Valencia Cleans up in Round 2 of the Spur Schools XCO Series

Last weekend, the 3rd round of the XCO Spur School Series took place at Curro College. With the first rains of the Lowveld pending, it was overcast and intermittently drizzly. This did not deter the 300 eager participants. All age categories were well represented and thanks to Derek Putter, the course at Curro was prepared for a stellar day of racing.

The Junior Men’s race was close and exciting; Franco Pelser from Rob Ferreira High pulled a gap on his fellow Valencia teammates: Ryan Clarke (Uplands), Damon Halderman (Hoërskool Bergvlam) and Martin Oosthuizen (Hoërskool Bergvlam) in the second lap. He increased the gap with each lap taking the overall win by 2 minutes. The chasing duo of Ryan Clarke and Damon Halderman finished in an exciting sprint finish, Clark took the win by a split second.

The talented, up and coming Valencia rider, Ryan Terry from Uplands, won the Sub Junior boys race by a notable 4 minutes!

Mandie Swart (Hoërskool Nelspruit) took the win in the Junior Ladies race with Valencia teammate Tyneale Terry of Uplands in 2^nd and Leigh Torre in 3^rd

The Sub Junior girls race was dominated by Valencia’s Monique Swart (Hoërskool Nelspruit) with Kyla Hamer and Stephanie Fritz in 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

Liam de Klerk (Penryn) and Andreas Kuhn (Uplands) shared gold after a riveting photo sprint finish.

The standard of racing was very impressive in this tough Olympic discipline of mountain biking.

The final race of the series will be held on the 13^th of September at Mankele Bike Park.

Press Release: The Wildevy MTB Challenge

Last Saturday the Wildevy MTB race was held in the small town of Burgersfort for the second year running. Race organisers and owners of Kusile guest house Pieter and Driekie Heyns’ hard work payed off as participants raved about the quality of the riding and vibe of the race. “It is very special and definitely worth your while to go there any weekend, get permission and do them over and over and over… It is clear that the organisers went to a lot of trouble to make it a special event with a big marquis tent to rest our weary limbs. A face cloth to wipe the dust from my face at the finish line is quite original. The food tent that had a stream of “boeries” and pancakes coming the riders way, did a very good job. [Pieter and Driekie] ensured that riders enjoyed great single track and with 300 entrants, it is growing in popularity.” Jan Delport.

In the 35km half marathon, a quartet made up of Franco Pelser, Moima Blessing, Martin Oosthuizen and Reyno Beukes finished within seconds of each other, 8 minutes ahead of the closest contender. Pelser, Oosthuizen and Beukes, all of Team Valencia worked well as a team to maintain the gap on their rivals. In the ladies race, Mandie Swart showed great form by taking the overall win. Tyneale Terry took 9^th overall and 2^nd Junior behind Valencia teammate Mandie Swart.

In the 70km Marathon ladies race, Valencia’s Samantha Sanders came 2^nd to Yolandi Du Toit by a few minutes. Both ladies, who raced in the Marathon World Champs held in Pietermaritzburg a month ago, showed their class coming 9^th and 11^th in the field and beating their nearest competition by just under an hour.

Sanders experimented with the “in between” wheel size, riding her teammate Amy McDougall’s Scott Scale 650B “It is plenty faster out of the corners with a smaller wheel to turn and climbing is definitely easier. The 29er does however out run it on the long flats & of course it rolls over anything!” Says Sanders

In the 20km race, Ryan Terry won the race overall in an impressive time of 46:59, 6 minutes ahead of second place. Monique Swart took gold in the Sub Junior category.

The men’s race finished in a sprint between Lowveld Locals: Nico Bell and Max Knox with Ben-Melt Swannepoel of Heidelberg rounding up the podium.

Drieke and Pieter Heyns will definitely be hosting the Wildevy next year and expect an even bigger field of riders from across the country.

Wildevy MTB - Race Report by Samantha Sanders

Burgersfort in Limpopo is a town better known for its Platinum mines & surrounding farm regions. Why then did the V team find themselves in the area on 26 July? Well, this past weekend was the annual Clemen Gold Wildevy MTB Race. A relatively new race with its first event being held in 2012. The race takes place in the Watervalsrivier pass between Lydenburg and Burgersfort on the northern edge of Mpumalanga. What makes the race quite unique is the terrain. It is part bushveld, part subtropical. At times you find yourself winding along bushveld single tracks in between Acacia trees and the next along a river with magnificent Wild Fig trees shading you from the Lowveld sun. 

The route, in a single word, is FUN. With very little climbing and a fair amount of lekker single track, the race is a social riders dream. From the trails, it is very evident that the organisers put particular effort and care into the race and the trails. The single track was smooth and very flowing. The event was well organised, well marked & the vibe was light-hearted. With our very own Driekie & Pieter Heyns involved with the organisation, one can tell that they have attended a number of events and taken notes! They have catered this event around the rider and what we love! Good organisation, fun course, decent prizes for our efforts as well as a free bike wash!!

Kusile Guest House (owned by Driekie & Pieter Heyns) was the luxurious host to all riders registering for the race and they also offered discounted rates to all cyclists participating in the event! On arrival I was met by many familiar faces. There were enough local Pros present to make the race a Provincial Championship. Even the adopted Lowvelders, Benmelt Swanepoel & Yolandi Du Toit had arrived for the event. After a swift registration we sat down to dinner at the Guest House which, needless to say, was delicious.

The race started at a very reasonable 8am. There were 3 distances: 70km, 35km and 20km. This was a maiden voyage for me on a 650B Scott Scale. Yolandi and I were all smiles and banter in the start chute, and I myself was looking forward to a little more of a chilled ride. However, from the start it was clear that it was full on racing as normal with Landi pushing the pace hard. In the end, she beat me to the finish line with her frenetic cadence on the long flats and no epic downhills for me to take advantage of. 

The 650B was a super awesome ride. The most obvious difference between it and the 29er is its agility and super responsiveness. For someone of my stature it is a lot more nimble than the larger 29er. It is plenty faster out of the corners with a smaller wheel to turn and climbing is definitely easier. The 29er does however out run it on the long flats & of course it rolls over anything! Although I had a fat jol riding the bike, I would not say I am converted. I think that both have their application and their advantages and disadvantages.

In the end, the race was won by RECM rider Nico Bell, Max Knox 2^nd & Benmelt Swanepoel rounded off the podium. In the Woman’s overall Yolandi Du Toit was queen bee, myself 2^nd and Santie Van der Westhuizen crossed the line for 3^rd.

The half Marathon was totally dominated by the Valencia Juniors.

Ryan Terry was a cool 7 minutes ahead of his closest completion in the sub junior boys. And we had a V team 1/2 in both the junior boys and girl’s category with Mandy Swart 1^st & Tyneale Terry 2^nd in the girls. Franco Pelser and Martin Oosthuizen took 1^st and 2^nd in junior men and Reyno Buekes just missing podium to come 4^th. Even our Coach, Bosseau Boshoff enjoyed a day out on his MTB and finished 4^th in his age category- not bad for a Roadie! Big Mike Terry cruised home into 6^th position.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day out with friends in support of local racing.

The V team would like to thank our sponsor, Valencia Cycles for their ongoing support in the activity we love most- Racing Bicycles! Also a massive thank you to Kusile Guest House, Driekie & Pieter for their hospitality. And personally to all my sponsors: Valencia, Adidas Eyewear, Powerbar & Continental - THANKS!

SA XCO Champs 2014 - Race Report by Samantha Sanders

Saturday 19 July was the date set for the SA XCO Champs showdown. Thaba Trails in Alberton JHB was the host for the event and the venue was a hive of activity all week with riders popping in to to practice the course. 

The event, and particularly the course, had been a hot topic preceding the race with the rumor-mill churning out stories about the difficulty of the course. 

I was fortunate enough to get to ride the course a few weeks back and also to practice it for a few days before the race. It was definitely a worthy SA Champs course with plenty of climbing and plenty of rocks, drops and more rocks to test the technical skills of each competitor.

I found it to be a very fun course but I am good on the brakes and so riding rocky & sandy trails doesn't phase me. The course did however prove too much for many riders with some spectacular falls and even tears.

My race lasted a whole of 2.5km. The start sprint was intense and I knew I wanted to be first into the single track because I wanted to have a clear line over the gap jump and through the rock garden. This much of the race went very smoothly for me. But a sidewall cut to my tire after the first climb ended it all very abruptly. I bombed it to no avail. By the time I had got back to the tech zone I had lost too much time. My Tech team put in a new wheel and I went back out and just enjoyed the fun course. The title was claimed by Mariske Strauss and in the men's race Rourke Croeser clinched the win convincingly.

Full results here: http://www.cyclingsa.com/App_Resources/Uploads/FILE00003842.pdf

Losing out on a chance to compete is not easy and I was bitterly disappointed. A lot of hard work and preparations go into these events, not only by the riders themselves but also the team behind the riders. The sponsors, the coaches, parents and crew all come out to support us at these events so it is never pleasant when you cannot give them the result that you all came out to achieve. But, it is the nature of the sport we love, so on a positive note, I am super Proud to say that the V team is definitely on the up and coming. With the help and guidance of Bosseau Boshoff from Infinita Academy and the support of Valencia Cycles, our little team has become a well oiled machine. 

We had a kitted out set-up with Turbo trainers & rollers available to warm up on. A fully equipped toolbox and a feeding station for the riders. All these small amenties are what it takes to produce top results and I would like to thank all those involved in generating a professional and positive atmosphere for the team to thrive on. Most importantly Bosseau who gives his time endlessly to his athletes and the riders of the province in their pursuit of gold. Valencia Cycles not only supports the growth and development of the sport but also supports the individuals of the sport.

With the National XCO season wrapped up, my focus will now shift to a short rest and then you can look out for the V team dominating your local race scene and especially The Isuzu 3 Towers!

Peace Out. 

Sam

Race Report by Samantha Sanders: SA National XCO, PE

21 June was the final leg of the SA National XCO Series held at the Hayterdale Trails in Addo, PE. This was the course which hosted the SA XCO Champs last year, and it remained much the same but a switchback climb was added with some step drop-offs.

The elite Woman started at 11am; a late start but starting with the sunshine and the ground being heated up was definitely welcomed by all when racing in the middle of winter in the Eastern Cape!

The field was well represented and I was happy to see the likes of Candice Neethling & Cherie Vale on the start line. The National XCO Series this year has Cat 1 UCI points up for grab as well as UCI regulated prize money available; this was good incentive to race hard!

Nick Flores, the commissaire for the day, started our 6 laps of racing at 11am sharp. The whistle blew and I took the whole shot into the first corner. The first 300m or so of the lap through the start finish area was grassy and bumpy - not ideal for a sprint. I wanted to get into the single track first as the climb was followed by a technical decent into a drop-off. I knew many of the girls would ride the B line at the drop and I wanted to try open up a gap for myself before the next climb started. The climbs on this course are mostly single track making passing impossible. 

This is advantageous if you are in front because you can dictate the pace up, but if you are stuck behind a slower rider- it is frustrating and you will lose time.

I managed to execute my plan well but Cherie and Candice were breathing down my neck still as we went through the start finish together. By Lap 4 Cherie and I had pulled a gap on Candice. Cherie was attacking on the climbs and I decided to let her ride out front, I knew that we had 6 laps and she was not pulling away from me. We approached the Rock Garden on the course and Cherie was having trouble with it on the day so I made a flash decision to take the B line here to try get around her and through the section safely- this turned out to be a bad decision on my part and one which ruined my chances of a win. 

Going down the B line, I took a dive over my bars. This was the game-ender for me- I lost precious time straightening my bars and my derailleur was damaged in the incident. 

Candice caught me and passed while I struggled to get back into a rhythm. Both Cherie and Candy put the hammer down on lap 5 & 6 and I just hung in for 3^rd.

I was happy to still put myself on the podium and get my sponsors the exposure but exceptionally frustrated with the course of events. Lesson learned on the day: only ever take calculated risks!  The final standings of 

the series saw Ashleigh Moffat finish 1^st overall with Mariske Strauss 2^nd and myself 3^rd after only competed in 2 of the 4 events.

Full event results:

http://www.cyclingsa.com/App_Resources/Uploads/FILE00003767.pdf

Elite Woman:

1.      Cherie Vale 1:39:18

2.      Candice Neethling 1:39:49

3.      Samantha Sanders 1:40:47

Well done to my fellow competitors, especially Cherie and Candice, and CSA for a successful series. Valencia Cycles, Infinita, Powerbar, Continental tires and Adidas; my sponsors- THANX!

Next stop Pietermaritzburg where my teammate Amy & I will be tackling the Marathon World Champs.

Sanders Achieves Bronze at South African Marathon Champs

Last Sunday, the best mountain bike marathon racers from across the country descended upon Pietermaritzburg to compete in the pinnacle of this year’s national season: the SA Marathon Champs. The location was Cascades Mountain Bike Park, a world class XCO (Cross Country Olympic) destination for annual World Cup events as well as national XCO events.

Nick Flores, trail builder, famous for hairy rock gardens, top class obstacles and technical single track, didn’t fail to disappoint with the 50km, 71km and 94km routes rife with all of the above. All the descents were tricky and technical, and with 2400m of ascent in the marathon and 3000m in the Ultra, many described it as a “marathon distance XCO race”. In order to do well, one had to be a hard core mountain biker.

Samantha Sanders had a slow start, lying in 9^th place past the 1^st water-point. She worked her way through the field up to 3^rd behind Robyn de Groot and Candice Neethling. She maintained her position until the finish achieving a well-deserved bronze medal. Having had a rocky start to the year due to a broken thumb and massive “crater” in her elbow, Sanders is happy with her returning form. “I really enjoyed the course – it was definitely tough but it has a balance; testing endurance and skill. I tried to ride a ‘clever race’; being fast where I knew I could be fast and consistent on the climbs which worked out for me. I was stoked to take 3^rd and get Valencia on the podium.”

Amy McDougall was lying 10^th at the first water-point but unfortunately suffered a sidewall puncture shortly after; pushing her down to 25^th place. McDougall having lost valuable time, fought back finishing 5^th Elite by the end. “I was disappointed to have punctured, but that’s mountain biking! I loved the course; it was super tough but also a lot of fun. Although there is still work to do, I am feeling strong and looking forward to world Champs at the end of the month!”

In the 50km half marathon, Martin Oosthuizen and Ryan Clarke finished 51 seconds apart in 9^th and 10^th overall and 7^th and 8^th in the Junior Men’s category. Mandie Swart finished 11^th overall and 7^th Junior. Friends, Franco Pelser and Reyno Beukes also finished with a commendable top 20. Great achievements all round.

The race on Sunday was used as a preliminary race for the World Champs at the end of the month, thus the course will be similar if not identical to SA Champs. As anticipation is mounting, local riders now have a good idea of what to expect for Worlds. One thing is for sure, it is going to be a tough battle!

SA Marathon Champs - Race Report by Samantha Sanders

Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg hosted the prestigious South African Marathon Championship this past weekend. This same venue will host the World Marathon Champs 27-29 June.

The South African Marathon National Champ, a title held and successfully defended by Robyn de Groot, was what each rider was there to compete for. The race is open to any rider but competitors are either Elite category or age groupers; all Pros compete in the Elite age category.

The course started and finished at the Cascades Bike Park, an area which I am familiar with, not for marathon racing but rather for the World Cup XCO course built there. I was relatively skeptical about having a Marathon race in and around Pietermaritzburg but that skepticism was quickly laid to rest. It is definitely a world class marathon course with a substantial amount of climbing and a good number of technical sections. It tests both your riding ability & skill, concentration and endurance.

I planned my race around the climbing, I knew that nutrition and hydration in the first half would make or break your race. The first 14km of the course was difficult, the climbing was steep and more or less continuous with a few little technical sections in between. The race started fast and hard with Robin de Groot pushing the pace from the front up the climbs. I knew that she would push the tempo here to compensate on her slower riding through the technical sections, but I also knew that there was still plenty of climbing to come so I found a good tempo which I could sustain. Through water point 1 myself and team mate Amy McD were still together and sitting in the bottom of the top ten. 

Amy unluckily suffered a sidewall and had to stop & repair. By the top of the steepest climb and at water point 2 I was part of a trio with Yolandie Du Toit (Garmin) & Leana De Jager (Sasol Racing) I knew there was a descent to follow and I put down the hammer here knowing I was the faster technical rider. I managed to drop the girls and had a lonely ride until we dropped into some wicked single track and descended before the last climb out. Here i caught Yolande De Villiers (Sasol Racing) and another rider who were both polite enough to give me track after a few seconds of pressure from behind. De Villiers worked hard to catch me and sat my wheel for a while when we started back up again. 

The short, punchy switchback climbs and technical riding that followed allowed me to use my XCO skills to power away from her. From there on I focused on getting through all the technical sections as fast as I possibly could. I knew Jeanie Bomford was still ahead of me but I had no idea how far. In my mind there was still hope for a podium finish and so I just continued pushing hard. 

Luckily so, because through the last water point I spotted Jeanie. At that point I knew that I had caught her so I just maintained my tempo up the climb to close the gap and passed. Once I had caught her it was pretty much jubilation and a 10km stretch home.

A podium at SA Champs coming back from an injury was most welcomed and I was elated to finish 3rd. I was also happy to again put Valencia on the podium next to Candice Neethling (Velo Life) and Robyn de Groot. 

Of course results like this are never through the work of the rider alone- Thanks to my team at Valencia & Valencia Cycles for your ongoing support, my coach Bosseau Boshoff (Infinita Training Academy) who always goes the extra mile. And also Continental Tires for keeping me rubber side down & ADIDAS Eyewear.