SA TT Champs

Kevin Evans, pic Ronelle Rust, Zoon Cronje

So my first national road title, and here’s a small story about it that know one knows.
I had originally put down the National Time Trial Championships as one of my goals for 2010 as it is a discipline I believed I could win. Problem with Time Trials when done properly, is besides the physical power required to do well in the event, your setup and equipment is crucial and can win or a lose a medal. So we have got sponsors onboard our team now that really push the envelope in providing us with world class equipment. We received most of our equipment about three weeks prior to the event, however, Carol Austin Activeworx coach was adamant that the frame for myself was not the correct size. Many e-mails and phone calls to sponsors in Belgium were flying around and with less than a week to go, despite myself still preparing for the race, I had no machine.
Then after much persuading and “fighting”, Eddy Merckx’s son in law personally flew in the frame for me, which they borrowed from Team Quickstep as they were the only team in the world with a frame in my size, dropped it off and flew out. Activeworx then worked overtime to have the frame built and ready for me to do a professional setup once I landed in Johannesburg on Tuesday midday. 2hrs later we were happy and on our way out to Klerksdorp.
I arrived and immediately headed out on the bike, 6pm, in the pouring rain and tried to find the course, which turned into a whole other story. But the bike felt good and we would have to wait and see.
We had great conditions on the day and the heat and humid weather helped me adjust to the altitude without too many problems. Once under way, I was fortunate enough to have the top of the range Sram SRM which proved invaluable to pacing myself for the first 20km of the race, allowing me to save enough energy to really wind up the final 5km.
At the end, it was unclear as to who had won, but I had timed myself and the two riders that I thought would be the quickest, and unofficially I knew I had it!
What a feeling! My first national road jersey and the whole team, staff and everyone behind the scenes deserves a big piece of that jersey too! Thank you.

Next race, Road and Time Trial Championships in Klerksdorp, two very big goals for our team. Till then, cheers.
Kevin Evans



Provisional results:
1st Kevin Evans (MTN/Energade) 48min30sec 47.5km/hr
2nd James Perry (EMG)
3rd Jaco Venter (MTN/Energade)

Ninetyniner, Construction du Cap

The Construction du Cap, otherwise called the Ninetyniner took place in Durbanville over the weekend and has always been a national seeding event and a very popular race for most cyclists to boost their Argus seeding. Team MTN/Energade won the event last year with Juan Van Heerden and this year we would be back, although only a very compact team consisting of Juan and myself. This year however the organizers decided a route change was in order, and they couldn’t have made a better change for myself personally even if they tried!
The race would now finish with the final 7km consisting of Vissershok climb, descending the other side and then the final 1.2km straight up Odendaal street, a near vertical final kilometer ascent to the line, probably the only “hill” top finish in any race I’ve done. Note to organizers, we need more finishes like this please.

Conditions were perfect on the day, and again with only two of us there, we’d have our work cut out for us. It’s always hard racing the Cape Town teams as you never know who to lookout for and which teams are strong on the day. We decided to watch Daikin Gu as one of the teams, and obviously David George (FullImput) when we hit the final 7km. soon after the start though, there was a number of other teams who began to send riders up the road and we could only follow so many moves before being caught out. Juan would do most of the following allowing whilst I sat on as much as possible. This worked well until two riders, most noticeably Dave Garret (Daikin Gu) slipped away with another rider from a bigger team, and very quickly creating a gap of up to two and a half minutes at one stage. So the two teams with the most riders each had a man up the road, no one was keen to hit the front of the race. So Juan and myself began to set a hard but steady tempo on the front, realizing everyone would just sit back and watch. This is when Erik Kleinhans (GT/Maties) came to the front and with one or two of his boys helped Juan pace on the front, allowing me to save my legs. Erik did an incredible job with Juan and for about 50km they rolled through and off to bring the two riders back, just in time with about 10km remaining before the “Vissershok” climb.
As expected, once we hit the climb, Dave George put in his attack and it was only myself who could follow the hard tempo. I came around him halfway up to continue his pace as we were opening a gap on the rest of the group. I won the King of the mountain going over the top and we had about only 15seconds on a small chase group. Then the final kilometer, straight up, we continued to drive a hard pace to stay away, and with about 300m to go I began my sprint, although looking more like a slow motion version, and managed to ride Dave off my wheel to hit the line first and win my second Ninetyniner!
It was another good effort by our compact “coastal” squad, and without the team work done by Juan and the help from Erik Kleinhans, the results may have been very different!

Next race, South African Road and Time Trial Championships in Klerksdorp, two very big goals for our team. Till then, cheers.
Kevin Evans



Provisional results:
1st Kevin Evans (MTN/Energade) 2hrs46
2nd David George (Fullimput)
3rd Stefan Ilenfeldt
4th Moolman Welgemoed (Daikin Gu)
5th Charles Keey (Blend)

VW Herald Cycle Tour

The prestigious VW Herald Cycle Tour celebrated its 25th year anniversary and with absolutely perfect conditions on the day, the likes of which I’ve never seen before in Port Elizabeth, the organizers had gone out of their way to pull out all the stops this year!
With racing going on around the country, we had decided to split our team up and it was important for us to support the Herald Cycle Tour as VW, a naming sponsor of the event, are also a big sponsor of ours. Unfortunately, Brad Potgieter, a key rider in the team had an accident before leaving to come down, so effectively it left only myself and fast man Juan van Heerden to fend off an aggressive bunch!
Being out numbered we would always have our work cut out for us, Team House of Paint had their full squad, and Barry Austins u23 CSA/Cyclelab boys were ready to try win another big race following their previous weekends success. Throw into the mix all the local teams and some Cape Town riders and the racing was fast and aggressive, but very exciting!
House of Paint took the racing to everyone when soon after the start, they began to attack in twos, forcing us to follow every move that went off the front. However the only significant move happened over the KOM at Theescombe climb when myself and Chris Jennings (U23/Cyclelab) rode away and built a decent gap. Tiaan Kannemeyer (House of Paint) and Johan van Zyl (U23/Cyclelab) rode across to us and with the two youngsters and myself committing hard and rolling through together, I really thought for a change that this move might make it! However House of Paint weren’t happy with the make up and over Maitlands climb they closed the break down, leaving the rest of the bunch in pieces.
However the racing was still on as guys tried various moves to ride away, but all unsuccessful as the bigger teams kept sending numbers across. At one stage with about 25km to go, a group of about 15 got away, I was there but well out numbered. I began to save my some what tired legs for a sprint finish but with 10km left to go, Juan was back with the full House of Paint team. They began setting it up for their sprinter and had the whole team on the front in the last 5km. I was looking after Juan, keeping him out the wind. He actually had the best lead out and just sat on the wheel of Dean Edwards, as I swept his wheel for him. Juan came around Dean in the final 200m and simply blasted past him to take the prestigious Herald title and open his winning account for 2010! I managed to finish 6th after sitting up watching my team mate take the victory, but that 6th place also gave us the first team prize on the day.
All in all a great weekend of racing for our team across the country in all the disciplines of the sport!
Next race, possibly the Construction du Cap in Cape Town, followed by a really busy period consisting of all my major goals for the year! Till then, cheers.
Kevin Evans



Provisional results:
1st Juan Van Heerden (MTN/Energade)
2nd Dean Edwards (House of Paint)
3rd Arnold Rust
4th Chris Jennings (U23/Cyclelab)
5th (Appologies?)
6th Kevin Evans (MTN/Energade)

VW Herald Mountain Bike Challenge

The popular VW Herald Cycle Tour, now in its 25th year, again hosted the mountain bike leg of the tour this weekend out at the Addo polo fields, and with a heat wave on the go, the start time was shifted forward to accommodate the slower riders as the thermometer would reach temperatures in the upper 40’s later on in the day!
Having ridden the same route now for the previous years Herald Tour as well as the Mondi Addo Cycle challenge, I was more than familiar with the route. It basically consists of a big climb up the Zuurberg Pass, followed by an extremely technical descent down a horsetrail, a decent of roughly 700m in 4km! From there you climb an equally tough singletrack climb back out the valley and from there on some really great trails through the Addo Park heading back to the Polo fields.
Roland Booker (Club100) was eager to test his legs out on his new Volcan and attacked shortly after the start. The other riders didn’t respond and it was satisfying to see his training paying off as he claimed the first “hotspot”. At the start of the Zuurberg climb, he had a nice gap on the rest of the field, and I began to test my legs, setting a hard tempo for the others to follow. Very soon I was on my own and riding the gap across to Roland. I caught him about 2km before the King of the mountain and we were still together when we began the “horsetrail” descend. I got a small gap down there and Rolands ride would come to an end with mechanical problems in this hectic section. I maintained a hard tempo up the next climb, opening up a gap to the chasing riders who were now splintered into small groups.
After the climb I really just had no pressure and rode a steady tempo, but thoroughly enjoyed the route and course! The new Volcan XC Pro I was riding handled like a dream and the Conti Race King UST tires were fast and bomb proof as ever, which is important in this very rough and thorny terrain.
I was amazed with the amount of support I had from the shorter distance riders and spectators and having started my mountain bike career here in the Eastern Cape, I soon remembered why.
In the end I managed to retain my title and win my third Herald Mountain Bike race. There was a phenomenal amount of TV coverage, which included Supersport , SABC and even a slot for YO TV, a kids program, plus obviously with the Herald newspaper as the title sponsor, the media coverage would be extensive. Another one of our team sponsors, VW, who is also a naming sponsor of the event was also there and it was great to support their event on behalf of our team.
Next race, Herald Cycle Tour, Road race, tomorrow, till then, cheers.
Kevin Evans



Provisional results:
1st Kevin Evans (MTN/Energade) 3hrs40min
2nd Cornelius Muller (Fairbairn Private Bank)
3rd Charles Keey (Blend Cycling Team)

MTN Barberton Ultra Marathon #2

MTN Ultra Marathon #2, Barberton



Kevin Evans
Barberton is normally the start to the MTN Marathon series, and this year it would be the second race in the series. With that being said, the race nerves were not quite as bad as usual especially considering I’d had a great start at the first race two weeks prior.
Conditions were completely normal for the race, fresh and overcast at the start, but as you progress higher up the mountain, the rain settles in creating hectic mud and slippery terrain. Then with all the rain in the previous weeks, the river crossings were all in deep and more than usual. The organizers had gone to some efforts to try and make certain sections easier on the riders, but in the ultra marathon, once you hitting the second half of the race where the shorter distances have gone through, the course becomes really churned up.

The race starts with a big climb of about 10km, and straight away it was the same three protagonists from last year riding for DCM Chrome that were eager to set a hard pace and split the race up. Only myself and team mate, Adrien Niyonshuti (MTN/Energade), Burry Stander (Specialized/Mr Price) and Renay Goustra (GT) could follow the tempo being set. Once up at the top, conditions were very bad and soon thereafter, Renay punctured and was out the lead group, which by this stage already had a substantial gap on the chasing pack. The next technical section was through the game reserve where it gets very rocky and wet, and you needed to keep your lines tight and try to minimize chances of mechanicals.
Jacques Janse Van Rensburg and Brandon Stewart both had punctures through this section and Adrien lost a little time in the tough conditions, so entering into the feed zone at 75km, it was only Burry, Max and myself left.
The next 45km loop starts with just as big a climb as the first loop, and then back into the reserve for the same final 30km. But as we hit the big climb, it was Max Knox who had two extra gears, and simply powered away from Burry and myself, riding an impressive 5minutes into us over the 6km climb. Neither Burry nor myself could match the tempo and we simply landed up racing together basically for second place, provided Max had no issues. It was hectic through the reserve as we had to weave through all the shorter distance riders, apologies if we ran anyone off the road at that stage!
The final action between Burry and I came in the final kilometer when a fun rider crashed Burry into the pavement! At this stage I immediately sat up and waited for him, it wouldn’t have felt right to attack someone under those circumstances, and to have a fair sprint with him as I’m sure he’d have done the same for me. The sprint was a real crowd pleaser and really got the adrenalin pumping as he just edged me out around the final corner to take second place whilst third was all I could manage on the day.
However it was thrilling to see Rwandan team mate Adrien Niyonshuti come home in 4th place, and new team rider Paul Cordes stepping up to the plate to take 5th overall, a really impressive ride by him. Again Yolande Speedy(MTN/Energade) was in a class of her own to win the ladies, but also finish 2nd overall against the men in the marathon distance!

Next race, Herald Cycle Tour, MTB and Road in Port Elizabeth next weekend, till then, cheers.
Kevin Evans



Provisional results:
1st Max Knox (DCM/Chrome) apprx:4hrs50min
2nd Burry Stander (MrPrice/Specialised)
3rd Kevin Evans (MTN/Energade)
4th Adrien Niyonshuti (MTN/Energade)
5th Paul Cordes (MTN/Energade)

The Fast One

Pick n Pay Hyper to Hyper “The fast one”


Kevin Evans
The Pick n Pay Hyper to Hyper, also known as “The Fast One”, took place in rather wet conditions! In fact more likely torrential rain from start to finish, which saw the race organizers having to neutralize certain sections of the race where the road was completely flooded and big dangerous potholes were hidden from our sight.
As the first big race of the season, many teams are eager to get going, and the conditions made an already nervous bunch, even twitchier as nobody really wanted to crash and risk injuries or bike damage at the very first race. Us especially when you look at the kind of equipment we using, a brand new Eddy Merckx EMX5 complete with Sram Red and the latest handbuilt FFWD wheels!
Needless to say we were always riding up front and out of trouble!

The rest of our MTN/Energade team were busy racing the Tour of Amissa Gabon, and so only four of us were left to fend off a few of the bigger teams on the day. Most noticeable on the day was DCM Chrome, who was very aggressive and definitely showed strength in numbers, whilst Medscheme and ourselves had our work cut out for us having to be active and follow all the moves. House of Paint also had a fairly big team and it was becoming evident that no moves would stick as the teams with numbers always had enough riders to bring the attacks back.
However for most of the fast race, it just became enough of a challenge to stay out of harms way, and get to the end in one piece. All the action really came in the last 2km, when there was a full sprint to enter the final sharp left hand turn before the sprinting up to the finish. It was going into this corner that finally set the end of the race up, and I was personally boxed in, having to negotiate the turn at about 10km/hr, whilst the front 5 or 6 riders were able to maintain a good speed then power out and onwards. Juan Van Heerden (MTN/Energade) was stranded about eighth wheel and had to commit to chasing the front guys. I managed to dig deep and ride around the bunch up to him, where I could shelter him for about 10seconds before my speed started to dwindle, and without enough speed, fresher riders who’d been less active the whole day used their fresh legs and speed to come around him for the line.
It was Jacques Fullard who finally got the victory, making a return to elite level racing.
Juan managed a credible 5th in the end, but it’s a long season with big goals and objectives ahead. We are heading in the right direction and no doubt will be back to full strength soon.
The racing looks to be on this year, and will be a definite level up on previous years, a great thing for road cycling in SA!

Big thanks to all the MTN management and staff for working well past overtime to get our bikes built and race ready, plus equipment, bike set ups, airport transfers and the list goes on and on, from of all the riders… Thank you!
Next week will see the full team at a training camp in Magaliesberg for a press launch, a dealer launch, photographs and team building camp, looking fast forward to it!

Next race, Barberton at the end of the month, till then, cheers.
Kevin Evans



Provisional results:
1st Jacques Fullard (Hotspot Cycles) 2hrs 14min
2nd Tyler Day (EMG)
3rd Dusty Day (House of Paint)
4th Burry Stander (MrPrice/Specialised)
5th Juan Van Heerden (MTN/Energade)

Eddy Merckx EMX5

Just waiting for the FFWD wheels!