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