2013 RECAP

The 2013 season has been a wild ride for me with loads of ups and a few downs; here is how it went from my perspective.

My first race for each season is usually an event which I organise and run, the Avis Van Rental Paarl Downhill challenge. The event is growing each year and this past year had all the top riders from around the country present including world top 15 rider, Andrew Neethling. It’s always a tough one for me because I am so focused on running things it makes it tricky to concentrate on racing too. I had a great run this year and managed to get 2^nd place just 0.4s off Neethling. I was so glad to have that over with so I could focus purely on racing from then on! The next few events were local; SA National cup rounds 1 and 2 as well as the African Continental Championships in KZN. All these events went very well for me, I was 2^nd at both national rounds and 3^rd at the African champs event.

 

I was on great form and due to fly to Europe a couple of weeks after the 2^nd national event which had been in KZN. However this is a risky sport and accidents can happen. Right after the 2^nd national event I was at Tim Bentleys place in Pietermaritzburg and we were having some fun on his dirt jumps. As I was pedalling in, my chain came off which caused me to go over the bars and dislocate my right shoulder.

I was beyond gutted! I flew back to Cape Town and made the tough decision to have an operation on it so it would hopefully not happen again. I knew this meant missing a few races but I thought it was the best decision for the long term. I had it sorted and I was actually back on a downhill bike in 5 weeks which is unreal, for most people it takes at least 12 weeks. It was weak and a little uncomfortable at first but I made the best of it and tried to build my speed back up. In June I was back in Europe and my first event was the Willingen Wheels of Speed DH challenge in Germany. The track is a little different to the norm; it was a bit smoother and faster with big jumps all the way down. I thought it would be a good introduction for me with a weaker shoulder. I was over the moon to get a 5^th place there only 1.5s off the win with a tough field of riders. I knew the next few races would be a little harder as they were European cups.

Next up were rounds 1 and 2 of the European cup series in Austria and Germany. I had a bit of a tough time with them, the tracks were rough and it made it difficult for me to hang on and ride at my best. I ended with a 51^st and 46^th at both rounds which was not too bad at that stage. I had always had a bit of bad luck at European cups for some reason and my career best was a 15^th place in Chattel in 2012. The plan was then to go to France to race the Crankworx Les 2 Alpes event but I decided to go to Schladming, Austria instead. I had some friends there and it is arguably the best track around so it is great for training and I thought it would be very good to get some bike time. It was exactly what I needed and after a couple of weeks I was feeling quite a lot better and I came a long way with my bike setup which I had battled with. Schladming is a great place to go and loads of fun besides the good riding. There are mountain go carts which are the best things ever, a push go cart which you rent and fly down a 7km mountain road at around 70kph! After the fun and games I was on a plane home for SA national champs in PE. It was good for me to go home for a few days and unwind too. The track in PE was average I have to say; it was a fun single trail and fairly fast but there was not much to separate riders which made it tough. The track was super tight and tricky to get up to speed but it was the same for everyone. I ended up getting 2^nd place behind Tiaan Odendaal. I was 4s off him and I was really disappointed because it’s such a big goal of mine and I put so much focus on it. I think sometimes when you want something too much you can push too hard. It’s still a big goal of mine and since my first national champs in 2010 I have been 5^th, 3^rd, 3^rd, 2^nd so hopefully 2014 will be my year J  

I was soon back on a plane and off to Andorra for my first World Cup of the season. My travel buddy and partner in crime was Sam Bull. He collected me from Geneva and we drove for  9 hours to Andorra. This meant that since PE I had been travelling for around 35 hours and was in desperate need of sleep! Now a World Cup is the toughest level of racing in the sport and also has a much tighter schedule than most other races. You only have 1 day to practice the course before you need to qualify to get into the final. This might sound easy but you need to bear in mind that only the very best riders even attempt to qualify for a world cup. There are usually a couple of hundred who  try to qualify at each event and you only get  1 chance to achieve it.. So if you have a crash or a mechanical problem that’s it, all over. It is quite a lot of pressure to get the job done and it’s the reason that racing the world cups is so tough.

However it’s the same for everyone and I just needed to pull out all the stops. We had walked the track and I knew it would be tough as the track looked like the most gnarly track I had ever ridden, super steep, rocky, fast and long. My weekend unfortunately took a bad turn as I had a small crash and sliced the palm of my hand open. I needed stitches and due to the position of the cut I was unable to ride. I kept my head high and moved on to the next European cup in Pila, Italy. It’s one of my favourite tracks and I had a solid ride getting me into 19^th spot which  was awesome! It was my second best result ever and my second top 20. Pila is definitely one of the best places to ride and train in all of Europe. Next up we decided to make the long trek to Ilmenau in Germany for a German cup round. I had podiumed there in 2011 and I was looking forward to going back for the win!

The track had changed so much and it was all new. It’s a bit of strange one there as the track is pretty similar to a South African track, being a bit flatter and shorter. We all had a blast and I ended up in 7^th place which was a bit of a disappointment. However I was less than 2 seconds off the win and less than a second off the podium which was really frustrating but still good. My good friend Christian Textor had invited us to come to his place right after the race and we had an awesome time! We got to ride some rad jumps, pump tracks and trails while meeting new people and loving it. It was a good break for us and we felt refreshed for the next event in Wiriehorn, Switzerland. I had also been to Wiriehorn before and I had really enjoyed the track which was crazy fast! I knew I had a good result in me and after I seeded 6^th I thought a win could be on the cards. In my race run I had a couple of silly mistakes and I had to settle for 11^th spot just 6 seconds off the winner, Manuel Gruber. It was a little frustrating to be so close to a top 10 but that’s how it goes.

On the Sunday after the event we headed to Morzine to spend a week riding and training at Riders Refuge. It was so much fun and if you ever decide to go to Morzine, head to Riders refuge, meals included, the works! Now I did not have too much time, I needed to get home for the World Championships in Pietermaritzburg. It was such an honour to be selected to race for South Africa in the World Champs for the first time. It had been a massive goal for me and to do it and get my SA colours was amazing.  As with SA champs, I came home for a few days first just to unwind from all the travel before heading up to Pietermaritzburg.

It was such a good feeling to have to have my parents and friends there; it makes such a big difference. The track there is a bit different to the other World Cup tracks, it has a monster pedal section in the middle but it’s also the fastest track of the season and has massive jumps. My goal was a top 20 and I knew that if all went well I could definitely achieve that.  I ended up getting 40^th place which was not bad but also a bit disappointing. My run just didn’t quite go to plan. I was only 6 seconds off the top 20 which is not a lot on a long course like Pietermaritzburg. In the end it was still a solid result and a huge step in the right direction for me. That race was probably the most enjoyable of my career so far.

No time to hang around though, a few days later I was on a plane back to Europe for the last 2 World cup rounds and the last 2 European cup rounds. First up was the European cup in Chatel, France and I love the track there so I was excited. I seeded in 12^th there but unfortunately the weather changed for the finals and made the track a nightmare. I really battled in the cold and wet conditions and after crashing twice my hands were full of mud which made it impossible to hang on. I had to just cruise down and settled for 82^nd spot which was a huge let down but I needed to move on. The Monday after the event I flew up to Norway and met up with the SC INTENSE World Cup team for the Hafjell World Cup round. The team was only arriving the following day which meant I needed to sleep in the airport which was interesting but I had done it before so it was ok.

 

It was a rad experience to travel with the team and have the support so I am really thankful for that. I was really looking forward to Hafjell as I loved the track and was determined to  get into the final for the first time in Europe as I had only ever qualified at 1 World Cup prior to this which was in Pietermaritzburg! After a good days practice I managed to put in a good run for the Qualification. I started out really strong and I was so worried about messing up at the bottom that I eased off slightly to make sure I kept it together. This almost cost me as I just made it into the final in 78^th spot! It didn’t matter because I was in and that was what mattered!

For the finals the weather flipped around and it was pouring with rain making the track a river! We had done all our practice in the dry and then suddenly the track was a river which made it very tough. My goal was to keep it on two wheels because I knew that loads of people would crash out etc. I managed to do that and got down in 69^th spot which was solid and still a huge step forward for me confidence wise. There was no time to hang around though, first thing in the morning we were off to the airport and on the way to Leogang in Austria for the World Cup finals. I was excited as I now knew that I could do it and I was ready for more.

The track had changed a lot and they had made it quite a bit more technical than in the past which made the first day of practice very interesting. I managed to keep it together and I felt good going into day 2 which was qualifying.  However things took a turn for the worst for myself, Sam and our other partner, Adi van Der Merwe. We woke up to a van which had been broken into and all of our Morewood bikes had been stolen from right outside our window. We were devastated to say the least and it was definitely the end of our weekend. The thieves were  pro’s as they managed to break the window and get all three bikes out without making a sound while just meters away from our apartment window which was open. We obviously reported it to the cops but we knew that we would not see the bikes again, the guys were good. After all this we were  in a tricky situation as we still had one event left the following weekend and we thought it would be better to find bikes and race it to end off the trip on a good note. We did just that, we found bikes which we could borrow and went to race the last European cup in Maribor, Slovenia. It was the first time I had been there and the track was absolutely awesome! It had loads of jumps, roots and natural sections which made it my favourite European cup track of the year! The weather did not play ball and it literally rained the entire weekend which made the track an ice rink but still a ball of fun. I have never been great in the mud and I had never enjoyed the mud until this race! I absolutely loved every minute of it and in my race run I was on a great run until I hit a tree and it forced me to a stop. I was gutted but even with that huge mistake I ended in 41^st place while riding a borrowed bike that was too small. It was also a huge step forward for my confidence and mud riding. As this was the last European cup round it marked the end of the series and I finished up 23^rd which was also a huge improvement from my 70 something in 2012.

The following week we visited THE October Fest in Munich, Germany which was such an awesome experience and loads of fun! Anyone who wants to see a party, go there and enjoy. You have never seen so many drunk people in one place in your life. I had booked to fly home on the Thursday of that week but when I arrived at the airport they said the flight was over booked and would I like to spend another night in Munich? At first I was not to keen but then they offered me 600 Euros and a free night’s stay at the hotel. Needless to say I stayed and flew home the following day 600 Euros richer J

It was a good feeling to be home and chill out for a bit mentally. I was still training hard for my last event which was in Malelane, Mpumalanga. I was determined to go and race and I managed to borrow a Trek Session 9.9 bike from Thomas Rood and I am really grateful to him. I rode the bike about 6 times before heading up to the event and I felt confident I could have a good result.

I walked the track up there and I was excited because it was a proper track, super steep and technical. The event was a little different because it was so far out so we all stayed together and it was a really good fun weekend for all that attended. I had a couple of good days practice with a few punctures but I felt strong for race day. I put in an ok seeding run with some silly mistakes and ended 3^rd just 2 seconds of the lead which was a good feeling as I knew I had more in the tank. However it all fell apart in the race run when I had a flat tyre just 30 seconds into the track. I was gutted  but on the positive side I knew I was riding well and it was just equipment failure.

That brings us to the present and it’s been an amazing year with loads of good times. At the end of it all I went from 150 something in the world ranking to 46^th, I ended 23^rd in the European ranking, I finished 40^th at World Champs and I finished 2^nd at SA Champs. It was definitely my best year so far and a huge building block for the future. I still have huge goals in this sport and I’m on my way!!

Although I am riding the bike, it takes a huge effort from a lot of people to keep me out there, so to my parents, trainer (John Wakefield) and all who support me I say THANKYOU! Also to my main sponsor INVESTEC and all my co-sponsors (Morewood, Seattle Coffee co, Virgin Active, Leatt, Bell helmets, Csixx, Hayes, Odi, Sun Ringle, Spank, Science 2 Sport, Red Bull and Giro shoes)  , I could not do this without your support and I am really thankful and fortunate.

I hope you all enjoyed the read and I will see you in 2014! J

Until next time….

Malelane Toyota Downhill Challenge 2013

This past weekend I flew up to Jo burg and made the 4.5 hour trek up to Malelane in Mpumalanga for the 2013 Malelane Toyota Downhill Challenge.

I have been wanting to do the event for the past 2 years and this year I finally managed to get up there! We got there on the Thursday afternoon and headed straight to the track to have a look. I got there and knew immediately that it would be good. I walked it and I was excited because it was fast, steep, technical and looked like it was going to be a challenge.

Dirk Lourens was the organiser and offered to take us up for a look see. A few of us headed up and took a cruise down the coarse, unfortunately about half way down I entered a rocky section and a rock pierced my tyre leaving me frustraited and having to walk down! After walking down I packed up and headed to the hotel where we had free accommodation thanks to Dirk. It was such a great vibe having all of us staying together in the middle of nowhere.

We had a rough night sleep on the Thursday as it was so hot and humid up there but luckily it cooled off slightly. The restaurant at the hotel was not the greatest in the service department, it was quite funny actually. On the Friday night Pottie and I ordered our food at 19:30 and only got it at 22:00, crazy! Friday and Saturday were just practice days and I was pumping out the runs, doing 5-6 runs each day and timing sections too. I always start out a bit slower on a new track and build up through the weekend which works well for me. It feels a bit safer as you don’t just go flatout right off the bat and crash out. By the end of Saturday I felt good and was excited for the Sundays racing!

On Saturday, Pottie, Tim Bentley and myself decided to get a room at the hotel to try get a better night sleep as the party got a bit crazy on the Friday night. The rooms also had aircon which made sleeping a lot more pleasant. It was definitely worth it as we woke up on Sunday morning fresh and ready for action!

We all headed down to the track and I got in 3 runs before seeding with the weather looking like it could rain at any time. I was hoping for it to stay dry as we had not ridden in the wet and the track would get wild in the wet.  Soon enough I was in the gate for seeding, as the starter said go I tried to go to early and had to jump off the side of the start ramp! I heard laughter behind me and then off I went. After a mistake early I pushed a bit harder up top than I had planned to and I made some silly mistakes. As I got lower down I chilled out a bit more and saved some energy for the final. I came across with a 3:09 and was sitting in 3^rd spot behind Tim Bentley on 3:07 and Pottie on 3:08 which I was really happy with considering my run. I knew that for finals everyone would be quicker and I was thinking that my time would be around 5 seconds quicker if all went well.

We had a quick break and then it was time for finals.  I was determined to put in a good one at the last event of my 2013 season. I set off strong and actually rode down the start ramp! I hit the top section really well and just before the first road I popped up onto the grass to get a better line into the corner as I always do. All I heard was a bang then a hissing sound….

I knew I had a flat immediately and I was so upset, I couldn’t believe it. That was unfortunately the end of my weekend. I hadn't had a flat in a race run for more than 2 years so I guess it was bound to happen sometime. I still got some rad prizes even though I flatted, so awesome!  I am still really happy with my riding up there and I was loving the Trek 9.9 which Tom Rood lent me for the event. I had only ridden the bike 6 times prior to the event and I already felt comfortable on the bike so a big thanks to Tom for that! Also a big shout out to Dirk Lourens for putting on a fantastic event with the best track in the country! Lastly thanks to JP and Hayden for organising me a lift up there :)

 That brings us to the end of a great season in 2013! It has been one heck of a ride and I could not have done it without a lot of support.  A huge thank you to my main sponsor, INVESTEC, without them I would not have been able to live the dream in 2013! Also thanks to all my co sponsors, Morewood, Seattle Coffee co, Virgin Active, Science 2 Sport, Leatt protectives, Bell helmets, Adidas eyewear, Csixx, Odi, Sun Ringle, Hayes, Spank, John Wakefield, Cycles Africa, Giro shoes and Red Bull SA. It takes a lot of support to make this all happen and I am so fortunate.

Next up will be a season recap.

Until next time…

IXS European DH Cup #6 - Maribor

I am finally back in SA now after a crazy last couple of weeks in Europe! It was up and down to say the least....

Straight after Hafjell I headed to Leogang to race the last round of the world cup series for 2013, however on the friday night before qualification our van van broken into an d all three of our bikes for were stolen. Sam, Adi and myself were gutted to say the least, we could believe that this happened in Austria of all places. Needless to say we didnt race in Leogang and we were not sure about Maribor either as we were not feeling too great and didnt have bikes.

Adi was due to fly home just after Leogang anyway and Sam and myself got our butts into gear and organised to borrow bikes for maribor. Sam managed to get a medium Lappiere and I got a medium Morewood, they were definately too small but it was better than nothing. Our goal from then on was to have fun, learn the track for 2014 and do the best we could. There was no pressure and it was supposed to rain the whole weekend which would make things interesting as the track was filled with roots. We got to the venue on Friday morning and after doing one run down the track I was not too keen to carry on, the bike felt very awkward and the track was so slippery. However I thought I would tough it out that day and make a decision as to whether I would race on Saturday. By the end of practice on Friday I was having a blast and looking forward to the Saturday! On Saturday it rained more and the track was getting worse and worse but for some strange reason i was loving it, such a challenge to ride.
The seeding run was on the Saturday afternoon and I had no expectations, I just tried to hit all my lines and keep the flow going. I made two very costly mistakes and ended in 36th which was not too far off. I knew I could go quicker the next day :)

So after eating at possibly the best restaurant ever on Saturday evening, Sunday rolled around and it was as expected, pouring with rain! I did just two practice runs before the race run and the track was crazy, like ice all the way down. I was still enjoying it but it was tough, really tough. I was looking forward to the challenge of racing it and soon enough I was headed to the start. It was quite strange at this race as the start was half way down the mountain so by the time u got to the start you were covered in mud already :D It made it a bit cold but it was the same for everyone.

It was not long before I was in the gate and on track! I was a bit worried as to how the track would be after more rain and riders but as I hit the first three corners I realised that it was better! Somehow more rain made it better, it was wet but my tyres were able to stick into the mud and not get clogged up. The track was a river and it was the first time ever in a wet race run that I was having a blast, I felt so good and I was building towards the bottom of the track. However about 1 minute from the end I came into a rooty off camber section too fast and slid into a tree and stopped. It was a fairly fast section and it was hard to get going and back up to speed. The rest of my run was good but unfortunately the tea break cost me dearly. I ended in 41st position which was definately not a true reflection of how I was riding. On a positive note, I felt the best I ever have in a mud race and really enjoyed it. It was a huge confidence boost for wet races next season. I say next season because we will propbably not see a rain drop until next season back home :P

All in all  I am happy and it was a great learning experience, this track is round 1 for the series next year and I am already excited! It was definately my favourite IXS Cup track for 2013.

I would look to again give it up to all the people that have helped me this year and all my amazing sponsors! I would not be hear if it was not for you guys ;)
Special thanks to INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee Co, Virgin Active, Science2Sport, John Wakefield, Cycles Africa, Sun Ringle, Hayes, Odi, Spank, Csixx, Leatt protectives, Bell helmets, Adidas eyewear, Faithwear and Red Bull SA!

I still have one event left on the calander, the Toyota DH challenge in Malelane. Hopefully I can organise a bike by then!

Until next time....

UCI World Cup round 5 - Hafjell, Norway

Last weekend I headed up to Norway for the 5th round of the world cup series, here is how things went....

I flew up on the Monday evening due to getting a really cheap flight, BUT I landed at 23:30 which meant I had to sleep at the airport. This was not ideal so I checked out the local hotels but after finding out that one nights stay was +- 250 Euros I decided to stay in the airport :) I have to be honest, I slept really well on a soft bench, probably the best I have ever slept in an airport. Its amazing what ear plugs and an eye patch can do!

I had organised to travel and stay with the SC Intense team which was a massive help, so a big thanks to them for that! They were arriving at around 7pm the following day which meant I stayed in the aiport for around 20 hours..... anyway it had to be done.

We headed to the venue and the following day we set up the pit, sorted out registration and got the bikes ready for business on Thursday. The first practice session was on Thursday and I was ampd to get out there. I had been there in 2012 and had a bad weekend so I was hoping to smash it this time round. The track was bone dry and dusty and definately my favourite track of the season. It has everything, big jumps, high speed, steep technical and even some bike park. On thursday I just ried to get my lines dialled in and get comfy on track while having loads of fun. Qualification was on the Friday and I knew I had to step things up to get into the big show. I did some timed runs on Friday morning before qualifying and I felt strong going into my run. After waiting around and feeling the nerves I put my game face on and got into the gate, after hearing the beeps I was off! I pushed really hard at the top and nailed all my lines, my middel section was a bit sketchy and I lost some time which meant I needed to nail the bottom. I got threw it with no big mistakes and crossed the line with a time of 3:50..... I was not sure if it would be good enough but thankfully I made it into the final 80 in 78th spot!

I was over the moon to qualify in Europe for the first time and it was also my first start at a world cup in 2013 :) So after a nice evening it was back to business on the Saturday. I had heard that rain was on the way so I used Saturday to change up some lines and to be prepared for the wet :) Sure enough we woke up to rain on Sunday!

I headed up for my 2 practice runs and the track was slippery to say the least. I felt good in some sections and horrible in others,  was just hoping to get it right for the race run. After a few hours of waiting around and getting cold it was time to head up. I was really unsure of how the track would be in the final after all the riders had come down. I knew I would need to wing some sections!

It was'nt long before I was on track and hurtling down the hill. As I entered the first rock garden I blew off line and knew it would be a tough run but it had to be done! I didnt go as quick as I wanted to and made loads of mistakes but I managed to get down without crashing which I was pleased about. I ended in 69th spot, I was just happy to finally race a world cup in Europe and it was a massive building block for me going forward :D

Thanks so much to everyone for all the support this season, its been amazing so far! Also thanks to my awesome sponsors who keep me out here, INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee Co, Virgin Active, John Wakefield @ Science2Sport, Leatt, Bell helmets, Csixx, Spank, Cycles Africa, Odi, Sun Ringle, Hayes, Faithwear, Red Bull SA and Adidas eyewear!

Until next time....

UCI Word Championships - Pietermaritzburg 2013 & IXS European Cup #5 - Chatel, France

Wow its been quite a hectic couple of weeks! I have really battled to find the time to get a post done around all the travelling. I am currently sitting in Oslo airport waiting for my lift to Hafjell for the 5th round of the World Cup series 2013.

 Anyway lets get down to business, 2 weeks ago I was in Pietermaritzburg for my first ever UCI World Championships, to say I was excited was an understatement! Anyway after all the excitement of opening night it was time to race. Due to the hectic schedule of worlds there was not too much practice time. There was 3 hours on thursday, 3 hours on Friday, 1 hour on Saturday and 30 mins on Sunday which meant only doing about 9-10 runs before racing which was not ideal. Anyway it was the same for everyone. On the first day I focused on learning the new sections of the track and not pushing too hard. I felt good and just wanted to keep riding because the course is so much fun! The second day I picked it up a bit but still not race pace as the track was super loose and dusty. Making a mistake would be really easy.

On Friday night it rained and on Saturday the course was really good. There was an official timed run on the Saturday which did not count for anything, it was just an indicator for the riders. I did not want to waste my energy in the timed runs as the course is very physical so I tried to just stay smooth and hit my lines. I had a fairly good run with a few mistakes and not too much pedalling which put me into 42nd place with a 4:26. I was happy beacause I knew I had much more to give on the Sunday!

Finally it was race day I was ready to go! I had a solid runin the morning and soon we were at the start warming up. The tension was in the air....
Soon it was my slot and I was on track! I wanted to push at the top while still saving a bit of energy for the long pedal section in the middel. I have never ever heard so many people cheering for me all the way down a course, it was like being in a tunnel of people! I pushed as hard as I could and came down in 4:18 which I was not too happy about. I felt I could have gone quicker but thats racing :) I knew I pedalled hard when I tasted blood in my throat afterwards...I ended in 40th position. I was gunning for a top 20 which was definately possible but for my first ever worlds 40th is not too shabby. Hopefully I can bump myself up there next year!

Thats not the end of it though, on the tuesday afterwards I flew back to Europe on route to the 5th round of the European cup series in Chatel, France. It was a long 32 hours of travelling but I was happy to be back with the other SA boys. We first headed to Riders Refuge in Morzine for the best accomodation/ food in Europe! We had a 45min drive to Chatel everyday but it was worth it ;)

Anyway practice started on Friday as ussual and I felt so good on the track, its loads of fun although not being the longest track. I did 5 runs and had a blast in the sunny weather. The track is really technical up top with loads of roots and then it super fast at the bottom on a hard rocky surface making it a bit slippy. Friday night saw it rain a fair bit which made Saturday morning pretty slick but still loads of fun! the seeding run was also on Saturday and after finishing 15th there in 2012 I was looking for a decent result.
 There were also predictions of storms for the Sunday so I wanted to have a good seeding incase the race got cancelled on Sunday. I smashed out my run and came down with a 2:41 which put me into 12th place 5 seconds off the lead. I was very pleased as I knew where I could make up a few seconds the next day.
However that night and the next day saw it pour with rain making  the track insanely tough. I have only ridded those conditions once or twice before and it did not go too well. I did 2 runs in the morning and I managed to get through the track fairly well but it was just so unpredictable.

I could not wait to get the race run over with as we were freezing cold, muddy and wet. I was not too sure how it would go as the track would have changed so much after all the riders.

Anyway soon I was on track and as soon as I hit the first section I knew it was going to be really tough! Only about 45 seconds into the track I hit some slippery roots and got sideways losing my speed. This made the next section almost impossible as you need to enter with some speed. I managed to slip and slide my way through it but after another 50 meters I got sideways in a rut and hit the deck. I struggled to get up in the slippery mud and now my gloves were covered in mud making it impossible to hang on. I rode for about 10 meters and then had to stop to clean my gloves off. By this stage I had lost so much time I just wanted to get down and go home, so I just cruised down and staright to the car. I think I ended in 82nd or something but to be honest I wanted to forget about the big mess. It did not go according to plan but I know had speed as I had a good seeding and this is downhill, anything can happen :)

Thanks so much to everyone for the support this season and to all the amazing sponsors keeping me out here: INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee Co, Cycles Africa, Hayes, Sun Ringle, Spank, Odi, Csixx, Leatt, Bell helmets, Adidas eyewear, Faithwear, Virgin Active, Science 2 Sport and Red Bull SA!

I hope to end off the year with solid results!

Until next time....

IXS European cup #4 - Wiriehorn, Switzerland

We have internet again finally and I can get you all up to speed! I just raced the 4^th round of the IXS European cup series in Wiriehorn, Switzerland. I had raced there before in 2011 and I was looking forward to getting a really good result leading up to worlds in two weeks time!

We had been staying at Christian Textor’s place in Germany and we had so0 much fun that we decided to stay until Friday morning and leave at 5am in the morning. We arrived just in time for practice and we were all a bit tired after the early start. I just wanted to get in 4-5 runs to get to know the track and conditions. The track had changed a lot since I raced it in 2011 and I was loving it! It was FAST, dry and loose with some cool technical sections too.

On Saturday after 5 practice runs and loads of fun it was time for the seeding runs. I tried to stay relaxed and just have smooth run without going all out which is exactly what I did. I came down with a time of 4:08 which had me in 6^th spot, my best ever seeding result at a European cup. I was really happy because I knew I had some time which I could take off for the race run.

On Sunday I put in 3 solid runs in the morning, 2 of which being full runs to ensure I had the flow of the track down. I felt really good and knew I could have a good one. Thankfully the weather stayed dry which was awesome and the track was sooo dusty!

Race runs were upon us and soon it was my turn, I was so keen to have a good one that when the beeps sounded I actually got a bit too aggressive and blew the first 3 turns by going in too fast. I knew I had messed up then and there but I refocused on the rest of the run. I was almost at the finish when I hit a flat left hander a bit fast and had a full on 2 wheel drift! I thought I was crashing and somehow saved it J I got to the finish with a time of 4:08:41 which left me in 11^th spot overall. Its bitter sweet because it’s my best European cup result so far BUT if I had a solid run I would have been a good few spots higher up. I’m still stoked and I had a blast, now it’s back home for world champs!

Results link: http://www.ixsdownhillcup.com/images/results/2013/Results_Final_Wiriehorn2013.pdf

I have also moved into 19^th in the European rankings!

Thanks so much to everyone for all the support! Also to my awesome sponsors: INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee co, Virgin Active, my trainer John Wakefield @science2sport, Cycles Africa, Manitou, Hayes, Sun Ringle, Odi, Adidas eyewear, Red Bull SA, Bell Helmets, Leatt protectives, Csixx, Spank and Faithwear.

Until next time… Keep an eye out on www.ixsdownhillcup.com for the Wiriehorn video recap, I did a little interview ;)

IXS German cup - Ilmenau 2013

It’s a week after the German IXS cup race in Ilmenau and we have been having loads of fun at Christian Textor’s place riding dirt jumps and pump track. Getting back to business though, the weekend went really well and this is how it all unfolded.

After arriving on the Friday we quickly walked the track and got going as practice was already under way! The track was a little different to what we have been riding with it being a bit shorter and flatter. It was also all natural with no bike park sections which was cool. It’s almost like riding a pump track all the way down, but with around 500 riders on track! The conditions were bone dry and loose which made it really tricky to push the envelope but it was a lot of fun.

I got in about 5 runs on the Friday with the shuttle, yes a shuttle in Europe! I think it’s the only one in the series! I felt really good on the track and that I had a really good chance to take a win there. On Saturday I just put in 3 good runs in the morning and I was ready for seeding, I was a little anxious as I was last down the hill with the number 1 on my bike J My first ever number 1 at a race. However it just had to rain as this is Europe and it always rains at some point. So just before my seeding run it poured down leaving the track dry in some sections and super slippery in others. There were lots of roots on the track so I knew it was going to be interesting. Finally I set off and as soon as I got into it I was just all over the place blowing turns, being way to aggressive and pushing too hard. I had 3 very near crashes and somehow I crossed the line 18^th 5.7sec back. I was not pleased with myself at all as I usually don’t ride like that, but it was just seeding and I knew I had to put in a solid one on Sunday.

On Sunday morning I focused on my lines and also did 2 full runs before the race run just to get the flow of the track and to settle in. I felt way better and knew that I had a lot of time I could make up.

Before I knew it I was in the gate and ready to go, the beeps came and I was off! I pushed as hard as possible without over cooking it, I had a solid run which was almost mistake free. I came down with a time of 2:09 which was good enough for 7^th spot, I was only 2.1 sec off the winner, Benny Strasser. It was quite annoying to be so close and not get a podium but that’s racing and it’s still a solid result. I have to say this is probably my favourite race of the year so far due to all the crazy german fans!

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me thus far and to all my amazing sponsors! INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee co, Cycles Africa, Manitou, Odi, Sun Ringle, Hayes, Science 2 Sport, John Wakefield, Virgin Active, Csixx, Spank, Bell helmets, Leatt, Adidas eyewear, Red Bull SA and Faithwear.

Next up is European cup #4 in Wiriehorn Switzerland!

Until next time...

 

 

Andorra World Cup / European DH Cup - Pila, Italy

The last two weeks have been up and down for me, let’s start with the Andorra world cup. I headed back to Europe after SA champs and I was really excited to race a world cup again as it had been over a year since Val D Isere. We got there on the Tuesday just in time for a huge surprise on Wednesday, track walk!

After walking the track I was excited and tense at the same time. The track was so steep and gnarly, it was crazy! It was definitely the steepest / roughest track I had ever seen besides maybe Champery / Val Di Sole. Anyway I was looking forward to smashing some runs the next day! Before I knew it, I was in the start hut and out of the gate, the first run I really cruised down and just chilled as the track was really tough to remember with so many turns. After a huge eye opener first run I picked up the pace the pace a bit for the second run and hit some better lines. Now there is not much practice at a world cup which means getting up to speed really quickly. I knew I had to get going so in run three I picked it up just a bit more and heading into a rocky section I lost the front wheel and slid out. At first I thought I was fine as the impact was not too hard. However next thing I knew my left glove was full of blood and I realised that I sliced my palm open. I needed to get five stitches to close it up and due to its position I was unable to carry on riding. I was pretty disappointed but unfortunately these things happen.

I was forced to be a spectator for the weekend and turned my focus to the next race, the third round of the IXS European DH series in Pila, Italy.

On the Monday after Andorra we made the 10 hour trek to Pila. We woke up on Tuesday morning to awesome sunny weather and had an awesome couple of days riding before the race started on Friday. Pila is definitely my favourite place to ride in Europe!

Soon it was back to business and practicing on the race track. It was craziness as there were so many riders (+- 400) on track at the same time. I felt really good on this track, I really enjoy it and felt that I had a  good result in me for the weekend. The track has a bit of everything, fast corners, steep sections, jumps and tricky rock sections. I got in about 5 runs on Friday and 3 on Saturday before seeding. It was bone dry and so loose however right before seeding on Saturday the weather absolutely lashed out and conditions were turned on their head. It stormed and hailed, it was madness and we almost lost out gazebo J

They ended up postponing the seeding for the elite men until Sunday morning before racing. That meant an earlier start for me on Sunday to get in two runs prior to seeding. The track was quite slick after the rain but it was hot again so I knew it would dry out for racing later on in the day. I wanted to give it a good go in seeding to see where I ended up. I had a fairly good run with a few mistakes and was sitting in 17^th spot after seeding with a time of 4:21. The leader was on a 4:14 so I was not too far off.

For race run I was ready to go and wanted to have a mistake free run. I left the start and got a big surprise as to how dry the track was, it was dusty and loose again! I pinned it all the way down and hit all my lines, I crossed the line and was stoked that I had a good one, I looked up and saw 4:12 on the board but unfortunately it was only good enough for 19^th spot. The winner had a 4:06 which meant I was only 6 sec off the win, racing is just so tight these days. Anyway it was a huge step in the right direction and a confidence boost. I feel really good on the bike and I know my speed is there again, I just need to find a bit more to get to the top step J

Thanks soooooo much to everyone who is supporting, it means so much. Also a massive thank you to my main sponsor, INVESTEC, and my other sponsors who keep me out there, morewood, Seattle Coffee co, Science 2 Sport, John wakefield, Virgin Active, Red Bull SA , Cycles Africa, Odi, Manitou, Sun Ringle, Hayes, Csixx, Spank, Bell helmets, Leatt protectives, Adidas eyewear and Faithwear! I could not do this without you J

Now we are off to Ilmenau for the German IXS cup!

 

Until next time….

SA National Championships - PE 2013

As I write this I am sitting in Geneva airport waiting for my baggage to arrive. That’s right, after driving 8 hours from PE to Cape Town, flying 2 hours to Jo Burg, Flying 10 hours to Frankfurt and finally flying for an hour to Geneva, the airline lost my bag! Great start to the day right? No worries though, I only have a 9 hour drive to Andorra to go! J

Anyway this is about the weekends happenings at the SA national championships held just outside PE. My mother and I left on the Thursday morning to arrive in the evening before practice on Friday. We got to Addo which was where we were staying and the closest town to the track. I don’t know if you can call 5 houses and a petrol station a town?! But anyway we settled in and the next morning headed down to see what was potting at the track. Some riders were already on track which meant I didn’t have time for a course walk, but I had heard that it was not really necessary so I headed up for run one. I got a big surprise as the track was so tight up top with trees on the insides of every corner and then at the bottom there was a nice steep uphill followed by a flat pedal! I knew it was going to be tough as making a mistake here would be very easy. I got in five runs on the Friday followed by a good track walk to check out some new lines and after watching loads of helmet cam runs I knew where I was going come Saturday morning.

I smashed out six runs on Saturday including a few timed runs which helped and by the end of the day I felt fast and comfy on track. It was just quite tricky because the track was so different, you could not just attack like most tracks, you needed to almost go slower to go faster. You had to be smooth and flow through all the corners which would give you a faster time than if you just go balls out! We headed back and got ready for action on Sunday.

Sunday rolled in and I was focused and ready for action, I got in just one practice run before seeding which was cool. In seeding the goal was to hit the technical fast but not give everything in the pedal which was exactly what I did. I seeded 3^rd with a 3:25, less than 2 seconds off the leader, Jonty Neethling. I was pleased with that and knew I had quite a bit left in the tank. Soon enough it was race time and I was ready to go!

After a solid warm up I headed to the gate. 5….4….3…2…1….GO! I was off pedalling like a beast and hitting all my lines, I hit the top section really well with almost no mistakes and then pedalled hard at the bottom. I came across the line with a 3:19:82 which put me into 2^nd spot behind Tiaan Odendaal. I am pleased with the result and my shoulder is feeling better and better, keeping in mind that its only 10 weeks after my surgery. I am always a little disappointed not to win but the consistency is there and the win is coming soon J

Results:

1.       Tiaan Odendaal – 3:15:83

2.       Stefan Garlicki – 3:19:82

3.       Adi Van Der Merwe – 3:21:67

4.       Jonty Neethling – 3:21:99

Thanks so much to all the people who support me and all my amazing sponsors who keep me on track! INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee co, Red Bull SA, Science 2 Sport, John Wakefield, Virgin Active, Cycles Africa ( Manitou, Hayes, Sun Ringle, Odi ), Spank, Csixx, Bell helmets, Leatt protectives, Adidas eyewear and Faithwear!

Next up, my first world cup of the season in Andorra!

Until next time…..

IXS EUROPEAN CUP #2 - Spicak, Czech

This past weekend was the 2^nd round of the IXS European cup series which was held in Spicak, Czech. I was looking forward to the race as last year I had a DNF there due to a huge crash. The track there is very different to anything else around, it’s super tight and rocky all the way down. It’s almost like mixing trials in with downhill as in some of the turns you needed to hop the back wheel just to make the turn!

We started practice on Friday and the track was super slippery, it was not wet but it wasn’t dry either so the rocks were slick. I was feeling very awkward on the track because the only way to go fast is to get very loose! I was not ready to push on the track as I am still guarding the shoulder a bit. However when Saturday came around I started to get into it and was going really well in practice. It started raining half way through the day and the track got really wild which would make seeding interesting J

Seeding came around and I was off to a terrible start, I made so many mistakes at the top and lost around 10 seconds which was very frustrating. However I knew I had the speed and was keen for Sunday plus some good weather. I ended 35^th with a time of 3:33 and 18 seconds off the leader.

Sunday morning was great with the sun out and the weather a bit warmer. We did get a bit of a shock on our first run when the track was so wet due to overnight rain. It was absolute madness but still fun! I pumped out 4 runs and I was timing sections trying to find a bit more speed. I was feeling fast and a 2 crashes in practice which I was kind of happy about because it showed I was pushing again. I was just hoping to keep it on two wheels for race run.

After a few hours I headed up for my run and soon enough I was on track. I pushed hard out of the gate and made a mistake in the very first section which was irritating. Then about half way down my foot unclipped unexpectedly in one of the turns which caused me to almost crash and lose speed. I got going again and right near the end I slipped on a root in an off camber section and almost went off track losing all my speed. I finished the run with a time of 3:21 which was good enough for 46^th place and 17 seconds off the winner, Robin Walner. This was obviously not the result I wanted but this is downhill and anything can happen. I am really happy with my riding and my speed is coming back, I just need to put together a full race run J

I now have a couple of weeks off before heading home for national champs in PE.

Thanks so much again to everyone behind me, the fact that I am even riding at this stage is amazing and things will turn around soon!

Thanks to INVESTEC, morewood, Seattle Coffee Co, Science 2 Sport / John Wakefield, Virgin Active, Cycles Africa - Sun Ringle – Odi – Manitou - Hayes, Bell helmets, Leatt protective, Adidas eyewear,  Faithwear, Csixx, Spank and Red Bull SA!

IXS EUROPEAN CUP #1 - Leogang, Austria

This past weekend was the first round of the IXS European Downhill Cup series which is the premier series in Europe. The field was stacked as many top world cup riders were there to get in some practise for the world cup there later this year. I knew it would be a big test for me as my shoulder is still not great when the track gets rough and Leogang is NOT smooth J

Never the less I was excited and keen to get on track. Friday practice was awesome, the weather was perfect and the track was so fast and loose! I squeezed in 5 runs on the Friday and the goal was to get comfortable on the track so that I could get up to speed on Saturday. I did just that and was ready for Saturday seeding runs.

Saturday rolled around and I got in 4 runs in the morning on a dry and rough track. I was ready for seeding but as this is Europe it decided to pour with rain for seeding which meant no idea what to expect in the run. I got the mud tyres on and headed up to the top. I wanted to just have a smooth run and not make any big mistakes as this is the first race of the season. I had a solid run and came down with a time of 3:48 in 78^th spot which was no was nowhere near where I wanted to be but I was not too worried as it was only seeding. However I knew I had some work to do on the Sunday morning in practise.

Race day was upon us with better weather,  I smashed out 4 runs early and was feeling great, I found some new lines and picked up the intensity over the whole track. I was confident that I would go a lot faster in the race run but at the same time I didn’t want to push over my limit and crash in the first round.

Anyway it was not long before race runs started and I was soon in the start gate ready to go! I heard the beeps and I was off! I pedalled hard and had a decent run while not getting out of control. I came down with a 3:32 which was good enough for 51^st spot 16 seconds off the winner. I was disappointed with the result as I knew I had more in me but at the same time it’s a solid start with that field of riders. The goal was to have a solid start, keep the shoulder improving each week and not go all out at the first few races. I am satisfied with that.

However I assure you I will be back on top very soon! J

Thanks so much to all the great people and sponsors who make this happen!

Thanks to INVESTEC, morewood, seattle coffee co, virgin active, my trainer John Wakefield @ science 2 sport, Red Bull SA, Cycles Africa ( Manitou, odi, hayes, sun ringle ), Spank, Csixx, Leatt protectives, Bell helmets, Adidas eyewear and Faithwear.

 

Until next time…