Full Sus June/July 2014 Issue by Full Sus #MTB

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June/July Winter Issue 2014, Vol 14

MOUNTAIN BIKE MONTHLY

Gear - ride in style

pg34

An international’s view pg10

MTB Tattoos

pg26

Bike Review - Giant Tours - Ride SA

pg20

pg16

PAIRS versus THE FUTURE OF STAGE RACING Kate Slegrova has done a fair bit of stage racing in the last few years. She’s ridden the Cape Epic twice, the Transalp, the Cape Pioneer Trek and a whole host of three day races, so she’s got a bit of experience when it comes to mountain biking team dynamics. Given that a growing number of races are offering the solo option we asked Kate to let us know what the pros and cons of each are.

WWW.OAKPICS.COM

SOLO:

Riding as a team can be tough if your partner is signiﬁcantly less ﬁt that you.

outh African stage races are famous for being ridden in teams of two. It’s only been in the last two years or so that the option of riding solo has been offered at some races.

Why solo? This option seems to be offered by more and more races these days. From a rider’s point of view it’s not always easy to find a partner that has the same goals (race for podium or just to finish) and fitness. Or if your usual partner pulls out of race at the last minute because of work or sickness. Then what? Do you end up riding with someone you just met on the Hub not knowing what to expect (like me with this year’s Epic…) or do you rather ride solo?

Prize money and results There still seems to be more prestige in doing well, in terms of results, as a team, even though it may actually be harder to ride solo. For the pros, teams

get far better prize money. There was no prize, for example, for the first solo rider to reach the top of the Merino Monster on the Tankwa Trek, so although Urs Huber was well ahead of the first placed team his efforts weren’t monetarily rewarded while theirs was despite cresting behind two solo riders, Huber and Karl Platt. Teams get much better prize money for podium finishes than solo riders, but there is a slight trend towards evening out the prize money. Dryland and Garden Route Events should be commended as they seem to appreciate and encourage the solo riders more than most of the other event organisers. Prize money aside there is also confusion about whether to list the teams and solo results together or separately. Some organizers make separate results for teams and solo, while others put them together, a unilateral approach either way would avoid confusion for riders.

The Big Race… Will the Cape Epic ever offer the option of competing as a solo rider? I think not, as they are big on the team ﬁnish and seem strongly against the idea. Whether their reasoning is for rider safety, to add another level of difficulty or simply just because they don’t want to interfere with a system that’s worked for them, they’re unlikely to allow solo riders to challenge for victory.

Pros and cons of riding solo Pros: Being able to ride at your own pace is the biggest advantage. If you feel strong you push hard and don’t have to wait for your partner that may be having a bad day physically or mechanically. You can operate on your own time frame. On and off the bike your time is your own, allowing you to go to the start line when you feel like it, spend as much or as little time at water points

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FS Editorial

SUS the winner

Mud tracks, red wine and

In May we gave away a team entry to the amazing Laikipia XC, in Kenya worth US $2 400.

N O trespassing! muddy in places, are sticky, your riding style changes accordingly and there is a definite sense of achievement having ridden. One should however spare a thought for the environment and the trails – much like your drivetrain they also take a pounding and so you should still be considerate, obey the signage, keep to the set trails and portage where necessary – leaving the trails to pass a wet spot eventually becomes a problem that will later require time and expense to repair. Be safe, enjoy but stay considerate! We have a growing social media community; thanks for your support and keep sharing, forwarding, tweeting and contributing. Our most shared and viewed piece was the very serious letter that we received regarding rogue riding from our good friend Johan Kriegler, from Mountain Bike Adventures, who had to once again face an irate landowner because some twits just have no respect. Folks this is not only trespassing but also impacts on all other riders – because of some inconsiderate, selfish morons, these routes will eventually be closed and the board/permit carrying riders will be denied some spectacular riding. Events will have to be re-routed, purpose

built trails, time, effort, money and relationships lost – just a &^%- up all round. So please don’t do it! I just booked my spot for the Greyton MTB Tour, another

This month DOUBLE we’re giving your chances by liking and away one sharing us at pair of solo www.facebook.com entries to the /fullsussa Pennypinchers Origin of Trails, in Stellenbosch. We’ve heard rumours about the new route and it’s going to be spectacular. Turn to page 37 to ﬁnd out how you can win!

WWW.OAKPICS.COM

o winter is truly here and in the Western Cape that means rain, and (fortunately) lots of it. Gauteng has the perfect, if somewhat icy, winters, but those crisp clear mornings and no rain make for perfect bike riding conditions. As for Natal, well is there really ever a bad time to hit the trails in cane (sugar that is) country? What winter does mean is that we (ok I am speaking for myself here) find it a lot more difficult to get onto the bike to ride in rain, cold and mud. Comfort food, red wine and a pile of back issues of Full Sus are a lot more appealing. The bike parts also take a hammering in the muddy weather – ok so I have found most of the excuses. Let’s be honest though, when you do lever your butt of the couch and shiver into your full body lycra (I still haven’t seen cargo pants with chamois…), balaclava, two sets of gloves, booties, rain coat and empty back pack (to put all the stuff into as you start heating up and stripping off), oh and for us hardcore winter riders (note how quickly I become hard core….) who have managed to find a flask that fits into your second bottle cage filled with your favourite coffee (really?), it is really worth it! The tracks albeit

Congratulations to Mark Botes (Pretoria), we’re all envious in the office!

BECAUSE OF SOME INCONSIDERATE, SELFISH MORONS, THESE ROUTES WILL EVENTUALLY BE CLOSED. awesome two day tour event that is a must do! You ride in awesome terrain, hang out with great people, drink lots of red wine and really enjoy winter MTB riding. See you there! I hope you enjoy our bumper winter issue. There is enough to keep you reading for a couple of days! Thanks to the team and especially to our regular contributors – it’s a cracker issue!

Don’t forget to keep sending us your stories! Keep warm and see you on the trails!

SUS the Local Bike Shop: Ride In - Jonkershoek (021) 883 3985 The Ride In Café on the road out towards Jonkershoek from Stellenbosch might not be a local bike shop, but their coffee sipping post-ride clients were on the ball last month when they entered the Full Sus competition. The Ride In has quickly established itself as the spot to meet for a ride in Jonkershoek and with showers, a bike wash, great coffee and the most amazing (and healthy) meals on offer it’s the place to end your ride too!

l al s g p lin Sho l Ca ke Bi

SUS The team Publishing Editor: Shayne Dowling shayne@integratedmedia.co.za Content Editor: Seamus Allardice seamus@integratedmedia.co.za Art Director: Megan Knox megan@integratedmedia.co.za Advertising: Shayne Dowling Sales: Jess Nosworthy jess@integratedmedia.co.za PR & Promotions: Ashley Attwood ash@integratedmedia.co.za Regulars: Meurant Botha, Stirling Kotze Snr & Jnr, Jacques Marais,

Their menu includes great open sandwiches, breakfasts made with farm laid eggs and salads fresh from their garden. If you’ve had a particularly tough ride you can treat yourself to an Italian ice-cream in summer or a Blue Jay 100% fruit

juice smoothie while you soak up the stunning mountain views. They also have accommodation and a ﬂeet of Specialized bikes to rent, so if you’re coming to Stellenbosch from upcountry for a quick visit and want to ride there’s no

need to lug your bike along. FOLLOW THEM ON Twitter @_Ridein or ﬁnd them on Facebook at Ride In Jonkershoek to keep up to date with their specials or go to www.ridein.co.za for more information.

CALLING ALL BIKE SHOPS To get your store featured here all you have to do is ensure that all your clients get a copy of Full Sus and enter the monthly competition. The shop with the most competition entrant wins!

Dr Mike Posthumus, Rochez O’Grady, James Thornhill-Fisher, Sarah Walker, Jeanne-Louise Wiese & Erik Kleinhans Rogue Contributor: David Bristow Photography: Julia Andrade, Oakpics.com, Cherie Vale Newsport Media and thinkstock.com. Contributors: Kate Slegrova, Kathryn Fourie, Leona Kadir, Clive Rennie and Debbie Stopforth. Printing: Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd Published by: Integrated Media Disclaimer: The views expressed by the contributors and columnists do not necessarily represent the views of Full Sus or Integrated Media.

Head Office | Cape Town Tel: 021 685 0285 Address: Suite WB03 Tannery Park 23 Belmont Road, Rondebosch, 7700 Postal Address: PO Box 259, Rondebosch 7701

Full Sus ALLIANCE PARTNERS

COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition submissions should reach us no later than 23 July 2014. The Prize/s is as indicated, no alternatives or cash will be provided. The decision of Integrated Media will be ﬁnal and no correspondence will be entered into. Under no circumstances shall Integrated Media or its appointed representatives and the prize donors be liable to anyone who enters these Prize Draws for an indirect or consequential loss howsoever arising which may be suffered in relation to the Prize Draws. By entering these competitions you make yourself subject to receiving promotional information. Entrants are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions. Prize Draw Rules: The prize draw is only open to residents in South Africa. Employees of Integrated Media and their respective advertising, media and PR agencies, as well as the family members, consultants, directors, associates and trading partners of such organisations and persons are ineligible for the draw. Prize style and colour may vary.

s w e n

FS Going Solo

FS News

from page 1

One of the beneﬁts of riding as a team is the extra pair of hands to ﬁx a mechanical issue.

as you like and it simpliﬁes the eating and travelling logistics. Cons: It may get lonely with nobody to talk to. With no teammate you’ll have to rely on other riders stopping to help with your mechanical issues if you are not the best mechanic. (Ed: this is less of an issue for Kate than it might be for other riders, given she’s a pretty blond lady.) No one to motivate you or even give you a push or a pull when you are having a bad day. And having a partner you don’t want to let down is also a massive motivation.

My experience: I have done Cape Epic twice –both as the weaker rider (sigh) – you end up pushing harder than your mate and get more tired, while your partner gets stronger and bored of your slow pace. It’s not easy for either party. I have done Cape Pioneer and a few three day races where I was the stronger partner and ended up pushing and pulling my teammate. I think I was patient, kept quiet when I was frustrated or offered support with words of encouragement. I prefer this option. You suffer less and it can be the rewarding to nurture and look after the weaker partner through the race. Even though it can be a bit frustrating

SUS The Sport Psychologist's view Reread Dr Clinton Gahwiler’s article on Team Dynamics in mountain biking in the March issue of Full Sus. If you don’t have a back copy at home ask your LBS or read it online by scanning the QR code.

if the partner is really slow and you feel strong and want to race. I did the Transalp with Carren Henschel in 2013 and we were very even. It was great as we kept each other motivated and could keep on pushing ourselves to ride harder. She’s my ideal partner but partners like her are not easy to ﬁnd! The bulk of my solo riding experience came at the 2013 Cape Pioneer Trek. I had some great days of feeling strong and I rode very consistently until the Thursday when I felt very tired and just not up to racing. I got dropped and rode quite slowly on my own that day. But generally I enjoyed the solo experience, as the other riders were very friendly, were willing to chat and happy to ride with solo riders. The scenery on the Pioneer is so lovely that you can’t get bored on the bike, even if you’re alone. At this year’s Garden Route 300 I also rode solo as Lara Woolley, my would-be teammate, injured her back and had to pull out at the last minute. On the Friday I felt great and had fun on the superb single track. But the Saturday and Sunday were more of a challenge, as there was a lot of forestry gravel road. I was tired and struggled to motivate myself to push hard. I think if I was in a team I would have pushed harder…

Take a trip to Mountain Biking Nirvana

oin the SA Alpine Addiction crew on a trip to Portes Du Soleil for ten days of the best mountain biking in the world. Think manicured trails (designed for you to push your riding boundaries safely, regardless of your skill level), gravity fuelled runs and ski lifts to get you back to the top of the mountain. Think 650km of marked trails serviced by 24 ski lifts. Now wipe the drool from your cheeks, people are starting to stare at you… The base camp for the trip is the town of Morzine, where you’ll ﬁnd bike parks, craft beer, toboggan runs and white water rafting too, just in case you need a break from the mind blowing trails. The cost of R27 000 includes return economy ﬂights from JHB or CPT to Geneva, shuttles to and from Morzine, eleven nights’ accommodation with dinner

and breakfast, ten day ski lift passes, access to ﬁve bike parks and an encyclopaedia of MTB and local knowledge from tour guides. All you have to do is look after yourself on the bike food, sort out a VISA, get travel insurance and bring some spending money for all the jampacked bike shops.

Go to:

www.sa-alpine-addiction.co.za and get hold of by giving Karl Ebel a call on 072 111 0208 or drop him an email to karl@ebelbrosracing.co.za to get all the information. Or like SA Alpine Addiction on Facebook to check photos and videos of the amazing trails you could be riding.

The deal breaker… I think it depends on the partner. If you have a great mate and are on the same ﬁtness level and focusing on the same goal deﬁnitely go for it as a team. If your favourite partner pulled out and you have the option to ride solo, don’t know your new potential partner or are not sure about him or her, then go solo. You’ll probably enjoy it more on your own and it’ll help you meet people along way in the race too.

Kate Slegrova is taking a bit of a break from competitive riding and while she’s got more time on her hands she’s running MTB skills clinics in Cape Town & Stellenbosch. Follow her on Twitter @ KateSlegrova or check out here website www.cycletraining.co.za to book your spot.

Super B Tools

f you enjoy tinkering on your bike, or are just in the market for the bare essentials to ﬁx a trail-side mishap then take a look at the superb Super B range of tools you’ll start to see in your local bike shop. Distributed by Dragons Sports in South Africa, you’ll be able to ﬁnd Super B tools in most bike shops stocking Giant bikes, and while the tools are new to South Africa they’ve been on the global market from nearly 25 years. Their range includes over 200 individual items from multi-tools to workstations complete with a bike stand. Have a look at their offerings at www.superbiketool.com The workstation with all the bells and and keep an eye out for the Super B whistles is available on special order. tools in your local bike shop.

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FS News from page 4

SA XCM World’s O n 29 June 2014 the best marathon mountain biking racers in the world will gather at the Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg for the UCI XCM World Championships. It’s the discipline that most South African riders compete in and arguably our best hope for a major international cross country medal. Kevin Evans made no bones about listing the 2014 XCM Worlds as his major goal on returning from injury and his FedGroup teammate Max Knox has been in strong form in the midseason and will be looking to improve drastically on his showing in Kirchberg, Austria last year. RECM’s Nico Bell held off Karl Platt to take victory in the last UCI sanctioned XCM event to be held in South Africa, the Clarens leg of the MTN National series, and he’ll probably be the SAFFA to watch. His RECM teammate and Full Sus columnist Erik Kleinhans could prove to be the dark horses of the local men. Having had to undergo a shoulder operation after crashing out of the Sani2c in May, Kleinhans will be very familiar with the indoor trainer come June 29, but how that will translate to MTB performance we can only wait and see. Our best chance of a World Champs medal might well rest with South Africa’s adopted daughter and her riding partner (who we’re also claiming as a temporary South African). Ariane Kleinhans placed seventh in 2013 while Annika Langvad was fourth. Local fans will be hoping that Kleinhans and Langvad continue the dominance they showed at the Cape Epic over their main rivals for World Champs medals Sally Bigham and Esther Süss. Defending champion, Gunn-Rita DahleFlesjå, is always competitive, but the 41 year old Norwegian has been ﬂying low under the radar so far this season picking her races selectively. Her form could well have shown at the Czech Republic leg of the UCI XCO World Cup in Nove Mesto Na Morave, where she placed third, three places ahead of Langvad. The battle for the Men’s XCM rainbow jersey could well come down to the Epic contenders again. Christoph Sauser will be steely in his determination to hold onto it, Urs Huber has been notching up race wins in European XCM events

throughout their Spring, Karl Platt is looking strong after his knee injury and Kristian Hynek will be looking to improve on his fourth place last year and perhaps add to the Cape Epic winners medal in his trophy cabinet.

Nico Bell is the South African form rider heading into the race.

CHERIE VALE/NEWSPORT MEDIA

he second half of 2014 has rather snuck up on us and soon it’ll be too late to book your spot in that race you’ve been meaning to enter for ages. So here’s a list of races in the second half of 2014 which you don’t want to miss.

Kroukamp and Jeanne-Louise Wiese covered the Karoo to Coast in the November 2013 issue of Full Sus and if the Dr Evil Classic is up to the same standard you can enter the race with the highest expectations. www.drevilclassic.com.

Storms River Traverse: 8 – 10 August

Lesotho Sky: 21 – 26 September

The Storms River Traverse is a real must do event for the social rider. There’s no real racing vibe but if you’re more interested in enjoying amazing trails and great camaraderie than busting your lungs to get to the ﬁnish then the Traverse is the race for you. Rob de Lange wrote about the 2013 race for Full Sus in the September 2013 issue and you can read his report (and all the other relevant ones as indicated by the issue in brackets) by going to www.issuu.com/fullsussa if you’re keen on making an informed decision. www.the36one.com/storms.

The Lesotho Sky is a mountain biking adventure in the heart of that little country landlocked by South Africa. It’s by all accounts an amazing event jam-packed with some of the best mountain biking around. Jacques Marais (July 2013 issue) did a trails feature on part of the route and Dylan Chilcott (November 2013 issue) ﬁnished it on a fully ridged purple GT from the 90’s after he broke the frame of his bike during the 2013 race. The entries are capped at 80 riders so you’ve got to be quick if you don’t want to miss out on the “best natural single track in the world”. www.lesothosky.com.

Potberg & De Hoop MTB: 9 – 10 August

Max Knox was the top SA performer in 2013

The Potberg MTB race started years ago when the little local school, Ouplaas decided that the growing sport of mountain biking would make a great addition to its annual fundraiser, the Potberg half marathon (a half marathon of the running kind). Garden Route events took over the organisation and have turned it into a two day stage race, taking in the banks of the Breede River, the Potberg Mountain and the pains of De Hoop Nature Reserve. www.dehoopmtb.co.za.

Dr Evil Classic: 18-20 September The Dr Evil Classic is Leon Evans’s chance to prove that he’s actually a very nice man. The route is designed around the philosophy that “riders [should…] go out there and have fun and enjoy themselves in a special area,” Evans said. And the three day clover-leaf formatted route includes a preferential start sport for the ever popular Karoo to Coast. Both Garry

Adopted SAFFA Ariane Kleinhans is our best hope of a medal

Follow the action live on Twitter @XCMWorlds2014. And remember to cheer for Cape Town local lass, Diana Carolin. She’s taking on the big names having qualiﬁed by placing in the top twenty at a couple of the UCI accredited MTN National series races.

RACES TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Origin of Trails: 28 – 29 November The inaugural Origin of Trails took place in 2013 and showcased the usually out-of-bounds Banghoek Valley. The day one route came in for a bit of ﬂak, but everything else was immaculate as you’ve come to expect from a Stillwater event. Read Kate Slegrova and Seamus Allardice’s report on the 2013 race (January 2014) and if you’d heard the route rumours we have you’ll be clamouring over your usual riding buddies to enter. Trust us, it’s going to be a race to remember. To enter online and to ﬁnd out more go to www.stillwatersports.com.

Races that need no introduction: In addition to these hand-picked events don’t forget about Jozi2Kozi, Ride the Rhino, the Cape Pioneer Trek, 3 Towers, Berg and Bush or Wines2Whales, which all fall in the latter half of the year.

Winter MTB Updates

ith Full Sus releasing a June/July issue some of the more committed mountain biking readers and riders will ﬁnd yourself at a bit of a lose end come mid-July. But there is no need to panic, there might not be a hard copy of Full Sus for you to read but we’ll still be updating the Full Sus website.

Keep an eye on it at www.fullsus.co.za or read our back issues online at www.issuu.com/fullsussa.

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FS Dragon Trax

There be DRAGONS here With GPS ﬁles you won’t be relegated to only following major routes and national roads

Loose cannon correspondent David Bristow outlines the plan for a people’s network of mountain bike trails across South Africa. It’s called Dragon Trax, it’s free and it’s super cool. Here’s how it came about and how it works. Photography by David Bristow.

hen the Daytripper, Steve Thomas and I conceived the Spine of the Dragon trail, we had the Big Idea of it being, or becoming, the people’s trail. It was not going to be a race, or an event. It was – and is – just a route, one anyone (well, just about anyone) could do at any time, and at any pace they pleased. Crucial to achieving this was creating GPS tracks, and for this I have to thank Steve, aka Henry the Navigator. We began by uploading 58 tracks, one for each daily leg of the Spine trail, and we put them all on our Spine of the Dragon website. I believe it was somewhere in the Great Karoo, when the riding was easy but the days were unnaturally long and boring. At one point Steve rode up to me and expounded the idea of creating a network or “people’s trails” all across South Africa. “Dude,” I said to him. “Let’s focus on the problem at hand. We’re only about halfway home there. Let’s get this one done and we can start thinking about other stupid things to do.” I think I upset him, because he took off in a thin plume of dust and we didn’t talk again until we got to Steytlerville that evening. But the idea stuck like a burr in my riding

shorts and over the next bunch of days and weeks we discussed how it would work. Once we’d got the Spine of the Dragon route nailed, documented on the MTB radar, we would build a website that would be a repository of GPS tracks, for all MTB tracks, all across South Africa. Ha-ha-ha. That was more than two years ago. But the good news is that, not only has the Spine route now established itself as a Really big bucket list ride, it looks like we have engineered our Dragon Trax site to actually work something like we envisaged it. So, forgetting all the back-end engineering that went in to making the site, as “they” say, agnostic (i.e. able to upload and download GPS tracks from and to any device), how does it work? Simply we hope for you, but not so for our ever-cheerful web designer Bruce of Mnemomic. So, the Big Idea is that mountain bikers across the land can get any GPS track to any trail in the land, for free. Why? Because it’s the people’s trail, or trails, remember, and because we can. Any time you go on holiday to say Cape Town, or Cape St Francis, or the Drakensberg, you go to the Dragon Trax website (www. dragontrax.co.za) and download the tracks the other good people have uploaded. Because mountain bikers are like that. Most of us would all

Steve the Daytripper asking locals for directions

“ANY TIME YOU GO ON HOLIDAY TO SAY CAPE TOWN, OR CAPE ST FRANCIS,OR THE DRAKENSBERG, YOU GO TO WWW.DRAGONTRAX. CO.ZA AND DOWNLOAD THE TRACKS THE OTHER GOOD PEOPLE HAVE UPLOADED.” be hippies if the bikes didn’t cost so much and we didn’t have to work so hard to afford them. In this way, we all have access to all the amazing open-to-the-public MTB tracks across South Africa. To get this thing going we have put all the Spine of the Dragon tracks on the Dragon Trax site. The site is organized by province and then region. To use the site you merely have to register and enter a password. Then you upload (submit) the tracks you have amassed (we all store our GPS tracks don’t we!). As

the old saying goes, or if it doesn’t it should – what goes around comes around; or, the more you give the more you get. To upload you ﬁrst have to load your track or tracks onto a computer: the code has to be converted in one of the popular GPS software formats like Map Source, as actual GPS tracks are Greek to a computer. Whatever program you use to play with, your tracks will do. From there you open Dragon Trax, click on “upload track” and a form will pop up. It asks for the info you would want

“IF YOU ARE GOING TO DOWNLOAD TRACKS, YOU SHOULD UPLOAD AT LEAST ONE – IF ONLY TO UPHOLD THE BASIC AGE-OLD TRUISM THAT THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH” to have for any track, like where it is, is there an entry fee, secure parking, a grading and so on. Even where the nearest coffee is! When that is done, the web master (that’s usually me but it could be Steve or Bruce) gets a notice to verify the information (like the trail is legit and open to the public) and then it’s up and good to go. Thereafter you can download any track you want, gratis. How easy is that? They also say, somewhere, that many of the best ideas are really quite simple ones. How simple is this one, and how cool! Except for Bruce that is, who has spent many dark hours these past few years getting the back end working. But before you all go rushing off to download tracks to your next secret holiday spot, let’s lay down one rule of honour: if you are going to download tracks, you should upload at least one – if only to uphold the basic age-old truism that there is no free lunch. Or mountain bike trail. If you are not sure what to do or how to go about it, you can contact me at eardstapper@gmail.com, or failing that (I’ll be travelling all over Africa this year and not home much), Steve the Daytripper at steve@ daytrippers.co.za. If you ﬁnd the site is not being nice to you, you can send a query to our webmaster Bruce at bruce@mnemonic.co.za. One thing, please start the subject

Dragon Trax FS

SUS Dragon Trax Go to www.dragontrax.co.za and upload or download free GPS MTB routes.

Contacts: David Bristow: eardstapper@gmail.com Steve Thomas: steve@daytrippers.co.za Bruce the Webmaster: bruce@mnemonic.co.za

Riding in rural South Africa is full of opportunities for adventure, even if you know where you’re going. Steve asking for directions again...

line with DRAGON TRAX or you risk having your mail fall into the great morass of cyber noise. So I have a dream, that in a year or two from now, we can all go to Dragon Trax and there we’ll ﬁnd the GPS tracks of all the cool mountain bike tracks in South Africa, and maybe beyond!

Sometimes big things have the most humble of starts. Like when Adam said to Eve “Stand back, I’m not sure how big this thing gets.” And that, as my hero Forrest Gump would say, is all I have to say about that … for now. Ladies and Gentlemen, load your tracks and let’s ride!

David Bristow has buckets of MTB experience having ridden and written “The Spine of the Dragon.” He’s also the webmaster of www. dragontrax.co.za, a site which aims to be the country’s go-to, free, repository of GPS’d MTB tracks.

FS An international’s view

You don’t know how good you have it…

The super-sized sandstone rock gardens of the Koue Bokkeveld are sure to bring any international back to ride in South Africa.

South Africa was never that high on British mountain biker, Leona Kadir’s list of places to visit. She’s seen photos of the Namaqualand spring ﬂowers and always thought she’d go to see them one day but wasn’t in a rush. It all changed when she was offered the chance to ride the Cape Epic in 2013. Photographs by Oakpics.com Leona mastering the now (in) famous Du Toit Drop

Leona was in awe of the private land owners accommodating attitude towards mountain bike races.

was (and still am of course) a keen mountain biker but I’d never heard of the race. In England we only really have XCO racing, so a marathon stage race was not on my agenda. I didn’t really have to think about it. It’s not the kind of offer that comes up often! I was blissfully ignorant as to how hard it was going to be… I knew ﬂying into Cape Town, that ﬁrst time, it would be a country I would like and very quickly I came

to really love it. The Epic was a total life changing experience. I could never have imagined what that ‘epic bubble’ would be like. Living in this little village for a week surrounded by hundreds of likeminded people was just unreal. Unfortunately a nasty crash on day four meant I had to pull out. I was devastated. Awful though those four days were (I rode the last 30km of stage 4 with a badly broken rib), I knew I would have to come back and ﬁnish the race. The country had just blown

my mind, I remember our mechanic and I looking out of the van window en route to the Cederberg and just shaking our heads, we simply couldn’t believe the scale and beauty of the place. Coming back to England after the Epic was a real turning point in my life and I knew I had to go back to South Africa. I was very lucky to be able to do just that. In November 2013 I packed up my bike and set off not really knowing anyone, but having a rough

“I CHOSE TO RIDE THE TANKWA TREK THE WEEK AFTER AND IT RATES AS THE BEST RACE I HAVE EVER DONE. I CAN HONESTLY NOT FIND A SINGLE BAD THING TO SAY ABOUT IT.” plan of moving to Stellenbosch on the advice of ‘the Hub’ forum members. I spent the first month staying in Hermanus shuttling around to races and to ride in places I’d read about online. It took me a while to find somewhere to live in Stellenbosch so by the time I moved I’d already been riding there a few times. I won’t ever forget riding in Jonkershoek for the first time, but my strongest memory will be my big

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FS An international’s view from page 10 Christmas Day ride looking down the valley towards Stellenbosch feeling like the luckiest person in the world. Wines2Whales was my first race when I arrived in South Africa and I was so impressed by the whole thing. The riding was great, the organisation was fantastic; everything was just there and sorted. I followed this up with the Eselfontein Festival in Ceres, Val de Vie in Paarl and then the inaugural Origins of Trails in Stellenbosch. Eselfontein is still one of my favourites and it set the bar high for my expectations of future South African races. The route was fantastic and there was a real party atmosphere afterwards. Having never really done any marathon racing, November was a real baptism of fire but I finished up that first month with a few medals, some nice prizes and a load of new friends. Everyone I met at races was so welcoming and generous. I don’t think it would be unfair of me to say Brits are generally quite reserved and I certainly don’t think I’d have had anything like the same welcome as a foreigner in England. That first month also showed me the huge variety of riding the Cape has to offer and left me excited for every weekend’s race. The choice here is simply amazing, most weekends I have to decide what race I want to do and it has taken me to places I just wouldn’t have dreamed I’d see. I’ve been to Clarens, Sabie, Cederberg, Durban and the Garden Route to mention a few and each has been so different. Every time I fly or drive somewhere I marvel at how this can all be contained in one country. Just riding Attakwas in January showed how much the scenery and terrain can change even within one race! Racing MTB has given me the opportunity to go to places I bet most people never get to see (a good example would be the top of the Merino Monster in Tankwa Trek). I’ve loved watching the highlights of the races I’ve done, this would simply never happen in the UK! Ok, the coverage tends to favour the pros and I know a lot of people would like the chance to see themselves on TV wherever they were in the pack, but still, you get to relive the race on TV! With footage from helicopters! Within that, every race is so different. The PPA races are totally different to the Advendurance ones and the independent races are different again. Some races have better atmospheres than others, some more serious, some more fun and relaxed. The extent of the race calendar is just amazing; you really can race almost every weekend of the year with no really defined seasons like we have at home. February threw up a really good problem. Which of the three stage races should I do? We used to have

a stage race in the UK called ‘Trans Wales’ which was over a week but this gradually got shortened until it ceased to exist at all (2015 sees the debut of a new British stage race, called Xcalibre). How amazing then to have a choice of three different stage races on consecutive weekends! I had entered Ride the Rock from England before having any idea as to the extent of the race calendar in SA. Driving the 50km of gravel road between the N7 and the race village was an experience in itself (quite a nerve wracking one) but wow, it was worth it when I got there. You would have to travel to the far north of Scotland to have dark skies like that. Getting up at 5am was no hardship when you came out to a sky full of more stars than I had seen in my entire life. The Cederberg is truly spectacular. I chose to ride the Tankwa Trek the week after and it rates as the best

SUS Leona’s Pros of SA racing: ◆ Paul Valstar who seems to remember everything about everyone and is never scared to encourage or make fun of people! ◆ Routes - Normally well thought out with a real focus on riders’ enjoyment. Organisers are often happy to bring you back down a bit of tar if it means squeezing in some really good single track, not just off road for the sake of it. ◆ The people - I think this is what I will miss most of all when I go home, you have all been amazing. ◆ How encouraged children are to ride here, it’s so lovely to see so many of them riding.

SUS Leona’s Cons of SA racing: ◆ Sometimes too much tar!

◆ Sand sand sand sand sand

◆ Saffa men who can’t bear for women to be ahead of them and will pass them at all costs. I’ve lost count of the amount of men who have sat behind me all ride only to sprint past me at the end or killed themselves to come past me on the descent of a climb I just passed them on.

Just look at that backdrop, fynbos, farmland and mountains. Who wouldn’t come back for more?

race I have ever done. I can honestly not ﬁnd a single bad thing to say about it (okay, maybe that horrible climb on stage two if I’m pushed…). It was quite amazing hearing people complain about a ﬁnal kilometre of sand on one stage and a big puddle at the end of another. I reckon there ought to be a mountain biker exchange programme between South Africa and England so people learn to appreciate what they have here. As I said, we don’t have marathon racing in the UK. There are a few reasons for this but essentially you are not allowed (by law) to race on public land (bridleways) and there are few, if any, farmers that would open their land up for races. We have a big sportive (organised, marked rides with water points) culture but this is mostly on road and they are not races, though a lot of the riders treat them as such. There are time standards to reach but no placings. There are a few

“COMING BACK TO ENGLAND AFTER THE EPIC WAS A REAL TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE AND I KNEW I HAD TO GO BACK TO SOUTH AFRICA.” similar off road events but these are generally quite relaxed affairs along bridle paths and ﬁelds with bits and pieces of single track. They are often called enduros, some do attract ‘racers’ but they can’t actually be races. The only ‘proper’ marathon we have is the national champs which is in Scotland where the land/racing rules are different. It is wonderful how the farmers/ land owners of South Africa have embraced mountain biking and mountain bikers to such an extent as to allow all these races to be held as well as give you different places to ride every day of the week. I have often heard people

complaining about race routes in SA and wonder how they would feel if they had British rules imposed on them…

Leona Kadir is a British mountain biker, she’s been here since November 2013 to train for the 2014 Epic and keeps renewing her Visa to stay for another race. She’s now planning on returning to the UK after the UCI XCM World Champs in June, but she might be convinced to say a little longer.

FS Trails

GET OFF THE GRID IN

Nuwerust There are getaways, and then there are getcompletely-off-the-grid-aways… the Nuwerust Rest Camp in the Red Karoo Cederberg Park is one of the latter options, and the biking there is pretty much off the charts. Words and photography by Jacques Marais. Local Buzz: Recipe for riding fun: dramatic landscape + hectic topography + single-track + seemingly endless riding options = MTB Orgasm. Or something like that, anyway. However you may look at it, Nuwerust is going to rock your mountain biking lust, so get into the Red Karoo and go wild. This 66 000 hectare Conservancy remains largely unexplored. It’s located at the southern tip of the Cederberg ranges and in the heart of it all, you will find the exquisitely wild Nuwerust Rest Camp. This is very much a working farm with an eco-adventure focus, dominated by craggy, blood-orange mountains and juddering dirt roads all round. You can choose between an olden-style farmhouse for accommodation or pitch your tent within the glorious Nuwerust camping site. The latter is set along the banks of Breekkransrivier, with lekker swimming holes and fishing spots. The Rooiberg cliffs tower above your camp. This is a paradise for trail runners, hikers and rock climbers as well, so a visit here is not to be forgotten.

Trail Low-Down:

When you get around to saddling up your bike, you’re going to be spoilt for choice as to where to point your front wheel. The good… let me rephrase that, great news is that Nuwerust plays host to a section of the annual Ride the Rock MTB Challenge, and the upshot of this is that two singletrack sections used by the race are right on your doorstep. Even better, the neighbouring farms have also bought into MTB as a major tourism drive, thus allowing riders to access an extended circular route without trespassing. Your topof-the-morning ride starts from the Nuwerust farmhouse, and allows you to immediately bang onto a 3km stretch of single-track winding past the camp site and across the river. Follow the trail left below the imposing Rooiberg amphitheatre, traversing above the river course. Small, square brown signs point the way along the trail (some may be obscured by high brush), but there is also packed stone edging to help keep you on track. A wooden

stile pops you over a fence to the Cederberg Oasis Backpackers and Restaurant (3km), the only place to boast a meal or cold beer for miles around Turn left at the Oasis onto the main Ceres gravel road and crank like a speed freak along the downhill bombing back towards the main Nuwerust entrance (5km). Then toughen up and get ready for a dose of ‘suck it up, cupcake’ as you climb for the next 5.5km along the grinding ascent up Grootrivierhoogte. Even bad things come to an end, and as you eventually summit at a cattle grid (10.6km), a bad-ass wilderness view of epic proportions across the Koue Bokkeveld section of the Cape Winelands will make it all worthwhile. Take a breather (I know I did), while you gaze out across the unexplored expanses unfolding towards the Ceres-Karoo. The best is yet to come, bru. Explore past a disused quarry to your left (just before the grid and around 30m off the road) and you’ll discover a marked section of single-track zigging back towards Nuwerust. The trail basically S-bends along the side of the gravel road all the way back into the valley. You need regulation-size cojones to handle this teeth-gritting trail, as there are a good few steep drops, super-slide bends and loose shale to conquer. Keep it tidy, though, especially where you sneak back onto the road for 50m, and also where you cross under a fence that will garrotte your head clear off your body if you don’t focus. In the end, the descent is 99% rideable (even for ballies like me) until you bottom out to loop around a little dam and back to the road. Cross at the Nuwerust sign (16km) to high-tail the final 1.4km along fast-and-flat gravel to take you home well inside 2 hours.

Getting there: From Cape Town make your way to Ceres and then follow the R303 to Op-Die-Berg for 30km. 200m past Op-Die-Berg, turn right at the Cederberg/Ceres Karoo sign and follow the tar road for another 18km until it turns to gravel; you will reach the Nuwerust turn-off to your right 45km later.

Trails TH

“HOWEVER YOU MAY LOOK AT IT, NUWERUST IS GOING TO ROCK YOUR MOUNTAIN BIKING LUST, SO GET INTO THE RED KAROO AND GO WILD.”

Cape Town

A F R I CA

◆ Nuwerust Farm

Western Cape N2

where are we? The Nuwerust Rest Camp is situated in the Breëkrans river valley, surrounded by majestic southern Cederberg Mountains. It’s long been a hiking hot spot with walks to Cederberg features like the Maltese Cross and the Wolfberg Arch remaining ever popular. Jacques Marais is the South African trail guru. If he’s not scouting a new MTB trail he’s trail running a new route in the Drakensberg. His new book More Top MTB Trails is set to hit the shelves of all good book shops soon. Follow him on Twitter @JacqMaraisPhoto.

SUS the Nuwerust MTB Route: Grading: Intermediate (technical in places) SUS Jacques Duration: 90min – 2hours Distance: 17.14km Conﬁguration: Circular route 17.4km Duration: 1:46:49 Start-Point: Nuwerust Rest Camp Terrain: Single-track; gravel district road Access: Riding for guests only;

Ride Stats: Ave Speed: 9.6km/h Total Ascent: 507m

no day visitors allowed

Post-Ride Beer: Cederberg Oasis www.cederbergoasis.co.za

Must-Do Event: Ride The Rock www.themapstudio.co.za

full sus

www.cederbergevents.co.za

M T B O N LI NE

Cell Reception: Rare to no signal Accommodation: Self-catering and camping at www.cederbergexperience.co.za Local Contact: Stephen on +27 (0)27 482 2813 GPS: S 32° 33’ 42.1” / E 19° 22’ 41.1”

Get your MTB fix online now at www.fullsus.co.za. FullSus.co.za is growing. Read the latest MTB News. Organise your MTB life with our comprehensive MTB specific calendar. Browse for health care professionals in your area to treat your MTB induced injuries or find a coach to help you outperform your mates. And now you can also use www.FullSus.co.za to buy second hand bikes and gear or sell your old bikes and gear. Check it out at www.FullSus.co.za/classifieds

FS Ride South Africa

TRY A

tour SUS the Tour Operators: Soak up the Winelands on our bike.

DANIEL DOBINSON IRIDE AFRICA

South African mountain bikers are incredibly fortunate to have a jam-packed race calendar throughout the year. These races are a great reason to explore our country, focus your training regime and squeeze in a few ‘mini-holidays’ into your year. But, if racing isn’t for you there are a few other options.

route in mind but need back-up and someone to cook your meals give them a call. If you work in a MTB mad office here’s an idea to plant in your boss’s head. MTB Adventures (of the Houwhoek MTB fame) do corporate MTB adventures. So leave your copy of Full Sus suggestively open on this page, in a spot where you know your boss will see it and before you know it you’ll be on a corporate team building day, scoring time out of the office and time on the trails of Paul Cluver, Thandi, Lebanon and Oak Valley. They can cater for groups of up to 35 riders and will look after your every need while you’re there. If you’ve got a hankering for getting out on your bike in the Karoo though there’s only one company for the job, Makadas. The rather odd name is taken from a steam locomotive that used to run the narrow branch line between Touwsriver and Ladismith from 1925 to 1981. They run events and tours into the heart of the Karoo using, owner, Mitzi Knipe’s extensive exclusive network of Karoo farm contacts to create unique routes into the hinterland. Or if you’re keen on mixing cycling with a scenic trip through the Winelands to partake in a classic Western Cape activity, wine tasting, then give The Bikes ’n Wines crew a

Makadas

www.irideafrica.com

www.makadasadventures.co.za

(079) 396 4064

(021) 981 9535

Daytrippers

The Bikes ’n Wines

www.daytrippers.co.za

www.bikesnwines.com

(021) 511 4766

021 823 8790

MTB Adventures

Soweto Bicycle Tours

www.mtb-adventures.co.za

www.sowetobicycletours.com

082 807 5895

(011) 936 3444

call. They’re the only carbon negative tour of the Cape Winelands so if you’re carbon conscious that’s a big plus. If you’re only interested in wine, you shouldn’t worry about getting to drunk to ride… the guides keep an eye on you, plus you’re exercising so you’ll metabolize the alcohol faster than you normally would. You can explore the urban environment on a bike too, with most of the afore mentioned companies offering city and township tours, but if you want to enjoy an authentic

township tour then Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers is the place to visit for their Soweto Bicycle Tours. Visit the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Laureates have lived, the site of the 1976 student uprising and the Hector Pieterson Memorial amongst other local attractions. So there you have it: races aren’t the only way to see great new trails, visit new places or push your riding abilities. Why not book your spot on a tour and experience a different side of mountain biking this winter. Some of the tour group orgnaisers offer skills in coaching too, so you can learn while you tour.

DANIEL DOBINSON IRIDE AFRICA

vents can be expensive, singletrack queues are inevitable, tented accommodation is uncomfortable and event dates are fixed. So, as much as the iRide crew (Jennie Stenerhag and Daniel Dobinson) love racing, in fact Jennie came third in the ladies category of the 2014 Epic, they also saw the need for customised mountain biking tours, where quality singletracks can be enjoyed with friends, followed by good food and wine in beautiful surroundings. iRide Africa offers high quality bike rentals, skills clinics and mountain bike and road riding tours in and around the Western Cape. The tours are customized to the group’s needs, with dates, length of trip, level of riding, food and accommodation costs all taken into account, to ensure the best rides with the minimum amount of fuss. The established name in South African cycling tours is undoubtedly Daytrippers. They’ve been going since 1992 and in addition to their daily excursions around the Cape Peninsular they also do day trips to Hermanus and the Winelands, scheduled road and mountain biking tours ranging in length from a weekend to two weeks. They also do custom events too, so if you have a

iRide Africa

FS Xxxxxxxxxx

Kleinhans Muesli FS “EK TWYFEL OF IEMAND GAAN OMGEE AS EK MY HAND IN DIE LUG STEEK EN VIR ARIANE, ONS SWITSERSE AANGENOME SUID-AFRIKANER NOMINEER VIR ‘N TOP RESULTAAT IN PIETERMARITZBURG.” FULL STOP COMMUNICATIONS

Ariane Kleinhans, heir saam met haar sani2c mede wenner Lourens Luus, is Erik se nominasie vir ‘n top resultaat.

WÊRELDKAMPIOENSKAP

by die huis Soos al die XCO-ryers in Suid-Afrika vir jou sal sê, skryf Erik Kleinhans, dit is ongelooflik spesiaal om te kompeteer in ‘n groot internasionale kompetisie op ons tuisgrond. En deur net na die televisieblootstelling te kyk kan mens vinnig sien presies wat hulle bedoel!

aar dit is net die XCO en Downhill-ryers en hulle word elke jaar bederf met die UCI World Cup wedrenne wat in Pietermaritzburg plaasvind asook die Wêreldkampioenskappe in 2013. As XCM-ryers moes ons baie geduldig wag vir ons beurt, en op 29 Junie word ‘n droom bewaarheid vir my en my RECM- spanmaats met die UCI Marathon Wêreldkampioenskap wat plaasvind in Pietermaritzburg. Dis ook nie net so maklik as om vinnig ‘n inskryfvorm in te vul en op die wegspring te gaan staan soos met die meeste wedrenne op die SA-kalender nie. Vir die Wêreldkampioenskap moet jy ‘n top twintig resultaat kry in een van die UCI se Internasionale Marathon Series wedrenne of jy moet een van die handjie vol ryers wees wat vir jou land se Nasionale span gekies word, en almal weet hoe sterk die kompetisie is in die XCM kringe in ons land! Met wedrenne soos die Absa Cape Epic en die MTN Marathon Series in ons land, is dit glad nie meer iets nuut om top internasionale ryers in SA te sien

deelneem nie, maar die feit dat hulle jaar-na-jaar terugkom forseer nie net die plaaslike ryers om konstant ons vlak te lig om meer kompeterend te wees nie, maar gee ons ook ‘n goeie indikasie van waar ons vlak is in vergelyking tot hulle, veral met die Wêreldkampioenskappe in SA die jaar. Die Absa Cape Epic is seker die grootste voorbeeld met die meeste van die wêreld se voorste XCO- en XCM-ryers wat neerdaal op ons oewers om deel te neem aan die skouspel elke jaar. Ek en RECM spanmaat Nico Bell het agtste algeheel geëindig alhoewel ons ook ‘n ondersteuningshand moes neerlê vir huidige wêreldkampioen, Christoph Sauser en Frantisek Rabon wat algeheel tweede geëindig het na Robert Mennen en Kristian Hynek. Dan is daar natuurlik wedrenne soos die Attakwas en die MTN Nasionale Marathon Series waarvan Sabie en Clarens deel is van die UCI Internasionale Series. Nico het vir Karl Platt geklop in Clarens terwyl ek by Attakwas en Tulbagh, net voor die Cape Epic, geveg het vir ‘n podium teen hierdie sterre. Ongelukkig het my voorbereiding

‘n taamlike knou gekry by die onlangse Nedbank sani2c. waar ek op die tweede dag, op die laaste afdraand ‘n skrale 3-kilometer van die einde, hard met die aarde kennis gemaak het. Ek het dadelik geweet daar is skade en X-strale het dit bevestig, ‘n graad vyf skeur, die ergste wat mens kry, van die ligamente wat my sleutelbeen aan my skouer heg. (74, 73 en 72 in die diagram.) Daar was ‘n keuse, wag vir vier

maande vir die skouer om te herstel, of opereer en is terug op die fiets in vier weke. Vir ‘n professionele atleet was die antwoord maklik, en te danke aans kouerspesialis, dokter William Haynes, het ek nuwe kunsmatige ligamente, wat die deur ten minste oophou vir deelname in Pietermaritzburg aan die einde van Junie! En verskoon asseblief my eensydigheid as ek kyk na die vroueafdeling, maar ek twyfel of iemand gaan omgee as ek my hand in die lug steek en vir Ariane, ons Switserse aangenome Suid-Afrikaner nomineer vir ‘n top resultaat na die ongelooflike seisoen wat sy tans agter die blad het!

Scan to see Erik’s fall in motion! Erik het ‘n ‘n graad vyf skeur, die ergste wat mens kry, van die ligamente wat die sleutelbeen aan sy skouer heg (74, 73 en 72 in die diagram) opgedoen in die botsing.

Share your stories and pictures from previous years with us! You can stand a chance to get featured at this yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; event!

FS Bike review

An intruguing bike Debbie Stopforth’s first impression of the Giant Intrigue was “what fun!” As a traditional cross country and marathon rider, she was delighted to get an opportunity to try Liv Giant’s ladies specific trail bike, the perfect machine for Enduro racing ladies. For those who don’t know the difference between marathon riding and Enduro riding, it’s quite simple. Marathon riding is more jeep track mixed with the occasional single track, whereas Enduro riding is specifically doing technical trails. Photography by Julia Andrade.

his Giant Intrigue makes you feel like a world champ on the technical downhills as it moves tirelessly and comfortably over everything! The bike arrived with all my bike set up measurements in mind. In fact, at first I thought Full Sus had got the usual 90mm stem length wrong until I realized that this Trail specific bike requires a shorter stem set in the riser position. This is amazing for the downhill control. The Intrigue’s colour is described as “Blast Aluminium in Purple and Lime” and while all the ladies that saw it loved the colour, most of the men didn’t like it at all. Well, it is a Ladies specific machine after all, so it doesn’t matter what they think. I set off on my first ride and admittedly had to work pretty hard up the jeep track to the top of Boulders in the Tokai Forest. The RockShox Monarch R is unable to lock out and is really designed for downhill pleasure and uphill pain. I remembered to use the travel adjustment feature on the front shock half way up the jeep track and it made a huge difference. You are able to change the travel from 140mm to 120mm on the RockShox Revelation fork. This changes your weight distribution by lowering the front end, which really helps you to climb more efficiently. Once I hit the technical uphill of Boulders I was delighted at how easy it was to power the Intrigue up over short, steep technical sections. It handles the roots and rocks with ease and I was able to keep a constant rhythm through this tricky section. Once up Boulders, I headed up the Beast and towards the Silvermine Gate. The saddle at this point started to catch me as I am used to a slightly wider saddle. This discomfort

disappeared on the decent as I could activate the Giant dropper post. I don’t usually use a dropper post but tried it out and as the decent is so fast on this Intrigue, I didn’t even need (or want) to sit. With its 27.5 inch wheels, Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres and speciﬁcally designed shorter top tube for enhanced handling of the single tracks the Giant Intrigue is an absolute winner. It handles the downhills with precision and I was able to attack most technical sections with far more conﬁdence and ease than I have ever done before. I do think the comfort I felt in moving through these sections can be attributed to the great rear shock system and adjustable front fork. The only problem that I encountered with the design of the lower bottom bracket was that I had a few clearance issues and connected some unexpected rocks. In my ideal world, I would love to have two bikes. This fun and exhilarating Giant Intrigue to play on the trails and improve my technical skills and my usual old 29er full suspension steed to help me through the marathon riding and stage events I so love. It’s an INTRIGUING thought…

Due to the nature of her job Debbie Stopforth of Dynamicbikeﬁt.co.za, gets to work with lots of bikes and has come to enjoy matching and setting up bikes for riders (some bikes just match some body types). She’s ridden so many diﬀerent bikes in all forms and sizes that she’s got a great frame of reference and in fact her riding buddies have lost track of which bike is actually her own.

Bike review

THIS GIANT INTRIGUE MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE A WORLD CHAMP ON THE TECHNICAL DOWNHILLS AS IT MOVES TIRELESSLY AND COMFORTABLY OVER EVERYTHING!

SUS The Giant Intrigue Medium frame: All measurements in mm or 째 Top Tube ............................ 580 Head Tube ............................ 115 Seat tube angle ............ 73.5째 Head tube angle .............. 68째 Chain Stay .........................446 Wheel base ....................... 1129 Standover height .............796

FS Physio

FS Nutrition

Improving performance

with pilates

BACK TO

BASICS We’ve become so interested in the finer details of what to eat; we often fling the basics of healthy eating out the window. So this winter Rochez O’Grady will help you eat smarter by mastering these essential eating habits. Keeping it simple can get you over the finish line.

For a long time, Pilates was seen as only for women, for ballet dancers, or for new mums to lose their preggie bellies. But the attitude to Pilates is changing fast, it is now practiced by millions of people around the world (men too!). It’s good news says Sarah Walker, Pilates is hard-core! Some historical facts: Joseph Pilates born in 1883 was a sickly child with rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever. From a young age he dedicated his life to improving his health. He invented a series of exercises taken from his years of studying yoga, kung fu and gymnastics and called it Contrology. Its focus was on the control of the spinal muscles. As a young man in the army he kept the German troops ﬁtter and healthier than any of the other troops. Post war he boarded ship for New York where he and his wife taught Contrology (later known as Pilates) to many students and

high class ladies. His exercise regime became very well-known especially in the dance community for the excellent results of ﬂexibility, strength and stamina. The principle of Pilates is to strengthen the deep muscles around the spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis. When these core muscles are activated, the chest, ribs, abdomen, spine and pelvis are aligned and allow the limbs to move efficiently and powerfully. The deeper breathing in Pilates ﬂushes the body with oxygen, revitalising the muscles, joints and organs too.

Here are some of the beneﬁts of Pilates for cyclists: ◆ Corrects muscle imbalances developed from a cycling posture – this prevents injury. ◆ Improves posture on the bike which alleviates neck and back strain, a common cycling complaint. ◆ Improves effectiveness of the pedal stroke. ◆ Better ﬂexibility allows for better bike posture. ◆ Improves balance on the bike – which is great for mountain biking. I’d recommend one to two Pilates sessions per week. Give it a try; you’ll be surprised. Pilates is tougher than you think, it will change the way you feel and it is a great workout to add to your cycling programme!

Sarah Walker is a is a sports physiotherapist who has been involved with treating cyclists for 15 years. She’s worked at many MTB stage races around the country and from her Cape Town practice sees many a sports person. She teaches Pilates and is a fitness trainer for tennis academy. Sarah believes that a thorough sports specific assessment followed by a wellplanned exercise programme to treat the cause of the problem is the key to gtting her patients back to full health and sporting success. Go to www.walkerphysiotherapy.co.za for more info or send your questions to sarah@walkerphysiotherapy.co.za

e need to start to recognise our bad habits in order to change them. Many cyclists don’t think about food, and this is often why poor eating habits are formed. Once we see what our bad habits are we can change them. Doing this will optimise your energy levels on every ride and motivate you to continue a routine.

6 nutritional musts: ◆ Don’t skip breakfast: This immediately sets the tone of the day. If we miss breakfast our energy levels will slump, and we are unable to replenish our stores, which have dipped during our sleep. Re-supplying our body with energy will replenish liver glycogen stores which will stabilise your blood sugar as you ride, preventing you from having a sugar crash. How to kick the habit? If you are short on time, try something easy by adding hot water to a sachet of original instant oats. Otherwise blend a quick smoothie with fruit and yoghurt. Try having a lighter dinner; this will increase your appetite when you wake up. If you are still struggling, eat small even if it is something like a piece of fruit, a small yoghurt or a handful of nuts. Practice makes perfect. ◆ Don’t try new things at the last minute During a race, trying out new foods or drinks is really bad timing as it can be disastrous. It is far better to try out new things during training. How to kick the habit? Try out new foods on shorter rides, designate one day a week to a new food day. You can ﬁnd out ideal fuel combinations by mixing things up when the time is right.

Skills

◆ Avoid bonking Cyclists often get caught out on a long distance ride without enough fuel. Make sure that you are prepared. Even if there is enough fuel, it can easily happen that actual refuelling doesn’t take place.

How to kick the habit? Fill your bottle with a sports drink, and set your alarm to remind you to take a sip every 15 minutes. Then remember to refuel every hour – you can aim for 30 to 60g carbohydrates per hour. Work it out if one bar has 30g carbs then go for one bar per hour and taking a couple of sips on your Energade. ◆ Don’t shut the recovery window The first 30 to 60 minutes after your ride, is the best time to eat, your body creates a slip line for those nutrients for muscle repair and glycogen replacement. During this window is when your body will benefit the most. This is particularly important if you’re stacking up big rides back to back. How to kick the habit? Aim to prepare your recovery foods beforehand, so they are ready to eat. Invest in a cooler bag if your races are far from home. ◆ Stop boozing after rides It is very difficult to replace the losses that have taken place while on the bike. This is why you need to keep on hydrating once the ride stops, so alcohol is out! This will reduce any risk of dehydration, future muscle cramps or injury, which compromises recovery. How to kick the habit? Keep a water bottle with you and refill it make sure you finish it within an hour after the ride. ◆ Don’t ignore the weather If you are not spending as much time on your bike in winter, this means that it is easier to put on weight. How to prevent it? Make sure you eat slowly so you can recognise when you are full – this means listening to your body. Do you really need that second helping? There is nothing more important than nutrition to keep your body fit and healthy. Try practicing these basic principles can make a huge difference in your life on and off the bike.

Rochez O’Grady (pronounced r-OHshay) is a registered Dietitian and runs her own practice called MunchWize. She focuses on educating and motivating her clients in practical ways to follow a healthy lifestyle and achieve personal health goals. You can ﬁnd out more about MunchWize at www.munchwize.co.za or ask Rochez your nutrition related questions at rochez@munchwize.co.za.

conquering berms

Make use of James Thornhill-Fisher’s extensive knowledge to help you conquer one of the most enjoyable technical challenges in mountain biking, berms.

berm in MTB’ing is just a well proﬁled corner than allows a more natural riding position. It is a corner that has a banked outer edge that runs the entire length of the corner. This bank allows you to go faster through the corner. You can lean the bike and your body fully into the corner and it pushes back against your tyres giving them extra support through the corner allowing a higher speed than a similar ﬂat corner, without losing traction. Some riders fear them, others love them. They are awesome fun to ride and can be used to speed up or if it’s a short berm you can use it to “bounce” off and change direction quickly. Now is the perfect time to master berms because the trails are damp and grippy.

Get into the Attack position (pedals level). Level pedals in a berm, especially smooth/high/grippy berms, allows for quick manoeuvring of the bike around the corner and over whoops/ bumps. If it is a loose or bumpy berm, then your outside foot should be down (the foot on the upslope side), this drives your weight into the ground through the tyres and allows you to gain more traction.

Obey the golden rule of mountain biking: look ahead and as you enter the berm keep looking ahead, focusing on your exit point and then beyond. Then keep your bike perpendicular to the surface angle of the berm, the steeper the berm the more you can lean your body and bike and the faster you will go.

“LOOK AHEAD AND AS YOU ENTER THE BERM KEEP LOOKING AHEAD, FOCUSING ON YOUR EXIT POINT AND THEN BEYOND.” As you gain confidence, look for the grooved track high up on the berm. This is where the more experience riders have worn a groove and is the fastest line through the berm. Pay attention how that line winds through the berm. Some lines enter a berm low and exit high; this is generally when a berm is flat on the entrance and high on the exit. On berms like these you use your speed to carry you up the bank of the berm. However, if the berm is high on the entrance and flat on the exit, you enter high and exit low as this allows you to speed up and catapult you out and onto the trail.

Don’t brake in a berm, choose your line and speed before entering the berm. The faster you ride, the higher up on the berm you’ll ride. Your line will depend on the speed you enter the berm and the angle/shape of the berm.

Keep your arms wide and elbows up and pointing out. Stay relaxed and hold your ‘lean’ all the way through the berm. Remember: practice, practice, practice, and have fun.

Y HR

T KA

With James’s tips you’ll soon be conquering berms (almost) as well as Greg Minnaar.

James ThornhillFisher, the MTB Guru, has over 25 years of cycling and mountain biking experience. He’s ridden over 60 000km in the last ﬁve years, leading numerous Cape Epic trial rides along the way. Check out his website for upcoming training camps and workshops: www.mtbguru.co.za.

FS Coaching

GEAR U P FOR WINTER “TRAINING INDOORS IS THE PERFECT AND TIME EFFICIENT WAY TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN YOUR FITNESS.”

In this issue Dr Mike Posthumus brieﬂy discusses tips on gearing up for winter through indoor training.

inter is upon us and the inclement weather will be affecting most of us on a more regular basis. This is often a difficult time to maintain training focus and fitness. However, if you are serious about your training and you don’t want to lose the gains you made during summer, it may be time to invest in setting up your indoor training “studio”. Training indoors is a perfect and time efficient way to improve and maintain your fitness. In this article I will briefly discuss indoor trainers, indoor trainer use, and tips on making these sessions more interesting. Before going out to buy an indoor trainer, be sure you know the intended use of the trainers so that you can buy an appropriate device. There are various types of trainers, namely; magnetic resistance indoor trainers, fluid or wind resistance indoor trainers, rollers, or indoor bikes. Ensure that you have an idea of the intended use of your trainer. For example, do you want to perform hard high power intervals, only recovery or aerobic work, or be able to perform a wide variety of training sessions indoors? If you are looking to include high power interval sessions, either magnetic resistance or fluid trainers will work. Generally, magnetic resistance trainers have a resistance knob, which allows you to manually set the resistance. Fluid

trainers have an inherent progressive nature, i.e. the harder you pedal the harder the resistance becomes. Due to this progressive nature, fluid trainers also tend to better mimic the road-like feel. As a larger alternative to bike mounted indoor trainers, you may also consider a complete indoor cycle. Various specific indoor cycles are available, which will also cater for all training requirements. Alternatively, if you find standard indoor cycles too boring and you do not intend to do hard power intervals on it, you may also consider acquiring a set of rollers. Due to the concentration required when riding on rollers, you may find the experience less mind numbing. Personally, I have found the best value for money and quality of training experience from fluid indoor trainers. Once you have chosen the trainer which best suits your needs, the next challenge will be to avoid the monotony of sitting indoors starring at a wall. Here are some tips to overcome these mental challenges. Most of us have tablets, smartphones or old laptops lying around which may be used. Tablets, set up with easy access for while you are on your trainer is a perfect source of entertainment with music, videos, games, social media and other reading material at your fingertips in a large enough format for you to see and read while training.

The following applications and resources for your tablet will keep you entertained: ◆ CycleOps Virtual training application (Virtual Training) for either PC/Mac or iOS device. This application allows you to ride any route or climb on earth. All you require is either a power meter or speed sensor paired either via Bluetooth or ANT+ (with the use of a 3rd party adaptor). This application will keep you glued to your indoor trainer for hours. ◆ Sufferfest Training Videos (www. sufferfest.com). These videos include footage of popular races synced to good music and more importantly, quality training sessions. They are sure to keep you entertained while training indoors.

Further tips for enduring hours on the indoor trainer: Since most athletes trying to train for winter are already coming off a strong base, it will be good to incorporate high intensity training sessions. I gave speciﬁc examples of good high intensity training sessions in the “Polarised Training” article in the November 2013 issue of Full Sus. You can read it at www. fullsus.co.za/regulars. Remember to ensure you get adequate rest between high intensity training sessions.

When performing aerobic or recovery sessions, try and incorporate intervals of differing objectives. Breaking a long session down into shorter periods with speciﬁc goals makes it easier and less boring. For example when wanting to ride for 2 hours. Design a session with differing objectives every 5-10 minutes. When keeping intensity low, play around with varying cadence and pedalling techniques to beat monotony. When you are simply forced to replace a planned outdoor session with an indoor session, I normally recommend that athletes may complete 75% of the duration which was prescribed for an outdoor session. Essentially what this means is that a 90 minute indoor trainer ride is equivalent to approximately 2 hours riding at the same intensity outdoors.

Dr. Mike Posthumus is an accomplished academic with UCT’s Exercise Science and Sports Medicine faculty and a coach with Science 2 Sport. He was a provincial rugby player before switching togs for cleats and taking up competitive mountain biking. He has an exceptional knowledge of training periodisation and scientiﬁc training principles. Find out more at www.sciencetosport.com

ow few cities are there in the world where you can step out of your back door and enter a world of single and jeep tracks, hiking trails, rock climbing, paragliding and trail running? The best of all is the fact that everyone living in Cape Town has open access to a National Park on their doorsteps which is recognised by its scenic, historic, recreational and cultural assets and which is also labelled as a Cape Floral world heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Table Mountain forms part of the Cape Peninsula bordered by the Atlantic Seaboard in the west and the False Bay waters along the southern section and was previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park. Since its proclamation on 29 May 1998 many trails have been cleared and established through the protected fynbos for mountain bikers’ pure enjoyment. The Table Mountain section of the larger National Park covers Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain proper, Devil’s Peak, the Twelve Apostles and Orange Kloof, the latter is completely protected and not open to the public. One can decide to explore the slopes of Signal Hill which offer a couple of challenging single tracks leading down into Sea Point and Bo-Kaap areas, but always be aware of hikers and runners and take note of trail restrictions for your own safety. Our favourite route is a trail that leads up from behind the Spar in Vredehoek, up to the old Blockhouse, along the Table Mountain contour path and down the trail at the large tree and bench which

TABLE TOP

Conservation

trails JEANNE-LOUISE WIESE

Imagine a Gauteng boere-meisie growing up on a smallholding with as much space as she ever wanted and enough trees to keep an adventurous tomboy treehouse building for years, and place her in the middle of Cape Town city bowl and see what happens. Well actually what happened was… not that surprising. With a group of friends who sport numerous triathlon, mountain bike and trail running medals, Jean-Louise Wiese and her husband, Jaco, were quickly introduced to the local Cape Town backyard playground, Table Mountain.

lead through the pine plantations and back into the city past Deer Park. Along this route there are many historic points of interest, such as the King’s Blockhouse. It was built by the Dutch, as a defensive position after the British occupation in 1795. The Blockhouse was retained in use as a signal station for communication between False Bay and Table Bay and declared a National Monument on 4 February 1938. For a longer ride one can head down to Rhodes Memorial from the Blockhouse and on towards Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where restricted access would send you winding back on the trails along the eastern slopes of the mountain to add some miles on the tyres. Maps can be obtained from your local bike shop, Cape Town Tourism as well as the TMNP Visitor Centre. When cycling through this rugged terrain you can just imagine what it must have looked like when Cape lion, leopard, spotted hyena and black backed jackal still roamed those mountain slopes until the early 1900’s. These days populations of rock hyrax, commonly known as dassies, are plentiful on the mountain ridges, together with Cape grysbok, porcupine, mongoose, girdled lizards, agamas, snakes and butterﬂies. But hang around the contour roads at sunset and you are likely to see caracal moving around in search for an early dinner meal or even one of the newly introduced klipspringer or the rare endemic ghost frog. We were lucky enough to spot a very relaxed caracal which trotted quite happily in front of our bikes on a humid March afternoon

“WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SPOT A VERY RELAXED CARACAL WHICH TROTTED QUITE HAPPILY IN FRONT OF OUR BIKES ON A HUMID MARCH AFTERNOON ON THE TABLE MOUNTAIN ROAD.” on the Table Mountain road. Several indigenous bird species can also be seen, including redwinged starlings, Cape Verreaux’s eagles, rock kestrels and sunbirds. There are over 2 000 species of plants on Table Mountain which all form part of the Cape Floristic Region, with fynbos being the most dominant, and is home to more plant species than exist in the entire United Kingdom. Fynbos is a ﬁre dependent vegetation which needs to burn every ﬁfteen years to stimulate growth and remain healthy. The area also hosts the highest concentration of threatened species of any continental area of equivalent size in the world. The pine plantations which offer convenient shaded hiking and cycling trails for Cape Town residents became part of the Table Mountain National park in April 2005 after they have been managed by MTO Forestry since the early 1900’s. As a result of conservation efforts to preserve and re-establish the fynbos vegetation on the mountains around Cape Town, it was decided that all the pine plantations would be returned to their natural state by felling all blue gums and pine trees in blocks and allowing the natural

ﬂora to regenerate. These actions were met with resistance from locals using these forests for recreational purposes, but unfortunately the fertile lower slopes where the plantations were established are also the areas of the park which host the highest proportion of endemic and threatened species. Nobody knows how long these forests will remain, but until such time the shade is a friendly reminder of the generosity of nature when you are exposed to the elements. Love the mountain and respect the beauty of the natural environment.

Jeanne-Louise Wiese is a Senior Environmental Practitioner for engineering, management and specialist technical services giant Aurecon. As an avid MTBer she has the good fortune of consulting on the Provincial Department of Transport to upgrade and maintenance programme for gravel roads, so she gets to visit secluded areas and take her bike along.

FS MTB Tattoos

Kayn Woolmer’s free ride inspired sleeve

Nowadays, tattoos have become a very normal thing in our day-to-day lives. It’s not uncommon to see full-sleeves while buying chicken and mushroom pies at Spar, and it’s even become pretty standard to see a number of inked up employees in most of our workplaces (we’re at 50% in our office). As mountain bikers though, tattoos can take on a distinctly bikey ﬂavour. Full Sus put out feelers to seek a couple of MTB tattoos, and six lads stepped up to the plate to tell Kathryn Fourie their tattoo tales…

arry McCallum is a journalist, born in Northern Ireland who now lives in Benoni. Having started riding in 1991 as a student at Rhodes University, he developed the taste for speed bombing down Mountain Drive on a borrowed Mongoose Topanga. Barry’s current favourite ride is Giant Trance. In the early 90’s there weren’t any local MTB mags in SA, so Barry relied on inspiration from international magazines like Mountain Biking UK. It was through this mag that he was introduced to the character of Mint Sauce, the philosophical mountain biking sheep in Jo Burt’s cartoon strip. Barry sports the amusing sheep riding on the top of his left arm, and hopes one day to have a full sleeve of Mint Sauce images. Interestingly, he had the tattoo done by a dude

called Schalk, on a half-price special, done in Schalk’s ﬂat. Conrad Davies is a name many people in the MTB fraternity are familiar with, having ridden all sorts of bikes (mainly gravity inspired) and has worked in the cycling industry for some time. Conrad recently moved to Johannesburg from Hillcrest, and has been pedalling wheels round and round for about 21 years. He is currently the workshop manager at Concept Cyclery Cedar Square and is very into the Enduro scene at the moment, particularly in his Specialized Enduro 29er. Conrad’s tattoo goes back some years to 1985, when he was on holiday in Umhlanga. While purchasing a pair of full ﬁnger gloves (the mark of the gravity rider), he saw some artwork in a Troy Lee Designs catalogue, which he really liked, that was then

Jason Lea‘s geared heart proudly displaying his love for cycling

“BEING FROM CAPE TOWN, IT’S NOT TOO SURPRISING THAT HE’S THE FIRST DUDE TO ADMIT HE WAS CRUISING THROUGH PINTEREST LOOKING FOR TATTOO DESIGNS!” transferred via ink and needle into his upper arm! Kayn Woolmer is a management consultant from Joburg and has been riding bicycles (and creating the most amazing man-cave-bikemechanic-room many of us have ever seen) for 14 years. He rides just about anything that rolls, but trail

and free ride are his pick. Kayn must be the only management consultant in South Africa to have a full sleeve with four riders smashing it down an alpine ridge! Kayn made a deal with a friend who was diagnosed with leukaemia that if he made it through the ordeal, he’d tattoo his whole arm. Unfortunately, Kayn’s friend passed

MTB Tattoos

Barry McCallum’s trail riding Mint Sauce tattoo

“Ride ‘till you die” Jason Theunissen

“BARRY SPORTS THE AMUSING SHEEP RIDING ON THE TOP OF HIS LEFT ARM, AND HOPES ONE DAY TO HAVE A FULL SLEEVE OF MINT SAUCE IMAGES.” away, but he honoured the deal anyway. “To me it represents all the awesome people that the sport has made me meet,” he explained. Francois Swanepoel has been riding bikes since he was a tiny tot, but he’s a lot bigger now and was instrumental in the Gauteng DH scene for some years. When not on the bike he works in Debt Collection, and lives in Roodepoort. Francois’s MTB tattoo is unusual, taking the shape of five gear cassettes encircling his left elbow, “I was inspired by my love of riding bikes. Bicycles are as integrated to my being as breathing. I have 11 tattoos at the moment and have quite a bit of fleshy real estate to cover. I will probably get tattooed until my dying day!” Francois’s tats are mostly done by Ryan ‘Busta’ Bolton, but for some reason Francois calls him Spanky. I decided not to ask why. Jason Theunissen is the owner of Ballistic Bike Trading and lives in Roodepoort, Gauteng. Jason has been riding on and off for the past eight years, while he enjoys ﬂats and single track, downhills are where he gets his kicks. Jason received news some time ago about a tumor in his head, and

decided to follow his desire of getting his leg inked. His tattoo covers almost his whole calf, and is a picture of a skeleton riding a mountain bike down a hill made up of the remnants of riders gone by, old bikes and good times had. “Ride ‘til you die…” Jason Lea from Cape Town has got a pretty spectacular heart and bicycle integration piece on his forearm. Being from Cape Town, it’s not too surprising that he’s the ﬁrst dude to admit he was cruising through Pinterest looking for tattoo designs! He has proven that there is actually more interesting stuff than hipster home décor on Pinterest (seriously). “I came across the design and liked how the cycle components were integrated into the heart outline. I provided the design, along with other images of bicycle parts, to Tyler B. Murphy, who is a tattoo artist from Sins of Style in Cape Town. He took all the elements I provided and came up with what you see now. I love the complexity and intricacy of the design. He really did a stellar job!” Jason said. While tattoos aren’t for everyone, the stories behind them certainly make for good conversation. As the

Gears make the wheels go around (and round for Francois Swanepoel’s elbow too) famous author (and alcoholic) Jack London once said “Show me a man with a tattoo and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past”. So if you’ve got a mountain biking inspired tattoo, the scarring caused by an oily chainring cutting into your calf doesn’t count, send us a photo.

Tweet your MTB Tattoo picks to @FullSussa using the hashtag #MTBTattoo and Full Sus will hook the owner of the coolest tattoo up with an inky prize.

Kathryn Fourie has become a bit of a regular in Full Sus lending us her considerable skills for the World Champs and introducing us to the life of a female downhiller. She’s from KZN, works for an NGO has a trail dog and a boyfriend called Mark Millar. Not Millah as she initially indicated on her oﬃcial press pass application for the World Champs.

FS Ride report Kingﬁsher MTB

The Hoekwil Primary School’s fundraiser, the Kingﬁsher MTB has grown massively over the last few years and as it’s held in a terriﬁc part of the country for mountain biking Full Sus jumped at the chance to let Clive Rennie tell you all about it.

Hoekwil is a village just off the N2 outside Wilderness on the Garden Route. Its coastal forest covered hills and dales form part of the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains making it a mountain biking heaven of note.

SUPPLIED

A F R I CA N1

Western Cape Hoekwil Cape Town N2 ◆ Mossel Bay

SUPPLIED

where are we?

Here’s to another 13 Kingfisher T MTB’s

aking place in the Hoekwil Wilderness area and including areas that cannot be accessed normally the 70km route of the Kingfisher MTB day is always fantastic. From the Kingfishers’ humble beginning in 2001 to what it is now, I can only say - wow! I’ve been mountain biking for the past 15 years, and I can confirm that this race is one of the best I’ve participate in. Why do you think I’ve come back 13 times! Thank you to Hoekwil Primary School for recognizing this achievement this year and naming me the Kingfisher Legend. I remember the first race’s route was the “Bush Road Ride” route. For riders not familiar with the area the route was from Hoekwil down the Seven Passes road to the Wilderness Heights turnoff, down Whites Road and back up the Serpentine Road to Hoekwil. The short race was this loop once, with the longer race consisting of doing the loop twice. In 2002, the route changed to include areas in Bergplaas and it has evolved since then to the amazing event it is now. To ride in the Bergplaas forest plantation is a real privilege! Cape Pine deserves a big thank-you for allowing us to ride through this MTB heaven. We must also thank Tekkie Town for allowing us to ride through their Lakes Eco property, with views of all the lakes below – it’s exquisite. We must have one of the most beautiful rides around. The routes, both the 40km and 70km must be among the most stunning and challenging ones in the country, with an ascent of 800m and 1 700m respectively. The route was excellently marked out, with no reports of riders losing their way.

Worthy of special mention is the superb single track through Oakhurst Farm. I see why this was placed at the end of the ride. It was definitely the “cherry on the top”. I’m not a good single track rider, but this one seemed to just flow. The bridges and stream crossings were so well constructed, that any rider could ride the trail without any concerns. The water tables en route were also a real treat. In fact, too good! I felt like staying at each one and feasting, but I knew this would not do my race time or waist line any good. They had so many treats. I wonder if any riders did the tables justice. The organization of this event was flawless, from the entry to the finish and everything in-between. The Kingfisher MTB Marathon Series 2014 was superb. I can honestly congratulate Hoekwil Primary for an excellent job! The fact that this race is organised and run by parents and teachers from the school, makes it all the more special. Well, another Kingfisher done and dusted. I hope to compete in another 13! This is a race that I highly recommend riders mark on their calendars. You will not regret it!

After injuring his back playing squash Clive Rennie borrowed his wife’s road bike and started cycling in 1995. Since then he’s done ten Cycle Tours, joined the Wilderness Wheelers with whom he completed the To Hell and Back MTB stage race and of course ridden all thirteen Kingﬁsher MTB races.

“THE ROUTES, BOTH THE 40KM AND 70KM MUST BE AMONG THE MOST STUNNING AND CHALLENGING ONES IN THE COUNTRY.” 28

Ride Report Magalies Monster TH

A F R I CA

Martin Vos conquered the Magalies Mini Monster and the demons of 2011 with a new bike and three years of MTB experience behind him.

Breedtsnek ◆

Limpopo N1

Gauteng

Johannesburg N2 Mpumalanga North West Free State N1

where are we?

JETLINE ACTION PHOTO

Vossie tackles the

eedless to say I had a horror of a race and came home with more than one scar. I ﬁnished the 45km in 4:11:53. And I’ve had many nightmares since about the Magalies Monster, and for that reason I have not been back to face it again. So on 24 May 2014 I decided to face my fears and tackle the FNB Magalies Monster MTB Classic presented by ISUZU again. I entered in the 45km and with the nightmares of 2011 still haunting me, I did not have the guts to face the full might of the 80km Monster yet. A friend and fellow mountain biker, Robert Pieterse, drove with me to the start as it would be his ﬁrst Monster. The morning was fresh, with a nip in the air. But we were full of anticipation for what was to come we looked forward to a great day on the bikes. The event was once again expertly put together by Stillwater Sport & Entertainment, and thanks to some big name sponsors the Magalies Monster is growing stronger year by year. This year was no different, there were a record amount of riders and it showcases the fact that mountain biking is the growing so rapidly at the moment. The FNB Magalies Monster consists of 80km Monster, 45km

Mini Monster and 20km fun race. The event starts and ends at the beautiful ATKV Buffelspoort. The route consists of jeep track, farm roads, district roads, cement climbs, steep rocky and loose rock technical climbs, fast rocky descents and not to mention the beautiful ﬂowing single track. If you had the time to take in the views in and around the Buffulspoort Dam you’d realise that we are truly blessed with beautiful areas to ride mountain bikes in South Africa. The 80km Marathon was also the ﬁrst one day race to add the Tread Buffalo category on the race (for the heavy weights on the bikes). The only negative experience of the day was the group start. I really would recommend for 2015 that the event organisers look at batch starts, as it would help to prevent bottle necking. We got stuck behind a lot of slower riders in the shoots and unfortunately lost about 15 to 20 minutes trying to work our way through the group. Once clear of the group the race

started but I lost Robert within the first 2km, as he was not as lucky as I was to weave through the group. I was very surprised to find that my nightmares were totally unfounded; like they normally are when you face your fears head on. Or maybe I was just that much stronger and wiser that I was when I did my first Monster in 2011. For a start I was on a better put together bike and had three years’ experience on my side. When we hit the first big climb I was surprised and thought to myself “this is rideable” and yes it was unfortunate that I lost momentum due to some walkers not getting out of the way quickly enough, so I had to stroll up the “koppie” for a bit, but not for long I hopped back on and rode most of it out. How I remembered it in 2011 was the downhill section that followed the “koppie” was not rideable either, but thanks to the skills I’d obtained in the years between then and now I rode it comfortably. Again only to be held up a little by slower riders on the single track, but that is part of the racing. The only really un-rideable section for me this year was at about 20km, after a river crossing where the route climbed up a short steep section. The first 25km of the race took me two hours exactly, so at that point I figured my aim of completing the race in less than three hours was not reachable. But the road flattened out and most of the climbing was done. I dug deep and started flying, I had lots of fun on the last half of the race and finished the last 20km in just about

“I DUG DEEP AND STARTED FLYING, I HAD LOTS OF FUN ON THE LAST HALF OF THE RACE AND FINISHED THE LAST 20KM IN JUST ABOUT AN HOUR.”

an hour. My finish time was 3:05:49. I’m very happy with this result as you can imagine! Robert came in 3:50:16 – well done on your first Magalies Monster Rob! While waiting at the finish for Robert I was lucky enough to see the winner of the marathon race Nico Pfitzenmaier coming in to take the first place. We waited around to cheer on some of the other marathon riders coming in, and if the way they looked when they came in was anything to go by the 80km Marathon is not called the Magalies Monster for no reason! I will be back to race it again!

Well done Robert Pieterse on ﬁnishing the 2014 Mini Monster.

JETLINE ACTION PHOTO

mini monster In 2011, Martin Vos did his first ever mountain bike race, the 45km Mini Magalies Monster. Prior to the race he’d done a couple of road races on the mountain bike I bought at a retail store. Before the Monster in 2011 he bought an Avalanche ATX 26er 24 speed. It was great for flat and down hills but for a race like the Monster, it was totally the wrong bike. It was also the first race he rode with cleats…

The Magalies Monster is a gruelling 9km climb up the northern slope of the Magaliesberg along the Breedtsnek Pass. It’s essentially a weather worn district road, popular with 4x4 enthusiasts and mountain bikers alike, which links Rustenburg and Hartebeespoort across the Magaliesberg Mountains.

Martin Vos is a McNabs Feel Good Ambassador, and an avid contributor to Full Sus across our social platforms. He likes to promote a healthy lifestyle and rides for Team Cycling for Diabetes (Team C4D). Follow him on Twitter @MartinvosVos.

The misty conditions made for chilly riding and the post-race Darling Brew all the more rewarding.

FS Ride Report Darling Brew Extreme

A F R I CA Northern Cape

◆Darling

Cape Town

Western Cape N2

where are we?

EXTREME(LY) FUN

trails in Darling Seamus Allardice joined a bunch of mates for what promised to be a great day of riding in the farmlands and Renosterveld of Darling for the Darling Brew Extreme MTB Challenge.

he morning of the 31st of May was misty to say the least, in fact I’ve ridden in rain that was slower to soak you to the bone, but nothing could detract from the amazing trails the organisers of the Darling Brew Extreme had in store. The mist even delayed the start as race entrants had trouble navigating the narrow roads to Darling. We got underway heading out towards the king of the mountain climb, and the spot prize, at the 7km mark. The wet clay roads of the valley gave way to rocky jeep track for the climb and once we crested the summit we were soon in the first stretch of great singletrack. To get there the route crossed the first of many styles and as would become the norm on the ride there was a rider lying prone at the foot of the style. Now it was wet and slippery under tyre, but the styles were all simple with a straight run in and out. Even if you’re nervous all you have to do is grit your teeth, forget the brakes and let your momentum carry you up and over the style. Locking up at the top is a sure fire way to get yourself hospitalised. Fortunately, as I’ve subsequently heard, none of the

injuries were as serious they at first looked, and all the riders in question will be back on their bikes in no time. I wasn’t immune to a bit of a fall myself mind you… Riding the Cannondale F29 hardtail with Cannondale’s new leftie fork, I had a blast on the flats and the climbs, but the narrow Kendra tyres with their small block tread pattern just accumulated clay until they effectively became slicks. On the first switch-back descent down a little valley I lost the front end on a tight corner and ended up going over the bars in spectacular fashion. I’ve got a nice yellow and purple bruise to show for the effort which is a great souvenir – as Stirling Junior says in his column in the “if you’re not falling at least every ten rides you’re not learning.” The route then took us into the amazing Wolwefontein MTB Trail sculpted by Darling Brew Extreme route designer Gabri Steyn. The 23km of singletrack is now open to the public too, so you can go ride it at your convenience. And I’d suggest you do! There are sections that in the mist looked other worldly, with granite boulders, moss and aloes

“THE 23KM OF SINGLETRACK IS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TOO, SO YOU CAN GO RIDE IT AT YOUR CONVENIENCE.”

creating a natural garden even the most skilled landscape designer would be proud of. After the singletrack the route looped through Darling before heading out on the first of three big climbs. The second of which was a real dusi. It went straight up a steep koppie on a badly eroded farm road. The final climb had me cursing the co-worker’s farewell party of the night before (don’t drink cream based shots, skip breakfast and think you’ll have sustained energy levels for a 50km plus ride the next day). Once I’d reached the top our little group of four - featuring the Bigshot Media guys, David and Doug Le Roux, Andrew Robb and myself found ourselves leading a little peloton of tired riders into the icy North Wester. After bombing through the scenic streets of Darling we were faced with an agonising final stretch across the small holdings behind town towards the Gabriel Pharaoh Sports Grounds where the race village was already pumping

Darling in the Western Cape Swartland might be better known for wheat, Evita se Perron and wind farms. But with the growing craft beer movement and the inception of Darling Brew there’s now another great reason to know where Darling is. Plus there are some great MTB trails there too! with Darling Brew ﬂowing freely and artisan food stalls catering for that post-race hunger. I’d suggest you remember to keep an eye out for the Darling Brew Extreme Challenge on the 2015 mountain biking calendar, or enter the Resolution Health Ride the Rhino in September if you’ve got a hankering to ride those amazing trails again.

The wet styles caused a few riders consignation but if you kept your wheels rolling there was no danger and could enjoy the scenic Swartland valleys.

Resolution Healh Race the Rhino MTB Race MTB Race date: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 Start Time: 08:30 Venue: Van Gaalen Cheese Farm, Skeerpoort, Magaliesberg Distances: 50km, 35km, 8km Cost: R200, R160, R80

Due to popularity of the Ride the Rhino in the Western Cape, the cycling community encouraged a Gauteng based race. The Race the Rhino falls on World Rhino Day.

Entries n

ow open

VISIT WWW.RACETHERHINO.CO.ZA

Resolution Healh Ride the Rhino

! n e p o s now

Entrie

Accommodation ﬁt for our Rhino Superheroes: By participating in the Ride the Rhino cycling challenge, you are a revered Rhino Superhero and, like Batman needs his Robin, you need a peaceful night’s rest throughout the three-day challenge. Your wish, as always, is our command, and you can look forward to resting your weary laurels at the exclusive Heartbreak Motel at the Cloof Wine Estate. Think pre-pitched walk-in tents, comfy mattresses with ﬁtted sheet, exclusive hot showers, dedicated bathrooms, 24/7 security and an eating, as well as bar, area.

3 Day MTB Stage Race Race date: 26-28 Sep 2014 Start Time: 09:00, Fri 26/9/2014 Venue: Langebaan Country Estate, Langebaan Distance: Black Rhino 250km, White and Junior Rhino +/-180km Cost: Black Rhino (Solo’s and Teams) All Inclusive: R3800pp / R7600 team, Self Catering: R3000pp / R6000 team. Corporate Package: R11 000 for entering four team members from the same company (Save R4200). White Rhino (Solo’s and Teams) All Inclusive : R3800pp / R7600 team, Self Catering : R3000pp / R6000 team. Junior Rhino’s (Teams only) All Inclusive : R2000pp / R4000 team.

With a suspected total of over 1000 rhinos that will be poached across South Africa in 2013, Resolution Health, the Renosterveld Trust and Zurreal have teamed up to make difference! The Renosterveld poses as an endangered habitat the event extended the habitats’ awareness, fundraising for our Rhinos and conservational efforts. Cyclists can expect unsurpassed views and the breath-taking scenery of the West Coast in full bloom. The route offers some of the best terrain available from Mother Nature, ranging between rough back roads and jeep tracks to koppies and mountains.

VISIT WWW.RIDETHERHINO.CO.ZA

Sssshhh! Still a secret but a new zooty, zesty Rhino shirt is in the making!

FS Ride Xxxxxxxxxx report Trans Karoo

Challenging the Karoo

In South Africa we love to bill things as The Toughest this or that. And there are a few mountain biking races which make a claim to be the toughest single day marathon event. But the race that currently deserves the title of the country’s toughest single day of MTB racing is arguably the Trans Karoo. WWW.OAKPICS.COM

freezing too, just for good measure. If it sounds tough to you when you’re reading this, you’re right. It’s probably one of the toughest races in the county, if not the toughest single day race. But that shouldn’t scare you off. Completing the Trans Karoo is like completing a full Iron Man triathlon. It’ll probably take you in excess of ﬁfteen hours. You’ll

space that the Karoo arouses must be near on overwhelming… The mountains marking the climb to the Hoogland were ever in view but agonisingly slow in approaching. Wishing away the flats of the Tankwa Karoo wasn’t necessarily a great idea though. The Ouberg Pass snaked up into the Hoogland and every rider was reduced to walking, pushing their bikes with a weary trudge. While the race leaders crested the pass in daylight, for the majority of the field the sun set well before they began to climb. In the dark there was no agonising false summit or even hint of the top, it was simply a case of head down and soldier on, riding where possible and walking where not. From the top of the Ouberg Pass to the finish line at Sutherland the riders cross the undulating Karoo Hoogland. For the majority of the race field this 40km section of the race was completed in nearly absolute darkness Except for the sliver of moon and usual stunning Karoo stars hidden by patchy cloud cover. The temperature plummeted to near

1. Johan Kruger ................ 09:30:06 2. Izak Visagie................. 09:38:03 3. Hermias ...................... 09:48:11 Nieuwoudt 1. Liesbet Kristafor.......... 11:58:15 2. Elizma Kock ................ 13:44:07 3. Nan Kirtley ................... 14:17:39

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Cape Town

Men:

have to put in months of training. You’ll need to pack well for the extreme temperatures you might face. You’ll need all the mental strength you can muster. Finishing the Trans Karoo is a feat worthy of much praise. It’s a massive challenge but one worth the effort of every pedal stroke.

where are we? The Northern Cape town of Sutherland, better known for star gazing, was the location of the 2014 Trans Karoo ﬁnish. In 2015 riders will start in Sutherland as they attempt the ‘down’ ride – much like the ‘up’ and ‘down’ runs of the ultimate South African Western Cape endurance event the Comrades Marathon.

Northern Cape

SUS The Results

Ladies:

A F R I CA

Sutherland

WWW.OAKPICS.COM

here’s a heck of a lot more to the Trans Karoo than the toughest day of riding you’ll experience all year though. It’s an emotional experience, with the broad Karoo plains providing the perfect landscape for introspection – and that’s before the going gets really tough on the slopes of the Ouberg Pass… The Trans Karoo alternates annually in direction with ‘up’ and ‘down’ rides between Ceres and Sutherland. The 2014 edition was an ‘up’ year, meaning riders had to conquer the Ouberg Pass which climbs 820 meters in 10.4km from the ﬂat Tankwa Karoo to the undulating Karoo Hoogland. The race started at the mountain biking Mecca that is Eselfontien, as the sun crested the Martroosberg Mountains. The 200 odd riders set off in a Northerly direction, traversing the Ceres Karoo, before climbing up into the Tankwa Karoo. The riders looking to compete for the win formed a small peloton to help maintain a high tempo, and with Johan Kruger aiming for Raynard Tissink’s up ride record the pace was phenomenal. While the riders whose only goal would be to ﬁnish conserved their energy for the challenges ahead. The Tankwa Karoo boasts a scenic landscape. Its broad vistas, hardy Karoo shrubs, conical koppies and red soil all make for a landscape that has an unchanging beauty to it. It’s not a landscape of features jostling for attention; it’s a sparse beauty and one that you feel and sense as much as you see. For riders, the feeling of uncluttered

A lonely windpump is one of the iconic Karoo images as the Trans Karoo ﬁnisher, Andre Botha, will always remember.

N EW TRAILS #4 - Tips to ensure a successful build So you’ve got permission from the land owner, your ﬁnancial ducks are in a row and now it is time to get some spades to start digging dirt. Building a trail is a creative and rewarding experience and Meurant Botha ﬁnds his best guideline is to try and envisage what people will think of the trail 10, 15 or 20 years down the line. Will it still be there? Will it still be solid and lowmaintenance? Will people actually still use it because it is fun to ride? With that in mind here are the AmaRider tips to ensuring a successful trail build.

great resource for trail construction is of course AmaRider’s USA-based parent body IMBA (The International Mountain Bicycling Association). The IMBA has a website packed with recourses, check it out at www.imba. com, and they’ve also produced a series of books on trail building.

The IMBA’s 3 main trail building goals: ◆ Limit environmental impacts. ◆ Keep maintenance requirements to a minimum. ◆ Avoid user conﬂicts. The above is primarily achieved by building contour hugging trails that gently traverses a slope while continuous grade reversals in the

design will ensure that water does not get the opportunity to collect and form a river, taking your trail with it down the slope. By ensuring that the tread surface is gently sloped the builder can achieve ‘sheet-ﬂow’ where water continuously exits the trail off the downslope side, as per the diagram. The diagram illustrates a retaining structure (in this case a treated pole), but I want to stress that this is only a requirement in certain environments. On steep side slopes you often have no choice; achieving acceptable tread width could require extreme excavation. This is not only costly, but can destabilise the hillside too. Trust me, an undermined clay-based hillside will collapse, especially when waterlogged, with the potential of

destabilising an entire ridge. Out in the backcountry the consequences might be limited to environmental damage, but when you’re faced with roads, cultivated lands or buildings in the vicinity above the excavation, things can get expensive and dangerous.

IMBA’s trail expert tips: ◆ Do everything you can to keep the water off the tread, and users on it. ◆ Build on the contour and use frequent grade reversals - surf the hillside. ◆ Follow the half-rule: A trail’s grade shouldn’t exceed half the grade of the side slope. ◆ Maximum grade should be 15 percent (except for natural or built rock structures). ◆ Average grade should stay under

Trail Tread Design - Green/Easy routes

AmaRider

10 percent (with grade reversals). ◆ Route trails to positive control points (viewpoints, water, and other attractions). ◆ Use bench-cut construction, and excavate soil from the hillside. ◆ For reroutes, reclaim old trail thoroughly - the visual corridor as well as the trail tread. ◆ For highly technical trails where grade will sometimes exceed 15 percent, use natural rock, rock armouring or other rock features to add challenge and improve sustainability.

Guidelines on slope percentages do change based on the soil type you are working on with but these are good guidelines to follow. Avoid the fall line ◆ While it is appealing to grab a rake and move a few pine needles out of the way, following the fall line straight down the forest is a temporary solution that will erode in no time. ◆ I guess it looks cool on the freeride movies, but I promise you those trails are not built with sustainability in mind. An important thing to remember is that the average US freeride trail spends the winter under snow and does not see the yearround activity that a South African trail will. Avoid flat, low lying areas ◆ Flat areas are appealing from a build point of view as it is generally easy to make the track as there is little excavation to do. When you build through a flat area there is no place for water to go, so you can expect lots of trouble with puddles followed by mud or in dry times, a sandy sediment-rich deposit that can become unrideable. Raising the trail tread with a bridge or rock armouring is an expensive solution that can be avoided with proper initial design. Again, the above should be treated as guidelines. Short sections of fall line on well binding clay-based soils are fun additions to the trail and can be managed. A short bridged section to cross a flat spot on the terrain can look nice and generally enhance the trail experience. As long as your main consideration is water management you should end up with a maintenance friendly trail that can stand the test of time.

Meurant Botha is the founder and director of AmaRider. AmaRider is a South African non-proﬁt company with the aim of improving MTB opportunities on the African continent. Contact them at 021 8844547 or info@amarider.co.za or visit the website at www.amarider.co.za

FS Gear

Bits and bobs to keep you riding Winter can be a tough time to keep motivated, energised and riding safely so while there’s a cool section of trail gear on the opposite page to inspire you to look good on the trails, here’s a selection of things that are sure to keep those pedals turning through the dark winter months. Avalanche Ladies MTB gloves

If you’re riding in winter you’re going to need long finger gloves. And if you’re a lady you might find it difficult to get long fingered gloves that fit snugly, but fret no more Avalanche have come to the rescue with their long finger offering. We tested the men’s version last year and really enjoyed the fit and feel (the colour took some getting used to – remember the neon green target on the palms?) The ladies ones are white/grey and black with a Hawaiian floral style design and come in three sizes (small, medium and large). You can find out more on www.avalanchebicycles.co.za. RRP R205.

Pub Pedals

Pub Pedals are on an adapter that turns your Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedals into ﬂats so you can ride your bike in normal shoes to, well, the pub. They were awarded the ISPO Brand New Accessories Winner for 2014/2015 and are super easy to ﬁt – they just slide over the Eggbeaters and Bob’s your uncle and you’re ready to roll. The Pub Pedals are produced using 20% Glass Filled Polypropylene, and are manufactured in Canada to CSA (Canadian Standards Association) standards. The colour options are black, blue, white, red, or yellow. If you’re interested in Pub Pedals go to www.sportributionafrica.com. RRP R349.95.

Giant Cyclotron Magnetic Trainer

Finish Line Wet Lube

Keep your beloved bike running like a dream this winter with Finish Line’s wet lube. It’s recommended by Finish Line for use in extreme conditions and it’s formulated with high viscosity synthetic oils, water repelling polymers, and advanced anti-wear additives. Wet lube is their strongest, longest lasting and most water resistant lubricant, so if you’re an avid user of Finish Line products it’s a must have for winter when the trails get wet and gritty (just what your drivetrain hates the most). It provides a smooth, quiet ride and protects your chain from rust too. Find out more at www.capecycles.co.za. RRP R60 for 60ml.

If you’ve read Dr Mike Posthumus’s Coaching Column this month and don’t already have an indoor trainer then you’re going to be in the market for one… and the Giant Cyclotron Magnetic trainer is a reliable and very reasonably priced. With the Giant Cyclotron setup you’ll be keeping your legs and lungs in shape for your spring races. The trainer features a handle bar mounted remote to adjust through the seven levels of variable resistance on the quiet magnetic ﬂywheel. It’s mounted on non–skid rubber, adjustable levelling feet, comes with a tough steel replacement quick-release skewer and accommodates most 24”, 26”, 700C, and 27” wheel sizes. Find out more at www.giant-bicycles.com. RRP R1 995.

Giro XAR

Sometimes the best motivation to get out and ride is a new bit of MTB kit so take a look at the Giro XAR helmet. It’s billed as the Czar of all-mountain helmets by Giro and it certainly looks the part. With its marathon racing, trail riding and enduro racing applications the XAR is constructed from a full wrap in-mold polycarbonate shell with an EPS liner and an internal roll cage. The visor is adjustable to ensure you keep the sun out of your eyes and the X--Static padding is antimicrobial. It also features 17 vents to keep you cool, not that keeping cool is much of a winter issue, and it’s CPSC and CE certiﬁed. Go to www.giro.com for all the sizing information. RRP R2 490.

Ryder Orion 800

This little rechargeable light puts out 800 lumens, is waterproof and its battery is good for thee and a half to twenty ﬁve hours of illumination, depending on the mode you use it in. Its four modes are low, medium, high and max, which offer you a range of options depending on the terrain you’re navigating. It comes complete with handlebar, headlamp and helmet mounts allowing you to locate it as either a primary light on your bars, or, given its light weight, as a secondary light on your helmet to help you illuminate your path and it also encourages the look where you want your bike to go principle. Find out more at www.omnico.co.za. RRP R895.

Gear

Trail riding in style

&mor

Winter is the perfect time to get out there and ride trails. It’s too cold for long boring rides and if you have a bit of local forest single track to bomb it’s all the more fun in the wet. But now if you’re going to ride trails you can’t be seen in Lycra… and then there’s the fact that trail gear does offer more protection for your delicate skin when you crash. So we’ve put together an outﬁt of the most desirable trail riding kit currently out there. POC Trabec Race

Starting at the top, if you’re less mainstream than the Bell Super take a look at POC’s all mountain helmet the Trabec Race. I’m guessing the race refers to Enduro… POC has only been available in SA since March so you’re still guaranteed some exclusivity if you rock up at the trial head with a POC lid. It’s designed to offer more temple and back of the head protection than a standard helmet, features Aramid fiber grid for protection and durability and 16 air flow ports. The Tarbec weighs in at 340g and comes in white and orange, orange and white (that’s not a mistake the dominant colour is listed first) or black and white. Find out more at www.puremotionsports.co.za.

Enduro Comp Jersey

Looking the part on the trail is always going to come down in a large part to baggies and your jersey (okay, pushing your bike downhill will remove any trail-cred your get-up might have helped foster). And dressing in bold colours or in a jersey with bold designs might just make you ride like the teenager you look like too. Or you can choose one of the more subtle jersey designs in the Specialized Enduro range. The Comp jersey features VaporRize™ moisture transfer knit fabrics, UV 30 rated sun protection and one zippered side pocket, complete with a sunglass wipe fabric patch (pretty cool). Obviously it’s designed for a relaxed ﬁt, because you need to hear the wind whipping at your sides as you blast down the trail, not to cut through it like an aerodynamic roadie. Go to www.specialized.com for sizing information.

Shimano M088

Shimano don’t exactly do sexy names for their products, but they do focus on the more important aspects like producing quality products and their oddly named M088 (or to give them their full name: M-Series/Sport SH-M088) are excellent. They’re billed as value for money shoes with a glassﬁber reinforced polyamide midsole plate, a tough stretch-resistant synthetic leather upper and a durable rubber tread for when you’re faced with those hills you just can’t ride up. The M088 is a shoe for the mountain, they’ll happily take a beating on the trail and keep on going. Yes they’re not the lightest but when durability, comfort and the added foot protection of a more rugged shoe are on your wish list then the M088 should be a model to consider. Find out more at www.coolheat.co.za.

Enduro Pro Shorts

Shorts are what save you in a skidding fall. If you’ve even had a low speed touch against gravel in normal bibshorts you’ll know that they don’t do much to protect your legs. The more rugged construction of the Specialized Enduro Pro Shorts offer protection on their own, but the fact that the outer layer can move smoothly over the inner layer reduces friction in the event of a fall, helping reduce the grazing of your skin. From a technical perspective they feature VaporRize™ moisture transfer stretch woven fabrics, three zippered pockets and two zippered vents, a removable liner short with Body Geometry Mountain Chamois and Deﬂect UV 50+ treatment. There are also a bunch of rider reviews on the Specialized website so don’t just believe our word for it, go have a look at www.specialized.com.

Falke BC3 Cross Country

A good pair of socks is an essential to the comfort of any outfit and shock gurus Falke are among the best in the business. The BC3 socks are designed especially for mountain biking with the knowledge that you might well have to push or carry your bike at some point, which makes a significant difference as the pedalling and walking actions lead to friction at different points between your feet and your shoes. They also have a thicker weave above the shoe to protect your ankle that little bit more and are made from high-tech Smartcel fibres to keep your feet kept at the ideal temperature, even if the temperature fluctuates. Read about all the Falke sock offerings at www.falke.com.

Camelbak Blowﬁsh

We did a whole hydration pack review in the gear section of the November issue of Full Sus, but if you can’t revisit it now then take a look at the Camelbak Blowfish. If you’re riding trails you’ll need somewhere to put the endless supply of bar-ones and you can also mix yourself two litres of chocolate milk to take along on your ride. Craft beer and hydration packs don’t mix well, dropping through a rock garden tends to put a bit of a fizz in your beer. Jokes aside the Blowfish is a great hydration pack for longer rides because it features an expansion panel which allows your overall cargo volume to expand over 40%. It also has a two litre bladder and a fleece lined media pocket which protects your Smartphone, iPod or camera. Check it out at www.shop.camelbak.com.

SJ KOTZE

FS Stirling Revolution

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE

rock gardens Unless, you are a salary earning pro, mountain biking should only ever be about one thing having fun. But fun, as Stirling Junior knows, is a relative term, and some people derive fun by winning their category, some love the ﬁtness and long hard climbs, while others enjoy riding with their friends and family.

et’s face it, there are a lot of ways to have fun on our bikes, and for me the most rewarding is when I get a chance to ride down a beautifully cut single-track. That is... until you get held up by a slow guy for half-anhour, while you’re bombing down the magnificent Umkamas valley. Then one’s patience is tested. It was on the recent 2014 Nedbank Sani2c, that I made the discovery that most South African mountain bikers are seriously lacking in technical ability. I’m not talking about hitting jumps, doing tricks, or flying down black diamond DH runs; I am simply talking about riding confidently up, down and through technical terrain, without screaming, unclipping, stalling, getting off or falling. This challenging terrain comes in various forms such as slippery roots, loose ground, fast berms, narrow shoots, tight hairpins, precise bridges, steep sections and of course the dreaded rock infested gardens.

Why are most local mountain bikers (both men and women alike) so behind the learning

curve at riding skilfully when it is the most rewarding aspect of the sport? The first obvious reason is fear. There is a greater risk of falling when riding through a difficult part of the trail. But I guarantee you that there is an equal risk of falling when riding a technical section too slowly as if you were to ride it too fast. The key is finding your flow, a speed that carries enough momentum to carry you over obstacles but still being able to turn or brake or stop in time. I am sure that they will all agree, if you are not falling once every 10 rides, you are not trying hard enough. MTB is not a cheap sport and so most people only start when they can afford a decent bike and all the gear. As a result, the average starting age for most is in their mid-thirties. This is the responsible time in our lives and so being childish on a bicycle just doesn’t seem as appealing as when we were teenagers. As a result, the technical skills and the courage acquired by trial and error, falling off and fooling around never develop. I’m talking about shenanigans like wheelies, endo’s, track

stands, skids, bunny hops, small jumps, and most importantly learning how to fall. To solve this, start acting like a kid again and go to your local park to try learning these skills on the grass. If you have a kid, take them with, try teaching them, or letting them teach you. In South Africa, we have more multi-day events than any other country given the size of our MTB population. Partly spurred by the hype of the ABSA Cape Epic and partly as a retreat from the spouse, these stage races have moulded our mentality into one of ﬁtness, nutrition, and light weight everything. These are certainly not bad things, but they do exclude lots of the good things. Most serious MTB’ers who love their multi-day events will ride at least three times a week. Their focus will be on meters climbed, distance covered, time on the bike, and heart-rate/power readings because these factors are critical to be effective at stage races. But they’re missing out on half the sport. I encourage you to go out and buy yourself one pair of baggy cycling shorts, some long ﬁnger gloves, a Camelbak, maybe some knee pads, put your peak back on your helmet and spend one of those rides per week just enjoying the technical trails avoiding the jeep-track where possible. Ride in a big group, eat barones and just fool around. One of the misconceptions of technical riding is that you need a bicycle with lots of travel. While this helps for the gnarly downhill portions, uphill technical riding through a rocky and rooty trail is also part of the

equation. Any bike can do technical riding. Chunkier softer tyres and wider handlebars may help, but rider skill is the deciding factor. Go out on your race bike and practise the rough stuff. Unfortunately, not everyone in SA is exposed to enough technical cycling conditions. In cities like Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town where there are 100’s of kilometres of brilliant riding within an hours’ drive, it is easy to take for granted and forget that in other parts of SA there are fewer trails or limited single-track. So you might have to travel to ride testing trails, but even booking an international MTB getaway can work out cheaper than entering a major stage race. Finally, technical riding is not as easy as getting ﬁt or following a nutrition plan. Just riding a lot may not be enough. Skill’s coaching is the answer. A few good lessons will advance your riding more than a years’ worth of self-tuition, and will cost less than the doctor’s bills from trial-and-error. If you need more motivation to become a technical riding master, there is no better source than a good MTB trail ﬁlm… just visit YouTube or buy/download some popular MTB trail DVDs. They are far more exciting than our local race highlight reels, and guaranteed to get you hyped for your next ride. And so I put it to you, if your technical riding ability is lacking, stop worrying about your power output, heart-rate and meters climbed. Go get some skills coaching, go ride with friends who are better technically than you (get some tips), download Strava and start beating your negative gradient times, and for the love of the sport STOP riding down jeep-track when there is a beautiful single-track available to take you to the bottom.

Stirling-James Kotze, aka SJ Kotze Years in the saddle: 17 Favourite ride/trail: Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch Recurring MTB nightmare: Noisy, squeaky bikes The Stirling Revolution Bio The father and son combo of Stirling senior and junior are avid cyclists and owners of a local bike shop in Cape Town. In their monthly column they’ll be oﬀering their uniquely phrased views on the ins and outs of mountain biking from negotiating a discount to locating that weird noise your bike keeps making, but won’t make when you take it to the workshop, they’ll cover it.

sa need y now e n er yo Ever hand ev cially in e g in he sp help then, e ce like t r. e d a l i r n a 00 M 0km a 16 Rider 1 Ama

photo of the month

Oakpics is a Strand based photographic company. They shoot a vast array of events, covering everything from wild horses to weddings. But it’s in MTB that they’ve carved out a niche as one of the leaders in the ﬁeld. If you spot them on the trails, usually when you’re picking yourself up after an unexpected brush with the ground, you can purchase the photos directly from their website. Or book them to shoot your event. Call them on 021 854 8723 or visit www.oakpics.com.

Complete the 2014 Full Sus MTB Survey and stand a chance to win entries to the Pennypinchers Origin of Trails.

Navigate to the Full Sus Survey by scanning the QR code or by going to www.fullsus.co.za/category/competitions/ to enter.

Comp

This winter Full Sus wants to know about your riding preferences, what bike you ride, what bike you wish you could ride, what races you ride and what you love to read in Full Sus. All you need to do is complete the Full Sus survey to stand a chance to win a pair of entries to the 2014 Pennypinchers Origin of Trails in Stellenbosch on 28 and 29 November.

CHERIE VALE | NEWSPORT MEDIA

The Prize:

The Pennypinchers Origin of Trails is all about celebrating the amazing trails around Stellenbosch on your mountain bike. It features the old classics in Jonkershoek, iconic trails like G-Spot, the latest trails the Stellenbosch trail builders have cut and a few surprises you really don’t want to miss. The 2014 event will feature a truly once in a lifetime experience, traversing one of the most internationally revered wine farms that has never allowed mountain bikers to cross it’s halloed lands. There’s also a special treat for the lovers of historic man-made beauties… but we can’t hint at more than that. Needless to say it’s going to be an extraordinary event. The Pennypinchers Origin of Trails will feature two days of exceptional riding and entrants can choose to ride either 70km per day, the short option of 40km per day or a mixed option of 70km on day one and 40km on day two. Find out more at www.stillwatersports.com or follow the race build-up on Twitter @OriginOfTrails.

HOW TO WIN: Entries close on the 23rd july 2014. Complete the short Full Sus survey to stand a chance to win a pair of entries. All you have to do is scan the QR Code with your smart phone or go to www.fullsus.com/category/competitions/ and click on the Full Sus Survey. It’ll take you less than ten minutes to complete, it’ll help us bring you better content and give you a chance to ride one of the best races on the 2014 mountain biking calendar.

CALENDAR SUS THE BEST OF July 2014

12 Southern Cape Spur Schools Series # 5

26 Wolseley MTB Challenge KZN

MPUMALANGA

5 DAS Auto #3 12 Cradle Pecan MTB 26 Wildevy MTB Challenge 26 Forever Resorts Badplaas MTB Challenge GAUTENG

5 Nissan Trailseeker #2 12 Gauteng Provincial XCO Champs 12 The Leverage Corporation Ladies MTB Day 2014

19 SA XCO & DHI Champs 26 Gauteng Spur High Schools League Event #1

27 Babbas Lodge MTB Series # 7 EASTERN CAPE 4 Dads and Ladz 5 ECC Provincial XCO #5 9 Eastern Cape Spur High Schools League Event #3 12 Eastern Cape Spur Schools Series Finale 13 Pennypinchers G2C 19 Jeffreys Bay MTB Open 20 3 Silos Carspares XCO 26 Kudu Classic 27 Jikileza Wet and Wild MTB FREE STATE 26 Rhino River Run July WESTERN CAPE

5 Momentum Weekend Argus Rotary 6 7 9 10 12 12

Advertise your event in Full Sus and we will send you copies of the paper for your goodie bags or registration table. Call Julia on 021 685 0285/6

Knysna Cycle Tour MTB Race BIKENITE Cycle Race Trailmania Cycle Enduro Totalsports XTERRA Kids Totalsports XTERRA Spur SWD XCO # 5 Western Cape Spur Schools Series #2

5 Golovane North Coast Trail Festival 5 Burry Stander Sardine Classic 6 Creighton Aloe Festival MTB Ride 12 Giba Gravity Enduro 13 KZN MTB Classic 19 Gooderson Drakensberg Gardens MTB 19 Dargle Trail Festival 20 Varsity College MTB # 1 20 Kwambo Lion Classic - Big 5 Series # 3 26 KZN Spur High Schools League Event #5 26 iMfolozi MTB Challenge 27 ngeli MTB Ride NORTH WEST

27 Rustenburg MTB LIMPOPO

5 Yurok Spur MTB Challenge 5 Simpson Motors Phalaborwa MTB Challenge 19 Mabalingwe Lion Man OUT IN AFRICA

4 ZimSpur High Schools League (Zimbabwe) 5 Ngwenya Glass MTB (Swaziland) 7 Laikipia XC (Kenya) 19 ZimSpur Schools Series Finale (Zimbabwe)

August 2014 RACE CALENDAR MPUMALANGA

2 Krokodilpoort MTB Race 9 DAS Auto #4 16 Spur High Schools League #3 30 Nkomazi MTB Challenge 30 Delmas Wes MTB

LIMPOPO 9 Akkedis MTB 23 Waterberg Toyota Lindani MTB Classic

9 Potberg & De Hoop MTB 23 Spur High Schools League #4 30 Greyton MTB Tour

GAUTENG 9 Tuine Trap MTB 9 XCOSA #2 17 ArcelorMittal and Bedworth Centre MTB Race 23 Altech Autopage Jozi2Kozi 30 Nissan Trailseeker #3

3 Illovo Eston MTB Race 9 Spur High Schools League #6 10 South Coast Hospice Sugar

EASTERN CAPE

2 Spur School Challenge 2 Foolish Frenzy 8 36One Stormsriver Traverse 9 Blood Buddy Memel Marathon 10 Trans Baviaans 24 3 Silos Carspares XCO #3 24 Greyvensteins Attorneys’ MTB Classic

30 Stonehouse Corporate Challenge 30 Twizza Longhill MTB Challenge 31 Spur High Schools League #2 FREE STATE

2 Spur High Schools League #2 30 Rhino River Run WESTERN CAPE

2 Die Burger MTB Challenge 2 Spur SWD XCO #6 9 Spur High Schools League #3

KZN

Challenge

16 Harburg Tour De Kranz 17 Grantleigh MTB Challenge 21 iSimangaliso 23 Maweni MTB 23 Spur High Schools League #7 24 Varsity College MTB 24 Howick Highlander 30 Scottburgh MTB Race 30 Rhino Adventure Ride 30 Mandela Marathon MTB Challenge 31 Scottburgh MTB Race NORTH WEST

2 Spur High Schools League #1 2 Dam to Dam 16 Spur High Schools League #2 17 Bestmed Lost City MTB 30 Spur High Schools League #3 OUT IN AFRICA

01 Nedbank Tour de Tuli (Zimbabwe) 16 Spur High Schools League #3 (Lesotho)

List your Event in the Full Sus Calendar Get your event, big or small, from the ABSA Cape Epic to your LBS weekly training ride listed in the Full Sus calendar. If it’s a MTB event, be it a ride or race, we want to list it. And it’s free! All you need to do is go to www.fullsus.co.za, click on ‘Event Calendar’ and ﬁnd the submit event bar, ﬁll in your event details and click submit. Then Robert’s your mother’s brother, your event will soon be live on FullSus.co.za to be seen by thousands of mountain bikers from the furthest corners of South Africa.

It’ll automatically be included in the newspaper too. And best of all, it’s FREE. Just like Full Sus.

JUNE Must do events ■ June Must Do Events

14 June: Napier Patatfees MTB Naming a mountain bike race after a high carb root vegetable festival might cause some consternation amongst the Tim Noakes diet disciples but if you are more sensible you’ll ﬁnd that the mountains of Napier in the Overberg are the perfect MTB playground. There are 60km (R160), 30km (R120), 15km (R80) and Kiddies race options and

CALENDAR KEY

Mpumalanga

Free State

Limpopo

Western Cape

Northern Cape

KZN

Gauteng

North West

Eastern Cape

Out in Africa

the usual small town agricultural show activities and stalls to keep you fed and entertained off the bike. The main race takes in 1 564 meters of climbing up on to the mountains of the Jan Malherbe Private Nature Reserve. Find out all about it at www.napierpatatmtb.co.za

■ 14 June: Greyton MTB Classic The Greyton Classic is the third and ﬁnal leg of the Pennypinchers Classic MTB series. The Greyton Classic has become one of the Cape’s most iconic one day races. Within two years of its inception the Classic was bursting at the seams of Greyton and the race had to be moved to the Oaks Estate outside town. The 2014 race includes a 48km (R150), 22.5km (125) and 11.5km (R75) mountain bike races

as well as 10km (R100) and 21km (R125) trail runs and a MTB and Trail Run biathlon (R250). You can enter online through the event website www.greytonclassic.co.za.

■ 15 June: Ride of the Roses MTB Series Event #1 Get down to Ludwig’s Rose Farm for the ﬁrst race of the Ride the Roses MTB series. There are 50km (R150), 25km (R130), 10km (R80) and 1km (R50) distances on offer taking in the countryside north of Pretoria, and with the beautiful Rose farm as the base you can be sure of a scenic ride. Entries close on the 12th of June and you can ﬁnd out more by going to www.francosport.co.za or enter online at www.cycleevents.co.za. Please note Ride the Roses is a Cycling South

Africa sanctioned ride, so you will need a CSA licence or you’ll have to purchase a day licence for the event.

■ 15 June: Safire Baynesfield MTB Classic Get out and about on Father’s Day in KZN and enter the Safire Baynesfield MTB Classic at the Baynesfield Club. The race used to be known as the Indlovu Classic, and the main event includes the seven kilometre Baynesfield Breaker climb. There is R22 000 worth of prize money up for grabs and if you’re race conscious the Classic also forms part of the ROAG Series. The distances on offer are as follows: 65km (R205), 45km (R170), 20km (R105) and 10 km (R50). Enter online through www.roag.co.za or on the day.

Classiﬁeds

full susCLASSIFIEDS

Winter Warmer

MTB Tour

25 - 30 July 2014

Round trip George to George, with a detour into Die Hel

www.daytrippers.co.za 021 511 4766

BOOK NOW ! to secure your place

PA2C

Prince Albert to Wilderness Beach Supported Social Ride Cycling from Great Karoo across Klein-Karoo

day one

60 KMS

DAY TWO

75KMS

DAY THREE

50KMS

• Excellent gravel roads • Full back-up provided

• Jeep trackes to test endurance and not so much technical MTB

CAPE TOWN CONCEPT STORE OPENING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 SALES & MECHANIC POSITIONS AVAILABLE. EMAIL CV TO GAIL@LOADANDGOSA.COM

ability • 4 nights accommodation *incl incl dinner, bed & breakfast contact LINDSAY STEYN on (M) 082 456 8848 or (E) lindsay@dennehof.co.za * MINIMUM OF 4 / MAXIMUM OF 12

GUEST HOUSE TOURS

Royalty Sports is the exclusive distributor of Trek Bicycles in South Africa. | Tel: 021 2000 454 | www.royaltysports.co.za