Headshot Posted June 21, 2016 Author Posted June 21, 2016 When i went over to France I was blown away by how very different the riding is to here. We simply have no experience of descents that go on for 5 km plus at severe gradients with switchbacks that are beyond tight. These races use hiking trails which makes them far trickier than any custom built bike trails we get in SA. Martin is an excellent rider and very fit so I expect him to adapt as the race progresses.
Sidewinder. Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 When i went over to France I was blown away by how very different the riding is to here. We simply have no experience of descents that go on for 5 km plus at severe gradients with switchbacks that are beyond tight. These races use hiking trails which makes them far trickier than any custom built bike trails we get in SA. Martin is an excellent rider and very fit so I expect him to adapt as the race progresses. Ja that's not a joke, there's a reason all the french riders can corner on their front wheels
Headshot Posted June 21, 2016 Author Posted June 21, 2016 Ja that's not a joke, there's a reason all the french riders can corner on their front wheelsYes, not to mention the super steep slopes that you are riding along or above - when you fall off, you don't stop, on or off your bike :-)
BrandonF_ Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Keep it up MZ, you are doing us proud in ZAR ????☺
BaGearA Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 how far are those section 20min winning time tiette!
NicoBoshoff Posted June 22, 2016 Posted June 22, 2016 Zietsman had a better day 3 it seems. back in the top 30 (28th) so top 20 could be a realistic result if he keeps growing into the race.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted June 22, 2016 Posted June 22, 2016 This could be his springboard to more sponsorship on the EWS tour he's doing
Martin Zietsman Posted June 22, 2016 Posted June 22, 2016 Morning everyone. Thank you so much for the support. I appreciate it so much. Here's my official race report from day 3 as posted on my FB profile. I hope you enjoy:Trans Provence Day 3:Somehow I now need to find the words to describe the day that will do it justice. I'm going to try, but I will fail miserably.Either way, this day will be in my memory forever. I was there, I got to live it, I got to experience it and I will cherish that for the test of my life. I almost want to go as far as saying that it was the best day I have ever experienced.I finished in 29th on the day, bringing me down to 28th on the GC. My focus at the moment is to keep it smooth, learn to ride these steep trails and stay on the bike. Today I managed that.It went a little like this :We got dropped off at Col de Champs, at 2080m up, where we had a stunning downhill roll to Stage 1. Unfortunately this stage was cancelled for the day due to municipal issues. This however, gave us the chance to follow each other down. I got the chance to follow Nico Lau and then Matti Lehikoinen for brief periods down the incredibly narrow, steep and winding singletrack. It was so impressive and humbling follow them. They are so good at reading the terain and react so quickly to surprises. I would love to spend morer time watching and learning from these guys!This was then followed by the monster. A 1000m climb up to stage 2 that consisted of about 75% steep hike-a-biking. There were two things that I absolutely loved about this climb :1) I CAN PEDAL AGAIN!!! It was an indescribable feeling actually being able to swing my leg over the top tube again and pedal uphill. I was back to my normal self. The human body is just a wonderful thing. One day you're half dying, have blurry vision and can't breath, the next your body has adjusted to altitude and you're steam training uphill again.2) those views, oh my word, those views. This must be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We walked through rock strewn gullies that had been devastated by avalanches, up through the most lush green forest and over never ending high alpine green meadows. It just took my breath away. Go check out my photo journal on my FB athlete top get a glimpse of what we experienced.The reward for that climb? A 948m decent. Take a moment to read that again and soak it in. 948m!! I vienne Table Mountain is in the region of 1100m. Can you imagine smashing a trail from the top of that down to the waterfront?My time was about 11mins for that stage. Again, take a moment to soak that in. Can you comprehend descending that far in such a short period of time? We started high up in the meadows, flew down into dense forest, out into rocky, barren shale rock and finally into another forest. Ask the while hanging on and throwing the bike around the tightest, rockiest switchbacks.The utter exhaustion and elation and exhaustion when you reach the bottom is beyond words.This was only the 1st stage done! I could go on and on about how incredible this day was, or how amazing these trails are, but it just won't do. We were treated to 2 more stages in the day, each just as exhilarating as the last and both being so completely different from each other. I am honoured to able to be here and can't wait to see what the next 3 days had on store for us.
banna Posted June 22, 2016 Posted June 22, 2016 Ag, sitting behind a desk, building spreadsheets and consolidating stuff 10 hours a day is just as much fun... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT. Give it horns Fietzman!
Nofearnofun Posted June 22, 2016 Posted June 22, 2016 Day 3 http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/MAVIC-TRANS-PROVENCE-2016-Grey-Earth-Big-Vert,31720/iceman2058,94
Headshot Posted June 22, 2016 Author Posted June 22, 2016 Awesome report Martin... Those top French pro's are in another league. Must come from years of riding trails like that. I recon if you can ride the alps you can ride anywhere...
DoomedUser Posted June 22, 2016 Posted June 22, 2016 WOW! Awesome and good luck with the rest of the days!
Headshot Posted June 22, 2016 Author Posted June 22, 2016 Take a careful look at this day 3 pic and imagine riding this blind and as fast as you can...
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