestino finish only 2minutes ahead of me.
Anyway, another lesson learned and I have a good idea of what I need to do next year to ride into the top ten. As far as my preparation and training went for the event, with Activeworx and the support from the team, I could not have done more or been better prepared. I have a perfect blue print for next year, and hopefully a better seeding with a little more international racing to ensure this, I’ll achieve my goals.

14th Marathon World Champs, Italy

Quick note- finished 14th today in the World Champs, my PB and the best todate by an SA rider in Marathon. Was so hard, I'm still battling to see straight. Was a pity as on the final climb I lost the wheels of Kessiakof and Spaeth and they managed to catch Platt and one other rider to just make the top 10. So close yet so far, perhaps if I had my skinsuit on I might have been that five minutes quicker!
Better report to follow later, awseome race for mannie coming in 18th position, well done Ou man! Till ,later.

Training Austrian Altitude

When an Austrian tells you we go make an easy ride, don't follow them, unless you don't mind 2000m vertical climbing in an easy 60km loop! The training has been good and the altitude adaption is fine, whats been hard is adapting to the after 12 in the afternoon schedule. As we only race at midday on Saturday, I've been doing all my training the past ten days in the afternoon, by this time my normal body routine is sleeping! Anyway, the Hotel Wiltschnig has been really good to me, best home preperation for the big day! Will let you know how it goes..

Kitzalp Bike Marathon, Austria

2nd at Kitzalp this weekend confirmed that I have good form and have timed the training well for the Marathon World Championships next weekend. As has Mannie who finished just behind me, really showing his expeirence in these mountains. I had good legs the whole race and was climbing well considering all my travelling this week and adaptions that I had to make. 88km with nearly 4000m of climbing proved too brutal for most, but not Paez who won the race with a record time. So all in all an awesome result for the "Africans".

Graskop Hill Climb Champs

So my first Grass head hill climb champs went well and the form looks to be on track for the Worlds in two weeks. I managed to put in a well timed attack on lap three of six around the Gods Window circuit, and with Dave and Waylon just siiting on in the small group that was left, I pushed hard on my own to ride the remaining laps and take the road race. Dave rode away on the last climb to come in second by himself, and Waylon winning from the remaining bunch. So another 1,2,3 for the team.
This little episode was followed by the "Hill Climb", a TT up Koowyns Pass. I only realised the effort from the mornings race once I got stuck into the first kilometer of the climb. The legs were like bricks! I still managed to come away with the second fastest time however, just 20sec behind Dave who won in 21:58, and Waylon in third with a time of 22:48. The rest of the weekend was spent training with the Club100 guys and gals, everyone having a fantastic weekend in Sabie.
Well as I write this I'm in Europe- Austria, heading off to race Kitzalp Marathon, starting tomorrow with another "hill Climb". The marathon is on Saturday and will be my final preperation for World Champs the following weekend. Will keep you posted, hasta la pasta.

Training at atitude continues

So we onto our second week at nearly 2000m now and the bodies are starting to adapt nicely. Most of our training we've ridden down to about a thousand meters or less so we can still have the benefits of traing wth bigger power outputs. Here is a small pic of us doing some rollers on the balcony today on our recovery day, looks like DG about to smash the railings at 40km/hr!
Training hard for World Marathon champs in Italy in three weeks, with the climbs there going upto 2000m, the altitude adjustment taking place should be right on the money!

Induna Drifter #3, Hazyview

Returning to Hazyview for the Induna Drifter, was the second time for me at this event, and the first time I've been able to descend to Hazyview after staying up altitude for the previous week. With our big boss there, and his bigger boss from MTN, it was time to give them a show. And that we did by total domination. Melt was looking in awesome shape, only a week before his XC world champs in Italy. Dave and I simply followed and contributed to the fast tempo being set, leaving only J.Kritzinger able to hang on until we started the second loop with the big climbs. From there the three of us rode away and on the final downhill to the finish Dave backed off due to Olympic prep, with Melt going over the line first, and myself right behind him. So I'm three Drifters down, and second place in all of them! Enough to keep me as the leader of the series, however with the next one in Stellenbosch also doubling as the SA Marathon champs, I'll be extremely motivated to keep my SA title! So now back to altitude till Graskop Hillclimb champs next week, till then, hasta la pasta.
P.S, pics to follow soon.

Official Sub-Vet now

Well it's official, I now qualify to race the sub-vet catagory as I turned 30 on Friday. I managed to get a small cake on our "coffee" ride with DG and then spent the rest of the day in the car heading home to celebrate with my family. This next week will feature some big prep for the World Marathon Champs, with the team being confirmed earlier in the week. I have big goals for the event which should suit my endurance. Induna Drifter #3 will be next weekend too,I really enjoyed the event last year, should be some hard racing! till then, hasta la pasta.

Rooibergeco challenge

Garmin, you'll be lost without it, were the sponsors of this new event held out in Limpopo province. And what an awesome event they put on. Amazing riding through the bushveld, great scenery, fantastic food, and another two day team race offering fantastic prize money for us professionals. So after a bad luck first day, DG and I had 4 puncture's and two crashes but still managed a third on the day. On the positive side our team mates had a hassle free ride and won the stage by two minutes over team USN. On day 2 we just made sure we kept Mannie and Melt up there in the lead, whilst after we had one more puncture, riding ourselves into second place overall. So we managed another 1 2 for the team. Good job boys! Now i'm doing some basics with Dave in cape town before hitting the lowveld for some heavy worlds training. Till then, ciao.

Going racing

Tomorrow I'm off to Jozi where the MTB Team will head off to The Garmin Rooiberg Eco challenge. New event, teams of two or individual, although the big prize purse is for the overall winning team, going to be like a two day dirty dash for cash. Anyway, it's always exciting to race a new event, new trails and different scenery. DG and I are still tuned in with our training and the watts are good, should pair up nicely again. With two strong teams we should be in for a shout and a great weekend's racing. I'm just worried about the camping- or more the freezing cold earl mornings in the tent, but I'll toughen up. Racing starts at 7 at least so we should be finished early. Will give you an update and some pics hopefully once I'm back to a computer, Sunday or Monday. Till then, hasta la pasta.

Racing to resume

Training has been good this past week, jumping straight back into the hours. I had a week off after SA'S to rest and recover fully, that done i'm back on track and looking forward to a new race on the calender, the Rooiberg Garmin challenge. Team racing again, and DG and I got some great training in this weekend at De Hoop nature reserve whilst the wives relaxed at the Ou Huis. If you can remember we raced through this reserve in the epic on stage 5, the one with all the sand! Will let you know what happens up in Limpopo this next weekend, hasta la pasta.

SA Road champs

It was my second road championships today and I managed to have an awsome ride. The MTN team went in with a plan, we stuck to it and paid off. We forced a split in the gutters after 60km and that was the selection for the day done. We then just wore the rest of the riders down and I managed to stay in with last guys, going to the line. In the end, Ian Mcleod won, Waylon Woolcock 2nd, DG 3rd and myself 4th. the winning time was 4hrs50 and the three of us were 9 seconds off Ian. Next in was about 4minutes behind us but there were only 14 riders able to finish the 185km course today. I reckon it was the wind that played the biggest factor today however.
BNow for some awesome rest! Later.

SA time trial champs

Well after my first super hard South African time trial champs, to come away with a bronze medal, 17sec off winner James Perry, over 40km, i'm very pleased with myself. Nic white took 2nd, and DG 4th. Jay won the under 23's but posted the quickest time of the day, but the course suited him as he's a beast of rider with plenty watts. Anyway good result for the team. Road race tomo, ciao.

DG's Drifter ride

Here is a pic of Daves new ride, aquired whilst on the Sasol Rally as VW guests. It's how he just managed to pip me in the sprint!
I'll be flying home tomorrow morning after attending some team admin today, including getting some shwag from EA Sports! Thanks very much, time to go gaming..

Forest to falls, Drifter #2, Graskop

Well the race couldn't have gone better for the MTN team with all of us in the first four, taking 1st, 2nd and 4th. However it was DG who rode superbly to ride across to me after i attacked a small group, the two of us then rode like a day in the Epic, putting nearly 6min into 3rd place, Brandon Stewart, who only just slipped in ahead of Melt for 4th. So Dave took his maiden Drifter win and i paid back my debt of shreddin his pocket ! But kudo's to him for winning the race in real mtb conditions, with lots of mud and slippery sections. Carla Rowly, our lady component rode very well to win her maiden Drifter too. Congrats to the whole team, and thanks VW for a great weekend away. Till later, hasta la pasta.

Race machines

Posted some pics of two of my bikes, the mountain bike after it underwent a diet, and my new favorite bike, my Raleigh Team TT bike, which I've built up for myself to give the time trial a bash at SA's next week in East London. Thats a new goal for me but I've been learning all the tricks from the master himself. The bike feels awesome although I must say it's quite hard to ride in that position, not as easy as I thought it would be. All I need now is DG's engine and I should be smoking!
Anyhow for now I must focus on the Drifter.. later.
K

Drifter #2 and Sasol Rally

Leaving for the second Drifter of the season on Thursday, and with that just around the corner I managed to bang in my last hard session today. We'll be guests of the VW Rally racing team for the weekend as the Sasol Rally is on at the same time. They putting us up in the fabulous Mount Sheeba Hotel as VW is also a sponsor of the MTN Cycling team.
I'm going to let one of the drivers ride my MTB if he lets me drive his car! Anyway should be a great weekend and looking forward to knocking some pancakes out too!
Till then, hasta la pasta.

Getting bloggin

New blog working great, going to really get into it.. chat soon.

New blog

Hi all, trying a new blog where I can keep you updated with pics etc. Will see how I get along with it.

Cheers,

Kev