I spent the morning with my cousins at my house and also getting my stuff ready and washing my bicycle for the race. It was my first ride back from Europe in SA, so I could see all my friends again and also my team mate Alan Hatherly. I had lots of people asking how my trip was and experiences. It was another great time to share all of my memories with the people! We drove to the start of the Enduro, which is a new racing format from the UCI and also the first Enduro in RSA. There was a big turnout and lots of familiar DownHill riders such as Tiaan Odendaal who would end up winning the race! Enduro includes the following: you start at the bottom of a hill that goes up to the top of the downhill section. Riders aren't timed from the bottom of the hill, but only from the top if the downhill section to the bottom. So you get to ride up at your own pace and also get to ride with the other people who normally race. In these events you have two downhill runs and get your time for those two is then your official time combined.
It is a great new racing format and I enjoy it a lot. In the end of the day I got 3rd in my age group. These events are taking off big time over seas and it will also hopefully in RSA!
The next day it was the Karkloof Classic, 60km's of just fun and beautiful tracks in the amazing forests of Karkloof! I camped at the race venue with two of my friends from the Freestate, Willie and Jaun. It was so much fun just being around Afrikaans people and having a proper Braai again!
During my race I helped team mate Candice Neethling a bit on one of the open jeep track sections to block the wind from her and helping her get a bigger gap over the field and taking the win in the Female's race, but before i could get up the last climb of the day my legs started cramping at 29km's to go. I kept pushing and thought that I can ride through them. Unfortunately I couldn't and told Candice to go. "Im done for the day": were my words to her, she thanked me and off she went. I kept on riding up at my own pace, but soon was getting dropped quite badly, with C batch riders passing m, and I started in A batch.
As I crossed the line, a guy gave me a water which was live saving! Surprisingly at prize giving they called my name out and said that I was 3rd! So in the end I had two 3rd places in two days.
It was a great day weekend and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Thanks
J. Pelser
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