Category: Race Reports
Sani2C Mountain bike race.
Spot the Caveman? (In Specialized’s all red.) Nervously peering around the pack on the far left. Typical triathlete, I distrust all forms of pack riding. I like to blaze the open road/trail, pick my own lines, and set my own pace. Here, (on the 1st few kms of open roads) busy little 18 year olds jump on the brakes for no reason and overlap wheels, darting around the pack in a flurry of short lasting energy.
Specialized Factory rider Burry Stander and I was lucky enough to get an entry into the 3 day Sani2C MTB race. (The race has a 3 year waiting list)
York Timbers Sabie Experience mountain bike race. 2008
I just got back on the farm after riding 3 of the 4 days of Sabie Experience. Sabie is only 80km from our farm and when my good friend (and Specialized Factory team damager) Bobby Behan said we were invited to ride, we couldnt say no. Despite still being in the midst of “ice cream and beer season”.
Turns out were were guests of Ian van der Walt and his newly formed DCM racing team. What a fun group of characters. After 3 days of hanging with these guys my voice box hurt more than my legs. Not they they are slow – its just that the amount and intensity of chatting, cajoling and prank playing was significant.
We started in groups of 4. I’m on the red and black Honda. (Yes, the guy in the back!) The guy next to me on the far right, Willie “die Lem” (The Blade) won, and I finished 2nd. The guy on his back wheel crashed about half way through while in 2nd. He had a 2 inch thorn in the back of his hand- not sure if that’s CAUSED the crash or if it was BECAUSE of the crash.
I did my 1st Enduro dirt bike race today. Wow, what an experience! I grew op riding dirt bikes on our farm, but when I turned 16, and became really serious about triathlon, I sold the bike. (Also needed the money to buy a “faster” bicycle.) So the last 18 years I told myself “the day I retire from triathlon racing, I’ll buy a dirt bike again. But last year, after winning Xterra World champs, I thought: “Screw it, I cant wait anymore! You only live once.” I bought the perfect bike: a 2005 Honda CRF 450 X. The previous owner rode it a few times, crashed really hard, got scared and became a motivated seller….
XTERRA World Champs 2008 pictures
Before the start- calm, smiley AND READY TO KICK ASS! Photo by Nils Nilsen
I knew I had my 4th XTERRA World title in the bag. I knew it.
I felt the strongest I have felt in years. Tore up the bike course and had between 2min30 and 3min lead with only 6k to go on the bike- and then the P word happened again- on the smoothest road on the course. I quickly fixed the slow puncture with foam- and still in the lead- carried on. The P thing slowly came back, and then I had to stop and put in a lime tube. The change went quick, but I resumed in 4th and of course the tube couldnt resist the P. So I rode the last 5k on the rim. Thankfully its an Edge wheel and it had no damage, smallish crack in the bead hook. Riding the rim on the lava was really dangerous, the rear wheel slid out in every turn, but a deep determination coupled with deep denial kept me mashing the pedals.
I started the run 5 minutes behind. It was all gone. I didnt come here to race for 10th. I enjoyed the run. The views, fellow athletes and people. I finished with a smile and enjoyed the Halloween party. People say” what a gentleman you are”.
But today I’m totally gutted. I dont feel the gentleman. I put so much into this World champs, no, I put everything I had- the whole year- into this and now I have nothing but a big empty feeling inside me. Never mind the big empty place in my bank account. Money cant but a World title.
I have won 3 World titles here and I have lost 2, maybe 3 to mechanicals. This is a humbling, cruel sport.
I qoute from the XTERRA race report:
“Early on, this race showed all the signs of a Stoltz world championship run. The “Caveman” was out of the water with the leaders, passed everyone by the fourth mile of the bike where he had already put 30 seconds on Marceau, Dan Hugo, Batelier, and Eneko Llanos. From there he extended the gap, and was up 1:30 by mile 10 and with less than two miles left of heavy climbing before “The Plunge” steep downhill section where Stoltz’ is at his best, it looked like he was well on his way to a 4th World Title.
“I felt really good today, best I’ve felt in a long time. I was relaxed and riding really fast on the technical stuff, and even had quite a bit in the tank for the run, but then it came down to luck,” said Stoltz, who got a slow-leak somewhere around mile 13 or so that forced him to stop, repair, and watch as Ruzafa went by.
To compound matters, at mile 17 Stoltz’ back tire was completely gone, and he was dangerously riding on the rim coming down the lava fields. “It’s the last race of the season and I wanted to see what I could salvage,” said Stoltz.
By the time he entered T2 and was five minutes and 10 places back, best he could do was a) enjoy the ocean views, b) drop words of encouragement and some energy gel to a friend, and c) cross the line graciously in 12th place giving high-fives to the spectators that lined the finish chute.
