01 December 2011 No better way to finish the season
Team bizhub finished their season on a successful note winning the overall ladies elite category in the Omnicane Southern Tropical MTB Challenge ...
SA XCO Championships & Medsceme Walkerville MTB Classic Yolandi du Toit
There was no time to gradually adjust from training to racing as my first weekend
back was packed with competitions.
First off I participated in the South African Cross Country Championships held at
Groenloof Nature Reserve in Pretoria.
I decided this year to give cross country a go and after my first race at George
I had discovered a great new challenge. My next XCO event was the one over the past
weekend at Groenkloof.
I didn't really know what to expect on Saturday as everything is still fairly new
to me. The course at Groenkloof also requires a fair amount of technical skills
which I am still acquiring.
The week before the event I was still struggling to get enough confidence to ride
the entire course, therefore I went into the race with the aim of trying to ride
the difficult sections (3 hair raising drop-offs) without crashing!
I am happy to say that I achieved my goal and also that I managed to finish in 4th
place Overall. Yolande Speedy delivered yet another world class performance and
won the event by a country mile!
At first it didn't really bother me not having a month off but now I cant think
of not having at least one month a year to recover mentally and physically from
racing weekend after weekend.
I waited for Prize giving before heading home and only arrived back around 18:00.
Given that I had left that morning at 7am for my 9am race start, it was quite a
full day which wasn¹t about to end yet. Back home there will still a bike, cycling
accessories and bottles to wash before finally falling into bed.
Sunday I participated in the Medscheme Walkerville MTB Classic held at Lapeng Hotel
and Conference Centre on the outskirts of Alberton.
My approach for the day was based on "feeling". I went for a quick warm up before
the 60km event started and unfortunately there wasn¹t much ³feeling² left in my
legs. Luckily with cycling it can go both ways. You might just find your legs again
or you might find yourself in even more difficulty.
My main competition on the day came from Letitia Botha, Sanet Small (Both Team Ghost)
and Catherine Roberts (Specialized). Our group quickly splintered as the front guys
showed their class and quickly disappeared in a cloud of dust.
A few kilometers into the event I managed to get myself into the leading position.
The course gradually ascends during its first half therefore I knew I had to use
this opportunity to try and extend my lead as much as possible. I had to fight hard
throughout the race which I think was caused by a combination of my legs being a
bit fatigued after the previous day¹s effort, the wind and the demanding route that
didn¹t provide any sections for recovery.
I don't know how far or close my rivals got to me during the race but I managed
to stay away till the end and crossed the line in first place. (I have to mention
that this year¹s event was well marked and we didn¹t overlap with the shorter distances
much, which always makes for better racing).
I am happy with my results over the weekend and hope I can continue to have some
good results in the months to come.
I didn't really know what to expect on Saturday as everything is still fairly new
to me. The course at Groenkloof also requires a fair amount of technical skills
which I am still acquiring.
The week before the event I was still struggling to get enough confidence to ride
the entire course, therefore I went into the race with the aim of trying to ride
the difficult sections (3 hair raising drop-offs) without crashing!
I am happy to say that I achieved my goal and also that I managed to finish in 4th
place Overall. Yolande Speedy delivered yet another world class performance and
won the event by a country mile!
At first it didn't really bother me not having a month off but now I cant think
of not having at least one month a year to recover mentally and physically from
racing weekend after weekend.
I waited for Prize giving before heading home and only arrived back around 18:00.
Given that I had left that morning at 7am for my 9am race start, it was quite a
full day which wasn¹t about to end yet. Back home there will still a bike, cycling
accessories and bottles to wash before finally falling into bed.
Sunday I participated in the Medscheme Walkerville MTB Classic held at Lapeng Hotel
and Conference Centre on the outskirts of Alberton.
My approach for the day was based on "feeling". I went for a quick warm up before
the 60km event started and unfortunately there wasn¹t much ³feeling² left in my
legs. Luckily with cycling it can go both ways. You might just find your legs again
or you might find yourself in even more difficulty.
My main competition on the day came from Letitia Botha, Sanet Small (Both Team Ghost)
and Catherine Roberts (Specialized). Our group quickly splintered as the front guys
showed their class and quickly disappeared in a cloud of dust.
A few kilometers into the event I managed to get myself into the leading position.
The course gradually ascends during its first half therefore I knew I had to use
this opportunity to try and extend my lead as much as possible. I had to fight hard
throughout the race which I think was caused by a combination of my legs being a
bit fatigued after the previous day¹s effort, the wind and the demanding route that
didn¹t provide any sections for recovery.
I don't know how far or close my rivals got to me during the race but I managed
to stay away till the end and crossed the line in first place. (I have to mention
that this year¹s event was well marked and we didn¹t overlap with the shorter distances
much, which always makes for better racing).
I am happy with my results over the weekend and hope I can continue to have some
good results in the months to come.