Monday, 19 March 2012
World Cup - Pietermaritzburg
The Rocky roads UCI mountain bike XC World Cup took place over the past weekend . The vibe was absolutely amazing over the past week and everyone was getting ready to have a great weekend supporting all the riders , blowing the vuvuzelas and ringing the cow bells !
A lot of preparation went into Saturday for the big race ! We were warned that the weather wasn’t going to hold up but we kept on hoping that it wouldn’t rain. Unfortunately mother nature didn't care how hard we prayed and hoped because the heavens opened just before the start of the u23 and junior woman’s race. It was pouring with rain and of course this is mountain biking so no .. they would never cancel the race. We all knew that it was going to be an extremely tough race .
The Junior woman started 1 minute after the u23 woman and were told to do 2 laps because of the conditions. There was a strong field of junior woman and it was going to be some good competition. We all stood under umbrellas until about 30 seconds to the start as we tried our best just to keep dry . It was definitely not the best start to a race !
As the gun went off we all sprinted to get to the first up hill and then hit the switch back climb . It was definitely difficult as there was a lot of mud. Haley Smith proved to be the stronger rider of the day and the Battle was between Nicole smith and I for 2nd and 3rd place. Unfortunately all the bull runs were closed due to the conditions so we had to ride the chicken runs . A lot of running had to be done because it was just so slippery .
Nicole and I hit the single track just before the end of our first lap and I lost control of my bike and hit my head against a tree , It took me a while to stand up and get my bike ready again . I tried to catch up with Nicole but it wasn't possible.
On my final lap I rode by myself and kept telling myself to push through it ! It was great having support from Candice Neethlings mom on the up hill up to the Amphitheatre . She definitely did a great job supporting out there in the pouring rain , it was much needed !
In the final 300 m of the course I experienced chain suck and ran to the finish with my bike. I have never ran so fast in my life !!! I managed to take 3rd place for the day with a lot of bumps and bruises . It was definitely a race I would never forget !
Even though it wasn't the best result of the season for me I was still proud to have represented my country and happy to be able to stand on the podium ! Well done to everyone that raced ... all the girls had a lot of guts to race in those conditions !
I am sad that the whole World Cup is over as it was a great deal of fun ! Max Cluer did a fantastic job commentating for the World Cup and he always knows what’s cooking ! Also ,thank you to Nick Florris for building such a phenomenal course , it definitely tested everyone’s limits. To my family , thank you for your undying support , without you this would have not been possible!
Until next time guys , keep pedalling those bicycles !
A lot of preparation went into Saturday for the big race ! We were warned that the weather wasn’t going to hold up but we kept on hoping that it wouldn’t rain. Unfortunately mother nature didn't care how hard we prayed and hoped because the heavens opened just before the start of the u23 and junior woman’s race. It was pouring with rain and of course this is mountain biking so no .. they would never cancel the race. We all knew that it was going to be an extremely tough race .
The Junior woman started 1 minute after the u23 woman and were told to do 2 laps because of the conditions. There was a strong field of junior woman and it was going to be some good competition. We all stood under umbrellas until about 30 seconds to the start as we tried our best just to keep dry . It was definitely not the best start to a race !
As the gun went off we all sprinted to get to the first up hill and then hit the switch back climb . It was definitely difficult as there was a lot of mud. Haley Smith proved to be the stronger rider of the day and the Battle was between Nicole smith and I for 2nd and 3rd place. Unfortunately all the bull runs were closed due to the conditions so we had to ride the chicken runs . A lot of running had to be done because it was just so slippery .
Nicole and I hit the single track just before the end of our first lap and I lost control of my bike and hit my head against a tree , It took me a while to stand up and get my bike ready again . I tried to catch up with Nicole but it wasn't possible.
On my final lap I rode by myself and kept telling myself to push through it ! It was great having support from Candice Neethlings mom on the up hill up to the Amphitheatre . She definitely did a great job supporting out there in the pouring rain , it was much needed !
In the final 300 m of the course I experienced chain suck and ran to the finish with my bike. I have never ran so fast in my life !!! I managed to take 3rd place for the day with a lot of bumps and bruises . It was definitely a race I would never forget !
Even though it wasn't the best result of the season for me I was still proud to have represented my country and happy to be able to stand on the podium ! Well done to everyone that raced ... all the girls had a lot of guts to race in those conditions !
I am sad that the whole World Cup is over as it was a great deal of fun ! Max Cluer did a fantastic job commentating for the World Cup and he always knows what’s cooking ! Also ,thank you to Nick Florris for building such a phenomenal course , it definitely tested everyone’s limits. To my family , thank you for your undying support , without you this would have not been possible!
Until next time guys , keep pedalling those bicycles !
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Momentum Health XCO event - 3rd March 2012
The Second Momentum health xco event took place at Karkloof over the past weekend .
On Friday , late afternoon , I went to go ride the track with a few of my BMC teammates . I was excited to see what the course was like but I knew it was going to be challenging as Karkloof has some technical obstacles on the route. We could only ride the track once as the course closed at 4 and unfortunately we arrived at the track at about 3:30 pm. This made me nervous as I wasn't a 100 % confident with the track but I just decided to give it my all on Saturday for the race.
On Saturday , the Junior men and woman had an early start of 8 o'clock. I knew I had some big competition as Haley Smith and Nicole Erasmus were there on the day. My work was definitely cut out for me. Max Cluer was the commentator for the day and cracked a few jokes in the start shoot before we were off. Of course this lightened up the mood and everyone had smiles on their faces !
We were off at 8:05 and all the girls sprinted to try and get into the first bit of single track ahead of everyone else. On my first lap Nicole Erasmus sat my wheel and it was difficult trying to ride away from her. Haley Smith then joined us later on the course near the end of the first lap and all three of us were racing together. I knew immediately that this was not going to be an easy race . Fortunately I found some power in my legs up the uphill near the start/finish and managed to sprint away from Haley but Nicole was still with me. I sat Nicoles wheel until the last 2 km of the 2nd lap and then managed to get away and ride by myself for the 3rd lap and 4th lap. The course was very tricky and concentration was key so I had to keep telling myself to focus because there was no time to get hurt as the World Cup is just around the corner . The 4th lap was my final lap and I knew I had to give it my all if I wanted to win !
I was super happy to have taken the win for the Junior girls on my BMC Fourstroke , which never gives me any hassles and flows over the rocks like water ! It was a great day on the bike for me and I felt really strong ! I had so much fun supporting all my BMC teammates out there and I was happy to see that they gave it their all too .
Thank you to Max Cluer and his team for organising such a great event !
On Friday , late afternoon , I went to go ride the track with a few of my BMC teammates . I was excited to see what the course was like but I knew it was going to be challenging as Karkloof has some technical obstacles on the route. We could only ride the track once as the course closed at 4 and unfortunately we arrived at the track at about 3:30 pm. This made me nervous as I wasn't a 100 % confident with the track but I just decided to give it my all on Saturday for the race.
On Saturday , the Junior men and woman had an early start of 8 o'clock. I knew I had some big competition as Haley Smith and Nicole Erasmus were there on the day. My work was definitely cut out for me. Max Cluer was the commentator for the day and cracked a few jokes in the start shoot before we were off. Of course this lightened up the mood and everyone had smiles on their faces !
We were off at 8:05 and all the girls sprinted to try and get into the first bit of single track ahead of everyone else. On my first lap Nicole Erasmus sat my wheel and it was difficult trying to ride away from her. Haley Smith then joined us later on the course near the end of the first lap and all three of us were racing together. I knew immediately that this was not going to be an easy race . Fortunately I found some power in my legs up the uphill near the start/finish and managed to sprint away from Haley but Nicole was still with me. I sat Nicoles wheel until the last 2 km of the 2nd lap and then managed to get away and ride by myself for the 3rd lap and 4th lap. The course was very tricky and concentration was key so I had to keep telling myself to focus because there was no time to get hurt as the World Cup is just around the corner . The 4th lap was my final lap and I knew I had to give it my all if I wanted to win !
I was super happy to have taken the win for the Junior girls on my BMC Fourstroke , which never gives me any hassles and flows over the rocks like water ! It was a great day on the bike for me and I felt really strong ! I had so much fun supporting all my BMC teammates out there and I was happy to see that they gave it their all too .
Thank you to Max Cluer and his team for organising such a great event !
Next on the calendar for me is the third and final Momentum Health xco event taking place this Saturday and then The World Cup which takes place the following weekend ! There is so much to look forward to but preparation is the most important thing and that's what I will be focusing on for the next few weeks !
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About Me
- Savannah Vosloo
- Cycling is my passion and I love the fact that you meet so many new and different people at races or events every time ! I began cycling when I was 15 years old and plan to continue to be the best that I can possibly be ! My journey has only started and I am excited for everything that is still to come !