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.

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.