Looking back on the Swazi Frontier mountain bike stage race

Since it is a slow week and there is not a lot to report on the training front, I thought it might be nice to look back on past events.  Check out this link to get a sense of the Swazi Frontier – my favourite race last year.

Scenic Delta MTB Training

Another fun day in the saddle. This time we took in a fairly gentle 43km’s around Delta Park, Emmerentia Dam and Albert’s Farm. Near the end, Mike’s back tyre literally exploded beyond repair – as a result he walked to Vida Cafe in Greenside while I rode home to fetch the retrieval vehicle and junior supports club (Tom (5) and Annabel (8)).

We have one week of training before the Sani2C. The hard thing to do right now is ease off the pace. We are both feeling pretty strong and we have to actively work at dropping our mileage to around 160km for the week. We are ready for race one of the year – by slowing down now, we save our legs. It doesn’t help to show up cooked and fatigued.

Mike Delta

Delta Park

Delta Park

Delta Park

Delta Park

Top of Delta Park

View of Johannesburg from Albert’s Farm

Spot the rider in camo gear

Post blow out portage

Big bike ride of the week : 1/3 strong, 1/3 technical problems, 1/5 exhausted

We clocked about 73km’s this morning.  Headed out to Northern Farms, Hennops River, Diepsloot, Dainfern and home – 5hrs15 door to door.  We tried to stick to the pavement as much as we could.  For a big chunk of time we were really very strong – unstoppable in fact.  The ride was riddled with technical upsets – Mike blew a back tire and I broke my chain.  Fixing the tire was easy – the chain had us baffled for 40 minutes.  In 3 years of endurance riding we have never had to fix a chain.

As per usual I tried to capture the mood of the ride with my handy little waterproof camera.  I can safely say that when you lug a camera around you really start to see … on account of always looking out for a photo opportunity.

Riding past Diepsloot informal settlement

Riding past Diepsloot informal settlement

Puncture repair

Chain repair

Broken chain

Northern Farms area

Dainfern pipeline

Cheese : Mike and Rob

Near the end – taking strain

Johannesburg skyline – taken from Grosvenor Road/ William Nichol

Johannesburg skyline

Johannesburg skyline

Emmerentia Dam – more than exercise

So it is about the exercise and the bike so much of the time. It is also very much about the scenery and nature – we ride in the most amazing places. I have often thought to myself … ‘I wish more people could experience this’. This morning was just such a time … cruising through Emmerentia Dam we bumped into my Aunt Ada with her camera – she captured what I was feeling and thinking … and did a great job – far better than my skanky phone camera blog pictures. Emmerentia is in the middle of one of Africa’s biggest cities – probably ranks as one of the worlds bigger cities – yet right under our noses – riding from home – we find this. I love it.

Rob (me)

Mike and Rob

Amazing muddy morning

I went out in the mist and drizzle this morning. The thought of more indoor training left me uninspired. Clearly the weather scared everyone away and I had Delta Park all to myself. I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures to capture the flavour of the outing. I had a blast. I loved it. 90 minutes of slosh and slop before work – unbeatable. Sorry I didn’t call Mike.

Muddy view of Delta track

River bank near Fratelli’s

Waterfall near Fratelli’s

Half way up the Delta tree line

Self portrait

Stretching

Silvermine – amazing views, great track

This is the view from the top of Silvermine. Long Beach, Noordhoek and Kommetjie in the background.  The Silvermine loop is about 9km.  It is tougher than it sounds.  Great to do in conjunction with Tokai Forest.

Long Beach, Noordhoek, Kommetjie

Rob at Silvermine

Holiday riding – Cape Town

More fun riding than training.  Great environment (Cape Town Mountain Bike Trails).  Base miles clocked up – about 700km over a month.  I recommend Tokai Forest – especially the single track.  Silvermine - for the views and Table Mountain – for the record.  I know there is plenty more, but I didn’t want to drive and ride – so I stuck to the tracks I could ride to.

Rob with Table Bay in background

Table Mountain – see World Cup Soccer Stadium in background