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….