In my fairly new cycling career I have competed in what I thought were some challenging events. That was, until recently, when I took part in the Trans-Baviaans 24 hour mountain bike marathon over 230km.
This was a daunting task, not because of the length.
In my fairly new cycling career I have competed in what I thought were some challenging events. That was, until recently, when I took part in the Trans-Baviaans 24 hour mountain bike marathon over 230km.
This was a daunting task, not because of the length.
Some may think I have been relegated to being a cyclist, but I am still a runner and did not know what to expect while riding around midnight, sitting on that tiny saddle with an already sore butt! So, how did I get involved in such a crazy event?
Johan Conradie and the late David Hanton cycled the Trans-Baviaans last year as a two man team called “Dave’s Madness” and early this year they entered again.
But a few months later Hanton was killed while on a training run. Conradie decided to do the event in his friend's honour and began searching for a team mate.
As we had been cycling together for a while, Conradie got the organisers to change his team to a three man team with Colin Meyer as our number two and me as the third member of “Still Dave’s Madness”.
So we were off to Willowmore along with our race second, Mike Loewe. At registration, I soon realised that the older cyclists really enjoy this type of ride, as I was one of the youngest there. We hung around the start until the vuvuzelas set us off and the race began.
We started near the end of the field and slowly warmed up along a jeep track section. Once on the main gravel road, we upped the pace as the first half was far easier (and in the light of the day) than the second half.
It was towards the end of the first half where the heat got to me – so much training but somehow I neglected to train in the heat of the day! After a few minutes’ rest the Polka Dot team passed us so I was up and ready again.
At this stage we were averaging over 23km an hour for the 110km, had passed two checkpoints with another five in the second half.
At the checkpoints teams collect a sticker to show they had been there, while all except one were loaded with eats and energy drinks.
Then the climbing began with the Baviaans Back being the first of the major climbs. It was downhill for a bit and then into the fangs which were steep and technical with tricky terrain and loose gravel.
From the fangs it was onto the Mother of All Climbs (Mac). We started the climb late in the afternoon and in good light.
Midway through the climb were the most spectacular views along the Baviaans Valley. By the time we got to the top of the 9km climb, our bike lights were on as it was pitch dark.
At the top of the Mac, Bergplaas was a checkpoint where we received our previously packed warmer cycling tops. After a cup of soup I was feeling like magic and was able to chill up in the hills (as I prefer hill climbing).
From here it was a steep downhill (almost 30km), and we nearly lost our downhill leader on a few occasions.
There were no barriers on the sides and who knows what is on the other side, or how long the drop off the cliff is.
Near the bottom, we could see lights from the riders near the top of the climb as they worked their way downhill.
Komdomo was another checkpoint stop and the first time you see your own seconds. We had now completed 177km and had over 50km to go.
Here, Loewe had an awesome spread on the table, from Coke, coffee to biltong, rolls, fruit and much more. Our bags were laid out and we all took the opportunity for a clothing change into warmer cycling gear.
From here it was more climbing with the Never ender – no lies, this hill just did not want to end (hence the name).
At the top it was the last 30km drop to Jeffrey's Bay where we ended in a respectable time of 14:03:47. I must say, we definitely had the best team and of course the best support member.
In the early stages of the race, some teams were already fighting like crazy and some teams had split up. So I’m proud that our team stuck together the whole way and really had an awesome ride.
This is one of those events you only need do once in your lifetime. As for the butt, almost two weeks later and it’s still in recovery mode…
