Posts Tagged ‘Caveman’
How on earth did we survive our youths?! #ThrowBackThursday
“What do you mean protective gear?!”
Its about 1987, I’m 14 years old. On a bored out two stroke YZ 125, I tore through dongas, thorn bushes, streams and my home made MX course- wearing nothing but worn out Nike Pegasus, PT short, T shirt and Open helmet & goggles. And a “This is awesome!” grin.
Not sure how I made it safely to (sort of) adulthood. As I near parenthood, I’ve heard people talk about “babies bounce”, but in hind sight, if I can help it- rather safe than sorry. Or as we modern bike riders say: “Dont dress for the ride, dress for the fall…”
A life time later- my dad and I crossing rivers (but not tearing through dongas and thorn bushes) on our
Caveman to race DualX off road duathlon this Saturday
Theo Blignaut’s stories of the adrenaline (& pain!) filled DualX racing series, fascinated and inspired me to leave the goggles at home and give off road duathlon a whirl.
I was drawn to XTERRA in 2001 because of an action packed picture of Steve Larsen running his bike through a stream in Richmond USA. The Momentum Health Oatwell DualX Duathlon Series powered by PeptoPro has been running for a year in Gauteng, and I’m excited to see what its about: Technical run and bike courses, fantastic Advendurance organization, good prize money, extensive SuperSport TV coverage , and as you know, I just love racing!
See you at DualX #1 Hakahana this weekend!
PS: It’s a bit of a last minute decision, so sadly, no Caveman MTB Skills Clinic in Groenkloof this time, but “Pre Ride XTERRA Grabouw bike course with Caveman” is still on for Sunday 8 & Saturday 14 Feb.
XTERRA Grabouw MTB course pre-ride with Caveman.
The XTERRA Grabouw bike course is a hairy one. Probably the best XTERRA bike course in the world!
Prepare for this epic race with a guided pre-ride of the bike course with the #Caveman.
– Learn the A, B & C lines.
– Learn the skills required to ace this course.
– Bike set up and equipment for safe, fast shredding.
– Nutrition, pacing etc.
– You bring the Q’s I’ll have the A’s. (Hopefully) Topics can include running, swimming etc.
– Snacks, drinks, signed Caveman posters and sample products from Bos Sport, Squirt lube & Enduren.
Dates:
#ThrowbackThursday Conrad Stoltz 1998 ITU All African Triathlon Champion Swakopmund Namibia
Conrad Stoltz & Lieuwe Boonstra 1st & 2nd at 1998 ITU All Africa Triathlon Championships Swakopmund Namibia
Back when we were chasing ITU points to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Speedos were the rage, we sewed and ironed our sponsors logos on, and Lieuwe had the most admirable horse-like pony tail in the biz. (this photo does not do it justice)
Lieuwe and I were a formidable team: Both 2nd pack swimmers but really strong cyclists, we’d get together on the bike, ride up to the lead pack- usually lead by David Hyam, Glen Gore and sometimes Tim Don. Once in the pack, I’d sit in and send Lieuwe up the road. If they chase and catch Lieuwe, I’d attack, and Lieuwe would bridge over to me later, or we’d repeat till we got away. But usually they would let Lieuwe go and watch me – the stirrer and stronger sprinter… I’d wait till Lieuwe had about a 30″ gap then attack and ride up to him, where we would start a furious through and off. This would be the crucial time to get clear of the chasers without bringing any unwanted fleet footed runners with. (Eksteen, Don, Gore et al.)
At this particular race
Caveman Skills Clinic Groenkloof Nature Reserve, Pretoria
Surprisingly, the quest to mastering MTB skills starts in the parking lot. Even for a group of Intermediate riders with a few Cape Epics under the belt.
We spent a lot of time on the tar. Its all about mastering the basics:
Even “Stopping 101” is surprisingly hard at first. Here Deryck shows good form and brake modulation.
And he brought the right bike: Dropper post, chunkier tyres, corner friendly frame geometry and a bit more suspension than your typical XC bike. Too many folks are hell bent on riding the “lightest, fastest most responsive” XC bike – which is pretty hard to ride well on trail) and overlook the bikes made for trail riding. (Deryck is on a mid level Specialized Stumpjumper FSR (Elite, I think) for about R40k or US$3800)
Look and learn. Watching and following are powerful learning tools.
Reuben van Niekerk is an ace Para cyclist with a few Cape Epics under the belt, and as you can see, he now knows how to drop bar and rail a corner. (Also thanks in part, to the “trail bike” as described above)
Anton never stopped smiling!
The Dreaded Drop off: First in the classroom…
Then follow the example
Then DO IT! “Hesitation = Devastation!!”
Center of gravity over the BB, off the brakes, look ahead etc…
Text message from Robrecht after he got back from “Class”:
If your Afrikaans is a bit rusty:
“Conrad. Just rode down the stairs by my house for the first time ever. Was surprised how easy it was. Thanks! Robrecht”
Anton drops in on his Enduro…
Jos drops in on his hard tail…
Once we all had a good grip on the skills we hit the Groenkloof trails and put new moves to the test.
Reuben crushing the rock section
Deryck showing good balance and posture. Elbows up & hips forward!
As confidence grew, the guys kept requesting harder and harder trails…
In fact, we kept riding till we hit Single Track Nirvana
There seems to be a great demand for “Free Speed” in the Gauteng area – stay tuned for more Caveman Skills Clinics- I’ll really get into it once my racing schedule calms down a bit later this summer.
#PrincessHotstuff did a great job helping with the coaching (shredding MTB and acing Netball is not far apart!) and for keeping the aid station stocked with cold BOS Sport and snacks, taking photos, organizing the admin, printing posters and organizing goodie bags: Squirt chain lube, Barrier Balm & tyre sealant and also Enduren products.
Hats off to the Groenkloof Nature Reserve, Pretoria for its fantastic trails and wildlife- it was quite a treat, and very far removed from the last time I rode there. Northern Transvaal MTB Champs, 1997 – Fritz Pienaar and I were racing head to head when I (largely due to lack of skill, but also the “single track” was a footpath) tangled in monkey vine and broke my collar bone. And thus put an eternal end to my status as a swimming ace.
Recon of Groenkloof with Frans the evening before – Africa at its best.
