Epic adventures in Paris' time: Sani2C Team Olympic Cycles

Wow wow wow, is 3 words (if they are really words) on how I would start to describe the Sani2C 3 day stage race.

I was lucky enough to obtain a much sort after international entry to the event based on my oversea’s race results and snapped up the relatively cheap R4000 race fee quick stix. As I raced the Cape Epic and Carrie supported us knowing her heart really wanted to ride the Epic this year, I choose this race to be a relationship-building event with my love. Some take there partners to Indo or the a chilled island the Philippines’s to sit back and sip cocktails we choose an endurance event which covered 300km’s of insane African terrain mixed with some of the best single track and loads good farm style kos. The Sani2C is one event I would say to anyone who is lucky enough to get an entry is a must do in one’s life.

It starts in the Underberg 1700km from Cape Town which is about a 24hr drive and end in Scottsburgh on the Natal coastline. Which also is a sick right-hander break that offers a super ripperable waves on most days. So plan was to take two days to drive up, surfing along the way. Had good Lookout on the new super bank along with all the newfound locals. But did get it late in the evening all to ourselves plus a few floating logs, trees, doors and even a dinghy which sat in the middle of the line up! The thought of those big fish did cross my mind as that river mouth has some serious shit float out it and is super wide at the mo. But didn’t bring that up with Carrie as she was having a blast on the mellow right hander running for 50m down the bank to ourselves. We camped down at the Keurbooms river and the Landies rooftop tent is just so insane, we are hooked. Next stop before hitting the next 1000 to Underberg was Jbay on the Tuesday, we rocked up and found 3-4ft waves with min Ou’s on it so surfed for 5 hrs till 4pm that day with only 6 others with some 6ft sets reeling down supers point. I just couldn’t stop saying to Carrie “this never happens, we so lucky!!!” Couldn’t get over that we had it so uncrowded.

Floating over impossibles (click to enlarge pic if wanted):

Snap snap at Supers:

Even snabbed a barrells all to myself earley in the morning:

Didn’t take pic’s but above pics are of on the return trip. Just can’t say no to surfing Supers. So this is where the endurance event started surfed Supers for 5 hrs got out once the car was packed with the bikes and boards couldn’t find the car key!Doh unpack and find key slammed in rear door and yes the PC chipset in the electronic key was toasted. So 5pm the day before “Voting day” so Wednesday is a public holiday (to courier the spare key would have been R3000min- no chance ) we are sitting in Jbay not being able to start the Landy…cut a long story short we couldn’t drive anywhere slept at the Dace’s in Cape St Francois (Jade and Tant our savoury’s) had to rent a car for PE airport at 10am morning and drive 12 hrs to Underberg in a Tata 1.1 engine with 2 bikes, 2 surfboards and all our shit – arrived there at 8.30pm and where the last people to register and had no where to stay (as had planned to sleep in Rooftop tent on Landy which was sitting at PE airport immobilized). But our Karma turned around and one of the organizers said “no you come stay with us on our farm after the hassles you have gone through to get here”. So rocked up to her farm 5km out and had set us up in a sweet rondavel with double bed and down doona and woke up at 5am to a full breakfast laid out for us prior to hopping on the bike for 70km for the day.

So to just start the race was awesome for us as things where looking pretty bleak at one stage in Jbay with no car, no key and a public holiday with everything closed the next day! Stoked to be lined up at the start line in our Offical race team Olymipic cycles kit http://www.olympiccycles.co.za/ with Carrie lining up at her first multi day race. Day 1- 87km was filled with some good flowing fast tracks which took us 4.11hrs to complete. Carrie rode well and recovered well for day 2 which was to be the best day in the saddle that any mountain biker could experience.

It start with 10km of fun flat tights single tracks to drop us down a fast 14km switchback groomed single track with breathtaking Umkomaas valley views…just so insane so I won’t rant on about too much!But Like I said you just gotta do it to experience it!Also had the best water stop ever at about the 60km point – I had 2 x Nando’s chicken burgers, 2 x Jam doughnuts, had my sunglasses polished by a 1st grader, some fruit, sweets and farm baked banana bread and some juice to flush down. Then hit the toughest climb of the day 5 mins later, love it, felt like bloated Wilderbeast climbing up a cliff. Finished riding a tough 96km in 6hrs ps: Around the 50km point Carrie started to realized stage racing is kind of tough, pps: around the 80km Carrie mumbled the words “ I am going to puke” followed 15mins later by “ I can do endurance” and little pushing and pulling from her beloved partner (after all this was a relationship building exercise) and yes finished within the top 20 mixed team that day and gained 50 positions overall. So a great day!

Day 3 was relatively short and fast 78km through the cane fields with some fast descents, however became fun when we started to ride along side another mixed team who where also trying to race for top 20 spot. Out came the fire and the will of the two girls (us guys just chatted and shared nutrition advice while the girls sweated it out) even to the point of them both riding through the water points and leaving us guys to stop and grab food and then catch up. Yes the race was on and now it was fun (yes I love to race and beat people!!! But turns out Carrie does too) so the relationship building excerise is really working now! So we raced head to head for +-40km to the last 2km where they sent us over the Scottburgh beach (where the sweet right hander is) and had built a scaffolding structure which we had to ride over. Carrie infront me behind – looking at the surf then rode off the side of the structure to slam dunked myself so hard off the structure –blood everywhere, baseball size nugget on my leg muscle, camera’s everywhere and crowds of people all gasping – yes I AM A MUPPET! 2km from the end after 300km I eat shit hard! In front of the crowd- yes MUPPET. Now the race with the chicks is still on and I have to pick myself up wipe some blood off and chase Carrie who certain didn’t wait for her competent boyfriend (Not) to find there was a 1,5km 15% uphill to the finish line. My leg is feeling like hulk kicked me with steel toe boots and now have to pull Carrie up the hill out the saddle as the other guy is dragging is chick up the hill 20 m ahead of us –pushing his limits…and that’s where I end this story as there was no happy ending…I didn’t catch him and we didn’t beat them but finished 20th in the mixed couples with blood all over me and not being able to walk or surf but with a big smile and a partner who gave it her all and push new boundaries…and the relationship still in tacked! Success in anyones words…

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The hill after 2 xburgers + everything else on the table : note Carrie not smiling
as the hill was named " A Push of a hill":