I did my 1st MTB race!

[Jaco Steyn]

I feel quite chuffed with myself. I am a roadie, and have only done road races since I started cycling September 2003. My first race was the 2003 94.7. I entered the race on the last day of online entries, which means I trained less than 2 months for my first race, which I eventually did in just under 4 hours. I have literally done hundreds of road races since then. Unfortunately I am still a kuk cyclist! I cannot get to under 3:15 for the 94.7. However, my new cycling buddy convinced me to enter for the 56km Crater Cruise, and I did a late entry on Friday afternoon. I have entered for a MTB race for which I have not cycled one single kilometer off-road! Must have been out of my mind. I started of slow with my buddy because I did not know how to pace myself on a MTB during a 56km off-road race. After about 15km I told my mate that I am going to push a little harder because I felt we were going too slow. I then left him behind and never saw him till the race finish. I only had two water bottles and no bicycle pump with me should I get a flat. I was relying on my mate for his pump should the need arrise. I completed the race, and even cycled up the "Sorry" koppie! Most people pushed their bikes up. A seasoned MTB'er at work said that the Crater Cruise wasn't a "real" MTB race, so I should not be too quick to pat myself on the back for having completed it. Well, stuff him! I feel proud on my first MTB race at the young age of almost 48! Not a magnificent time (03:50), but if I rode on my own, it would have been a lot quicker. Also according to the race result, almost 200 cyclists finished after me. And another thing, goeie flok! What was up with the wind and the heat!

Edited October 11, 2010 by Jaco Steyn

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Well done

 

My first race ended up in me being last man standing

[thenoodle]

Well done!

[pezulu]

Very well done.

The conditions were not altogether perfect, so you can expect to do even better with your next race.

Hopefully the next race will not have as much wind, it won't be quite as hot, and you will get a better goodie bag than those handed out at Crater Cruise.

 

I think this was probably the worst goodie bag we have ever received. Junk Mail, some flyers, chamois butter and some lux samples (again.)

Maybe they should start handing out goody bags with men in mind.

[Big Til]

I did my first race this year at the Willow Creek Mtb with only 2 rides for training.

 

Will never forget how an elderly woman dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, white takkies and a jersey tied around her waist flew past me on the first little climb.

 

I am happy to report that they are no longer doing that though...

[Noneking]

Well done Jaco!

 

Come spend some time at Mankele - then you can call yourself a mtbiker

[The expat cyclist]

I DNF'd on my first race..And it was only 20km's...

 

So well done.

[KnobbyMech]

Welcome to the other side Jaco! Hope you wil find as much joy out of MTB as we do, and remember the atmosphere and comoraderie you experienced on Sunday when you become a race snake. Never take it too serious not to want to help another rider (most riders would have stopped to help you if you had a puncture, promise).

 

I think you will do just fine with a "real" mtb race as you could climb "Sorry" and there is a lot of "Sorries" in a "real" mtb race, although we call them "thank yous".