RIDE REPORT: Timo Cooper relives his tough 36ONE

36ONE – THE ULTIMATE RACE

FULL SUS CONTRIBUTOR TIMO COOPER COMPLETED THE GRUELLING 36ONE EVENT RECENTLY. READ AND ENJOY HIS RIVETING REPORT ON ARGUABLY THE TOUGHEST EVENT IN SOUTH AFRICA.

:WORDS BY TIMO COOPER IMAGES BY SAGE LEE VOGES

hat an event, what a journey. I do

Wnot think it is possible to prepare yourself mentally and physically for an event like 36one. 361km on a bike is no joke but something that must be tried and hopefully conquered if you are an avid mountain biker. Like all Dryland events, the organizing was superb from the marking to marshals, water stations and friendly staff all along the route throughout the night.

The race kicked off at 3pm on Friday the 13th of November. We all knew that the first 99km to checkpoint one was going to be tough but man, were we in for a surprise! The heat and wind were just unbearable for the first 3 to 4 hours of the race, hitting close to 45 degrees Celsius with a strong headwind. To be honest, I was very close to calling it a day at the 35km mark, if my dad was there next to the road like many other supporters I would have pulled out. The first 50km of the event was by far the toughest for me mentally and physically. The pace for the first 2 hours was also no joke, there was definitely no hanging around at that time.

After fighting with myself mentally for about 20km from 40km until the first water point at 56km, I finally got into a rhythm and started to feel a bit better. At that time Dusty had already ridden away by himself and we were a group of four riders just ticking along nicely. During the next few kilometres to checkpoint one at the 99km mark the temperature dropped and the wind started to die down a bit, this in itself was a massive relief and welcomed by all.

We rolled into checkpoint one and man, was I happy to see my dad, with new bottles, my headlight and a gel or two. Leaving the checkpoint we lost two riders of the initial group. After checkpoint one I settled into my own rhythm and the kilometres ticked by nicely. At that time I was in third place and happy with the way things were going. I had no issue; I was not feeling too tired and started to believe that I can make it and in a good position if possible.

“I was not feeling too tired and started to believe that I can make it and in a good position if possible.”

At around the 174km mark, Ruan Botes thought we made a wrong turn, and we headed back along the tar road to find a marshal to make sure all was ok. After turning around and heading back along the route I saw another rider making his way to us and realized that we made a mistake, we were actually on the correct route all along and so I turned around again to ride with

Riding at dusk and into the night is part of the experience.

DRY-LITES ULTRALIGHT PANNIERS

FORK-PACK

GEOSMINA HANDLEBAR BAG 10L BIKE STICKING WITH OUR ADVENTURE PACKING RIDING THEME WE SCOURED THE INTERWEB - WE SUS OUT SOME COOL FOR THE LATEST BIKE PACKING ESSENTIALS.

GEAR

HANDLEBAR SNACK BAG

APIDURA BACKCOUNTRY DOWNTUBE BAG MICRO TWO SADDLE BAG

the rider that caught up to us. Luckily, I did not lose a lot of time and this small mistake turned out to be the biggest blessing. The rider was Braam aka Braampie. Someone I did not know before the race but during the next nine hours or so we became great friends.

Braam and I rode into checkpoint two together and without even thinking about it, we decided to ride together for as long as we can. Two is better than one, especially during an event like 36one. Stage three included some proper climbs with the infamous Rooiberg pass being one of them. Braam and I continued to work together, we stopped at the water points, had the odd mechanical but nothing serious and quickly conquered the stage. We rolled into the last checkpoint in Calitzdorp at about 3 am if I am not mistaken and all was looking good for us. With great support from my dad and Braam’s parents, we rolled out of the checkpoint knowing it was the last stage and we are almost home. Almost home is different for this event, once you hit the 260km mark, you think “lekker I am almost done” but in other terms, you still have 100km to go. Stage four was tough with lots of small climbs but at that time of the event, every little bump in the road felt like a massive hill. Braam and I continued to work together, sometimes we would not speak for ages and others we would solve all the world’s problems. If I am honest, I cannot really remember what we spoke about along the way but I can assure you that Braam and I will be friends for life after this event. As we got closer and closer to the finish of this amazing journey, I actually got a bit emotional, it is a feeling I cannot explain. Riding such a distance in such tough conditions, through the night.

Reaching the finish was amazing, I did not even care about the result just that I made it to the finish. Many emotions over the last 15 hours with ups and downs but the finish must be the highlight for me. I was broken. Honestly, I was not feeling great at the time but Braam, the legend that he is, made sure there was a beer for us both at 7 in the morning.

This event is tough but something each avid mountain bikes should do, the event is so well organised by Dryland, they always make sure you have everything you need to make sure you reach the end.

It is a must do.

TOP ROW: The 2020 men’s podium from the left is Timo Cooper (3rd), Dusty Day (winner) and Braam Wannenburg (2nd) BOTTOM ROW: The women’s podium from the left is Bianca Cooper (3rd), Fienie Barnard (winner) and Jenny Close (2nd).