Category: Blog Entries
Kayamandi (unofficial) World Mountain bike champs hosted by Songo.info
Nino Schurter (current XC World Champion) Songo Fipaza, (Songo.info founder, visionary, legend, gentleman) Caveman.
Qoute from the Songo.info website: [It all started out with Songo Fipaza’s dream to provide children of Kayamandi with opportunities and a fun and safe place to grow up away from the troubles on township streets. Songo is an exceptional role model for everyone as he works tirelessly in the community to create opportunities for the children. His dream has come a long way over the years where the BMX club and mountain biking group are fully established, participating in numerous events in the Western Cape, and across South Africa. We are all so privileged to work, learn and interact with Songo Fipaza. He demonstrates actions that dreams are possible to achieve.]
Christoph Sauser (who won this 30min plus 3 laps exhibition race) and Songo Fipaza, came up with the vision to create a team with budding star Burry Stander – to race the Cape Epic under the charity – named Songo.info
Songo personally welcomed every rider. I lined up with ex roadie Darren Lill
Clinging to Florian Vogels‘ wheel on opening laps, but after a few steep climbs and hard sprints I was drowned in lactic acid and was relegated to the more realistic part of the race…
After training for the Adu Dhabi Triathlon (3k/200k/20k- blog to follow soon) and seemlingly months of long hours in the saddle at relatively low intensity, the shock of 30min at a 100% Lactic Acid mixture was quite severe!
Railing berms and jumps on the Songo BMX track- built by the funds raised by Susi and Burry on that first Epic in the Songo jerseys .
Kayamandi’s kids make for enthisiastic supporters.
Up to my ears in lactic acid… Pics by Gary Perkin (Flipper)
Songo development riders railing some “Kayamandi singketrack”.
What an amazing story of inspiration (by Susi, Bury and Songo) and judging by the recent success of the Songo development riders at the 2013 ABSA Cape Epic, there certainly is hope for another rider to follow in Burry Standers‘ big footprints…
Photo Credit ~ Cherie Vale / Newsport Media
50th XTERRA win since my 1st XTERRA in 2001. By 6 minutes at that. 50 wins seems big, but yet is a small part in my career as a triathlete. I wish I had kept count of the wins. Since that first one as a 14 year old in 1988 at Ironkids in Pretoria. All those triathlons and duathlons my parents drove me to in my dads new Toyota Cressida. All those triathlons in France from 1992-1999. Some years up to 36 races a season. All those SA Champs and African Champs and Energade Series wins inbetween. All those years on the ITU circuit, racing to 2 Olympic Games. (Not too many wins those years) All those years racing non drafting short course in the USA.
How many wins would there be? 100? 200? How many races? I only started blogging (keeping track) in 2002. The days before were before internet, even cell phones. But I do have many many boxes of medals, old race numbers and newspaper clippings (thanks to my Ouma) to go through with the grandkids one day…
Winning at home is always fun, so it was great to reach the 50th XTERRA win in South Africa, where it all started.
The lead up- 10 days out:
The 10 days “toughen up” training camp in the altitude, heat, rocks and thorns in Windhoek (Namibia) came in quite handy at this tough Buffelspoort race. Heat, hills, altitude, rocks, thorns and amazing single track. Repeat.
During this training camp, I lost a fair bit of weight. Unfortunately I later realized its because of all the bleeding I did through this hard, thorny country. Qoute of the week was by Willie, (Still the Hope of Namibia): “Here in Nambia, the softest part of our bodies is our teeth…”
Racing for Burry Stander
TotalSports Challenge Terra Firma: 50km road cycle (Caveman), 14km road run (Princess Hotstuff), 25km MTB (Caveman), 9km beach run (Princess Hotstuff)
My coach Ian Rodger wanted me to ride steady TT pace “so we can look at the watts and see how we measure up with last year (at this race)” I said, actually Liezel and I are doing this race for Burry, and instead of towing everyone from Gordons Bay to Kleinmond, I want to arrive at the hand over alone- like Burry did 3 years ago. Ian thought about it, and said, “ok, you haven’t trained for that kind of riding, but hit them hard on the rolling technical section through Gordons Bay, see who’s with you, and then attack them when you’re into the wind” He finished off with: “Kick them in the nuts till no one is left standing”
Still raw from Burry’s funeral, I rode to Gordons Bay filled with emotion. Angry Battery 9 soundtrack seemingly the only suitable companion.
Althoug it was wind-still in Stellenbosch, it was howling in Gordons Bay, so I went with a training wheel in front. I rode my UCI legal SHIV TT bike, and warmed like I would for a big TT race, and got to the start simmering and ready to kick crotches. But on the start line the mood was very somber- Songo Fipaza and a number of the Songo kids were at the start line in memory of Burry. Songo made a stirring speech celebrating Burry’s extraordinary life before Songo and the kids slowly led us through the neutral zone of Gordons Bay. Obviously I had to go to plan B and attack the guys on the open road to Rooiels- a much harder task.
18 races, 1 World Title (ITU Cross Tri), my 10th XTERRA USA Series title, 10 victories, 16 podiums and many many special memories.
My sporting highlight was winning my 2nd ITU Cross Triathlon World Title in Pelham Alabama, USA.
a Personal highlight was sharing the entire year and all the remarkable experiences with my gorgeous wife.
2012 also marked the comeback of the Caveman the roadie. More bike course records to fall this year…
Finally we found the cause my injuries, after more than 3 years of struggling with calf and Achilles injuries due to the cut foot. I used to run a painful 0 to 30km a week, and now I can finally start proper running again.
Hats off to my rocket scientist coach- Ian Rodger, who custom makes my training program every day-
TriLanai- Liezel’s first triathlon! Also island paradise & holiday destination race.
Conrad & Liezel at Tri Lanai
After a lot of focus and hard work for XTERRA Worlds on Maui, Liezel and I were ready to take it SLO for a few weeks
At the very last minute we decided to do Tri Lanai and took the 40minute ferry ride from Lahaina (Maui) to the small Hawiian island of Lanai. (population 2800)
