KAP Sani2C Race Report by Sam Sanders

Now that the mud has been properly washed from all clothing, shoes, bicycles, cars and everything else that was with at this years Sani2C, I can finally sit down and reflect on the event.

Yes, this year’s Sani2C Race was a mud bath to say the least, and given the conditions, one of the toughest too. My sympathies went out to the event organisers who were faced with a very challenging event. Be that as it may, the race had to continue and for the Pro’s - there was no backing out.

I participated in this year’s race with a fellow V-bike Valencia team mate, Amy Beth McDougall.

Amy and I arrived in Underberg late afternoon on the Wednesday. We drove straight to Glencairn where the race starts and also the venue for registration. We immediately pulled on some riding kit and jumped on our bikes to catch the last bit of day light. Having travelled down by car, it was vital for us to get the legs turning & loose and blood flowing if we wanted to race well the next day. Once that was out of the way, we continued onto registration, collected our race numbers and set off to find dinner and our overnight accommodation. During stage racing, nutrition is as important as ever. We were fortunate enough to find a decent Spar. Dinner was roasted veggies, chicken breast and rice. Perfect race food, and luckily already prepared! Upon arrival at our accommodation, we were met by a brief but severe thunder storm, the first of plenty more rains that would fall. Thankfully, the clouds cleared and we had a sunny start to Day1 of Kap Sani2c.

The start was scheduled for 8am. Amy and I made our way down to Glencairn with plenty time to spare. After a good warm up, we lined up for the start of our Sani2C Race. The field was well represented in both men and womans races. Our biggest competition was the teams of Ascedis Health (Robyn De Groot & Mariska Strauss) and Dorma-Kaba (Candice Lil & Vera Adrian) Other teams present were that of Galileo Risk/ Velocity (Theresa Ralph & Carmen Buchacher) to name a few.

The gun went off at 8am sharp and racing commenced. Myself and Amy, Ascendis & the Dorma girls manged to get away fairly early. We all stayed together for the first 30 odd kilometres after which we dropped Ascendis. The trails were sublime and the pace was fast. We raced hard and my new Scott RC World Cup flew through every corner and over every bump. It is truly a pedigree race machine. With the bit of rain that had fallen, the surface was fast and grippy and fun was had out there! In the end, the two teams stayed together until the last 8km where Amy and I managed to get away from Dorma on the last few climbs toward Mackenzie village. We crossed the line with a 1min+ lead on the Dorma girls. Ascendis had not only dropped off the pace but also suffered a puncture to set them back over 10mins. After a brief celebration & interviews- it was down to the business of recovery: Cool down, shower, eat, massage, nap.   

Normally people will have collected their black boxes the night before at registration, packed all their belongings into the boxes (Yes- that is clothes, sleeping bag, pillow, towel, nutrition and racing kit) and these are then dropped off at an allocated zone. The boxes are loaded and transported to the next race village. On arrival at the race village (end of the day’s stage) you walk to the allocated zone, collect your box and then mission on to find your tent, hauling along your black box. As you can imagine, this is not a part of the event which you enjoy… but it is all part of the experience. This year, and although we were tenting in the race village, we opted to have our vehicle driven from village to village. This just makes life a little easier and saves time to allow recovery to start sooner.

By lunch time the clouds had arrived and the heavens had opened. The rain continued through the night and was still falling when we awoke the next morning.

Day2 of Sani is the queen stage. Riders are treated to some the most special trails, the pinnacle being the drop down Umkomaas. What makes the trail iconic is that you get to ride and experience views that are not accessible by car. It is also the longest and toughest day and the batches normally start from 6:30am… But at 6:30am on this day, it was still pitch dark. The organisers decided to not only neutralise the stage but also detour the route along tar and district roads. A difficult but necessary decision to protect the health & safety of the participants. In short, you had to ride from Mackenzie to Jolivet if you wanted to stay in the race.

 It was a 70km ride in severely cold & wet weather. I decided to go full out and put on as many layers as I had in my bag. It still wasn’t enough to keep me warm or dry. Nevertheless, Amy and I finished safely to line up for the last day, and another race Day. As predicted, the weather didn’t improve and the we were warned by Farmer Glen to expect plenty of mud, and there was exactly that. Having used all our layers to try stay warm the day before, and not being able to dry anything properly. Amy and I chose to use a very simple but effective way to stay dry and warm on the last day. We made ponchos out of garbage bags. Tucked them into our bibs and put our race shirts over the bag. It worked like a charm. Genius.

Everyone was quite somber in the start chute, but the mood quickly changed when the siren blew to begin our race. Dorma were very aggressive and went out fast. Amy and I responded and jumped on the wheel. Weaving between the men and jostling for position and lines through the mud was adrenalin pumping and I must admit I was loving the ride. The mud was crazy but rideable if you had the skills. Amy unfortunately suffered some chainsuck early on which eventually kicked her chain right off the chainring. Dorma managed to get passed us while Amy struggled with her chain. We started the chase back but another chain drop gave the Dorma ladies a further advantage. Although it was a relatively quick mechanical, it was still enough to give the Dorma ladies a gap which Amy and I would not be able to pull back. We spent the rest of the day chasing hard but eventually finished 2nd on the day and 2nd overall. We were both sorely disappointed to lose the win, but we tried our best and dug deep to not only finish but race. Many riders pulled out of the event and opted not to finish, but as Pro’s, we get paid to race. It isn’t always ideal or glamorous but if you focus on the goal and embrace the situation, you can still have fun.

Congrats to not only the Dorma Ladies

but also, all the troopers who stuck it out to

finish.    

Team V Dominate at Forest 2 Falls

The 11th edition of the popular local MTB race, Forest2Falls was held at an all new venue in Graskop. Max Knox bravely took on the challenge of organising his first event. 

The route provided riders with spectacular views over God’s window and the mountains, valleys, waterfalls and lush forests of Graskop and Sabie. Riders however had to earn their view with 65 km of forest roads and 1300m of climbing. Our Team Valencia out performed the rest as they achieved podiums across age categories and race distances. 

In the 65km, Heine Engelbrecht showed his consistently growing calibre as an elite racer when he came 2nd in a time of 02:29:24, 3 minutes behind winner Ben Melt Swannepoel. “The start was fast and flat. We were a bunch until about 20km in. Ben Melt made the pace hard up the first big climb and we managed to break away. I knew the route quite well and was saving a lot for the last 30km. Up the final climb, Ben made life hard again. I tried to hang on as long as I could but he managed to get a gap on me and maintained it until the finish.” 

Amy McDougall won the ladies’ race and came 7th overall in a time of 02:48:11. “I was happy to take the win in Valencia’s colours! I was pleasantly surprised with my result my legs did not feel great after the Joberg2C legs and the course was not really suited to me. The views were mind-blowing and made me nostalgic about living in the Lowveld!”  Yolandi Du Toit crossed the line in second and our Emily Clarke in 3rd.

The 35 km was a nail biter with only 12 seconds separating the top 4, amongst the sprint finishers was Armand Lomard who narrowly missed bronze as he crossed the line in 4th and 3rd in his age category, still a stellar performance for this youngster. “It was an extremely fun race, I enjoyed it so much that when I saw it was almost the end of the race it surprised me because I thought there was at least 10km left! The view from God’s window almost made me stop to take a picture, the race was nicely marked and I’ll definitely do it again!”

In the ladies’ race, 15 year old Zandri Strydom took the overall and youth category honours in a time of 1:29:51 “The last 15 km was the best because of the climbs and the views. I enjoyed it a lot and I was happy to win the overall ladies race!” Teammate Monique Swart 6th lady and 2nd in the youth category. “It was a fun race but my legs weren’t there so I just tried to push my hardest to the end.”

There was a strong contingent of up and coming youngsters in the 15km with podiums in almost all age categories.

It is great to see such a diverse range of riders achieving goals and performing to the best of their ability under the wing of Valencia Cycles. 

Next up team members will be conquering the National XCO in PE and Sani2C begins tomorrow for Sam Sanders!

Team Valencia Perform Across the Board at National XCO #3

Last Saturday the 3^rd leg of the National XCO series took place at an all new venue: Wolwespruit, Pretoria. The course kicked off with a climb of about 500m long, not only was it extremely steep, the terrain was loose and uneven with rocks and tree stumps to navigate. The trail was wide enough to separate the field before the first descent. A narrow, windy descent with some tight corners and off camber sections was a welcome relief as it gave the legs and lungs time to recover just in time for the longest but less technical and steep climb.
Burning legs were rewarded with the 2^nd, most enjoyable half of the course. First up was one small drop off leading straight into a bigger, scarier drop-off both of which required some air time, or the B-line for the feinter hearted. Riders made their way down a long, loose switchback descent, over a bridge, up a short killer climb and down a pretty gnarly rock garden.
Some berms, jumps, rollers and a final drag concluded the 6km course. With over 300 entrance, this leg was the hottest contested race in the series thus far.

Armand Lombard showed his consistently growing form in the junior category coming 12^th overall in a field of 40 competitive riders. 'Wolwespruit XCO #3 was very well laid out and planned. The climbing was a handful and the downhills were good for catching your breath. It was not that happy with my performance as I was hoping for a top 10.'

Zandri Strydom blitzed the field in the Youth Women category winning with over 3 minutes to spare.  Zandri’s laps actually got faster as the race progressed, the mark of a classy XCO racer! 'It was fun and I liked the rocky uphills and downhills and was very happy to have won.'

Amy McDougall had to fight her way from the back of 12 riders and claimed 5^th in the Elite Women’s category at the end of her 5 laps. 'It was so good to back on the XCO track after many years. I was happy with my race and feel as though my love for XCO has been rekindled!'

Monique Swart, like many riders on the day suffered an unfortunate puncture which cost her the race.

Well done to each one of them who did their best and made their team proud!

African Champs in Lesotho is next up on the XCO calendar.

Until then!

Team V Shines at Local Sappi Mankele MTB Race

Last Saturday, one of the Lowveld’s favorite races, the Sappi Mankele MTB Challenge took place at the popular Mankele Bike Park renowned for its steep technical climbs and miles of stunning bush tunnels and technical descents. Team Valencia showed a strong presence with no less than 7 podiums across the marathon and half marathon disciplines.

In the marathon, Amy McDougall claimed silver with Samantha Sanders coming in 3^rd. 'It was my first ride on my new Scott Spark 900 RC, I loved how the bike felt and looking forward to many fast and happy miles with it! I wasn’t 100% recovered from a recent bout of the flu and felt my chest closing up as soon as I pushed hard on the climbs. I am still happy with my ride as I can feel my form has improved.'

Samantha Sanders suffered from major tyre issues as she cut her sidewall and eventually had to insert a tube which took a massive chunk out of her time. She fought hard to close the gap but had lost too much time. 'I was sad to have punctured in the first 14km of the race. Sappi Mankele is one of my favourite events and I was so looking forward to racing the course. But this is MTB racing and it’s always unpredictable. As usual the Mankele gave us a tough but enjoyable challenge and it was smiles all round in the end. A massive shout out to my sponsor Valencia and well done to everyone who rode!'

Emily Clarke and Kirsten Gillespie rounded up the senior ladies podium making it a full Valencia podium with Amy on the top step. 'Sappi Mankele was a tough but rewarding race for me. Every metre of climbing was justified  by the mot spectacular singnle track and bush tunnels any mtb chick could wish. Superb race, made possible my the V-Team.' - Emily Clarke

In the 35km half marathon, Armand Lombard who has shown huge talent on the XCO circuit lately showed diversity in his talent when he won overall on Saturday in a time of 1:21:52 exactly 3 minutes ahead of his nearest competition, Ryan Terry.

16 year old Monique Swart rode like a star coming 2^nd overall and first in the youth age category. 'It was a fun race. I liked the slippery single track and downhills. I felt strong throughout and was happy with my result.' Jessica Schulz of Valencia rounded off the Youth Girls podium in third. 

The race village was full of muddy smiles and war stories, which is what mountain biking is all about!

Next event for the team: National XCO at Wolwespruit in Pretoria.

Team Valencia fly their flag high at Ashburton #2, Sabie

Last weekend the most popular and one of the toughest legs of the Ashburton MTB National Marathon Series took place in Sabie. The challenging technical route attracts mountain bikers from across the country and even sported a strong international contingent including Bulls riders Urs Huber and Karl Platt.

Each year the Valencia tent is a haven to all, with cold drinks, shade, and beanbags; a blessing after a long hot day in the saddle. Our Valencia riders also had a strong presence in the trails across the board from the Ultra Marathon to the fun race.

Max Knox did the Lowveld and South Africa proud as he was the first South African to cross the line in the Ultra marathon in a time of 5:51:40, just behind Bulls riders Urs Huber and Karl Platt. Hein Engelbrecht, in the colours of Valencia also rode an excellent Ultra marathon, coming 12^th overall in the Elite men’s category. “I am happy with my result, especially since I haven’t raced in such a long time. The start was super hard, the Bulls set an extremely fast pace up the first climb. I hung on to the front of the bunch for the first big climb but dropped off on the second one knowing I couldn’t sustain that pace. I decided to be as conservative as possible but the heat didn’t make it easy. On the second loop I cramped badly and lost chunks of time”.

In the marathon, Amy McDougall came 6^th overall in the Elite ladies category “Sabie is my favourite marathon, I have done it every year of my career, since 2011 and I have loved every one! I have had a slow start to the year but am happy with my improvement since Meerendal and am looking forward to a good year of marathon and stage racing”.

Armand Lombard took Bronze in the 45km overall, he paced himself well and finished strong – “I had a great race, the cool, wet weather was welcomed but it brought along with it slippery and treacherous conditions. I got dropped up the first climb and found myself in 6^th. I kept a steady pace and worked my way into 4^th. In the final 3km I dropped the guy in 3^rd”.

Zandri Strydom came 2^nd overall in the 45k ladies race, and first in her age category. “It was great racing! The course was wet, muddy, and slippery which made it really fun. The climbs were tough but I still enjoyed it a lot!”

10 year old Thomas Williams was all smiles at the end of his 17km fun race and came 5^th in his age category.

Well done to all who participated, it was a tough day in the saddle for everyone! Next challenge in the Lowveld: Sappi Mankele MTB Challenge on the 19^th March 2016. See you there!

Sanders excels at Mpumalanga Road Champs and the Mpumalanga Road Tour.

Samantha Sanders showed excellent form when she dominated the Mpumalanga Road Champs, earning the title of Mpumalanga Road Champion and Time Trial Champion. With only two days’ rest, she embarked on the gruelling 5 stage Mpumalanga Road Tour.

Last weekend, Badplaas was once again host to the Mpumalanga Provincial Road Champs. The weekend comprised an 84km road race on the Saturday morning and a 20km Time Trial in the afternoon. On Sunday there is a 4.9km hill climb and criterium which Sanders decided to skip for an extra day's rest prior to the tour.

Sanders blitzed the road race in a time of 2:38:49 and took the win comfortably with her nearest competition, Anriette Schoeman, finishing in a time of 2:47:29. “I basically just went with the men’s group which eventually split with an attack at the front. From there it was smooth sailing” – Sanders. Taking the bronze medal was local mountain biker, Emily Clarke.

That afternoon, Sanders powered her way to gold medal number 2 in the 20km TT in a time of 00:33:25. “The TT was pretty simple – go as hard as you can until the finish. I was super stoked with my performance on the weekend and it put me in good spirits for the MPU Tour". Coming 2^nd in the Time Trial was Clarke.

On Tuesday the 19^th of January the Grueling 6 day Mpumalanga Road tour began. The 6 days comprised a total of 752km riding an 11514 meters of climbing.

The Mpumalanga women’s team was represented by Samantha Sanders, Yolandi Du Toit, Anriette Schoeman, Dalene Van Der Leek, Ronel Human, and Emily Clarke.

Sanders served as a “domestique” and turned herself inside out each day to save team leader, Du Toit’s energy for the end of the stage.  

Stage 1 of the Mpumalanga Tour for the Elite began with a 97km stage starting in Badplaas and ending just outside Mbombela. Lisa Olivier took the stage win and Du Toit took 2^nd. Namibian National XCO and XCM Champion Michelle Voster finished 3^rd in a sprint with Sanders. Sanders surprised herself pleasantly with her 4^th overall despite working to shelter Du Toit and having the Road Champs in her legs. “After a strong 4^th place on day 1 I knew I had decent form. It was also clear that Yolandi was our GC rider and our tactics became hinged on getting her across the line 1^st” Anriette Schoeman rounded up the top 5.

Stage 2 was a 132km monster with 300m of climbing. It was a round route starting at Mbombela Stadium, making its way into Barberton and ending back just outside Mbombela. Sanders and Du Toit stayed with the break up boulders and finished in 3^rd and 4^th respectively. Olivier took another win with Voster in 2^nd .Racing in the front was extremely tight with only 30 seconds separating the top 4 on this gruelling stage.

Stage 3 from Hazyview to Blyda Canyon was a short 65km made purely for climbers with 2 major ascents up Koweins and Robert’s pass. The toughness of the stage and the toll of previous day’s 132km on riders’ legs showed in a split field with big time gaps and an average speed of only 23km/h. Olivier once again took the stage with Voster in 2^nd, Du Toit 3^rd, Irene Steyn and Vera Adrian both of Namibia came 4^th and 5^th respectively. Sanders took 6^th. “Anriette and I worked hard from Hazyview to the base of Koweins attacking contantly and Yolandi stuck with the split up the climb. The rest of the day was survival” 

 Stage 4 was a flat 78km with only 1 climb to Blyde resort from Graskop through Sabieha ending in White River. Through team work and tacticle riding, Dalene Van Der Leek won the stage in a solo break 1’32”ahead of Voster, Du Toit and Olivier in 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th respectively. Sanders riding solo finished solidly in 5^th only 30 seconds behind the chasing group. “Dalene attacked at about 18km and managed to get clear. Our team controlled the bunch to keep Dalene in the lead. The tactic worked well to give her the win and Yolandi a 3^rd”.

The final stage, 77km, concluded in Graskop from White river. Sanders showed her class and never die attitude and ended the tour on a high when she finished 2^nd in a sprint with Adrian. Schoeman, Voster, and Olivier rounded up the top 5 respectively. “Vera Adrian and I managed a two-man break which we built to 2 minutes. We worked well together but having more experience than me in the art of sprinting… I finished 2^nd. - Sanders

A crash in the middle of last year took Sanders out for the rest of the 2015 season. She has come back with a bang and is looking forward to the 2016 season.

“All in all it was a fantastic experience racing with the girls. As it turns out I just love racing my bike whether its tactical road racing or mountain biking. A massive congrats to Lise Olivier for winning overall and my teammate Yolandi for finishing 3rd. I was pleased to finish 4th overall and to take home the best MPU rider Jersey everyday. All Thanks to our manager and my Coach Bosseau and the people that make racing a reality for me; Valencia.” - Sanders

Starting 2015 with a bang

Team Valencia kicked off 2015 full gas at the MP Provincial road champs in Badplaas on the 17^th – 18^th January. Four disciplines of racing take place over the two days with the road race and Time trial on the Saturday and the Hill Climb and Criterium on the Sunday. Riders could choose which event/s to partake in. Team Valencia had a reputation to uphold as they cleaned up in last year’s event.

In the Road Race, Damon Halderman, having just made the leap from the Junior category to U23, won the U23 category and crossed the line second overall in a bunch sprint with Elite rider Richard Swanepoel and U23 Liam de Klerk in 2^nd and 3^rd. Justin Victor came 3^rd in the Elite men’s category and Samantha Sanders and Amy McDougall sprinted for 2^nd  and 3^rd respectively in the women’s race. Martin Oosthuizen came 3^rd in the junior category, Jaco Botha 2^nd in the Vet Men 30 – 34 category and Tayla Nortje claimed gold in the U/12 riding 6 minutes quicker than her nearest competitor in the 20km.

The toughest race of the weekend was the 20km Time Trial. It also proved to be the favourite and it saw podiums across the board. Damon Halderman won the U23 category missing the fastest time of the day by 5 seconds. In the Elite category, Samantha Sanders and Justin Victor both came 2^nd, Martin Oosthuizen claimed his 2^nd bronze in the Junior category, Tayla Nortje cleaned up again in U/12. Bosseau Boshoff showed his years of pedigree by winning the Vet Men’s category despite having lost fitness due to illness. Brett Coats won the 50 – 55 category.

Sunday kicked off with a gruelling 5km Hill Climb time trial. Emily Clarke came 3^rd in the Elite Women’s category, Martin Oosthuizen came 2^nd in the Junior category, Tayla Nortje 2^nd in the U/12 category and Brett Coates won the 50 – 55.

The weekend was wrapped up with the 20 min + a lap Criterium. The racing was intense and exciting, each group finishing off in a sprint. In the Elite Women’s race Samantha Sanders broke away in a powerful sprint 2 3rds into the final lap claiming 1^st place followed by Dalene van der Leek and Amy McDougall in 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. Damon Halderman secured his 3^rd gold when he won the U23 category again. Justin Victor came 2^nd in the Elite men’s race, Martin Oosthuizen 2^nd in the junior category, Jaco Botha came 3^rd in the 30 – 34 category and Tayla Nortje claimed her final gold in the U/12 category.

Damon Halderman deservedly won sportsman of the year 2014 and 16 medals were won all together by Team Valencia, as usual, the athletes showed an amazing team spirit and camaraderie.

Next up for the team in the XCO provincial champs to be held at Mankele Bike Park.