So the season is done and dusted and it’s been a pretty
crazy ride with highs, lows and those average in between times…
My season started out great at home where I got 3rd
at the first national and my own race, The Avis Van Rental downhill challenge.
The only problem was that I didn’t have my new bike yet by mid-March so I had
to race the Pietermaritzburg World Cup on the old steed, the Glory. As it
turned out it was my best ever world cup result with a 54th which
may not sound amazing to some, but considering how long I have been doing this
and that these are the very best riders on the planet, I was very happy to
start with that.
Then things started to get a bit tricky, I went over to
Europe right after the world cup where I was going to sell my van from the
previous season and get the new bike up and running before the first European
cup in Monte Tamaro, Switzerland. I met up with Pottie and we got the bikes
sorted literally 2 days prior to the
race. So off we went…. Little did I know I would try a silly gap and break my
wrist, so the next week I flew home for an op which went well.
I spent 2 months at home recovering and trying to get strong
enough to return to racing right before SA champs and the Val D Isere world
cup. I managed to get in about 1 and half weeks of light riding before heading
up to Mankele for SA champs which meant I did not really know what to expect. I
managed to get 3rd place there on a strange track and more than 2
months off the bike which was great for me and I was ready to head back to
Europe.
I started out at the Val D Isere world cup being exhausted
after travelling for 40+ hours to get there and as luck would have it, it
poured with rain for my Qualification run which meant I was out of it. After
that we headed to Pila for the next European cup which was not good either as I
had a big crash during the week and hurt my wrist again. I did manage to ride
but as you could imagine I wasn’t feeling too comfy and ended 55th
in the rain.
The next race was the following weekend in Spicak, I had
raced there the year before in the rain and hated it, this year it was dry and
I loved it! I felt comfy and fast on the track and the split times showed it.
In the race run at the first split I was in about 8th spot which
would have been my best result until near the bottom I connected a tree with my
shoulder at about 30kph. That sums up that race.
We then had some time off in Schladming which was good for
me to rest up. Next on the list was an Austrian Cup in Mautern and yet again
during the week prior to the race I crashed and twisted my ankle which again
meant no riding. I did manage to race but yet again I had hardly ridden, my
ankle was tender, I didn’t know the track and it poured with rain for the
finals which left me in 12th spot.
At this stage I was getting so fed up with it all as nothing
seemed to be going my way, but I knew that things would turn around some time
or another and at the next European cup race in Chatel they looked up. I
managed to finally put together a clean run and ended in 15th spot,
only 6 sec off the winner (Brendan Fairclough) which was not amazing but it was
solid and finally something to build on.
There were only 2 races left for me after this and I was
feeling confident again. I had made arrangements to travel with Adi and Jonty
to Norway for the final round of the world cup series as the team could not
afford to send me. As with these things,
it didn’t let us have an easy go of it! We had a terrible trip, slept in the
airport, got stranded in the rain, I lost my wallet, our accommodation was a
disaster, we missed track walk, I missed my qualification run and finally my
bike was taken away which meant my weekend was over…. J
As bad as that sounds I am still really glad I went up there
because I gained so much experience, not all good but it’s good to get that
behind me and move forward now knowing what I do now. It won’t ever happen
again!
So as you just heard, I had no bike anymore which was a
problem as I still had one more race left which I was determined to do. It was
the final round of the European cup series in Todtnou, Germany. I am so lucky
that I have a great friend, Christian Textor, who lent me his Nuke Proof Scalp
for the weekend which I am very thankful for! So the last race was just for me,
no team, no pressure and a new bike J
I really enjoyed the track there and the bike too which made
me feel confident for the final event on the new rig. I actually had a great
run going until I hit a slippery root at the wrong angle which sent me off the
track and I lost all my speed. I got back on it as quickly as I could but only
managed 37th place which wasn’t too bad considering my mishap. Looking at the splits, I was easily on track
for a top 20 again but hey, that’s how the year went.
Overall I am definitely disappointed with the season, but in
some ways I am glad to get it out of the way. As they say, nothing worthwhile
comes easily. I am 110% focused on making 2013 my best ever season and getting
to the top of the podium!
There are so many people who make it all possible, my
parents, family, friends and great companies who support me: Seattle Coffee Co, Virgin Active, John
Wakefield @science2sport, Csixx products, Leatt protectives, Adidas eyewear,
Red bull ZA, Evoc and Flexfit. Thanks so much to all of you, it was a bumpy
ride but I’m still here and ready to kick it in 2013!
