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…”

Read more ...