Albstadt Bike Marathon

12-07-2010

After a quick visit to Namibia I was back in Germany to race one of my favourite races in Albstadt. This was my 2nd marathon I ever won in Germany back in 1999 and ever since just had good times at this well organized event. Here it is still about the riders and the ORGA team does a great job to keep it this way. Add to this the best spectator support and it is a no-brainer to race here year after year.

I have raced here in rain and 13 degrees but this time round it was the complete opposite. Sun and 36 degrees with the start at 12 o clock and all 3300 starters was up for a tough day in the saddle.

The first 5km was not too fast, maybe because of the heat, but then the race started in full swing and a group of 12 riders got away on the fast dry course.  I was sitting uncomfortably on 10th wheel and tried to save as much energy as possible because I know that the last 3rd of this race is the toughest. No long climbs but therefore real steep ones and lots of corners. Oh and then the heat...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40243871

After 1hour and 30 min of racing the pace also got too fast for a “not yet fit enough” mr-african and I had to slow down just a little. This left me in the middle of nowhere for awhile. Later my good old friend Carsten Bresser and Thomas Frischknect caught up with me but by this time I was just happy to follow my own tempo to the finish. Think I burnt some “valves” or maybe “rings” in the first 90 minutes trying to stay with the leaders and with Trans alp one week away I did not want to blow an engine.
Another couple of riders caught and passed me and at the end I finished in 20th position. Not what I had in mind but that just show you that this is not an easy sport. If you not totally fit you will suffer... But sometime I like suffering as well.

Next on the cards Trans Alp challenge, a race I have done 8 times, won twice, got second place 3 times and 3rd once.

This time though I am racing with my guide from Saalbach, Reini Woisi, and together we are old enough to take on the masters’ category. This will be final preparation for the Marathon World Championships 2 weeks later in St Wendel, Germany.

Till then.

Namibia MTB Champs

05-07-2010

After 6 weeks in Europe, I made my way back to Windhoek for the Namibian MTB cross country championships.
I was a bit nervous racing the champs because last year I had a slow speed crash and broke my left elbow, leaving me out of competition for 6 months.

The course was not one of the easiest and for once I missed my dual suspension bike. That was still in Pretoria as I left for Europe from Pretoria 7 weeks ago and could not travel with both bikes. Rocky climbs and even more rocky descents had me out of the saddle more than my legs and my still injured right shoulder needed.

Marc was super motivated to once again become Namibian champ and started with a blistering pace. I think racing all the cross countries in Europe also helped him to pull away from me right from the start. I followed my own tempo, a tempo that I could not increase as the race progressed and by lap 3 of 6 he was leading by more than 3 minutes. My legs just never came good and now my whole body was taking a beating over the rocky terrain.

Still in the back of my mind was keep it steady and make sure you finish on the podium and not in the hospital like a year ago. That’s what I did and the last 2 laps my time dropped dramatically but at least I did finish on the podium, 2nd behind a flying Marc Bass.

This was a great, hard course and the altitude and dry Namibian air made it even harder.
Now I am flying back to Germany for another 6 weeks racing Albstadt Bike marathon, Trans Alp Challenge and then Marathon World Champ in St Wendel, Germany.

Kette Rechts.

KitzAlpBike Festival
28-06-2010

Our last stop on our European campaign, Kirchberg by Tirol for a 4 day festival.

First on the cards a 6km hill climb on Wednesday night. With so many hill climbs here in Austria one can afford to built yourself a special bike just for the occasion. The best one I saw was a MTB weighing in at 6.2kg. More than 3 kg lighter than the full suspensions we were riding up the mountain. A little bit unfair I would say.

Philip finish in 8th place, Marc 12th and I finished in 17th place. And we won the team classification. EUROS.....
Next on the cards, a city sprint in Kitzbuehl. The race is held on a 400 meter course in the city centre of Kitzbuehl with 4 handmade obstacles scattered around the track. Very much like steeple chase in athletics. Good for the crowds cause there is action the whole time.

Qualification consisted of a timed 2 lap race for every individual rider with the best 16 going through to the quarter finals. Philip qualified 2nd fastest, Francois 11th and Marc just missed out finishing 17th.

I was happy not to take any risks with my vulnerable body and one serious crash was evident that this was a good decision.

In the quarterfinals 4 riders race against each other with the first 2 going through to the semis and then the same format to get to the final. The moral was high for Philip to get to the semis but first a bad start and then a couple of chain slips set him back and finished 3rd in his heat. Francois also only managed 3rd in his heat and that was it for the day.

The race was won by Daniel Federspiel, a guy who specialises in this type of racing and has not lost a race of this kind since September 2006. Impressive stuff. Think I will bring Philip back next year to change that.
Saturday morning 9 o clock it was time for me to tackle 88km and 3600Hm. Having done this race on 2 previous occasions I knew what was lying ahead. Lots of pain and suffering. With 4 big climbs it was essential to pace yourself as the last climb starts with 15km to go ascending 900 meters average 10%. Aua
Check out these files http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38446086
First climb was OK, the second one I suffered like a dog and lost a couple of places.

Having good back up from Marc Philip and Francois in the feed zones I managed to pull myself together for the 3rd climb and by the time the last one came I found a good rhythm and worked my way up to finish in 7th pos only 5 min away from 2nd place rider. The race was won by Bart Brentjens who had a great ride on this terrain and he just once again showed what a champion he is.
3 years ago I would not have been too happy with finishing 7th but for now that is OK. I need to take it race by race to get back the shape and my confidence.

Next up it was time for Marc, Philip and Francois to battle it out on yet another technical cross country course but at least this time it was not raining and warm.
The race started 17:30 quite an unusual time for the riders but that did not take away any of their spirit. With good starting positions it was all up to them to get a good result and they did not disappoint.
Philip was fighting for 6th but then buckled his front wheel. A rapid wheel change and he was on his way again. He unfortunately lost 3 places but fought his way back to finish in 7th place overall and 2nd U/23 rider.
Marc was struggling to get in to a rhythm but when he did he worked his way up the field and got his first top 10 finish finishing in 9th place.
Francois lost his rhythm to the end of the race and started making stupid mistakes and at the end had to be happy with 24th pos.
Thanx again to Kurt Exenberger for having us here in Kirchberg. Will see you again next year, 1 year wiser.
That’s it 6 weeks Europe passed so quickly.

Windhaag Cross Country C1
21-06-2010

After a 4 day break from the team we all met again in Nuertingen, Germany and jip it was raining like crazy. This is how I know Germany especially if I am on my way to a race.
Our next stop was Windhaag by Perg, a small little town with a scary crazy cross country course. Must be the most technical coarse I have ever seen and if the Philinator was scared to ride some off the drops the first time, that’s is a sign
We arrived in Windhaag and made our way to our complimentary accommodation, a holiday apartment on a small Austrian farm. Interesting to see how farming happens and for once we had no TV and no internet. Only chickens, ducks, cows and UNO.

Saturday the guys went to train the course again and Marc was psyched for the race as he was able to ride all the drops without crashing once. Francois cracked another break lever without killing himself (thank goodness) and Phil was still not happy with some of the drops. After numerous crashes he came back bruised but a bit more confident for the race the next day.

The cross country race only started 14:30 and that gave me time in the morning to partake in the Alpine Marathon. Not a marathon like I am used to over 100km but still a good workout. With rain falling the whole night and still coming down at the start we were in for a mud feast.

The race consisted of 2 laps and it took me roughly the whole first lap to get used to these slippery wet conditions again and I started the 2nd lap down in 4th place about a minute behind the leader. With half a lap to go I was in 2nd place and had the leader, Peter Cirkl, in my sight but I was running out of time to pass him and at the end got beaten in the sprint. A good workout all round, physically and technically. And on the podium again as well as some “cash in the tash”.

The cross country course just became more of a challenge as riding up the steep climbs in this mud made it even more difficult for the riders and the race got shortened from 9 laps to 7 laps. Going down some of the drops maybe better on foot and going through the”Holenloch”, please don’t ask me. At least the devil himself, Didi Senft, was there to support the riders.

Philip managed the condition the best of the team working his way up from 16th to finish in a well deserved 10th place and 1st U/23 rider.
Marc lost his sense off humour on the 3rd lap but pulled himself together again to finish in 17th place and Francois was not only battling with the handling off his bike in the mud but his gears tested him as well to the fullest and finished in 28thplace.

So we entered the last week of our European trip and still there are a couple of races to do. On Wednesday there is a hill climb in Kirchberg, Friday a short race in Kirchberg and Saturday morning I will do the Marathon, 88km and 3800Hm of climbing. In the afternoon it is time for the Philip, François and Marc to test them again for the last time, hopefully this time in African sunshine weather.

For now we are on our way back to Hotel Conrad in Hinterglemm where we can strategize for the last week of our trip.

Albstadt

14-06-2010

And then the rain came.
After a week of sunshine and 30 degrees celcius in the mountains, the rain came down the night before the cross country race in Albstadt and turned the race into a slippery, scary survival track. The course is 5.1km long with 170 meters of climbing with gradients reaching 27% and in the muddy conditions sometimes impossible to ride.

The race in Albstadt is one of only a few HC1 races where U/23 and elites riders race separately and it was a good chance for Philip and Francois to race only against U/23 riders, 74 of them. Unfortunately we had no mud tires with and with the intermediate tires they were riding on it was sometimes impossible to ride as Philip said to me “I don’t know how these guys do it”. Later on he got the feel of the slippery conditions to finish in 18th position.

Francois was not so lucky and after numerous crashes retired with a broken brake lever and hurt his family jewels so bad that I started to feel sorry for him.

I decided not to ride in these conditions as my shoulder is still not 100% and did not want to risk crashing onto it again.

At 14:15, with the rain still coming down, it was Marc’s turn to take on the slippery track. Luckily for him I managed to get some mud tires and he was a bit more in control but if you never race in these conditions you will never learn how to do it and that’s why we are here.

The Swiss riders are masters of the wet and the final result is proof of that with 4 riders in the top 5 and only the winner, Moritz Milatz coming from Germany. 2nd was Florian Fogel 3rd Lukas Fluckiger 4th Nicola Rohrbach and in 5th place Martin Fanger. Marc finished in 32nd place not what I expected and I am sure also not what he was aiming for.  

With 2 more cross country races left in Austria we will focus a bit more on cross country riding and if the weather gods plays along lets hope for a top 5 finish.

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Saalbach

12-06-2010

The plan was to stay in Saalbach for 4 days and then go back to Garmish where I could see a shoulder specialist but I then got a appointment for next Monday from the doc that operated Karl Platt’s shoulder in Pforzheim and we were able to extend our stay with one more day.
I never had a bad time in Saalbach and this time round were no difference either. Even the weather was great for the whole 5 days and I even managed to visit some “Alm’s” where we normally just ride past.
The first day on the bike we just explored some trails around Hinterglemm and used our Joker cards, a card for guest’s of the hotel to use the lift for free, to ride down the blue line without climbing the 500 meter with the bikes. We had lunch, Jagernock, at the Tall Alm and then ended of the day with some beers at Pfeffer alm.
Day 2 we were a bit more adventurous and did some of Reini’s, our guide from the hotel, special routes. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36439045   Even though it is 30 degrees plus for the last 3 days we still encountered some snow higher up. The day ended with a nice braai, a swim and a couple of beers at Bascht’s private Alm. Man that was good.
Day 3 and it was still sunshine and temperatures in the high twenties when we left the hotel at around 10 o clock for our last day in the mountains. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36439037
We did one big loop and passed through Leogang where the Downhill MTB world cup will take place next week. Then it was another monster of a climb climbing 1000 meters in 10km to have lunch at the Azis Alm. Kase nock and Kaisersmarn helped with the recovering and then it was down to Saalbach again drift style.

Alpentour trophy

07-06-2010

The 3rd race on our European journey started on Thursday with a 65km stage, one of 4 very tough mountain stages. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35543549.  To make things worse snow fall the previous night on the higher mountains forced the organizers to make some last minute changes to the course.

At first it looked if we were in for an easier day on the bike but it turned out different. Not 2500Hm of climbing like they said, but 2899Hm made us wonder what sins we committed the previous days. Although I raced in these mountains in the past it was also a bit of a shock to again be climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing.... But like they say “wat nie dood maak nie maak sterk” is what I told “my kids” and the results later in the tour are evidence of that.

Marc and Philip finished 16th and 18th respectively on the first stage and Francois, after following some local riders in the wrong direction, finished in 30th position.  I was not only suffering up the mountains because off my training deficit, but with my shoulder still a bit painful and without power in the upper body, I also struggled down the steep Austrian slopes.

Day 2 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35636903 was much better for me, although still climbing 2600Hm in only 63km, and finished in 16th place, not a great result but I can slowly see the light at the end of the tunnel. The weather also changed for the better and I enjoyed the climbs a little bit more than the day before. The downhills were still a bit too crazy for me but that will come back again eventually.

Marc had a super bad day in the saddle, Phillip took a high speed crash down one of the ski slopes and Francois decided if he is not right to race with the front guys he will use this as another 4 days of body and mind training. Not a bad thing to do if you’re not on par with the climbers in a tour of this nature.

Day 3 was unbelievable, sunshine like at home and no jackets, arm warmers, legwarmers or mudguards http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35736480:  Just you your bike and some more evil mountains. I paid the price for riding hard the previous day while Marc fired on all cylinders and managed a top 10 finish. Philip was still in a bit of pain from his crash the previous day and decided to take it easy and wait for the final day to show his skills. Francois really tested his mind as the last big climb passed right past our home but he kept to his plans and finished the 3rd stage unhappy happy.

I could feel that I have not been on the bike too much over the last 6 weeks and the 4th stage was a deadly one for me. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36003420.  With an 1100Hm non-stop climb 25km into the race I started to wonder why I decided to come to this race, but those thoughts quickly disappeared once we hit the downhill sections again.

Philip felt much stronger today and managed to stay with the leading mountain goats until ¾ of the BIG climb. He dropped down to about 10th place but then in the final crazy downhill section he managed to overtake another four riders to their disbelief and finished a well deserved 6th place on the final day. Just imagine the power of “my kids” if they have 2 or 3 easy days now.

Marc had an average day finishing in 22nd position just behind 1996 Olympic Champion, Bart Brentjens, while Francois and I finished a hard training camp lower down the ranks.

In the team classification Team Garmin adidas finished in 3rd place behind Trek Brentjens and Team G-Skin Deforche.

The next 4 days we are guests at Hotel Conrad, www.hotel-conrad.at  in Saalbach Hinterglemm where we will recuperate a bit but also make final preparations for the next HC1 cross country race next Sunday in Albstadt, Germany.

Thanks to Bascht and Evi from Hotel Conrad for their hospitality and thanks again to our Sponsors Garmin South Africa and adidas for making this trip a reality.
Watch this space.
Mr-african

Team in Europe

Even while I cant ride I still want to show my team what it is like racing in Europe and we are here now for 6 weeks. Racing etc. etc.

Back to the dok

And once again I am not able to race my bike but rather go and see what the doctor's rooms looks like.

I had a silly crash on the road bike and what looked to be like just big time road rash on my hip now turns out to be more seriously.

Have to give the shoulder some rest, maybe 5 weeks, and then see how it goes.