for my team...

As the final countdown to Expedition Africa 2016 starts, we all find ourselves in a semi flat spin getting ourselves organised with the last bits of shopping, finding and sorting our gear....and probably most importantly, preparing ourselves mentally for what lies ahead!

Probably the hardest part is getting all 4 team members to the start line healthy, uninjured and with all the gear that is needed!

Doing an adventure race, is a bit like going to war. You can't just arrive there! You have to be mentally, physically and spiritually prepared, but you go into it knowing that it is going to break you, that you  are going to get bashed, bruised, wet, cold, hot, sworn at, you may cry and you will probably be terrified at times! But what it also does is change us as individuals. We learn, we respect and we conquer. No matter what the outcome is, how many days it takes, or whether we finish or not, each and every one of us will emerge a Champion in their own right!
We've all done what we can to prepare. For some it is harder than others due to work and family commitments. But we all go into the race ready to embrace whatever is thrown at us!

To my team mates and the other teams that we will meet out there, give it horns. Laugh lots, smile and enjoy the absolute beauty that the Garden Route, has to offer.

half of 360.......

As part of our training and prep for Expedition Africa, Theresa and I decided to do the 360one half.  We figured that 180km would be a good enough ride and there was no need to kill ourselves or risk injury doing the full 360km.

The day before the race was one of those Karoo days that you try and avoid at all costs. One of those fluid sapping, skin shrivelling, just plain ridiculously hot days! Jip, the mercury peaked at somewhere around 39 degrees!  

After some fabulous braaing and kuiering at our little Karoo camp site in the middle of Oudtshoorn town (this could only be achieved by reknowned Oudtshoorn outdoor Legend Katot Meyer and his wife), we rested up for what was going to be along, hot day in the saddle.

Fellow rider (who as a team of 4 did the relay option...on singlespeeds!....their team name being rather apt....'Special kind of Idtio!') Christo dropped us off at the start of the 180km, officially the halfway point of the full ride.  
The second half according to the profile is definietly the harder half, with not alot of flat ground (no...the Karoo is not flat!)

After riding the first hour in the dark, we were treated to a spectacular Karoo sunrise. The cool crisp air started to show hints of dissipating, to be replaced by that heavy hot air of the day before. Luckily for us, the clouds didnt burn off till much later in the day, so that temperature stayed within managable parameters.

After the very very very (did I say very?) long and slow climb up the beautiful Rooiberg pass, we were treated to an equally long and fast descent towards Calitzdorp. Here we filled up and headed off towards the mighty Swartberg.  The clouds had now burnt off and the little streams we rode over periodically started to look more and more inviting. Eventually we succumbed. It was bliss! But sadly, we couldnt lie around all day tanning, so it was back on the bike for more dust and heat!  A rather close encounter with a very large but beautiful Cape Cobra saw a much needed spike to the adrenaline!  
This section of the ride was truly beautiful and it wasnt long before we hit the last waterpoint and the knowledge that we only had about 20km to go. Now with a nice headwind to add insult to already tired legs, we soldiered on, and crossed the finish line in just on 11hrs45min...still smiling!

Thanks Trixie, it was a blast! I'll go play with you again anytime!

Thank you to Squirt for keeping us lubricated!

GREAT weekend....

'Is anyone else wondering why the hell they are doing this?' came a soft little voice out of the freezing cold.  'ME'...came an equally soft little reply!

The time was sometime around midnight, the location....on a forestry plantation road somewhere behind Knsyna, and the activity.....riding our bicycles into a freezing cold biting wind.  The reason for this? An Expedition  Africa Training camp organised by Graham Bird of the Merrell Adventure Addicts.

There is no better prep for an adventure race, than an all night adventure where all the skills needed for an adventure race, are tested to the max. It gives teams a chance to brush up on their nav, test gear, test each other and iron out any issues or unknowns such as food etc.

Our adventure started long before the actual adventure was due to start.  A curved ball in the form of a melted bicycle tyre was thrown into the court late on Friday evening when Margaret discovered that during the long drive from East London, her exhaust (not hers personally, but that of her car) had melted her bicycle tyre. But after some frantic messaging with the local bike shop in Knysna, a replacement and repair was arranged for early the next morning.
Disaster sidestepped, it was time for a glass of wine, a good meal, some gear sorting and sleep!

Once the maps were handed out and the fact that none of us actually read all of Grahams notes was pointed out by him, we all gathered on the front tee (yes, we began on a golf course) for a pic and then headed off....some faster than others. But one thing I have learnt in my short foray into Adventure Racing is: the hare doesn't always cross the finish line first!  Some interesting route choices were apparent from the very start (no names will be mentioned!) and after a nice little wander through and along some spectacular ridges, it was time for the holiday to end and the hard work to begin.  The idea was to bundu bash down a rather overgrown and steep hillside to the Knysna River below.  Anyone who has ever experienced thick fynbos will know that path-finding ones wasy through head high spikey fynbos is not an overly pleasant activity! Once at the bottom, some pretty sharp compass work was required to ensure that we didnt wander too far off our intended course during our next lot of bundu bashing/tree clambouring/crawling/scaling! Eventually we emerged at the river bank, cut, scratched, bruised, but still smiling!  
From there, we made our way along what was once a jeep track along the banks of the Knysna River, to the start of the farm land, where we collected our kayaks.

The paddle...it took a while to get into a good rhythm and steering was definitey an issue. We did rather resemble a drunk weaving all over the road! Thankfully our paddle was cut short and we hopped out at the take out for the long steep climb out to the trailers, and up to the hotel to collect our bicycles.

Once on our bikes, we skirted along the top of Knysna and into the plantations to the East of the town.  Living and working in plantations probably gives me a bit of an upper hand when it comes to navigating in them, as I have a bit more of a basic understanding of how the road systems work. One thing that I have learnt is.....dont rely too much on the roads on the maps being accurate. Roads come and go as they are needed or become obsolete! It wasnt long and we were heading out of the plantation and into the Indigenous Knysna Forest and along the Coffee Pot as it is still known (this is a Jeep track which follows the original narrow guage train line) into the forest.

Once out on the 'diepwalle road' as we all call it, we stopped at the Picnic site near the Diepwalle turnoff.  From here we headed out on foot through the indigenous forest.  The forest has a totally different feel at night and one almost expects to see an elephant pop out at any minute, or see one of the elusive leopards slink past in the dark!
Check points collected, we hopped back onto the bicycles for what was a very very chilly ride. Doing a big loop up past Buffelsnek and then all way back towards Rondebossie ( a hut on the Outeniqua Hiking Trail). Arriving at Rondebossie, we filled up our water and only as we were about to leave, discovered the hut to actually be occupied (apologies to the hikers who probably thought that the grand invation was happening!)

We cycled in to the next transition, cold, tired and hungry! After a cup of hot tea, we were back on foot for some interesting trekking. There were tons of route choices. With an ever increasingly tired brain, I made a stupid error and didnt see an obvious route until a fair amount of time was wasted on what I adamently thought to be the route.....which it might have been about 10 yrs ago! :)  Eventually back on track and making faster headway, we made for the highest point of the weekend. The lookout. It was a long lung popping climb to the top, but we were treated with an absolutely magnificent sunrise!
Arriving back at our bikes, it was a short, but hard hop and a skip back to Simola through the infamous Gouna River pass!

Arriving back at Simola, we all fell onto the food at the Breakfast buffet like starving savages. Some had had the forethough to pack clean clothes and atowel, sadly I was not one of them, and drew some rather critical raised eyebrows as I traipsed through the Hotel dirty smelly and with my dodgey looking taped up feet!

Thanks to Graham for his effort, Simola for hosting us and putting up with us, and to all the other people and companies who opened up their land for us to play in!

And last but most certainly not least, thank you team (and our adopted Team Atlas boys) for once again making it an entertaining and enjoyable weekend!

Thank you Adidas for helping us look pretty (even through the dirt and grime!) and Squirt lube for keeping us well lubricated!

thorn trees and flying fish.....

Anyone who has ever spent time overseas will understand what I mean when I say that South Africa has a very special beat.

It isn’t something that can be heard, or seen, it is something that is felt deep down in your soul. 

Adventure racing makes this beat, stronger. We get to explore some of the most beautiful places on the planet, experience a diversity of not only landscape and weather, but cultures too.

Bruce and Trystan of Won Adventures gave a group of like-minded, beat fuelled adventurers a chance to recharge, explore and rekindle that love of not only AR, but also our beautiful country during the first annual Transkei Tuff ,hosted out of Wavecrest Lodge, on the banks of the beautiful Nxaxo River Mouth.

After a very stressful two and a half weeks of trying to hold the fort at home, whilst Hanno was racing in Patagonia, Theresa and I headed off for the long long drive to the Transkei.  The drive was not without its fair share of excitement as we hit some serious storms and after picking our team mate Claudia up at East London airport and meeting up with our 4^th, Margaret just outside East London, visibility on the road was reduced to milimeters and not meters!

But eventually we arrived at the gorgeous Wavecrest. En route I experienced some serious déjà-vu as my previous visit to that area was for a training camp during which it poured with rain for 3 days! 

The weather Gods smiled upon us with pleasure though and the sun popped out and we were treated to the most glorious Transkei evening!

Race briefing and supper done, all our gear packed and ready, it was time for some much needed Z’s.

Race day we were greeted by fabulous sunshine. Always good for lifting the spirits and generating excitement of things to come. 

Leg one was a snorkelling challenge, locating 4 checkpoints under water. It was a great ice-breaker and in no time we were changing into cycling kit and heading off on our bicycles for a 19km bike leg.  Navigating in the Transkei is challenging. I’ve learnt some very valuable lessons during the few times I have had the privilege of racing/training there:

1.       Don’t rely on man-made structures such as roads. What is indicated as a road on the map could actually be an overgrown animal path!

2.       Stay away from kloofs. Travelling through them generally involves a lot of painful bundu bashing through thick thorns bushes and clambouring up potential rock faces!

3.       Don’t ever ask for directions. The locals cannot read your map and more than likely don’t understand you.  

4.       ANYTHING can happen and is possible in the Transkei...which is partly why I love it so much!

Our bike leg was jam packed with route options, and having always been relatively conservative with my navigation, I decided it was time to be bold, and take a few chances, and hope that my short cuts would work!

Always a gamble in the Transkei, because of the reasons mentioned above!  Our route took us through many villages and across many rivers and along the beautiful beaches eventually popping out at Trennerys at the Qolora River Mouth.

A Quick transition at the local Trading store and we headed off on foot for a short hike and kloofing section down the Qolora River. Which proved to be an absolute gem, with many different interpretations of Bruces advice of entering the water ‘gingerly’.  It was a fabulous cooling off before back on the bike for a good long cycle.  We had great fun playing leap frog with some of the other teams, with some interesting route choices made by all with varying degrees of success!

We arrived at the Abseil site around 3:30. The view from the top was spectacular!  A quick and relatively easy descent was made interesting by the trek back out of the ‘bowl’ to the top and back to our bikes.  From there it was a very straightforward mostly downhill ride back to Wavecrest. Chasing daylight, we didn’t dilly dally and headed off on the first of the proper trekking legs, which took us along the coast and then up a  kloof. By now it was dark and we were treated to an incredible display of mullets erupting in our headlights at the mouth of the river. After wading up the overgrown kloof we popped out at the top and after locating the final checkpoint headed back to Wavecrest for some food and out on to the paddle.

Paddling Transkei rivers is always fascinating for me. I love fishing, and those rivers are teaming with fish life. I did however have a few rather too up close and personal encounters with some of them as I got literally slapped in the face by a few, leaving me with a mouth full of fish slime and scales. They were jumping all over and kept landing in the boat. After wading around in very stinky sinky mud, and over rocks we located all the check points and headed back to Wavecrest for our final leg, a 21km trek. By this stage, our team had grown somewhat. We were renamed the SPCA as

we had collected numerous stray teams and members. And so it was with a team of 9 that we headed out for the final stage.  About halfway during the leg I had a gentle reminder that one should never be complacent about navigation and after losing focus for a few minutes missed the path we were meant to go on. Luckily it didn’t take long and we were back on track.  We hit the final descent on the beach just as the sun was rising and enjoyed the last hike along the beach in beautiful early morning sunlight.

Arriving at Wavecrest, we were made to feel like rock stars by everyone standing on the bank cheering! The swim across the river was a fitting finish to an absolutely beautiful past 24hrs!

We had a fabulous time, surrounded by amazing fabulous people. There were ups, and there were downs, but we all came out smiling and more enriched because of it.

Thank you Bruce and Trystan, my Team and everyone else for making it such a wonderful event. I cannot wait to see what 2017 holds!

 A massive thank you to Squirt Bike Lube for keeping us lubricated and to Adidas for helping us look good! :)

Of Rugged Coastlines, Boggy Mountains and Guinness

Ireland is well known for many things, with Guinness probably being pretty high up if not on the top of the list. But as this was not the sole reason for our journey over to the Emerald Isle, proper exploration of this fabulous beverage would have to wait till after our race.

Getting all four team members, our bikes and other gear to Ireland at the same time and in one piece, was a challenge. After a few curved balls in which my negotiation skills were seriously tested regarding our bicycles, and the realization that Jess's paddle wasn't going to make it on the flight unless we paid exorbitant money, we finally boarded the plane.

We peered out through the plane windows upon landing to a grey, wet and cold Dublin.  After two days sightseeing and pre-race prep of buying food,  we headed back to  the airport for our race shuttle to Limerick University. Suddenly the race became very real. The car park was strewn with bicycle boxes, gear bags and racers from all around the globe.

Once at the University it was game on. We essentially had a day to get ourselves sorted. Competency tests done, bike boxes packed, final food shopping done, gear bags packed, race briefing, map marking and route planning.....we eventually fell into bed around midnight. Not ideal when embarking on a 72hr nonstop race where sleep was going to be extremely limited and the gravitational pull on the eyelids tested to the max.

A 2.5hr bus trip took us to our start at Curraghmore House. A spectacular manor house which had us all gaping in awe. The gun went and it was game on. I was very apprehensive about this first leg. The 20km marked trail run was going to hurt. With no navigation to slow the pace....it was going to be a sprint to the river. Not our strong point. But it was only leg one of many.

Arriving at Mount Congreve on the banks of the Suir River, we were greeted by the rather comical sight of what resembled a mud wrestling tournament where boats were compulsory. After sliding down the nettle infested bank, we were treated to a first hand account of the mud wrestling. My happiness to be in the boat rapidly disappeared as we realized the outgoing tide, was turning. It was to be full moon that night, a blue moon at that, which meant a tide at its strongest and with a 6m tidal difference, our fast descent of the Suir River turned into a hard slog. A quick and thoroughly enjoyable orienteering leg around Ireland's oldest city Waterford, saw us climb back into our boats and once again battle the currents of the Suir. Our forward progress was now even further hampered by the a head wind. After a frustrating and time wasting double crossing of the Waterford Harbour whilst dodging massive Container ships we eventually made our way to bad weather takeout B at Dromina Strand. I must just add that our little pocket rocket Jess had an even harder time than the rest of us, battling it out with a heavy flat bladed paddle and a cracked rib.

Warmed up and with tummies full of tea and chicken sandwiches from a local bar, we headed off on the 5km trot to the original kayak take out and first coasteering section at Dunmore East.

With a rogain style race comes many different route options and choices unlike a regular adventure race where you simply travel along t entire course collecting all the checkpoints. In a rogain, you are given a time limit and based on ones speed over the various legs, you either collect or skip checkpoints. Ultimately the team who collects the highest number of points in the time allowed wins.For this reason and also the fact that the second coasteering leg was only a short bike trip after the first, we opted out of the first coasteering so as to make the 2nd before it got too cold and also so as not to have to cycle and then put on wet cold wetsuits. But as with most things, even the best thought plans don't work out. We were told after checking out of the 3rd transition point that the coasteering had been cancelled due to all the teams hitting it in the dark. It was now around 9:30pm and the sun would be dipping over the horizon in about an hour.

Heading out on the bikes, we discovered a few 'travel related issues' had inflicted our bikes. (Bikes are packed and transported in special boxes during the race). Kim's derrailleur was slightly bent and looking dodgey at best and Jess's seat post didn't want to go all the way down. Try as we might, begging, hitting, wriggling, it simply would not drop the last 2cm. It was going to be very uncomfortable ride.

Sometime around 2am the nods started to kick. That feeling of seeing two maps instead of one can be rather disturbing. As navigator I had to concentrate really hard on concentrating. We were joined by an Irish team who had somehow lost their map, andasked if they could ride with us to the next TA, where they would get the next set of maps.We arrived at the Abseil in Kilmacthomas just as the sun was peaking its head out over the horizon. Our descent was to be off an old viaduct, which sadly we never really got to see properly due to lack of light. It did however supply a good laugh. Jess having abseiled from a very young age, didn't waste time in reaching the ground. The young military man in charge of our rope stared in slightly disconcerted awe at the speed with which she descended...asking me in a rather fearful voice....did I actually attach her to the rope?

Around mid morning we got to the start of the first hike a bike section over the 'gap', a saddle which we would traverse between the Comeragh and Monavullagh Mountains was relatively easy to find and the actual trail over the top although steep, was relatively easy going....although some teams took a rather more 'scenic' route (this might be a good time to add that 'shortcuts' through Irish bog are not really something one wants to do....willingly). At one point Kim disappeared up to her armpits in Bog with just her head, arms and bicycle marking her location.  The ride down into the Nier River valley on the other side was both exhilarating and beautiful. 

The bad weather had now set in properly. It was hard to leave the warmth of the transition at Ballymacarby and head out into the cold wind and rain and the Monavullagh Mountains. After looking at the map, we decided to collect the first checkpoint up on Knockavannia mountain, and then make a decision from there, as the next few would would not just be a walk around the hills. It was a little frustrating having to cut out the sections that would really challenge us due to the ever looming race cutoff. If we were late, we'd have hard earned points deducted. Not something we wanted to have happen. Once at the top, we decided to head back and try get some now well earned sleep. We had been going in excess of 30hrs without any sleep.

I don't remember much of the hike down.....as most of it was done in a semi comatose state. I was told by fellow team mate Janine I was 'bug-eyed'. Once in my sleeping bag, I couldn't sleep. The next leg and decisions played on my mind.... It was big bike leg, with another hike a bike and many options.

Bike admin had taken its toll on us so we headed off for the lesser of the evils on the bike and after a lung popping climb up to the lower peaks of the Knockmealdown Mountains, trekked and rode along the East Munster trail to a memorial site below Crohan West peak. We descended in the last of the daylight and hit the myriad of forest roads at the bottom in the dark. After a slight detour, we were back on the road in the quaint hamlet of Goats Bridge. We arrived in Kilbeheny with eyes propped open with imaginary matchsticks. This time, with now nearly 40hrs of no sleep, I had no problem falling asleep. The wake up alarm after 2hrs came way too soon. A feed and a study of the map saw us heading off with renewed energy. A short bike ride took us to the base of the Galtymore Mountains. It was a beautiful day and our spirits were high. They weren't even dampened by our interesting route though thick spruce plantations (think spikey hakea on steroids) culminating with a clamber over a bramble stinging nettle covered wall. From Knockaterriff we headed to Knockeenatoung and finally back to Kilbeheny Village.

Our last bike leg took us through the beautiful valleys between the Galtymore and Ballyhoura Mountains and even though it had once again started to rain, nothing could dampen our excitement at heading out on the famous Ballyhoura MTB trails. We wasted no time in getting out on the trails. The beautiful winding paths took us through mystical hobbit like forests interspersed with spectacular views of the valley and surrounds. With sunset came new challenges. Suddenly the paced slowed. Riding technical single track with the added challenge of shifting shadows took its toll on our super tired brains, add to that the cold and now heavier rain... We arrived drained at the end. The need to recharge and warm up saw us taking a 30min power nap before heading out on our last leg, a 12km marked trail run to the finish.

I'm not sure if the fact that the last 12km did not require any mental effort in the form of navigation was a good thing, especially for me, as navigator. My brain had decided it's work was over and therefore had no need to stay awake any longer. The fact that I actually needed it to place one foot in front of another seemed of little concern and so it was a rather erratic path I took to the finish with a couple of unplanned visits into the brambles on the verge.

Our arrival at the finish in Kilfinanne around 3am was greeted by a box of cold beers. Thirst overcame sense and after 2 sips we all felt as if we'd had the wonderful Irish brew injected into our brains!

It was a superb race, we laughed for the majority of the race. It was a journey which will not easily be forgotten and I feel privileged to have to been able to share it with my fabulous team mates!

A massive thank you to our various sponsors:

Adventure Inc for our Ice-breaker thermals, buff headgear and Bridgedale socks; and to Squirt for our cycling kit, bike lube, bum lube and bike wash. We could not have done without it!

Single track mind....Great Zuurberg Trek

Stiff Cheek muscles aren't quite what one would expect to have after a 3 day mtb race.....but I guess it's not really surprising considering I had a grin big enough to make even a Cheshirecat proud!  

The Great Zuurberg Trek reminded me why I own and love riding a mountain bike. The magical views, technical singletrack and good solid climbs, had me in heart pumping euphoria, and each day just got better!

Day one kicked off with a last minute partner change. Janine, my intended partner in crime, fell foul to a sudden onslaught of snot siekte and it was clear that riding was not an option. It was heartbreaking to see the disappointment as we had been looking forward to the ride for weeks. Luckily for me, a mutual friend was ready and willing to fill her shoes! It was quite comical, because Traci and I were secretly terrified of each other.......a complete waste of emotions and energy as we made a fabulous partnership! 

The pre-race butterflies were also exacerbated by the fact that I would be riding a new bike for first time! Luckily I had a couple of km's of easy riding to get a feel for the bigger wheels, gears and suspension, but then the honeymoon period was over and the technical single track started.... It was a baptism of fire...with a few heart stopping close your eyes and just wing it moments..but the bigger wheels just rolled over every obstacle and I really started to enjoy myself! The day was rounded off by the beautiful, but 'butt crunching' climb up the Zuurberg Pass.

Day two.....famed as the 'hard day'....I won't lie...it had me a little nervous! We started very conservatively.....rounding up the back of the pack, but steadily started to pass teams once the hurt started. After a short fast down hill section, we were treated to mind blowing views and some seriously awesome trail. Traci had a silly fall around 20km and rode the rest of the day in agony, as her left hand just continued to swell. I just grinned all day. I was in my element. There wasn't a second of the day that I did not enjoy. It was a fabulous mix of flowing jeep track, technical single track and some good old hike a bike just for a change of body position. 

When we finished Traci discovered that she had dislocated her knuckle, and later found out she'd fractured a bone. I'm super proud of her that she rode so well with this for not only the whole of a really bumpy day two, but also an incredibly technical day 3. 

Day 3....the fun day....and fun it was! After a steep rocky little awakener to spread the teams out a bit....the 40km of single track started. My bike and I had now properly bonded. It was awesome. Really technical, with no room for error. The day flew past with laughs, smiles and whoops. The last long climb up the pass finished the day off just nicely.

Traci was a fabulous partner. She was super strong physically and mentally and a good laugh. Thanks! It was a super fun filled three days.

The organizers got every aspect of the race spot on! It was brilliantly organized, the route was more than spectacular, the water points well stocked with delicious nibbles and the Marshall's and volunteers made us feel like rock stars! 

All round, an event I would recommend to anyone with a sense of humour, fun and adventure! 

Thank you to Rob and Louise Hayter for making it possible! I am forever grateful! Also to those who made my new bike happen...you know who you are! THANK YOU! It was amazing! 

I will be counting down the sleeps till Great Zuurberg 2016!