Desert Dash

[Sepia]

Brilliant Patch!  You made it.

Excellent read and summary of your affair with the desert.  I felt your pain.

You put it across very well.

(Would hate you to write a report on the Munga though!!!!)

[RocknRolla]

Congrats RocknRolla with Nadine's 2nd place. Please tell her she still owes me a beer.

Thanks, I shall let her know....unfortunately she is notoriously bad at buying beer....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sias]

Hey Pulse, what happened? I was waiting for your name to be called for the medal at the finish!

[Slowbee]

been waiting to hear .... hope it is just a case of absent ..... and not dnf?

[partydave]

Pulse was there, I passed him on Stage 1 and saw him come in end stage 3.

 

What an event and not in a good way. even though I only did a 4 man team, it was seriously tough. Our 4th (stage 5 rider) had to bow out at the last minute due to medical reasons, which meant I did stage 4 and 6 back to back. This is the longest distance event I've done and my pacing was way off.

 

I crossed CP 1 in 1:52, but the 2 other team mates were a bit unprepared for the heat and climbs and came in well over 2 hours. Stage 2 rider suffered and lost about 1 hour off our goal time. Stage 3 rider came in just under 4 hours, broken and couldn't get any food in.

 

I tried my best to make up time on Stage 4 and set myself a goal of 3:30. Crossed the CP at 3:20. I loved that stage and I'm well chuffed with my result. From there directly to Stage 6. That Nonidas plot road is just a piece of $*@^! We came in at 16 hours 13 minutes

 

Will I do it again? Ask me next year. For now, the answer is no

[Frank71]

The results on the Desert Dash website is still the one with lots errors in. A better version would be the  link below. Apparently the timing mats at the finish did not pick up a number of riders due to technical issues caused by the high tide.Should your times reflect incorrectly (as in a DNF), you can send Raceday an email. The more up to date result can be found here:  http://raceday.events/data/documents/2016-NDD-RESULTS.pdf  

[Patchelicious]

Is everybody else dead? This thread was a lot more active before the race

[partydave]

Licking wounds

 

Was so sad to see the tiger tandem team pack up after Stage 4

[Patchelicious]

So I rode most of the race on my own, and therefore had to resort to selfies and pics of sand, these are the few that I managed to take....

 

Before:

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD12_zpsjoraiytr.jpg

 

Sunrise:

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD3_zpsfnl5xc2g.jpg

 

Anybody who knows this pipe.....

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD1_zps5rybfp28.jpg

 

Also along the pipe, as I was busy falling apart, 295km.

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD2_zpsltdfgnx6.jpg

 

First downhill in ages, was so happy I took a pic. Think it was about the 310km mark.

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD5_zpsuwgqoz6i.jpg

 

Last stop, 323km, 45km to go, I was about to give up but then the guys told me its only gravel road left, so I smiled had a cup of cheap coffee and went on. Ps: They lied a lot about that 45km being gravel..... 

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD9_zpskuayhbdo.jpg

 

Coming into Swakop, that sand in the background was the supposed "gravel road"

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/DD6_zpsswu6hc7h.jpg

[Allrounder]

nice pathces. well done

[Prozac]

That was honestly the hardest thing that I have ever done!

 

Started so well. Stage 1 was fine. Then 70km to 100km was so *** from the corregation that I thought about stopping. But a schnitzel at the CP on 100km cheered me up. Then those roller from 80km to 180km was it, I was gatvol. For those who didn't ride it, it is literally 100km non stop up and down, not 1km of flat! I actually thought it was a joke. Big chain ring to granny gear over and over and over and over for 5 hours. This is also in the dark and corrugated, so you go down the roller at 40kmh and hit the corregation at the bottom so hard that it blurs your vision. Because you light only shines so far ahead, you can't exactly pick a line and just have to deal with what you hit.

 

Arrived at first support point in 9hours and was ready to gun it and try go sub 18. But on stage 4 I was alone in the dark and got lost, and missed the feed point. Rodee 40km without bottles or food. This caught up to me later.

 

Loved the start of stage 5, was cruising at 40km TTing like a machine, then we had to ride next to that stupid pipe! That honestly broke me, I kept hitting those sand patches in the dark at speed and falling. I had a little sit down and composed myself.

 

Rode 90% of the race on my own, and actually liked it. Being completely isolated in the middle of nowhere at night is surreal. its dead quite and all you hear is the crunch of gravel under your tyres. When you stop to pee, the silence amazing. But then any other noise is a lion in the bush wanting to eat you. It's weird what the imagination comes up with when super bored

 

At the turn right into the desert at about the 295km I was still cheerful and watched the sun rising over my shoulder, even stopped to take a pic or two. Then BOOM missing that food got me! I literally fell over a few times from being dizzy, vomiting and talking in weird ways, I was over it, think I rode about 6km in 30mins along that road and was looking for a car to get into. Fortunately there were no support cars on that stretch and I was forced to ride in that state for another 15km to the last CP, where I ate a bit and had a coffee, my mates were laughing at me by the *** I was taking from being so disorientated. After a 30min rest it was the final stretch home!

 

Stage 6 is why I won't be back! It's 40km of stupid mother effing sand!!! Through the bloody desert!! I thought this was a Gravel Road race so was running 2.0 tyres at 2.2 bar, hated it so much.

 

Then the nasty organizers put you a tar road and you think it's home free, only for them to take you through sandy ST again.

 

Ended up coming in just over 20hours and shed a little tear behind my shades.

 

That section between 300km and 320km was darkest place I have been to in my life! When the guys say the wind was blowing, it was 200km of block head wind, there was no tail wind. It dies down a bit at 9pm in the dark and starts again at 5am in the dark.

 

I was 2 hours ahead of my mates going into previous CP they ended up 45mins begin me. That's how broken I was!

 

Was nice meeting Sias, well done on a great time.

 

For those wanting to do it, it's not a little fun ride, be prepared to lose your sense of humor a few times.

 

I hated it and won't be back!

Well Done Patch !

 

 My brother completed solo in 22 hrs. He also "hated" loved it . . .  I'll be on the start 2017 ! 

 

See you there     

[nonky]

What a lekker race...seriously, if you like solitude and a bit of personal exploration, then do this event.

 

If you don't like the voices in your head (mine form a lovely chorus on good days), then this event is best avoided.  Ha ha - understatement of the century.

 

We took stage 1 EASY, as per my experienced partner's advice.  I was chomping at the bit but STFU for a change and we rolled thru CP1 at 2hours.  When I saw the utter CARNAGE at CP2, i realised that my partner was 100% correct.  For a moment, i thought that i was in the medical tent, as there were patients everywhere at CP2, but more on that later.

 

In order to make the dreaded Us Pass in daylight, i really pushed it from CP1 to the first water point - straight into the headwind.  Luckily, i had some assistance from Laurel and Hardy (tall oke and short oke) and made it to the WP in 1:15 from CP1.

 

The climb to Us Pass was OK and the views on the top of Us Pass were AWESOME - i was cackling like a lunatic by this stage and LOVING my own conversation.  However, it was also a bit of a reality check, as this part of Namibia is suffering the worst drought in years...the veld here is completely barren and even the thorn trees appear to be dying.   This is HARD country.  Sheesh, it puts living in Joburg into perspective.

 

The ride down Us Pass is something all mountain bikers should experience in their lifetime.  What an absolute BLAST.  The only problem is keeping your eyes on the road and not on the scenery.  At the crest of Us Pass, I hooked up with a helluva nice guy on a beautiful Yeti fullsus.  We rode together for probably 75kms after that.  Nice to have some company during those barren stretches...even if the conversation was at a minimum.

 

As mentioned, We reached CP2  (Kuiseb River?) just after dark...nice sadistic touch to make the riders go through the sandy and rocky river bed after a 100 hard km's.  The vibe in the tent was distinctly ominous - looked like a bloody WWI battlefield in there.  My new mate, Emile, took one look at the carnage and gave me one of those looks...you know the one: "are you planning on sitting on your @rse all day or are we riding NOW?".  I downed a few cokes, klapped a sarmie, lubed my faithful steed and off we went.

 

The gravel road to CP2 is pretty fooked but the first 100km's were not "really" that tough.  Stage 3 is, however, a beast of an entirely different nature altogether.  By this stage of the proceedings, everyone is pretty tired, it's dark and the going is...well...it's hard as hell.  The stage is not flat for a single kilometer.  It goes UP or it goes DOWN - the published profile is about as accurate as a dating site.   And, usually, this stage it goes up and down in quick succession.  WTF is up with that landscape - does it even exist in reality?  It really is like something from a cartoon.   The fact that you can only see where your light shines lends everything a surreal character...until you see the red fireflies way up ahead in the distance - and the only reason you can see them is because they're at a much, much higher elevation than you are.

 

Now for my only gripe.  The driving by the 4-man team support vehicles on this stage was absolutely horrendous.  There is NO justification for the way these guys drove - speeding, overtaking cyclists on downhills, passing too closely to cyclists...after seeing how CYCLISTS drive past other cyclists in a race, i will never complain about the attitudes of regular drivers again.  If there was any marshaling whatsoever, ALL the 4-pax teams would (deservedly) have been DQ'd.  Anyway, rant over.

 

Somewhere in the dark on stage 3, before the WP, i started getting stomach cramps / stitches.  I told Emile to go on without me, as i was holding him back.  I had about 20km's or so that were less than pleasant until the cramps simply disappeared (thank you 3 cans of coke in 30 seconds at CP2, i think).   I hit the WP feeling strong and was doubly encouraged by seeing the big hollard train leaving just as i arrived.  I made it my personal goal to chase their flickering red tail lights - like an electronic serpent - all the way to CP3.

 

I managed to gain on and pass a few fellow competitors until the Hollard snake was within spitting distance of me.  I took the last of my HTFU pills and pressed on like a man possessed.  My only concern at this time was somehow hanging on to their tail until CP3.  I actually surprised myself and passed them in the dead of night, which led to another round of soul searching as i tried to figure out a new goal for myself.  However, it was pretty late in the stage by now and i was almost at CP3 (where i would hand over to my partner).

 

I handed over to my partner just before 01h00 at CP3 and went off to eat and rest.  By this stage, i was gatvol of anything sweet and was hankering for some savoury goodness. After a quick chow, we packed up and started the long trek to CP4.  I had a lekker doze in the passenger seat and was feeling much better by CP4.  We just made it before my partner arrived and, after a quick ciggie, he sped off into the night again.  

 

Driving through the oldest desert in the world as the sun is rising is truly a special experience.  We also manged to spot a zebra and some pelicans...  Had another good meal at CP5 - goulash and coffee for breakfast sounds grim but it was what the body wanted / needed.  

 

My partner was pretty knackered by CP5 but hung on like a trouper for the last stage.  The last stretch thru the desert / mountains was proper tough but we made some good time on the gravel / salt road after that to arrive in a cool and misty Swakop in 20h25m.  The food, drink and atmosphere in the finishing tent were awesome and we had a few celebratory windhoeks.

 

Having never ridden a MTB further than 100km's, this was a whole new gig for me.  I think (in my huge experience of ONE race) that setting small goals and staying positive are the two most important things mentally if you want to finish.  Self-doubt will break you in this race long before your body gives up.   The single most important thing, though, is nutrition.  I ate on the half-hour strictly throughout the race and this helped hugely.  If i had bonked, i probably would've bailed.

 

In summary, it was a perfect race without any mechanicals or major physical issues.  We finished and that was what we wanted to achieve - in addition we were 27th in the men's 2-man and 107th overall, which we are really chuffed about.  

 

Maybe SOLO next year?

[Patchelicious]

What a lekker race...seriously, if you like solitude and a bit of personal exploration, then do this event.

 

If you don't like the voices in your head (mine form a lovely chorus on good days), then this event is best avoided.  Ha ha - understatement of the century.

 

We took stage 1 EASY, as per my experienced partner's advice.  I was chomping at the bit but STFU for a change and we rolled thru CP1 at 2hours.  When I saw the utter CARNAGE at CP2, i realised that my partner was 100% correct.  For a moment, i thought that i was in the medical tent, as there were patients everywhere at CP2, but more on that later.

 

In order to make the dreaded Us Pass in daylight, i really pushed it from CP1 to the first water point - straight into the headwind.  Luckily, i had some assistance from Laurel and Hardy (tall oke and short oke) and made it to the WP in 1:15 from CP1.

 

The climb to Us Pass was OK and the views on the top of Us Pass were AWESOME - i was cackling like a lunatic by this stage and LOVING my own conversation.  However, it was also a bit of a reality check, as this part of Namibia is suffering the worst drought in years...the veld here is completely barren and even the thorn trees appear to be dying.   This is HARD country.  Sheesh, it puts living in Joburg into perspective.

 

The ride down Us Pass is something all mountain bikers should experience in their lifetime.  What an absolute BLAST.  The only problem is keeping your eyes on the road and not on the scenery.  At the crest of Us Pass, I hooked up with a helluva nice guy on a beautiful Yeti fullsus.  We rode together for probably 75kms after that.  Nice to have some company during those barren stretches...even if the conversation was at a minimum.

 

As mentioned, We reached CP2  (Kuiseb River?) just after dark...nice sadistic touch to make the riders go through the sandy and rocky river bed after a 100 hard km's.  The vibe in the tent was distinctly ominous - looked like a bloody WWI battlefield in there.  My new mate, Emile, took one look at the carnage and gave me one of those looks...you know the one: "are you planning on sitting on your @rse all day or are we riding NOW?".  I downed a few cokes, klapped a sarmie, lubed my faithful steed and off we went.

 

The gravel road to CP2 is pretty fooked but the first 100km's were not "really" that tough.  Stage 3 is, however, a beast of an entirely different nature altogether.  By this stage of the proceedings, everyone is pretty tired, it's dark and the going is...well...it's hard as hell.  The stage is not flat for a single kilometer.  It goes UP or it goes DOWN - the published profile is about as accurate as a dating site.   And, usually, this stage it goes up and down in quick succession.  WTF is up with that landscape - does it even exist in reality?  It really is like something from a cartoon.   The fact that you can only see where your light shines lends everything a surreal character...until you see the red fireflies way up ahead in the distance - and the only reason you can see them is because they're at a much, much higher elevation than you are.

 

Now for my only gripe.  The driving by the 4-man team support vehicles on this stage was absolutely horrendous.  There is NO justification for the way these guys drove - speeding, overtaking cyclists on downhills, passing too closely to cyclists...after seeing how CYCLISTS drive past other cyclists in a race, i will never complain about the attitudes of regular drivers again.  If there was any marshaling whatsoever, ALL the 4-pax teams would (deservedly) have been DQ'd.  Anyway, rant over.

 

Somewhere in the dark on stage 3, before the WP, i started getting stomach cramps / stitches.  I told Emile to go on without me, as i was holding him back.  I had about 20km's or so that were less than pleasant until the cramps simply disappeared (thank you 3 cans of coke in 30 seconds at CP2, i think).   I hit the WP feeling strong and was doubly encouraged by seeing the big hollard train leaving just as i arrived.  I made it my personal goal to chase their flickering red tail lights - like an electronic serpent - all the way to CP3.

 

I managed to gain on and pass a few fellow competitors until the Hollard snake was within spitting distance of me.  I took the last of my HTFU pills and pressed on like a man possessed.  My only concern at this time was somehow hanging on to their tail until CP3.  I actually surprised myself and passed them in the dead of night, which led to another round of soul searching as i tried to figure out a new goal for myself.  However, it was pretty late in the stage by now and i was almost at CP3 (where i would hand over to my partner).

 

I handed over to my partner just before 01h00 at CP3 and went off to eat and rest.  By this stage, i was gatvol of anything sweet and was hankering for some savoury goodness. After a quick chow, we packed up and started the long trek to CP4.  I had a lekker doze in the passenger seat and was feeling much better by CP4.  We just made it before my partner arrived and, after a quick ciggie, he sped off into the night again.  

 

Driving through the oldest desert in the world as the sun is rising is truly a special experience.  We also manged to spot a zebra and some pelicans...  Had another good meal at CP5 - goulash and coffee for breakfast sounds grim but it was what the body wanted / needed.  

 

My partner was pretty knackered by CP5 but hung on like a trouper for the last stage.  The last stretch thru the desert / mountains was proper tough but we made some good time on the gravel / salt road after that to arrive in a cool and misty Swakop in 20h25m.  The food, drink and atmosphere in the finishing tent were awesome and we had a few celebratory windhoeks.

 

Having never ridden a MTB further than 100km's, this was a whole new gig for me.  I think (in my huge experience of ONE race) that setting small goals and staying positive are the two most important things mentally if you want to finish.  Self-doubt will break you in this race long before your body gives up.   The single most important thing, though, is nutrition.  I ate on the half-hour strictly throughout the race and this helped hugely.  If i had bonked, i probably would've bailed.

 

In summary, it was a perfect race without any mechanicals or major physical issues.  We finished and that was what we wanted to achieve - in addition we were 27th in the men's 2-man and 107th overall, which we are really chuffed about.  

 

Maybe SOLO next year?

5 of my mates rode solo in Hollard kit, are you maybe in this cool pic of them? Not sure what time you rode with them?

 

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss153/Patch-elicious/Hollard%20Train_zps1i8srkq1.jpg

[partydave]

ALL the 4-pax teams would (deservedly) have been DQ'd.  Anyway, rant over.

 

 

Please don't generalize. We obeyed all the rules and made sure that we never put a cyclist life in danger, sometimes going kilometers on end behind a cyclist just to avoid inconveniencing him/her.

 

Anyway...my bum has now healed, but my brain is a little wonky still. I figure doing the 2nd set for a 2 man can't be that much tougher than a 4 man 

[partydave]

So I rode most of the race on my own, and therefore had to resort to selfies and pics of sand, these are the few that I managed to take....

 

Before:

 

 

 

Sunrise:

 

 

 

Anybody who knows this pipe.....

 

 

 

Also along the pipe, as I was busy falling apart, 295km.

 

 

 

First downhill in ages, was so happy I took a pic. Think it was about the 310km mark.

 

 

 

Last stop, 323km, 45km to go, I was about to give up but then the guys told me its only gravel road left, so I smiled had a cup of cheap coffee and went on. Ps: They lied a lot about that 45km being gravel..... 

 

 

 

Coming into Swakop, that sand in the background was the supposed "gravel road"

 

 

 

Did you do stage 4? Fairly certain there was a short stint we cycled together (or you passed me)

 

That pipeline and Nonidas (tar/gravel road just before the golf club/rail tracks) is by far the worst part of the route

[Patchelicious]

Did you do stage 4? Fairly certain there was a short stint we cycled together (or you passed me)

 

That pipeline and Nonidas (tar/gravel road just before the golf club/rail tracks) is by far the worst part of the route

I rode all the stages. Stage 4 I rode pretty much on my own the whole way. Only at the very end did I hookup with some other guys. Started stage 4 just after midnight.