2009 Carousel Classic: Watching paint dry

So the second half of the season got under way this past weekend (10th August 2009) with the 110km Carousel Classic situated between Bela-Bela and Pretoria. The start/finish was at the Carousel Casino and Entertainment world which is famous for hosting a number of world title boxing events, but we weren’t there to box, although sometimes in cycling boxing within the peloton is a common thing.

I was the only one representing Bulk Pack Trek on the day with Craig Harvey picking up a bug the night before, Marco van Biljoen was over seas, Mark Ramos and Ilidio Pinto had other commitments. With me being the only one, I had to change things a bit on the day, sit in the back seat and watch the racing unfold and hook a wheel if a move looked threatening.

The VA’s started at 07h05, five minutes behind the juniors and with the route being so flat, it was a given that they were going to get caught considering the restricted gears they ride. With no real climbs except for at the half way mark, 55km’s, it was going to be a tough ask to get away and stay away. The first half of the race was somewhat sedate with the only real attack coming from Hannes Botha from team Computer-Smith, this at about 6km’s in to the race, Hannes leapt off the front and soon built up a healthy lead of about 35-40 secs. With a slight head wind going out it was going to be a tough ask to stay away but TCS were well represented (Philip Fourie, Danie Mare, Sheldon Bole) and maybe looking to force the others to chase down and hit again but nothing came of it and Hannes was reeled in at about the 25km mark.

Approaching half-way, the chaps were getting anxious and I had a feeling that if things were going to happen it was going to be here. With a slight bump followed by a 7km drag and a short sharp kick before the turn-around, I decided to head up the front and pick the pace up a bit and soften the legs of the wheel suckers and then hit slightly harder on the kick. At 6.5% average for 1km just before the turn around we averaged 25kph up the kick and this proved enough to kill off the rest. We had a select group of riders off the front (Arnin Venter, David Labuschagne, Gary Rabie, Hannes Botha, Jacques Fullard, Jacques Maritz, Phillip Fourie, Riaan Kok, myself and a few others) and started working well to get away from any chasers. We caught the juniors at the 75km mark, their race was neutralized and we were allowed to get on with our own. Out of the lead group Jacques Maritz (Black Rock) was very aggressive and attacked the lead group constantly. Soon his hard efforts paid off and with 30km’s to go he attacked and took David Labuschagne (C-Lab) with. This was the decisive break of the day and they stayed away to the end and put 1m42sec in to the rest of the chasers.

All in all it was a pretty boring race for me. I’m happy with my result considering the amount of training I did the previous week (560km’s). Having a BIG week before a race is not the cleverest of things but then again the Carousel is also not such an important race for me. I’m hoping the chaps from Bulk Pack Trek can soon join me; the racing should really be a lot more heated and interesting.

Vets 30+ Results:
1. Jacques Maritz (Black Rock)
2. David Labuschagne (C-Lab)
3. Jaques Fullard (Black Rock)
4. Jeffrey Kriel (Club 100)
5. Jason du Preez (Bulk Pack Trek)

Carnival City Classic: In the move

I’ve never raced the Carnival, so I wasn’t sure on how hard yesterday was going to be. Previously I did this race in 2006 with Michelle, all race prep for the Argus at the time, so for me it was a walk in the park, but things were different this time round, racing for Bulk Pack, you’re always expected to make the racing, close any move that goes up the road and we were also desperately looking for a good result. A pretty flat course with just over 600m of vertical ascent over the allotted 100km. Pretty much the same as the Fast One. It was a tough weeks training for me leading up to the Carnival, but I was feeling good throughout, so I was hoping Sunday I could make things happen for the team.

Our group (VA’s) got off at 06h50 and the first two kilometers was somewhat idle. I immediately went to the front to pick up the pace and tried making things a little hard for those who were hoping for a nice 15km warm-up. Once that was done, the attacks started. The first 50km’s was very flat and to get away was going to prove to be very hard. That didn’t stop us from trying. Mark Ramos and Ilidio Pinto both from Bulk Pack Trek were mixing it up early with the boys (Club100, Bi-Steel, and Bright House). Covering attacks and trying to create something and hopefully get in a break and force a few of the other teams to chase and tire their legs out and then leave the 2^nd half of the race up to Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack Trek) and Marco van Biljoen (Bulk Pack Trek) to attack and try get away. With nothing really coming off in the first 50km’s except for some confusion between Marco van Biljoen and the race commissaire. Marco was apparently DQ’ed for dropping back to the support vehicle and handing over his arm warmers and then in chasing back to get to the front half of the group, he crossed the white line. Marco took this up with the race commissaire and after a “few” words were exchanged the commissaire agreed that the decision was a bit harsh and the DQ was turned in to a 1^st warning. With that said, the first real break of the day came, no surprise, Marco van Biljoen put in a BIG effort taking 2 riders with him and opening a gap of around 25 secs to the chase. This forced Harmony and Club100 to do the chasing and once again it felt like we had control of the race. The break lasted for 20km’s and after the break was pulled back; I had a little dig and tried putting more pressure on the other teams. It didn’t last long before my move was pulled back.

Marco again pushed hard up one of the drags eliminating any thoughts of a counter by the other teams. This is when I decided to have another dig; taking Gary Rabie and a Fit Rider with, we soon had 20 secs on the group but with no real cohesion coming from Gary our break was short lived. Once we got pulled back Craig Harvey shot off the front taking a Harmony rider and another rider with. Once again we were in the move and once again the leaders were pulled back after just 10km’s or so. With 20km’s to go I decided to head up the front and drive the pace real hard and prevent any attacks from coming and with a little glance back I saw no one was on my wheel and soon opened up a little gap of 10 secs. I decided to keep driving and soon my 10 secs became 30 secs. I thought if I was going to get caught it would be the perfect launch pad for Mark, Ilidio, Marco or Craig to have one last dig to the end. My solo was perfect, 12.5km’s and with 7km’s to go I thought this was our day and with the rest of the Bulk Pack riders getting sucked along, Club100, Cyclelab and Harmony were trying to pull me back I started cramping in my left calve, still I thought it was enough to tire the rest out but once again bad luck struck and Marco punctured with 5km’s to go. With a fast finish Cyclelab were heading up the front with 2km’s to go. Craig Harvey and Mark Ramos were in perfect position and I was still hoping we could pull something off. My legs were toast and with my calve, sprinting wasn’t even an option, not that I’m a sprinter. With a 500m uphill drag to the finish; I thought it was perfect for Craig. Unfortunately we just missed the podium and had to settle for 4th (Craig Harvey).

Good positive racing from the chaps and having all of us in a break and making the breaks at some point in the race things are looking good, but we’re still seeking that podium spot. On flat races like these it’s hard to get rid of the wheel suckers and with 1km to go you see guys that you haven’t seen for the past 99km’s which is very frustrating, but hey, I guess that’s racing for you and it’s all about who crosses the line first. Most probably the best race of the season for me so far, it really felt like the team gelled well together. This week see’s me take a week off the bike to chill and catch up on a few things.

Later

Vets 30+ Results:
1. Gary Rabie (2:20)
2. Alwyn Dippenaar
3. Martin Van Wyk
4. Craig Harvey
5. Erich Meintjes

Ride for Sight, a boring day in the saddle

So I woke up this morning with a pretty sore stomach and puffy eyes. The past few days I haven’t been sleeping well, got sun burnt and been skipping meals. Didn’t have breakfast before the race, not the brightest thing to do considering that today’s race is a little longer (116km’s) than the usual one day races, so preparation was not quite there for this one.

The race got underway with Johan Pretorius (Club 100) and Werner Moolman (Mr-Price) pushing hard up the first drag and opening up a small gap of around 10 seconds in the first 3km’s. At this stage the guys were not too concerned about the move as it was still early days. They were later joined by Marco van Biljoen (Bulk Pack Trek), Johan Labuschagne (Cyclelab), Alwyn (Cyclelab), Danie Mare (TCS) and a Harmony rider at about 10km’s. I just didn’t have it in me in the first few km’s or make that first 60km’s. The body was not interested and with not much happening attack wise I was somewhat relieved that I wasn’t called upon to cover any real big attacks. So with Marco in the break we (Bulk Pack Trek) were happy with the situation. At this point the race was pretty much set and sitting 5th wheel for most of the time in the chase, I was happy to watch the chaps roll through in an effort to try close the gap to the leaders. Most of the work was being done by Club 100 which I found strange as they had a man (Johan Pretorius) upfront in the break. With the km’s ticking over and Donovan Jackson trying hard to motivate his men to chase and the gap at 1min 20s we picked up one of the first riders, Danie Mare (TCS) who dropped off the lead group going through the bumps out towards Heidelberg and then later Johan Pretorius (Club 100) and Alwyn (Cyclelab).

I was feeling good on the bumps and with the only real “climb” of the day (1.5km at 4%) David Labuschagne (Cyclelab) put in a BIG effort, trying to split the bunch up a bit. He was closely marked by Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack Trek) and they had a slight gap on the rest but later gave up as there was no point in trying to close the gap down with their riders upfront. The race came together with about 10km’s to go which saw David Labuschagne and myself jump off the front opening a small gap of around 5-10s, but all in vain. The last 2km’s is always fast with everyone trying to enter the S bend first. Werner Moolman for one last time tried to go and I quickly hooked his wheel. Coming through the S’s in 2nd position I noticed Moolman struggling, I immediately reacted and tried to go but misjudged the sprint and had to settle for 12th.

Not a good first 60km’s for me but one positive I can take out of today’s race was the climbs/drags, I felt really good. An excellent effort by Marco van Biljoen who was in the break for 100km’s. Still no podium for us, but things are looking good, so maybe next time. To sum it up, the race was boring, sitting and watching the chase for 100km’s is kind of like watching paint dry, but a good effort by Club 100, Donovan and the boys! Next weekends the Carnival, another fast one with a few kicks here and there; hopefully my race prep is a little better.

Later

Vets 30+ Results:
1. James Louter (2:42)
2. Mark Davel
3. Donovan Jackson
4. Tijl vd Winkel
5. Koos Klopper

Emperors, from good to bad

The 2009 Emperors Classic was presented with a new route. Instead of heading out towards Bapsfontein, through Tembisa and up 3 steps (Allandale), we headed out on the N12, N17 towards Nigel, back up through Springs and home. The first 25km’s would be the last 25km’s coming back which had a few drags leading to the finish.

As always the pace was furious right from the start, flat and fast, so this was expected. 12km’s in to the race one of the riders (OB) ripped his pedal off his crank almost taking Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack Trek) and myself out and then proceeding to swerve back in to the bunch while trying to maintain his balance. Don’t know what happened to OB but if I can help you in any way, your pedals on the N17 somewhere.

Climbing on to the N17 there were a few attacks going off the front but nothing serious. At this point in time for a break to succeed would prove to be very hard; the wind was a little stiff coming from the front and on a flat route like today it just seemed impossible to stay away. Coming off the N17 we hit Heidelberg road, this section the road surface was very rough and this was one of a few drags (2.5km at 2%) nothing serious. Here Johann Pretorius (MTN/Club 100) started driving the pace with me firmly stuck behind his wheel, trying to keep the pace high and eliminate any wheel suckers early on, but to no avail, my legs were still asleep and with a good push I thought they might wake up. At about 40km’s we hit the only real climb/drag of the day (1.5km at 4.5%). Thought I’d give it a dig here and launched off the front and started opening a small gap but my legs wanted to know nothing. I was shortly joined by Johan Labuschagne (Cyclelab), Jacques Fullard (Team Focus) and Craig Harvey (Bulk Pack Trek) who comfortably rode me off and then getting swallowed up by the pack. This was the break of the day and at this point I was happy and comfortable with the situation and it felt as if Bulk Pack had control of the race, sitting 3rd, 4th wheel in the chase both Marco van Biljoen (Bulk Pack Trek) and myself knew that if the leaders were caught we’d be fresh enough to jump off the front to try create something, but things took a turn for the worst at 25km’s to go.

Having finally caught the break after some time, we joined up with the 50km fun riders, Bulk Pack Trek first lost Marco van Biljoen to a puncture, then 5km’s later 2 riders (Craig Harvey/Mark Ramos), crashed and had to chase hard to get back in to the group. I had my work cut out; the pace started heating up amongst the fun riders, so concentration was vital. Coming off the N17 and back up Rondebult, with 14km’s to go I found myself in a 4 man break with Johan Labuschagne (Cyclelab), Team Focus and someone. I thought this could be it to the end but with the wind hitting us from the front and the cohesion not quite there our 5 minutes of glory was a thing of the past and with 7km’s to go the hard efforts started taking its toll.

At the end it came down to a bunch finish with Jacques Fullard (Team Focus) showing the rest a clean set of heels. A pretty easy race with only 600m’s of climbing over the 100km’s but tough to get away with it being so flat so a bunch sprint was always on the cards. Some bad luck for us but we were in the mix and trying to make the racing hard and that’s what counts. Next weekend see’s us at the Liberty which should be interesting considering there’s a kick or two with maybe a little bit of wind here and there.

Later.

Vets 30+ Results:
1. Jacques Fullard
2. Jeffrey Kriel
3. Hansie Joubert
4. James Louter
5. Gary Rabie

Berge en Dale: No legs...

So after a good hour in the bath with my son Keegan, having bubble war, I’m chilling watching Igor and Bolt. It’s called recovery for me while using the DVD player to entertain Keegs. I can’t really describe how tough today was, yes the elites may post faster times but with vets the racing's insane and there’s just attacks after attacks.

Today started with a 1.8km climb at an average of 5.5%, the tempo from the start was high. I initially set the pace up Krugersdorp to get rid of any wheel suckers and tried softening up some of my competitors legs; after all I was a man going to war on my own. After the Krugersdorp hill a few riders tried to go off the front and get something going, but all in vain. A long descend took us towards the Cradle, with lots of drags and a few kicks. Cyclelab represented by Johan & David Labuschagne together with Koos were making the racing very hard, each one were having a shot at getting away. I think David or Johan finally got away with Donovan Jackson (Club 100 / Last week’s winner at the Hyper) just before the turn on the N14 heading out towards Diepsloot. This was a tough section with lots of drags and a slight head wind. At the time I was guessing the break wouldn’t succeed. The chase was lead by Werner Moolman (Mr. Price), Phillip Fourie (TCS), Harmony, Garmin and some other teams (Not sure of their names). The chase always kept the leaders in sight. We hit the turnaround at Diepsloot and with the wind at our backs the pace picked up quite a bit and the escapees were getting reeled in very quickly. They were finally caught going up the drag past Petro port; together with most of the juniors who were a bit of a pain but were quickly sorted out by the old men. Here I hit a bad patch and the body was responding to nothing, kept my composure and rhythm and pulled back in to the group, slowly. At this point lots of dead wheels were given and I had to work hard to close the gap. It all came down to a bunch sprint with Johan Labuschagne taking the win.

It was a race dominated by Cyclelab and Club 100 who were applying all the pressure and always giving it a go. On the day the best man won and congrats to Johan on the win. A good day for Cyclelab but not just in the vets 30+ group, they cleaned up by winning elites, vets 30+, 40+ and 50+. A special shout out to 2 good mates, Bruce Diesel and Andrew McLean who TT’ed the whole race to stay away and take 1st (Bruce) and 2nd (Andrew), sterling performance chaps!

All in all not a good day for me on the bike, legs were okay but not great and feels like I have a bit of flu coming along. Guess a bit of nursing and back to the drawing board to see where things can improve.

Congrats to everyone who finished a tough course.

Later.

Vets 30+ Results:
1. Johan Labuschagne
2. Phillip Fourie
3. Jeffrey Kriel
4. Jac – Louis van Wyk
5. Justin Erasmus

Berge en Dale thoughts

Busy sitting here looking outside at the rain and wondering how tomorrows race will pan out. The rain has really affected my training this week, although I feel pretty good there's always a little bit of doubt that creeps in ones mind when a training session is missed. Starting at 06h06 in the VA group. It's a new route and we start with a 2.5km climb at an average of 6%. Nothing for the pro's but pretty hectic for an old man like me, well I am a vet after all. The route has lots of rolling hills with a few steep little kicks here and there. I have a feeling that if there's a break it may succeed all the way to the end, hopefully I'm in it, otherwise there will be lots of chasing.

This is not a very big race and the prize money is not that good at all so the field should be pretty small. Bulk Pack Trek will only be represented by Craig Harvey (Maybe) and myself, so our work will definitely be cut out. I'm not really concerned about tomorrow's race, I'll be treating it as a tough training session but also hoping to finish right up there. I'm looking more forward to the next few weeks ahead, Emperors Classic and the Liberty Ride for Sight, two BIG classics and a result will really be good for the team...

Oh well, lets hope the weathers good and that the racing is even better tomorrow. Good luck to all taking part. Off to work :-(

My ride - Trek Madone 6.9

- Size 54cm
- 10 SPD Full SRAM Red Group set
- Bontrager Inform saddle
- Bontrager XXX Lite handle bars
- Bontrager Race XXX Lite 100mm stem
- Bontrager Race XXX Fork
- Bontrager Aeolus 6.5 wheels
- Shimano SPD SL 7810 Durace Ace pedals
- Powertap SL

Killing time...

So I decided it's time for a blog. Busy setting it up, check back soon for race updates.