Autumn in South Africa and Spring in Europe...

Mary off to a win in another country

Our adventures in South Africa took us as far west as Port Elizabeth where we took part in a national series UCI C2 race that brought out the XC talent from all corners of the country. Upon our arrival to PE we were a bit shocked to see the large sprawl and feel the fast paced bustle of this busy port city.  We were coming in from a pretty rural region and this recent exposure had us thinking that the mountain biking - racing included - is something that would be better done outside an urban setting,  however we were pleasantly surprised upon our arrival to the city park race venue where a small area of natural space within the city limits truly outlined the importance of the mountain bike and outdoor community in any city!   The local trail club "Fat Tracks" had prepared a solid course for the race weekend and more importantly along with other local cyclists and hikers are the long term stewards of this recreation area that provides that necessary bit of natural space for all who live in the area.  

Another Podium finish for Mike

As traveling racers there is little that Mary and I like more than to compete at the national level in new and different countries.  It is often a chance for us to be the only Americans or outsiders of any sort mixing it up with the local talent.  This brings a type of attention to our program that is otherwise not available when you are in effect one of the numbers in "normal" surroundings.  Being the token Americans in foreign surroundings brings a special element, including intense attention to our sponsors equipment (via multi media sources) and typically a special type of grudge match from all the national riders who are anxious to test their legs agains the invaders.  We have found time and again that taking the time to race on the national level outside our own country is a great way to push the boundaries and make an impression for ourselves and our sponsors.  We have found it to be one of the best ways to open our team program to other markets and venues where we have the chance to make friends and get involved in experiences that would otherwise have never crossed our minds.  

Our final weeks in South Africa were a busy time mostly because of the accumulated fatigue from traveling from place to place while maintaining a heavy training schedule.  With a solid schedule including national xc races, along with the odd wednesday marathons series race, as well as maintaining high intensity interval training, our travels started to feel a bit like a stage race.   At times we were happy to just kick back in the car and watch it all go by with only the lightest of pressure on the pedals and some (still unfamiliar) left handed shifts.  

We know who rules this park.

A day in the car of particular note brought us through the Addo Elephant National Park in which we were forced to keep our legs up as we were prohibited from leaving the confines of our car due to the potentially dangerous wildlife.  It seemed almost as if we should have had a chaperone along as we spent the day negotiating our way through herds of exotic/endangered wild animals that absolutely filled this huge park reserve.  This was a great chance to have a look into what South Africa and it's wildlife must have looked like back before the hand of man along with domesticated animals took over the majority of the lands.   Addo Elephant Park is nothing short of fantastic but surely not as pristine and beautiful as we would have imagined as inside the miles an miles of thick fencing that encased the park the animals rule with heavy handed dominance.  Animals rule here and elephants in particular seem able to bruise massive areas of foliage with their tremendous appetites parting and scarring the thick foliage with wide deep single track ruts.  

Cape Buffalo peacefully grazing in Addo Elephant National Park.

Having seen the impact of herds of elephant, buffalo and other large grazers has on the environment It is easy to see why even these most majestic of animals have been hunted close to extinction.  They are hard on resources and just by needing to support their tremendous size would immediately be competing with any farming or herding efforts in what todays population densities have turned into finite amounts of land.  

dense indigenous forest hike in Hogsback, eastern Cape.

As we headed back east to an eventual flight out of "Jo-burg" Mary and I spent another few days training in the now familiar Hogback mountain region.  This is a timeless place where where we spent long hours cresting desolate climbs and into battering winds that lifted grating silt into our eyes off the miles of seldom used one lane dirt roads. There is a particularly tough type of training here that could be chalked up to having too much visual input of the road up ahead, often allowing unobstructed views of the top the bigger climbs where you will no doubt be suffering on for the next considerable amount of time.  Luckily these same huge sight lines offer a views of the mountains and even rushing rivers cascading over rocky cliffs into huge waterfalls to help break up the monotony.  

Mary thoroughly enjoys her cup of Jim's Organic Coffee in Coffee Bay

To make living out of our car a little easier or indeed possible, we were forced to store the back seats of our rental rig and the bike bags back in Pietermaritzburg.  So we now backtracked there to get ready for our departure.  We turned down a battered mountainous road on our way across the wild coast to a place called coffee bay to try and take in a last bit of coastal South Africa before heading back to pack up and head on to the next.  The scenery of this area blew our minds and it was difficult to get in any "normal" training the first day since the roads and trails  were steep enough to require a maximum effort just to keep from stepping off and pushing and then there was the problem of having  to stop and take pictures every 5 minutes.   Honestly this area really just begged to be hiked but in our own minds we had the need to train on the bikes to have the excuse to be here we also enjoyed the looks from the shocked locals and tourists who had clearly not come across to many people crazy enough to bring there bikes onto trails like these.  

Trials with a view, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape.

The next days of our trip were busy spent in the typical packing while focusing on trying to get in some sort of solid workout that defines the majority of our transitional days.  a final ride, yoga session and healthy meal separated by hours of jamming dirty laundry and bike tools into bags before rushing off to the airport.  Thankfully Mary and I are backed up by two of the best sources of caffeine on the planet: Guayaki Yerba Mate and Jim's Organic Coffee that are both responsible for keeping us together and on track for the races as well as the extensive travel deadlines that we constantly need to keep up with.  

Our cozy home for 5 days, Locton, North Yorkshire

Mike builds and tunes the bikes once again

With our South African sun tans and images of the the yellow hues of autumn still yet to be downloaded from the cameras Mary and I landed in the green blustery spring or Great Britain.  The extra 6 hours of light and 2 layers of clothing were something that we never even got used to in our five days in the country as this was a show up focus on the race and little else affair.  The Dalby Forest, near the village of Pickering was the host of the second World Cup of the season and with it's exciting mix of natural and hand made riding terrain, rock drops a few techie up hills and good old fashioned straight up power climbing made for a great venue.   GB definitely has a large number of mountain bike fans and even with the unfortunate separation of our cross country event from the down hill and four cross disciplines of the sport they came out in solid numbers to check out the action.  

Guayaki Yerba Mate makes an incredible Organic Energy Shot which brings sustained energy

Mary and I both suffered with some sub par starts, leading to finishes outside our best hopes for the event.  Mary going through the start loop in 40 something place was out of character though a testament to what can happen in the all important hectic-ness of the fight for the first single track.  Mary rode a really strong race, though caught in traffic for the first 2 laps, she consistently made her way up to an eventual 27th and second american finisher on the day, a good sign for her overall fitness, easily making it seem that with a better performance/luck at the start she is on track with her training and fitness.  

After a clogged start, Mary moves up thru traffic at the Dalbey Forest World Cup.

I had misfortune to get caught up behind a crash even before crossing the start line and managed the dubious honor of actually going into the first single track DFL (last).  Mentally this was almost as bad as it was physically being caught behind a real mess of riders.  It took a good amount of mental reserve to continue on the next laps as time and again the tricky pieces of the course (where I had hoped to gain time)  brought traffic jams of riders forcing dismounts and delays throughout the entire race experience.  Not my best performance for sure though having this experience under my belt reinforces my resolve to see everything through to completion no matter how horrendous the experience, and that has to be good for future racing as well as for life trials and tribulations in life in general.

Mike's rips down the slick and rocky chute at Dalbey Forest World Cup race track

A quick recovery spin the morning after the race was all that we had time for before packing up and departing for our Manchester based flight to Munich, Germany.  We left with plenty of spare time to ensure making our flight but with some substantial traffic delays, last minute re routings and blown turns we managed to arrive to the airport 45 minutes before our flight.  With Icelandic Volcanoes threatening to close the air space the following day and a lot of mandatory logistics to handle on the European side before arriving at the third World Cup to be in Offenburg, Germany the following weekend - this was no time to miss a flight.  

In the end we were very lucky to make our plane,  and perhaps for me even more so to have the chance to apply the lessons of patience and remaining positive and persistent in the face of adversity that I had so recently brushed up on in the race the previous day.   This was surely a chance for travel stress to cast a dark shadow on our journey, a real attitude check  for sure and I am  happy to report that we got through it laughing the whole way.  On to Europe! 

All the best, 

Mike and Mary 

Mary finally getting around to the Laundry from South Africa and England in Germany...

Share this post