MTN National Crater Cruise

The Crater Cruise is usually the last race of the MTN national XCM series. Situated in the Free state in a small town called Parys. Most people have that picture in their minds that Crater Cruise is a easy day on the bike just because the route profile is a lot flatter than most of the other MTN national races, but one can never underestimate the Crater Cruise. The heat, sand and bumpy roads are the main factors that make this race so difficult. Parys is about 50km from where I study and 40km from where I live so I can almost say it was my "home ground" with a lot of friends and family out there to support me on the day.

The start was a 5km tar section through the streets of Parys and with no neutral car the pace was fast from the word go. It was the first Marathon (80km) race held at the Crater Cruise usually there was only a 55km and a 115km so the 80km route was new to everyone and I was not sure what to expect. throughout the race I positioned myself at the front to make sure I don't miss any moves at the front. The real bumpy roads started at about 20km into the race and the King of the Mountain(KOM) was at about 30km so the leading group was still very big at this stage of the race. I went to the front up to the KOM trying to thin out the leading group and I succeeded in my goal. With only a selected group of about 10 riders left things started to move in the right direction. We rode a nice but sandy singletrack alongside the river and I managed to lead us into that section. At the end 3 of us made a gap on the rest of the group and we worked well together trying to extend our lead. It was not long when everything got together again. About 30km to Go Julius Cobbet launched one attack after another and soon there were only 6 of us left chasing the lone leader.

15km later and it was still the 6 of us chasing the leader and we didn't really closed the gap. Next on road was a long bumpy drag and I realized we had to do something otherwise it will be a sprint for 2nd place. I pushed my body to the limit up that climb trying to get myself clear from to group and up with the leader. I managed to get away with one other rider on my wheel, the two of us worked our way to the finish line in pursuit of the leader. 

Unfortunately the two of us could not catch Julius so it was between us for 2nd place. I knew Julius was not a U23 rider anymore so the top step for U23 was still open for someone to take. Philemon a rider from the Exxaro academy was the rider on my tail and also a U23 rider. There was a bridge were only one rider can ride over about 50m from the finish and I just got myself over that bridge in the lead to claim 2nd overall and 1st U23 in the marathon. This is my best result in a MTN national series thus far and it was my last as a U23. It was a great experience and a unbelievable feeling.

 






















Thank you to everyone who supported me I really appreciate it, it makes my effort just that more easier knowing there are people waiting for me at the finish line. I can't thank my sponsors enough for their support at every race and in my preparation. The guys from GU energy , Salomon , POC SA, Jeep apparel and Jeep SA are making it all worth the effort.  Next up is the 4th Nissan trailseeker see you guys there.

Till next time 

Train safe

Smurfie :-) 

Silverstar MTB race

The Silverstar MTB race is a very popular race based in Krugersdorp and attracts about 1500 riders. My goal was to defend my title from last year but I knew it would be a difficult task. The start of 2014 was a very tough time for me with a big injury keeping me out of action for 12 weeks. Saturdays win meant a lot for me and gave me a lot of confidence heading into the last part of the season. A few pre race interviews and comments added a little bit of pressure on me to successfully defend my title. The quality of riders improved a lot from last year with guys like Guylin VD Berg, Henry Uys and Julius Cobbet in the mix.

My tactics was to hammer it in the early stages to put the pressure on the other riders. With most of the tough climbs inside the first 15km I knew any gap can make a difference and soon it was only Guylin and myself in front of race.

The two of us worked our way through the kilos in pursuit of the finish line.The race had some very nice technical sections, fast flowing singletracks, fast downhills and some steep short climbs to get the heart rate up. About 10km to the finish the 3rd place rider made a big comeback and both of us realized we have to push the pace a bit higher. With my route knowledge from last year I recognized most of the section in the last few kilometers and I just hammered it up the small climbs and trying to lead the two of us into the last section of singletrack before the very tricky finish arrives. The finish had a long fast tar downhill with two extremely sharp turns at the end. I managed to get myself first going into the tricky corners, with only about 10m of sprinting left after that I successfully defended my title. Taking the win just two seconds ahead of second place rider Guylin. See you guys next year where I will try to make it a hat-trick of wins.

I would like thank all the sponsors for all their support throughout the year without great sponsors it would have been nearly impossible to live my dream. And to my parents and girlfriend who will do anything to support me and motivate me to do my best all the time, I am really blessed with the best and lastly the most important I would like to thank our Heavenly Father for the power He gave me and for keeping me safe throughout the race.




Train safe but train hard!
Till next time
Pierre (smurfie6)

Nissan Trialseeker #3

The 3rd leg of the Nissan Trailseeker took place on Saterday at Curro college near Hazeldean. I had a few weeks without racing and did some good training in the winter and I thought we will have a nice warm race on Saturday, when I got the great news there is a cold front on its way and believe me we felt it! It was freezing cold on the start line with temperatures close to 0 degrees. But as always there were some classy riders such as Nico Bell, Ben Melt and Brand Du Plessis who made the pace hot in the early stages of the race. I'm mentally a lot stronger than earlier in the year where I overcame injuries, illness and some mechanical problems in races. I prepared well for the second half of the season including Saturdays race and I gained some much needed confidence.

Back to racing, the hotspot was 9km into the race and soon a leading group formed of about 12 riders. As in most of the races when the climbing starts the bunch gets smaller and smaller and that is what happened Saturday as well. After a few attacks we were only 5 guys left in the group. We worked well together up until 45km, when I realized my back tire is slowly but surely losing air. I did't want to stop because I knew that will be the end for me and I won't see the leading 4 again. While I rode I took my gloves off and got my bomb ready to make this stop as quickly as possible to try and catch them again. So I kept on riding until it was impossible to race with such a flat tire and I quickly stopped and bombed my wheel, it took me like 15 seconds and I were back on my bike chasing the leaders again. It was a difficult task and I got really close but wasn't able to catch them. I just kept my own pace trying to stay clear of a big chasing group behind me. Unfortunately I had to bomb my wheel for a second time with about 10km to go and at that moment the chasers caught and passed me. It was a big mental knock for me and I got back on my bike and charged to the finish line. There was just not enough time to catch them again and I had to settle for 12th place overall and a hard fought 2nd U23. I took some great confidence out of the race and i'm looking forward to race the 4th leg on the 4th of October. With the U23 podium far from settled there is still a lot to race for.  

I got a very nice surprise after Saturdays race and that is a new POC helmet! now I can ride in style,comfort and safety. Thank you to Team Jeep SA (@teamjeepsa) and POC SA (@POCSouthAfrica) for this beauty. Follow them on twitter for all their latest products.

Thanks to all the sponsors and partners for all the support through thick and thin.

See you guys at the next race.
Be safe
Pierre (@smurfie6)