From rider to spectator in no more than 1.78km!

So, before I tell you my tale of how my racing changed suddenly  to cheering I would like to put some points out there to make this story a little more understandable.

(If you don’t feel like reading, just scroll down to the last picture, it pretty much sums up my race)

1^st: Most of you already know that I am known for not having all the necessary tools with me during racing. Well, this might clarify that reputation a little.

2^nd: I did some trail running over the Christmas season for some cross training which my coach thought was unnecessary. I quote his words after I told him about my running session: “Why? Are you planning on running with your bike?” (Well I think this race proved him wrong)

3^rd: Some info on my race: It was the second round of the SA-Cup XCO series which I participated in to get a feeling of more competitive racing before I head to Switzerland for proper world class racing. I also wanted to compare myself the other South African riders to see where my form is at. 

The race was at the Voortrecker monument in Pretoria which brought us a track that really suited me (or so I thought).

The track was really rocky and quite the terrain I should be used to coming from Namibia. Our start was at 14:00 and the weather was a little overcast, so perfect for racing.

My warm up was good and I felt ready and strong for the suffer fest that was staring me straight in the face while I was waiting to be called up.

So here it comes:

My starting position wasn’t too bad; I was standing in fourth line and confident that I could move up some positions during the start, as this is one of my strengths. The gun went and we were off. Unlucky for me the rider in front of me nearly wiped out after ten meters only to stop dead, forcing me to go around him (this sounds easier than done if there is a huge bunch rushing past you eager to do exactly what I planned, to move up places in the start).

So after a bad start I thought, well, I still have six laps to go, I’ll be fine if I pace myself and slowly move up the ranks.

Up the first climb and approaching the ‘lekker’ downhill I managed to pass quite a number of riders. 200 meters into the decent I hear a ding and right afterwards a low, but increasing sound of someone’s tire deflating. Not having felt anything or noticed any rocks I hit I was silently pleased that someone got a puncture. Sadly for me the bad start was followed by an even worse ending to my racing. After stopping and looking furiously for a thorn to plug the hole in my front tire I checked if I had a pump or bomb with me and noticed with devastation that I forgot to take one along (this is not the first time this happens and clearly I didn’t learn from my mistake).

Going through my options of what to do next I checked my Garmin and realised that it was another 3.5km to the second tech zone. I felt my back pockets to check if maybe I had packed any running shoes and started on one of the longest runs I have ever done in a Cross-Country race. While running, the rest of the Elites, Junior and Youth men passed me and I ended up cheering on the other Namibian riders (Heiko Redecker and Tristan De Lange).

Before even reaching the tech zone James Reid (the current leader) and the rest of the field managed to overlap me which only meant one thing (apart from that I didn’t run fast enough), my race was over before I could even finish my first lap.

The second tech zone didn't end up having a spear wheel for me, so I thought now that my legs are warm from running anyway; I might as well run till the finish. So that’s what I did, handed in my number and got to change into clothes that would make me look more like a supporter than a rider.

During my practice in the days before the race I did a fast lap of 16min which I then used as comparison after the race. The top few riders had an average of around that time which gave me a rough indication of where I could have finished (this isn’t a comparison that should be taken too seriously as doing one fast lap is different to doing 6). 

The other two Namibians did really well compared to my performance. Heiko finished well within an extremely competitive Elite bunch even though he just came back from a cold. I take my hat off to Tristan who had an incredible performance coming second in the junior category. Now second is never satisfying enough if you’ve been first before, but in Tristan’s case the winner of his category 

was in fact the Junior Mountain Bike World Champ, so Kudus to you Tristan.

This whole trip in Pretoria and the race would not have been possible without my coach Deon Carstens. He managed to find friends of his, Nadine and Casper Badenhorst, that were kind enough to accommodate me over the week, feed me, bring me to the course every day and even feed me on race day (I didn’t end up riding far enough to reach a feeding zone, but I’m still grateful they were prepared to do it). They both won the second prize in their category, Nadine in the sub-vet and Casper in the vet cat. So kudus to both of them. Huge thanks to Deon who came out all the way to Pretoria to see me race, organised my accommodation and managed to get me into awesome form for the season to start. Sorry that it didn’t end up like we hoped it would, but it was nice chatting to you and getting to know you better.

So to round it off, I am disappointed to not have been able to finish my race, but I did have a really nice time here and got to chat with some of my old competition. I am confident for what is to come and amped to arrive in Switzerland to get together with my new team. And lastly, I did (hopefully) learn from my mistakes and hope to come out of it wiser.

From my side, keep the wheels turning,

Till next time

Martin