Otium Sanctum - Riding 'Die Burger' mountainbike race

On Saturday the 31st of July 2010 I had the joy of riding my second 'Die Burger' mountainbike challenge in Stellenbosch.  It is a truly superb race on the mountainbiking calendar - it is well organised, well supported and the riding terrain is second to none!  Plus, it is in my 'back garden' so it is very convenient.

This year I did the 60 KM ride with my Wines2Whales team mate Greg Long. Greg is a great friend and an superb cyclist.  He has super technical ability (mainly due to his experience as a national champion BMX rider in his youth).  He is also very strong physically and mentally - not to mention that we get along so well.  It is a joy to ride with Greg.  He and I are quite evenly matched most of the time.  I am quite strong on the climb but slow on the technical and he is superfast on the technical and steady on the climbs. 

On this race, however, he was on top form!  He did the 60KM course in a super 4h02.  I on the other hand only managed 4h50 - I'll say a bit more about my time below.  I ended up with a slit tyre, no repair kit and two flat tubes...

It was an overcast day with strong winds, but quite a lot of the course was sheltered.  What also made the riding quite good this year was the fact that it had not rained for the 10 days preceding the race.  Die Burger is known to be a muddy ride in winter!  This year wasn't too bad.  There was some mud to contend with, but on the whole the farm tracks, climbs through the vineyards, forest sections and single track were all pretty dry and well maintained.  Much of the tract was quite new and it was clear that the organisers had done great work to get things ready for the race!

I rode on my trusty Mongoose Canaan Comp which I have had for about 2 years now.  She is a trusty steed that handles the terrain much better than I do.  I lovingly refer to her as 'the beast' because she carves up the dirt with ease!  This range of full suspension bikes is truly exceptional value for money!  I was fortunate to purchase my bike as stock from a previous year that had not sold, so I got it at a great price.  But even new they are extremely affordable, well fitted, and durable.  Perhaps the only thing that I would change on my bike is better suspension - to be able to lock out the suspension on the climb would be a great bonus!  But, the bike is comfortable, stable, and fairly light.

Die Burger MTB challenge has 4 distance rides on the day - 15 KM for the kids and novices, a 30 KM ride for teenagers and more avid riders, a 42 KM ride for those who are hankering after a little distance, and then the 60 KM ride for those of us who really enjoy a bit of a leg stretch!  There is also a 75KM ride, but that is by invitation only and caters for the more professional and skilled riders.

The 60 KM ride has plenty of variety - water crossings, farm trails, mountain tracks, jeep tracks, great fast descents, some fairly technical sections with steep dropoffs and switchbacks, and lots of single track (rolling track and some climbs and fast descending track in the forest).

It was this track that I slit my rear tyre on a root.  I heard the air coming out and then my tube burst as it bubled through the slit.  So, I changed it fairly quickly and started riding.  But within about 50 meters the second tube also burst.  That was when I knew I was in trouble.  Both my tubes were flat, my tyre was slit and I didn't have any patches and glue.  I asked all the passing riders for help and they were all kind, but most people ride on tubeless tyres so I wasted 30 minutes before someone came along with spare patches and glue! I patched the tyre first by sticking a patch on the inside of the tyre to strengthen the hole.  Then I patched the tube and put it back in.  It held for the rest of the race, although I had to underinflate the tyre to stop the slit from getting larger.  I will certainly have to get another rear tyre when I have a few spare rand!  I won't be able to ride another race on this one.

Here's my 'bush workshop'.

So, my time could have been 4h20 were it not for the breakdown.

Still, I am happy with my ride.  It was good training for Wines2Whales later this year.

Most of all, I am grateful to have enjoyed nature, engaged with other riders, encouraged a few people along the way, and had a chance for some 'Holy Leisure' (otium sanctum).  My body, mind and soul feel renewed!

Above is a screenshot of the route for the ride (I use a Garmin Edge 705 heart rate monitor and GPS - I sync the data to a program called Ascent on my Apple Mac that allows me to get routes, my speed, calories expended, average speed and a host of other data).

Over the 60 KM we climbed a total of 1519 meters!  The worst climb for me was right at the begining (towards Hellshoogte - I think it is called Bosmanskop), and then the climb from Delvera farm through the Papagaaiberg before one descends into Stellebosch for the finish.  My goodness, that took a lot of lungs and legs to keep peddling!

The image above shows the elevation, my heart rate, and speed throughout the ride.  The slit tyre happened on the highest point of the blue graph (labels 6-8 if you can read them).

I'd love to hear about your rides if you have any to share - particularly if you're from elsewhere in the world!

The cliffs of Mosselbay - Riding the Wandelpad on my Mountainbike

On Monday Megie, Courts, Liam and I drove out to Mosselbay to spend a few days with our great friends, Cois and Corne and their kids, in Mosselbay. For those who don't know where that is, Mosselbay is about 3 hours drive outside of Cape Town. Cois and Corne have a beautiful flat in an area called Diaz beach.

Yesterday was a cold, wet day. Late in the afternoon I decided to go for a ride. It wasn't very long, about 22km, but it was great! I rode from where we are staying to 'the point' and then went looking for the Methodist Church (tip of the hat to the good 'Methodist people'). I found the Church and added it on Gowalla and while I was there a neighbour of the Church told me about a place called 'Die Wandelpad'.

So, I went up Church street, past the golf course and onto the cliffs around the point. It was an awesome piece of single track! Some great technical riding over rocks with a sheer drop on the side. There were a few moments where I was laughing out loud as I rode! I loved it! Just take a look at this view towards the lighthouse.

Here's a little piece of single track pointing out towards the sea. Here you can get some idea of the terrain - rocky and quite close to the edge! It is actually a walking trail, but one can ride most of it.  There were a few places where I had to climb off my bike because the corners were too steep, or there were large (or sharp) rocks obstructing the walking path.  Then of course there were the steps at the end.  But on the whole most of it was rideable in a lower gear (both up and down).  As long as I kept my weight back and my centre of gravity low I could climb and descend the paths.  I will confess that riding single track is what makes mountainbiking so appealing!

This was the last picture I took below the lighthouse before hiking my bike down the stairs to the point.  I had to pick up my bike and carry it down to the parking lot.  I passed a few tourists along the way who clearly thought that i was crazy coming down the walkway with my bike on my back!

 

If you're interested in seeing the track and the change in altitude, here's the info from my Garmin Forerunner 305 watch. It is an older watch, but it works for me.  It handles GPS coordinates, keeps track of my speed, distance, heart rate etc.  And what is best is that I can connect it to my Apple Mac via USB and download both the tracks and the riding data using a piece of software I purchased called 'Ascent'.  The little graphic below comes from a screen shot in Ascent.  It helps me to keep track of my rides, the distances and also to know how my training is going - I am preparing for a three day stage race later in the year called Wines2Whales.

All the gory details!

Yesterday my friends Greg (@gregbeliever) and Ruan (not on twitter!) and I (@digitaldion) did an EPIC mountainbike ride from Somerset West to Stellebosch (on the mountains), and back.

Ruan had to turn back a bit early (I think at about 30km's), but Greg and I did 60km's in total, mostly on the mountains above Somerset West and Stellenbosch.  It was great fun!  There were many parts where we had no roads or tracks to ride - we simply road through the bushes, and at times pushed our bikes, and even had to 'hike' them over our shoulders.  Yes, there were one or two spots where we had to jump a boundary fence!

We left at 13.30 and eventually got back home in Somerset West at 19.30 - 60km's in 6 hours!  Not exactly a world record for speed, but definitely a ride of a lifetime.

It was great to share the experience with Greg - he and I are both deeply committed Christians.  So, we had lots of time to talk, pray and give thanks, and just celebrate being healthy, alive, and riding in one of the most beautiful settings in the world.

It is a great varied ride; some tar, some good jeep track (with lots of climbing), some technical single track, some VERY technical single track (in Eden and Paradyskloof - hectic, steep, rocky downhill!), and some bush with no road in sight!  So cool!

Well, if you're interested in following the route in Google earth you can download the file here (right click and save it if you're on windows, control click it if you're on a mac).  Firefox seems think it is a text file and open it in the browser instead of saving it to open in Google Earth.  Not sure why.

There was some spectacular scenery along the way! My goodness!  At one point we ended up on this farm (I'm still not entirely sure where it is - somewhere behind Avontuur farm).  Isn't this view amazing?

If you're interested in the 'inner workings' of my heart this image below shows my heartrate throughout the ride - I snapped this one at my highest point (166bpm - not too bad for such a long ride!)

A friend asked 'Why would you do this!?' - well, first it is GREAT fun! But, we're also training for the wines2whales race later this year that will be between 80-100km a day for three days.

Have you got any 'fun' activities for which you'll endure strain and discomfort!?

Otium Sanctum - Holy Leisure

One of my favourite passtimes is mountainbiking! Heck, I love spending a few hours riding my mountainbike in the mountains around my home - I am particulalry blessed that I live in Cape Town (Somerset West). About 800m from my home we have Lourensford farm - one of the stages of the ABSA Cape Epic. Then we have some magnificent trails in the Helderberg (about 2km from my front door). And, if I want something a little more adventurous my friends and I put our bikes on the racks and drive the 20 minutes to Elgin, Grabouw (Oak Valley or Lebanon) for another two of the Epic stages.

Hills, climbs, downhill, single-track and scenery!

It is a wonderful way to celebrate God's incredible creative power! I also find it to be a great way to connect with guys who would never darken the door of a Church! We can chat, offer one another support and find companionship and meaning for life's journey.

The monks of the 13th century spiritual communities called such activities that mixed praise, service to others, and personal relaxation "otium sanctum" [holy leisure].

This post contains a few picture from my ride on Lourensford this morning with my friends Graham Power (with whom I wrote my new book 'Transform your work life: Turn your ordinary day into an extraordinary calling' see http://bit.ly/transformwork (Graham is the chairman of the Power Group of Companies see http://www.powergrp.co.za and the founder of the Global Day of Prayer http://www.globaldayofprayer.com for details), and Dawie Spangenberg a friend from
Somerset West who runs Central Weighbridge Company.

Good times, good friends, great cycling!

Cape Argus Mountainbike Cycle ride at Boschendal - too hot to handle!

Yesterday and today were the Cape Argus Mountainbike cycle rides from Boschendal wine estate just outside of Stellebosch.  I'll be riding my 9th Argus (could be 8th) 'regular' 110 km Argus cycle tour this coming Sunday.

Today was a SCORCHER.  It was too hot to handle!  I took the picture below when I got to my car at around 12noon - it was 44 degrees centigrade.  

I had been entered for the 55km mountainbike race.  However, the race organisers decided to cut the race because of the extreme heat.  I believe that at least one person had a heart attack.  I must say that the race organisation, medical care, water points etc. were all fantastic.  The long and the short of it was that I only did about 36 kilometers of the intended 55 kilometers since we were directed to the finish.  I believe that the 35 kilometer race was cut short to around 25 kilometers for most riders.

Well, let's hope that Cape Town's weather cools a bit before next weekend!  I rode an Argus in 2003 that was stopped because of heat (I think it was 2003).  On that occasion I was already almost finished when they stopped the back markers.

Today's ride was a lot of fun.  There were some steep climbs in the begining.  I was feeling strong and so only had to walk when the foot traffic got too heavy to cycle past.  There was also some serious single track (I saw only one hectic fall), and then there were lots of sandy farm roads!  I got two punctures on the route (well actually only one puncture, but one of my replacement tubes was faulty) so that slowed me by about 15 minutes. My watch showed that I did the 36 kilometers in 3hours 3minutes of which 34 minutes was 'standing time' (i.e., at water points, fixing my punctures etc.)

I'll happily ride again next year, and I'll enter for the 55km race again.  It is so well run and takes place in some of the most magnificent scenery!  Mountainbiking bliss!

One of the more coulourful characters on the race was this guy dressed as Superman.  He was exhausted at the finish!  It looks like he was riding some kind of downhill mountain bike, which  couldn't have been easy on the steep climbs!  He came in about an hour after me.  He was riding like this for a wheelchair charity.  It is great to see people taking up good causes with their rides.

So, for this coming Sunday's Cape Town Pick n Pay Argus cycle tour I would suggest LOTS of sunscreen, lots of water and a well paced ride.  My suggestion to riders is often the following.  1) Choose to ride slower than your regular pace for the first 3rd of the race (there are some STEEP) hills to climb and the bunches can be quite daunting for a novice rider). 2) In the second half take an easy ride, don't be afraid to stop at the water points and stretch a bit.  Make sure you stay well hydrated and do your best to get into 'the bunch'.  Let stronger riders pull you along.  3) In the final third of the race if you've paced it well to start with you'll have some energy left to push a little harder to get that great time!  4)  When the ride is done make sure you drink a good sports drink to replenish your electrolytes, and also eat something to make sure you recover well and don't 'bonk' - recovery in important since it stops your immune system from being compromised, it helps your muscles (and but) to heal etc.

Did anyone else get a chance to ride?   Any stories to share?

Update on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 8:35PM by Dr Dion Forster

Here are a few news articles about the mountain bike race and the searing heat!

From the South African Weather Service (when I passed the river in this picture, about 5km from the end, there were just as many riders 'taking a dip').

Then there's this article from the Star Newspaper  - I can't say that I agree with their estimate that only 1500 riders arrived for the race!  It seemed like much more to me, but hey I could be wrong!

The winner of the 2010 Argus challenge 55km race, Conrad Stoltz, posted this media release.  He suggests that 4500 rider did the ride.  That number sounds more accurate.  Check out Conrad's site.  He has some incredible stuff posted there.

One of the things that I have been wondering about is the special medal that riders get if they complete both the 55km and the 110km Argus rides?  Since we were diverted before the end of the race does anyone know if we will still qualify for this medal?

Regardless, it was a fun day's riding, well organised, incredible scenery and a lot of climbing!!!

I'm looking forward to this Sunday's road ride - last year I rode the Argus on the Sunday and then flew to London for the Hugh Price Hughes lecture I was presenting - not a comfortable flight with sore legs!

This year I'll be home for a week or so before I fly to Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Power Piston fun ride! 110km of Hot, hot, hot fun!!

Today 10 of my friends and I did our own fun ride. It is the second time we've done it (we did it last year this time as well). It is supposed to be a training ride for the Cape Argus Pick n Pay cycle tour which is in 2 weeks time here in Cape Town. That race is 110km (or so) and so we try to do one ride (at least) of the same distance to stretch our legs a little.

We left from Klapmuts (half way between Stellenbosch and Paarl) at 6am. From there we did the 60 kilometers to Malmesbury, and then another 30 some kilometers to Wellington with a final stretch of about 20 kilometers back to Klapmuts.

11 of us started this year with 8 of us doing the entire distance, one going until 80km's and two opting out at 65 kilometers.

The routs has quite a few hills, but the real challenege is the heat -to the temperature was over 40 degrees C. There is also always quite a strong head wind between Malmesbury and Wellington.

My wonderful wife Megie and our two kids prepared goodies for a few 'water stops' along the route. She is WONDERFUL!!!! Ice cold water, a cold coke and a few bannanas saved the day. Plus her little Renault Clio was a great car to help get folks back to their cars when the heat and distance took its toll!

Next week Sunday I'll be riding the 55km mountainbike Argus ride at Boschendal near Stellenbosch, and the week after I'll be at the starting line of the road Argus for a 7.13am start to the race!

Please spare a prayer for stron legs, big lungs and safety on the mountain and road!