BC Bike race day 3 and 4

Day 3 and 4. I am going to start this entry and state: stage racing is just hard- ficking hard, when you maxing. Whether you in the front pack or down the tail end of the race. Everyone is trying to do their best and pushing their own personal boundaries – and respect to that I say! I feel everyone in life should challenge themselves in life and try go do things you think you are not capable of, as you learn so much about yourself and puts so many things in perspective. From time to time we all get caught up in the daily routine of life, which is so easy to do!

This BC bike race has been amazing, and Carrie and I have just had so much fun travelling Canada. The race takes you to a new beautiful location everyday, shuttling ferries, over snow capped mountains, through the most pristine lakes which we cool off after every day’s race effort’s to having a beer at the local pub on the water. Ok, so we have done the race in style in the camper aka”Home” and has been our dream not to do tent town and have transport so “ Home “ has made it for us. With the assistance of a few incredibly people/mate for lifes: Simon and Alex Lamond(who is 2weeks from popping bubs #1) who we have found the most epic camping locations and made delectable meals (along with endless stashes of Biltong). The Saffa convoy has been strong and the flag flying proudly on Simon’s rented 1983 poo brown VW campervan. Carter Hovey, Simon and Mike Robinson the local Canadian’s have put us on the “inside program” meaning we are missioning to the next stage ahead of the race organizers to ensure we are maximizing our time and staying in the best locations to chill and braai post race. Really just that alone has been a joy.

Then I need to make creditable mention to the girls Alex and Carrie – A grade support team. They have had us on the program to the minute, and when I say a minute I mean arriving at ferry terminal with not a minute to spare. Support teams are the rocks behind racers! Trust me having a good support team just makes racing hard much easier! Because little things are even hard to do post race- like eat food or hand you your pants etc etc

Now to the riding, O my god! Everyday I cross the line and say : those last 10-20km where the best trails I have ever riding. However the bar just keeps getting set higher everyday. Look there are some hard miles to get to the sweet trails and but no means is the BCBR just made up of sweet single track, there some climbing and hard grinding of the gears. Distance means nothing, you look at a course profile and you go this day should be easy (only 50km’s) but at times you are chewing the bars so hard all I am seeing is roots, green most and blood red around it. Which for me has caused issues as the course has been marked with pink ribbon tape hanging from the trees and at turns and because I am just seeing blood red, cause my heart rate is maxing out so ficking high, the pink ribbons just blend in the blood red. In turn is making me miss some turns. Over a week long stage race it is near impossible to for you to have a smooth race, shit happens and happen more often when you redlining it trying to hang onto a 10 year younger Pro’s tail. I have been coming in consistently 11th overall which I am super stoked about knowing that I can mix it up with some of the world’s best trail riders (even if it is for the first 1hr). But Day 4 I took a wrong turn and ended up dropping down 300m into the “valley of hell”, so I call it. To see no blood red/pink ribbons and to my dismay had run back up the valley from hell. Anyway shit happens and that’s racing you can’t have everything go your way over such a demanding race. So I finished 17th overall and dropped a few positions and rolled across the line with a few broken spokes and some more grazes.

Day 5 was another so called it quick day 41 km’s on my Magellan Switch up over Blazing saddles El Dorado,Guys Gulch to HWY103, then enter the Enduro segments HWY102 at 4km downhill track of pure insanity followed by a further 4km Enduro -Sidewinder . It’s kind of my aim now to try stay in the top 10 of the Enduro segments as they are really proving to be setting the fit mountain biker mad men from the others, just hope I don’t kill myself but if I do so me it I did it doing what I love doing. The Enduro’s are not just pure downhill but more down/up, over 2 or 3 wooden dodgy structures, then on a 20cm wide structure then over an old bridge then into twisting turning berms over a kicker jump which launches you 15feet in the air and at this stage I am holding on for dear life and my blood red eyes focusing on the track so hard I think my brain is going to pop. Yip the Enduro segments rock!I am a fan.

Today I crossed the line around the top10 again so back to form, and body is holding up well. Always good to know that the base training miles you put into pay off. I have seen some pretty batted bodies and snapped frames along the way with some stories of pain and hardship but for me the support crew aka: Carrie, Home and the Rocky Mountain guys have really made me feel awesome. A big up’s to the guys from Rocky Mountain factory Racing they have helped me out heaps, from loaning me a new Fox float rear shock from when I blow mine on Day 3 to servicing my bike post race. For privateer like myself that really helps. Carrie and I feel like we are locals here, cos more people ride Rocky Mountain bikes here than any other brand and the reason is simple, the bikes are built for this type of terrain along with the suspension and geometry is a winner. Big brand MTB’s have there place in the mainstream but RM can match them any day and here is proof!

O, ja highlight of the day: Riding with Andrea’s “ Dr Dre” Hestler (Olympic MTB and BCBR owner):The man can ride with legs that match the size of the Redwoods here and has skills with power! I rode with him for +-10km till this massive structure, that left me following him up to only find myself upside down 4 feet under the ramp! But was good as he knows the course so well, riding with Dre was great as the pink/red ribbons where easy to follow. However post me turtling I did make one wrong turn again and left me lost for 2 mins. But 5km from the end my moment arrived, I caught Dre and came flying pass him on a rocky section yelling “on ja right” Haha that was good!

Cool 2 more days left (Squamish to Whilster) and am supper stoked with my performance and experience more than anything. We are back in Squamish and Carrie has set off for a ride to try move up the Strava ladder.