MTN Club100 Witbank

Belfast weekend Ride

2011-02-28T19:29:00.005+02:00

Don, Atholl, Karien, Glen, Sandra, Francois, Barnie, Tracey, Richard, Andy

On Saturday 26 February 2011 a group of 10 mountain bikers were priveliged to travel to Belfast to the farm of Barney Barnard to participate in a 68 km ride. The ride took us along district gravel roads that were in great condition and very little traffic to speak of. The ride was thoroughly enjoyed by all riders. Even a very sick dog didn't deter Kobus and Wendy from Middelburg and they started late but completed the route while we relaxed at the farm. Many thanks to the 2 sweep vehicles and to Barney and his wife Bonny for their kind hospitality after the race. We hope to see more Club 100 members take advantage of a ride in this stunning area next time.

Loskop Cruise 19 February 2011

2011-02-21T19:51:00.002+02:00

ALL THE BEST FOR 2011

2011-01-10T10:11:00.000+02:00

We are all looking forward to a great year. We want to be fit, healthy and cycle as much as we can. This year will be different and we will soon let you know what we are planning for all our members.

Please email us at club100witbank@gmail.com so that we can put you on the mailing list and so that we can make sure that you receive our communications.

The club is aiming to do a lot for you this year and we will send out a mail and post on the blog as soon as possible to inform you of the detail.

Please ride safe. Wear a helmet at all times. Obey road signs and have respect for motorists.

Jacques

Sabie Experience Light Results

2010-12-20T16:21:00.002+02:00

Bmg 2

5811 Gerald Snell
5812 Polixie Gautier

07:27:42

Ipedal

5291 Conrad Grobbelaar
5292 Clinton Cogzell

07:31:34

Training Wheels

5501 Gert Nienaber
5502 Stephan Roux

08:45:55

Synergy

6001 Francois Van Der Walt
6002 Atholl Fleming

09:52:59

Sabie Solo

Victor Frazao

08:0

Sabie Experience Results

2010-12-20T16:17:00.001+02:00

Sabie Experience

Sub

Etana Adventurers

551 Ryan Reynolds
552 Eugene Botha

15:22:13

126

Vet

B M G Bombers

521 Brett Warren
522 Glen Grundy

21:17:59

Renewals and Fees 2011

2010-12-20T12:29:00.000+02:00

Fees

We have decided to keep all fees the same as 2010, remember to renew your license at My Race

We are also planning to include a race in our area into your renewal and or new application 2011.

HIGHVELD MALL CLUB100 WITBANK MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE Results

2010-11-26T18:48:00.000+02:00

http://www.spectrumsport.co.za/index_files/MTBResults2010.htm - Results

MTN Club100 Witbank: HIGHVELD MALL CLUB100 WITBANK MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLE...

2010-10-23T18:17:00.004+02:00

The Highveld Mall race is THIS weekend - Saturday 13 November

There will be no week end ride - we are racing !!!

The race will be through our local Game Reserve and the pristine Bankenveld Golf Estate.

Lots of jeep track, single track and a great view of the dam and the animals, taking

Mountain Biking to the next level in Mpumalanga! Free tea, coffee and muffins before the race thanks to Mugg & Bean,

Goodie bags, Free Talisman bike wash, Free Talisman Boerie Roll, Free MPowerFM for music, Bearing Man water points,

Free T-shirts for the kids race, a PVM stand bars and gu's , showers for the ladies and

Free massages thanks to the gorgeous girls from Placecol.

Prize money ; Race Entry

Enter via either of these sites:

www.club100witbank.blogspot.com, www.highveldmall.co.za

HIGHVELD MALL CLUB100 WITBANK MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE

2010-10-23T18:15:00.002+02:00

TO ENTERHIGHVELD MALL CLUB100 WITBANK MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE

Weekend Ride 2 October 2010

2010-10-01T16:13:00.001+02:00

We are riding from Sportsman's Warehouse 7am Highveld Mall
We are riding proposed race route for 13 November 2010
It will be a 2-3 Hour ride

Training Point

2010-09-28T07:44:00.000+02:00

There comes a time when a person closes one door, and another opens. I have come to know you well during the past two and a half years. Can you believe that the MTB Forum has been going that long?

I have been given the opportunity by SA Cycling Coaching Commission to qualify myself as a UCI Level 2 Coach. A huge thanks to most noticeably Ciska Austin (Secretary SA Cycling) that made this possible. As such I have taken up the coaching hat again and will be available for coaching again from the 1st of May. I shall be operating under the same name as before – TrainingPoint. Unfortunately this means extra responsibility and added demands on my private time. Therefore I’ll be giving up the MTB Forum and hopefully somebody else will step up to the challenge to fill this role. The MTB Forum has been hugely effective as a communication and information piece in the local community.

I include the Pro Forma Pamphlet covers for your attention. Yes, I am aware that there are tiny mistakes and these will be sorted out before final distribution. It is however to give you an idea of the cost structure, services and volume of advice and information available. It is widely known that the greatest inhibiting factor of raised performance, is lack of valid information and application there of. Cycling in South Africa is at a premium - because we have real icons, heroes and performers on the world stage. This has created an immense buzz amongst the younger riders. The future indeed looks bright.

I hereby wish to extend an invitation to all Forum bikers to at least once try the coaching principle. I’ll only be accommodating 20 riders at first. Mostly because proper coaching is time consuming. But even more important that I wish to present a proper quality service at the correct price. The fees are indeed low at National Level standards. Not to mention International Standards. I also wish to leave some space for the Long Term Athlete Development of hopefully a world class athlete. I know of one or two riders out there that have real potential. Now if only the parents would come to the party and give their kids a real chance in life. Our country is a vast canvass of talent, but parental influence, teacher preferences and disadvantaged communities’ cyclists never get the opportunity. So chances pass these riders by, possible Olympians get stuck in mundane duties and careers. It is my mission and vision to unearth at least one such athlete in the next ten years.

Thank you very much for your time, tolerance and support of the MTB Forum. It is now time for TrainingPoint and I trust to see at least a few of your faces there.

Deon Carstens

TrainingPoint

deonc@wre.co.za

082 446 5089

MTB Race 16 October

2010-09-28T07:38:00.000+02:00

Coffee Corner Article 2

2010-05-03T13:00:00.003+01:00

2009 Through the Eyes of a newbie - Part B: A Family business this.
{Read previous article at - http://club100witbank.blogspot.com/2009/12/coffee-corner-coffee-corner-articles.html)

There are so many things to consider. When I was six years old you got on a bike and just rode, but now that I was getting into this sport you realise there is so much more to it – duel suspension vs hardtail, tubes vs tubeless, pedalling efficiency, etc. I had a lot to learn.

In terms of developing, as far as I could make out, there are two aspects to it – skill and fitness, and as I could not fork out the monies for a skills clinic I’d focus on the fitness and pick up as much as I can along the way. The best way to tackle any new aspect in life is to set a target, and then plot how to get there. So the target was simple – Do 75km Sabie Classic in February 2010 under 5 hours. How would I get there? Do the MTN half marathon series and any other race I can between the training and I would use the MTN Blockhouse , a non-technical race in Walkerville in August as an interim target - 45km in under 2 hours 30mins. Seemed like a stretch.

Target: Check! Process: Check! So here we go.

Every race was a new experience, some good, some bad, some great. At Nigel I did my first 60km, but on one of the downhills a lack of concentration resulted in me somersaulting foetal position down the mountain grabbing mouthfuls of dirt and sand, as my bike spontaneously disassembled while following me down. I was shaken and stirred as I pedalled on my rebuilt bike to the finish. It was a tough day on the bike, but I learnt a lot. I also rode Argus on my iron steed – probably not the best idea, but resulted in me being the only one not blown away but the horrific wind on the day.

“…somersaulting foetal position down the mountain…”

The races came and went and the training hours every week started climbing, 4 hours, 5 hours, 7 hours. Every week I could feel my legs getting stronger and my heart rate slowing down. The hills started looking smaller, the scary downhills started looking like fun and in August came my first opportunity to test myself – MTN Blockhouse.

Four days before the race though, something diverted my attention completely – my baby girl was born. Megan was finally here and all of the training and competitiveness fell far to the back of my mind as I looked into those beautiful blue eyes. The Friday before the race my ladies were doing so well they were discharged from the hospital and we took our newest family member home. Being first night at home, there was not much sleep to be had, but we felt so blessed to have our beautiful bundle of joy it didn’t matter. Somewhere between 3am and 4am, just before I drifted off, the idea of the race popped back into my head, I had trained so hard for eight months, but as I glanced over the room at my exhausted wife breast feeding our angel, I realised she wouldn’t understand, she wouldn’t comprehend how much this race would mean to me, but I respected that and fell asleep. An hour later she woke me up with a whisper in my ear. I jumped at the thought of something being wrong, but nothing was. Her tired, fatigued eyes looked straight into mine, and without I hint of uncertainty she said – “Honey, you better hurry up, you’re going to be late for your race”. I never said a thing, but she knew.

The calm quickly turned into utter chaos as I ate, packed and jumped into the car for the two hour journey to the start. Race entered, kit on, and in the starting chute, I waited for the signal to set us off at 8:30am, but 8:30am came and went. 9am came and went, and at 9:20am just before the gun went off I couldn’t hear a word around me as my stomach growled…oh no, I had eaten hours ago and I was starving! If I got this wrong all my effort and my wife’s incredible understanding, it all would be for nothing! The gun went off and we pedalled through a 5km section comprising of pure dust, it clogged everywhere to the point that I felt like I was air-tight. I rode a hard start but knew that on this empty stomach it wouldn’t last, but 10km into the race we already reached out first watertable. Now, I’ve learnt not to stop at these by carrying enough fluid with me as it saves quite a bit of time, but this time I stopped…and I ate like it was my last supper. I shoved five potatoes down my throat, forced a banana down as well, with another banana in the back of my shirt and off I went. Not five kilometres later it felt like the turbo kicked in, and man did I feel strong. I nearly sprinted the rest of the race to finish the 45km in 1 hour and 53 minutes, much better than I would have ever expected.

“If I got this wrong…it all would be for nothing!”

That day learnt the most valuable lesson, one I still carry with me today. Was it to eat well before a race…no not really. Perhaps to carry enough provisions with me…nope not that. That sand takes three days to move through your digestive system…perhaps. But that day I learnt – you can not do anything worth doing in life on your own, you need the love and support of friends, fellow riders and family. And that I had.

{ To be continued…}

Licences, licences, licences...

2010-04-23T09:34:00.000+01:00

Folks the topic has been mentioned, but is worth mentioning again. More and more races will require licensing, and it will become imperative for individuals to ensure their's are sorted out. You take the time to check your saddle height and lube your chain, take the time and sort your licence out.

The change came in where licences are now paid for online by the individual and not by clubs anymore, so once you are a member of the club, it is your responsibility to go onto myrace.co.za, apply for the licence, pay online and the club will authorize it once it has been verified that your club fees are paid. The licences will be sent to the club mailbox and can be collected at Boesmanland Biltong in Highveld Mall.

But guys and gals, please check that your licences arrive in good order, as the club has no control over the transaction between you and Cycling SA. If you incur any problems along the way you can contact Radia from Cycling SA at 012 671 8254.

Club100 Witbank AGM

2010-04-20T18:26:00.006+01:00

Guys and Gals, were having our annual meeting this Thursday (22Apr) at the Witbank Yacht Club. Friends and family welcome, just bring your own drinks,cooldrink and food will be available. RSVP francois@boesmanlandbiltong.co.za.

Meeting was great, thanks to Francois and the guys for organizing everything and thanks to Deon who gave a talk on the benefit of structured training and the advantages of proper coaching!

Events Calendar 2010

2010-04-01T09:18:00.000+02:00

Month Date What ! Distance Start time Where Host
Jan 30 Barberton MTN # 2 45/85/110 Barberton
Feb 6/7th Nationals XC /DH # 1 JHB
Feb 27 MTN Sabie Classic # 3 15/45/75/110 Sabie LCG
April 10 Nationals XC /DH # 2 PMB
April 17 MTN Clarens # 4 Free State
May 1 Forest to Falls Graskop
May 15/16 Nationals XC / DH # 3 George
May 15 Dullstroom Winter Challenge Dullstroom
May 22 Sabie Shenanigan 80km Sabie
June 5 Imvelo MTB race Swaziland Mlilwane Nature reserve
June 13 Nationals XC / DH # 4 finals MANKELE
July 10/11 Mankele Avalanche MANKELE
July 17 Mpumalanga Schools #1 Uplands
July 17/18 SA Champs XC /DH PTA
July 25 Jock MTB Barberton
July 31 Mpumalanga Schools #2 Penryn
August 21 Mpumalanga Schools # 3 Lydenburg
August 28 MTN Cullinan # 5 PTA
September 4 Mpumalanga Schools #4 MANKELE
September 18 Sudwala Mankele Challenge MANKELE
September 25 MTN # 6 50 Miler Howick
October 9 MTN # 7 Crater Cruz Parys
October 15/17 ISUZU 3 TOWERS MANKELE
October 30 Dullstroom highland Dullstroom
November 27 Noon to Moon Sabie

23rd Annual General Meeting

2010-04-01T09:08:00.001+02:00

23rd Annual General Meeting

Date: Tuesday 13 April 2010
Venue: The Hedgehog Room, The Country Club, Woodmead
Time: 17h30 for 18h00
Dress Code: Please note that the dress regulations of the Country Club is smart casual . Jeans, T-shirts and takkies are not permitted.

Gate Access No: 26039 - this needs to be quoted for access onto the premises.

Notice is given of an amendment to the Constitution.
Clause 11.3 is amended that the word "auditor" be replaced by "registered accountant". (The reason for the
amendment is that in terms of the new legislation, auditors are only required for public companies and is therefore not a requirement for the club).

Snacks and drinks will be served.
For catering purposes, please RSVP Angie at angie@club100.co.za

Exstra Kit Prices

2010-03-17T19:16:00.000+02:00

Shirts – R420 (both male and female)
Shorts – R470 (female)
Bibshorts – R530 (male)

MegChem Cosmos MTB Race

2010-03-17T19:12:00.000+02:00

Online entries (http://www.payportal.co.za/)

The Future of Mountain Biking Is...?

2010-03-03T12:05:00.000+02:00

Dear Fellow Rider

We're at a point where mountain biking has moved rapidly from a small group of die hards to a sport with mass involvement. Its been an exciting time to have been involved in the industry, but the question is - where to next.
This is where we need your help. Below is a link to a short survey which should take no more than 5 minutes of your time. Please help us to determine where your passions lie. Ideas and suggestions are most welcome if we've missed anything out.
Click here to go through to the survey
If you can't click through the link, here is the direct URL: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W5WL9FJ

LICENSE'S

2010-02-24T06:57:00.006+02:00

We received more licenses ...

We will have the license's are available from the 25 February 2010 at Boesmanland Biltong Highveld Mall

Please bring id and make sure you sign for your license

MPUMALANGA HET 10 SA's MEDALJES

2010-02-23T08:38:00.005+02:00

Baie, baie geluk aan die volgende persone:

GOUD : Oom Frank le Hanie Middelburg Klub (Tydtoets)
Alexander Smit Piet Retief Wheelers (Padwedren)
Eugenie Gouws (Padwedren)

SILWER: Wessel Redelinghuis Club 100 Mpu (Tydtoets en padwedren)
Alexander Smit Piet Retief Wheelers (Tydtoets)
Brand du Plessis (Tydtoets)

BRONS: Bets Koegelenberg Middelburg Klub (Tydtoets)
Alvin Bronkhorst Piet Retief Wheelers (Tydtoets)
Brand du Plessis (Padwedren)

Kliek hier vir die SA's 2010 PAD en TYDTOETS uitslae.

Loskop Cruise feedback 20 February

2010-02-19T09:22:00.019+02:00

The three musketeers, Atholl Fleming, Greg Cullen and Johan Frost

The "vasbyters" Francois vd Walt and Glen Grundy

Harry, Dorret, Neil, Stefan, Conrad, Glen, Francois, Atholl, Gert, Greg, Ryan, Johan, Chad, Hennie and Clinton from MTN Club 100 Witbank

Feedback ...

The Loskop Cruise that turned into a 120km ride almost all the way to Groblersdal! 15 riders left Witbank at 5am to tackle the Hertszogberg, with some turning around at the 60km mark to return home. Others kept going we ended up cycling 120km to Glen's farm on the Groblersdal road.. Well done to the guys that have made this ride - it shows that we have commited

riders. Thanks to Sandra and the girls for back up and support. Good luck to Greg & Atholl, Ryan and all the other guys riding Sani2C early in March. This was a good training ride.

The club will be doing a long training ride once a month. Watch the space ...

Contact :

Francois 082 8022 088

Atholl 082 8077 609

Ryan, Iwan ....

LICENCE ISSUES

2010-02-19T09:11:00.002+02:00

Lisensie probleme :
Julle 2009 lisensies is geldig tot einde Februarie, onthou net om dit saam te bring.

License Issues :
Your 2009 license is still valid untill end February, just bring it along.

support@cyclingsa.com Please do not hesitate to contact them with queries.

LOSKOP CRUISE 13 FEBRUARY 2010

2010-02-15T08:34:00.003+02:00

Here are the boy's that made the full nine yards ....

Loskop Cruise not for the weak ...

Loskop Cruise

2010-02-11T17:47:00.006+02:00

LOSKOP CRUISE

OPTION 1 (Feedback)

Perfect riding conditions for the day – not a cloud in sight. 8 of us (Ryan aka butter-smooth, Iwan aka ball-bearing, Kevin, Glen, Chase, Jaime aka Mud-Muncher, Adriaan aka panic-mechanic, Trevor aka The-Rose, Francois aka with-us-in-spirit) started at 05h30 from Borris’ airfield. Headed out and back for the 50km with a new wolf in the pack aka Glen Grundy on his new 29 inch niner. Later to realize the man was fitter than everyone expected and was out in front for most of the ride. Some of us needed to get back in the saddle to step the fitness up and it was a great start to getting off the bat.
We finished back at the air strip at around 07h30 and pulled out our skottels and goodies and had ourselves a fantastic breakfast. Everyone brought food for at least 3 other people, so we REALLY did have too much food, but we ate like kings, and reminisced about races and planned some up and coming events.

It was a social end to an excellent ride and we’d like to do a breakfast once a month or so to remind us of the fun we must keep having.

Start - 05h30 – Borris airfield – 20-100km (own choice)– Bring skottel and breakfast goodies for social afterwards which will be back at borris’ (this ride is an out and back type ride)
GPS lat 25-48’26” S and long 29-13’13”E
Gate has Secure Access board on gate, please keep gate closed.

For directions phone :
Ryan 082 927 5862 Option 1
Francois 082 8022 088 Option 2

Memberships and Licensing

2010-01-15T08:03:00.004+02:00

Hi all

The latest memberhip document has been uploaded to the web. Please down load it HERE and read all the changes for 2010.
In Summary;
1. Members will be applying for their own licenses as all other clubs now do.
2. Licensing system has improved and has also been simplified
- all licenses are multidiscaplinary
- Racing license is R300, Cyclosport is R75, and Juniors (U18) is R35
- You cannot obtain a license without belonging to a club
3. We have reduced our annual fees slightly to counter the price increase of the licenses
4. We are an officially affiliated club called CLUB100 MPU on www.myrace.co.za

Happy Riding

SOUTH AFRICAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2010-01-14T10:39:00.004+02:00

The races will take place in Klerksdorp, North West Province from the 17^th – 20^th of February 2010. Please click here to enter online and to get the detailed starting times and age group distances. Should you need any assistance please send us a mail or give us a call.

All the best to all those who will compete and know that our club will be supporting you all the way.

URGENT LICENCE REQUEST

2010-01-10T07:33:00.004+02:00

2010 is on it's way and we have not yet received calls from riders who did not receive their 2009 licences. Please call one of the committee members when you are applying and we will try assist on a case by case basis.

Unfortunatly the new licensing process last year played havoc with everyone, and this year there are price changes as well as process changes. CSA only released the information in January 2010, so we have had to adjust our prices and memberships application process again due to this which is out of our control.

However, going forewards, each member will be resonsible for their own license application and payment which is in line with the other cycle clubs.

We want to keep you, our members, happy and ‘ride’ the extra mile for you.

ROAD CYCLING

2010-01-08T13:36:00.002+02:00

The club wants to concentrate on the local races in our province. We feel that it is healthy for cycling in Mpumalanga when the local races are being supported in order to grow the sport and also to give our investors the exposure they deserve.

The training rides will focus on the riders training for the Cape Argus and also to get as many of our members to compete at the Mpumalanga champs to be held at Piet Retief on the 3&4th of April. Our aim is to get as many as possible 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in all the age categories as possible.

NEW TRAINING STARTING POINTS

Highveld mall is closed till 7am and the risk of riding through traffic is very high. We want to ensure the safety of riders as much as possible. Therefor we will be starting the rides closest to the route planned for a specific day.

Starting points will be:

Tweefontein, Clewer, Bronkhorstspruit - Total Plaza, Reyno Ridge (Friendly)

Hertzog Berg - Witbank Licencing Offices

Please note that we will discontinue the sms system because of the high costs involved. All rides and times will be available on the blog.

We are open for feedback and are awaiting your email.

Safe riding!

Babba's Lodge Mtb Race

2010-01-06T09:33:00.008+02:00

So the new year has struck, and we still have that piece of fruitcake stuck somewhere on the hips. Getting back on the bike might seem quite daunting, and let's face it, the weather is not helping.

Nothing kicks you back in training mode like a race, and for the mounties, and even roadies looking for something different, the guys from Babba's Lodge are here to the rescue!

Babba's Lodge is a very easy mountain bike race with minimal technical sections and even less climbs. We always recommend this race to guys just getting in the sport, but can also act as a great catalyst to get the year going. 35kms for the starter or 70km for the ones looking for some distance. Starts this Sunday (10 Jan) at 8h00.

You can find the race details and online entries at -

http://www.cyclelab.com/default.asp?Id=188&des=content&cl=yes#VitTGo1,

but line entries are available on the day.

Trust I will see you all there this Sunday!

BEST WISHES FOR 2010

2010-01-03T11:45:00.002+02:00

MTN Club 100 Mpumalanga would like to wish all of its current and future members a very special 2010. May you ride safe and get to love this wonderful sport of ours even more. We really hope to see the club grow and meet new faces every weekend. We are planning some special rides, features and events to get all of us out there on the road and in the mud!

Untill we see each other again, ride safe!

2009-12-11T10:57:00.006+02:00

Coffee Corner

The Coffee Corner articles are light-hearted articles meant to serve as an inspiration to the starting cyclist or by building on the social aspect of the sport, so if you have some time, grab a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy the read. The first article is an account of my first mountain bike race - Iwan

2009 Through the Eyes of a newbie - Part A: That thing called sport

Sport. It’s always been a word that struck me with an odd sense of nausea. Just the word made me feel exhausted, even before the overweight gym teacher blew that damn whistle, setting dozens of awkward teenagers in PT shorts off on a lap around the rugby field. Some of us were race horses, snorting and heaving as we ate up the meters, pounding perfectly shaped legs step by step to the finish line, hoping to shave a few seconds from our personal best, but alas for most of us, its was a relentless torture that lasted at least 400 meters, only to find ourselves at the same spot that we started.

I hated it.

“…but alas for most of us, its was a relentless torture”

My continual hatred of it continued into my twenties, where I, once the skinny A-class nerd had now transformed into a … well, skinny A-class nerd, with a peculiar bulgy mid-section. This beach ball stuck in my abdomen had to go. Many fitness magazines, boasting perfectly chiselled okes splashing through water, promised a ‘flat stomach’ and ‘bigger arms’ in 30 minutes a day, it seemed that all my troubles would be away in three weeks! I had been saved. But I could not be more wrong. My gym teacher was now replaced by an 8 foot Schwarzenegger impersonator yelling that the weights won’t lift themselves, and while my beach ball stomach remained, I was continually in too much pain the next day to lift my coffee cup.

I hated it.

After a couple of months at the gym my wife started chatting up a spinning instructor and her hubby, who was apparently quite into cycling. They convinced her to do the 94.7, and with a couple of spinning classes she was there, out on the tarmac, with what seemed like a 100kg cast iron bike, starting her first race. She finished a nervous 4 hours 22 minutes later, but with the strangest smile on her face. We have been married four years and I had not seen this smile. Very strange indeed.

November turned December and away on holidays I decided to find out what this Lance Armstrong guy is really about, and bought his first book, “It’s not about the bike”. It’s a fantastic read about how this cancer survivor turned around from the brink of death, to return to the world of cycling and win 7 Tours de Frances. If this man can return from such a dark place, my journey to recovery seems much less daunting, and at the start of the year I entered my unfit body into a triathlon in February. This gave me six weeks to get into shape, but where to start?

After chatting to the spinning instructor’s hubby, who became known as Ryan, I decided to get a mountain bike, as this gave me the most options, but as I was not sure how serious I would be about all this exercising nonsense, even the price of an entry level hardtail seemed completely outrageous. I mean really, who pays this much for a bicycle when Game sells them for 500 bucks!

But with the damage done, my eyes were set on that triathlon, nothing would get in my way. I cycled, I swam, I ran. I reached levels of tiredness that would be fit for medical studies, but with shoulder to the wheel, I pushed on. I cycled, I swam, I ran.

“It would be so much easier to just turn around and go back.”

A month into the training Ryan suggested I join them for a mountain bike race in Barberton as it will help with the training. Sure that I have now built up a reasonable amount of fitness, I would show these silly mountain bike guys what a (prospective) triathlete can do! But I could not be more wrong. What Ryan conveniently left out was the 15km climb from the start of the race up the Barberton Mountains! I battled, we all did. You could see the worry on all the faces of the backmarkers as we took on this obstacle, this Goliath, that stood in our way. It would be so much easier to just turn around and go back. I wanted to, so badly. My legs were burning and my back was aching. I was only half way up, and upon getting to the top I would still have 30 km to the end, which by looking at this sadistic sport was bound to be riddled with many mammoth obstacles. It was at the point of letting go I remembered something Lance said –

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”

If I quit now, I would be a quitter. Something I have never been, not once. I received the 12-year school attendance prize in grade 12 as I refused to let illness get me down. Right then I reminded myself – “I am not a quitter!”. So I pushed on and 4 hours and 40 minutes later I finished 45 kilometers of what Barberton had to offer.
I was completely shattered, broken emotionally, mentally and physically, so much so that if anybody gave me a hug I would have bursted into tears and as I returned to our hostel room, Ryan nervously noticed this and decided washing the bikes would be more beneficial for this young friendship. After a long shower and many recovery remedies supplied by Ryan, I lied down. It was at this point that my thoughts collected, my pains subsided, my heart rate eased, and without warning, I smiled. It had been the same smile my wife had after 94.7, and at long last I understood - we don’t cycle so we can become fit, we become fit so we can cycle. I didn't just like it -

I loved it.

{To be continued…}

Safety - Spot the problem

2009-12-10T11:02:00.004+02:00

Can you spot why this fall possibly took place and why it looks so painfull? See below;
1. Of course no helmet - this might have helped - although no one else is wearing one either.
2. Those socks/shoes combination just don't look cool.
3. Serves him right for having a picnic basket bike carrier on a mountain bike.
4. Get off the bike before looking for punctures.
5. Let the experts fix your bike.
6. Sort those niggles out before they sort you out.

Licences and club memberships 2010 update

2009-12-09T12:04:00.004+02:00

With 2009 almost behind us and 2010 on the verge of breaking open, there will be some changes as far as licensing members goes.

To be eligible as a licensed rider (full racing license or cyclosport)- you have to be a paid up member of a club of your choice. The members themselves will be responsible for applying and paying for their own licenses online, afterwhich the chosen club will approve their application online. The process of creating the license is then set in motion.

Licenses will be posted to the cycling union of that province where clubs will then collect their issues. Licensing for 2010 is only scheduled to begin on 23rd December 2009, so as yet nothing will happen until this date.
We will communicate the process once cycling SA has finalised everything. Licencing looks as though it will be in members hands in future and club fees will be adjusted accordingly.

The offer is still open to sort out members who did not receive licenses in 2009 - please refer back here soon for updates. information.

New kit is expected to be arriving at club100 this week, and we will make a plan to fetch next week for new members still waiting for their kit.

CLUB TO HELP MEMBERS

2009-12-08T09:48:00.002+02:00

With Christmas just around the corner and the man with the gun standing ready to set off the year 2010, the committee has decided to help those members who have unfairly not received their 2009 licences. Starting a new club was not made any easier by Cycling South Africa implementing a new licensing system in the same year! Although we tried our best to resolve the licence issue with CSA it was to no avail as this was a national problem. But, we as club feel that the licences were paid for in full by our members, yet some of you still have no ‘plastic card’ to show for it. Therefore we have decided to pay in full the 2010 licence fees for those members who have not received a licence in 2009.

Please email us your names to club100witbank@gmail.com and we will make a note when we receive your 2010 application forms. Just mention it to the person to whom you give your app’s.

We want to keep you, our members, happy and ‘ride’ the extra mile for you.

Have a great summer!

FUN IN THE HAIL

2009-11-27T17:59:00.004+02:00

What is there not to love from riding a mountain bike? And this coming from me, a devoted ‘till death do us part’ roady and triathlete. This afternoon Wessel, my 11 year old son, and myself went for a two hour ride on this beautiful and sunny summer’s day. As we rolled off there wasn’t a cloud in the sky while Wessel was going up and down through the gears of his brand new Merida which his grand dad gave to him just the day before. We first rode around in the neighbourhood and then we left for the nature reserve at Witbank dam. It was pretty. The green from the previous week’s rain could almost be touched and the smell of nature was absolutely divine.

We crossed the river and soon afterwards suddenly almost gave a one horn eland a crash-kiss right on his face! The massive buck was standing dead still in the road not even blinking as we were hastily calculating the safer side to duck past him!! Seconds after that we turned right and started up the really steep climb…from there on it was great fun. We rode around for about 40 minutes spotting spring buck, zebra, bush buck and black wildebeest when suddenly the skies went from brilliant blue to ‘crap is on its way’ grey! I phoned Ryan to find the quickest way out of there, but unfortunately his phone was engaged. Francois luckily answered his phone and easily pointed us in the right direction. As the two of us again crossed the river a big old cat fish swam up stream, crossing the river right in front of Wessel causing him to jump and shout like something resembling a high school showing their girl students a horror movie! Man I cracked up laughing my butt off.

After the very steep incline leading towards the gate, we were about 6km from home when suddenly all hell broke loose. It was the biggest storm I have ever faced on a bicycle. The hail was stinging us like bees as we pushed our hearts into the red just to get to the Total garage as fast as we could. The wind picked Wessel’s 28kg little body right up and moved him half a meter at a time. We were riding at a 45 degree angle compensating for the wind coming from the left. Visibility was about 20 meters!! Jis, we laughed and shouted and begged for breath as we approached the gas station…very relieved to see our mom and wife already waiting there with the car.

It was brilliant. I will do it again as soon as I can. Get on a bike and go cycle…your best experience might be waiting just an hour down the road…even on, dare I say it, a mountain bike!

Jacques

HIGHVELD MALL MTN CLUB 100 MTB CHALLENGE

2009-11-23T15:54:00.009+02:00

Race results

On Sunday, 22 November 2009, our young club was proud to present our first mountain bike race. Taking hands with the Highveld Mall and Sportsmans Warehouse, we were a strong ‘team’ to make this success story happen.

The week leading up to the race had all of us cross our fingers for the weather to literally show us a ray of sunshine after a very cold seven days of pouring rain. Ryan and the guys had their hands full to re route the course in such a way that the riders would be safe in crossing the rivers. What were only little streams two weeks ago were now strong flowing rivers. We just could not play with the safety of the riders by taking any chances. A strong 10 meter bridge was built and the one river crossing was very successful. The route was designed to keep both novice and experienced riders in mind offering them the best of both worlds.

On the morning of the race we were greeted with a cool misty sight, but once the race was on its way the sky was blue and the heat was on! The riders had fun in the mud and the feedback was exceptionally positive. The marshal’s did a great job and the route markings were very good. Please leave a comment at the bottom of this blog so that we can improve the 2010 event to make it even more enjoyable for you.

On the first lap of the 52km race, Nico Bell quickly pulled away from the field opening a sizable gap. Patu Gautier, Hennie Kriek and Polixie Gautier worked hard behind him, fighting to close the gap. Just as Patu was getting Nico in his sight, he lost control of his bike on a slippery part of the course and had a small crash. This made the chase back to Bell just too hard and Patu had to settle for second with Hennie just a second behind him. In the women’s race it was great to have olimpic athlete, Marissa van der Merwe, at the start. She had a very long and hard season and for her to make time to come and support a local Mpumalanga race just shows her class and love for the sport. Marissa took the ladies title with Mene Olivier in 2^nd and Nicole Murphy in 3^rd.

The 26km race saw Johan Stemmet taking the early lead in the race. Being an Ironman athlete competing in his first mountain bike race he soon had his hands full with Adolf Krige. As Krige passed Johan, he tried to stay on his wheel for as long as possible, but as soon as they hit the flat roads, Adolf started to ride away. Johan being in the off season of the triathlete calendar just did not have the legs to mount a challenge. Mark Nilsen finished in 3^rd.

Congratulations to all the category winners, especially 11 year old Wessel Redelinghuys from Club100 winning the 14 year old category. Please come back shortly for the complete list of winners as I did not yet have it at the time of writing.

While daddy and mommy were pounding away at the pedals, the little ones got ready to start attacking the 300m slippery course put out for them. With their helmets on and the serious faces reminding me of the Armstrong Ullrich era, they just couldn’t wait for uncle Iwan to give the signal. They set off with such blistering pace making the three laps seem like a walk in the park. After a few crashes and plenty of laughs, they were all rewarded with a goody bag filled with everything children love! It is always great to see the heroes of the future having so much fun.

While the names of all the category winners were being sorted for the prize giving, the riders gathered together and enjoyed some boerewors rolls and drinks. During the wait their muddy bikes were being washed by the Sportsmans Warehouse workers during which M-Power radio station was pumping up the atmosphere with some music! What a great ending to a very enjoyable day. It would not have been possible without you and we hope to have you back again next year.

A very special thanks to all our sponsors who helped to make this event happen. Highveld Mall, especially Sandra and Nicola for all the hours put in on this event, Sportsmans Warehouse Witbank, Coca Cola Witbank, SS Timing, Wimpy Highveld Mall, Mugg and Bean Highveld Mall, Smokey Ridge Spur, Mimmos Highveld Mall and Contempo. Thanks to Ryan, Iwan, Francois, Johann and everyone else from MTN Club100 for all your time and effort.

Club100 Witbank would just want to wish Rene de Jager all the best with her recovery. Rene hurt her leg during the race and was thankfully very well taken care of by Langamed ambulance services. We greatly thank them for being there to look after any injured rider.