Journey

Hi guys and girls!

Lots of things have happened during the last few months and as you all know, I was referring to the fact that me and David de Backer planned together to do the ABSA Cape Epic in 2013. Sadly we could not find any sponsors to do so. But once again, thanks for all the wishes and support. We are disappointed but we know the right time will come for us to take part in the event.

For those who don't know, I'm a Bike Pure Ambassador in which I support a drug free sport. Now as we all know, cycling and doping doesn't go well together and there is always negative publicity regarding this issue in the media. In fact, everyday more athletes gets caught for using banned substances which is great because we know World Anti-Doping Agency do its work to clean up the sport. Some athletes do not believe in our movement however we do our best from our side to protect current and future champions.

This year however, I was fortunate enough to have an interview with John-Lee Augustyn. Great South African cyclist who signed a contract with British based squad, Team Sky. I was very interested to hear what he has to say and I was inspired by the words. We always think that professional athletes have the life while they are also under heavy pressure during the racing season yet they are passionate about what they do.

Now I have been a cyclist for quite some time now and I know the pain cyclists go through every single day and as you get injured, you want to give up after a while yet you know that your friends are there to support you through the good and bad times.

Besides cycling, I found a new passion and that is photography. In August after flying back home from Joburg, I decided to chill and take some pictures at the MTN National Series - Gravel Travel. After a got home and downloaded over 300 pictures I took on the day, Kevin Evans of Team 360 Life, used one of my photo's in his blog. This inspired me and I knew this is my chance to shine. So I decided that I want to go and study photography next year and take it from there.

I'm pretty excited for what is lying ahead and hope to go big not only in my cycling but photography too.

Well that is all for now folks. Once again thanks for all the great support.

Till next time!

Yolande

Kevin Evans - Team 360 Life

Never say never.

One thing I have learnt is to never say never and today this is what my blog is all about.

We give up to easily and when it comes to fighting the battle between you and your compatriot, if you give up, you lose the battle to quickly because your rival is stronger than what you are. Normally we trust ourselves and never listen to the negative things others says around us but one day, you walk down the road and next to you someone would say, you know what, you will never succeed in anything you do nor will you ever reach the top. Maybe that is why, when we woke up the following morning, we would just sit there in a corner and tell ourselves, is it worth it to get out of the bed of the morning? Many times we fall but rise again. Many people said to me that I will never ever succeed in life with anything, and I just told myself that no matter how hard it will be to win the battle, giving up is definitely not an option to anyone of us no matter what is standing in our way such as illness, injuries, the lost of friendships or relationships or simply family issues, just go out there knowing that even if you don't cross the line first, you are still a champion.

There is times when I thought life only treat me unfairly but I realized that I'm not the only person going through tough days, but I'm holding on tight and enjoy the journey. I have never thought in my life that I will go this far as a cyclist nor will I get the chance to represent our country and be an ambassador for an organisation named Bike Pure. Today I'm involved with lots of projects that supports the movement of anti-doping. I work with great international and local cycling teams and it opened lots of doors for me. Being an Ambassador for Bike Pure means that you have to share stories on why not to use banned substances to perform well against top athletes and yes this will not open sponsorships for you. You do research on every banned substances on the WADA lists and write articles about these things in order to open athletes eyes on these subjects.

For me personally, it open my eyes as an athlete yet will I never consider myself one day as an athlete to use banned substances to perform well at an elite level just to keep sponsorships. It ruins not only your own reputations but everyone around you as well. But coming back to my blog, I used to say to myself that never in my entire life will I participate in the ABSA Cape Epic, but in 2011, my views just changed and I picked up the greatest partner for the 2013 edition and we have never been so excited in a very long time. This time we are taking our mountain biking to a whole new level. They say you are not a true mountain biker until you have finish this grueling event. But yet the training is very difficult especially after you had a serious injury that have put you on side line for over a year.

This will definitely be a life changing experience for me and David. I do realize at a certain point of the race, your body will be in pain and you will be extremely tired after spending nearly 7 hours on a bicycle going over mountains and very technical course but with the ABSA Cape Epic celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2013, this will be a really special one for all the riders out there. I still keeping my fingers crossed for being accepted to volunteer next year in order to have a bigger chance of getting a entry ticket for 2013 but so far, the main focus is to get into good shape and take everything from there.

Just would like to thank Paul van Zweel, David de Backer, the great people at Bike Pure and my family for all their support and to all my great friends from around the world.

Be sure to watch this space!

Till next time!

Yolande

ABSA Cape Epic - A dream about to become a reality.

For any typical human being, we use the word "Never" on a regular basis but who knows what the future holds in for us?? In 2007 the Cape Epic visited Robertson back in 2007 and from hearing all the stories on this event, makes you wanna see all the action happening in front of you. Things like a broken bone or a bleeding arm makes you ask yourself "Do I really wanna do this??" Some of these riders participating in this event, have a reason on why they are doing it. Yes its a very painful week of racing but in the end it makes you stronger as a person. In my case, I used to say "I will never do the ABSA Cape Epic in my life!!" A couple of years later, he I am with the greatest partner of all time David De Backer getting ourselves prepared to take on this journey.

You watch from a spectators point of view that it looks so easy and that riders aren't going through any physical pain yet as you are a cyclist sitting in a saddle for a period of 6-7 hours, your body is really tired and sore as well. Months of good preparation goes into this and hours of doing training day in and day out. Reading the blogs of some of the professional riders, not only do amateurs suffer on these tough conditions but the pro riders as well. Watching the live broadcast of some of the stages, you see how they dump of their bike and push it up on some of the steep climbs. Every day they faces new challenges but yet they conquer each one of them.

For a very time, I sat down and made the decision on whether I should do this or not. Its always a thing that you must think about carefully before making a decision. Not only do you have to think about yourself but as well of your teammate. With strict regulations on the Cape Epic and its riders as well, we can't have a time gap of 2 min between us otherwise we find ourselves being disqualified and no outside assistance so any mechanicals you do get that must be fixed by a mechanic, have to wait till the next water point. Determination, strength and motivation will take us from one stage to another. Its all about not only have faith in yourself but in your teammate as well and its important to train with that person to see whats each other's weak and strong points and how we can work on it.  Support is also a very important thing for anyone. Hear the crowd scream as you finish and feel proud of what you have achieved and see those people who you love such as family and friends. 

I'm very excited to take on this journey with David and experience something different from the most races we normally do. Discover new places, meet new people along the way and just enjoy what the nature has to offer. We look forward to see ourselves on the start line of the 2013 ABSA Cape Epic.

Thanks to everyone for all the great support!

Till next time!

Yolande 

South African Track Championships 2011

Hi guys, sorry for the delays in updating my blog. Here is some photo's of Callen Watson at the South African National Track Championships at the Bellville Velodrome. He got a silver and bronze medal and will represent South Africa at the World Junior Track Championships in England later this year.

Random moments

This is a story of when I'm of the bike doing random things for fun. Each day that passes by, I did something super randomly just for the fun thats when I'm not on the bike going up a climb or on a downhill (thats what Robertson has to offer for cyclists such as me.) Robertson is known for the words "A small town with a big heart.) For me its all about having fun when the days arrive when I don't really feel like head out and train. While I sit with a couple of crazy friends who really are fun to hangout with, such as David De Backer who is my ABSA Cape Epic partner, he started a thing called "TDH" for those who don't exactly know what I'm talking about.. they take a GO PRO camera and film where they go downhills on tricycles. Now thats one funny/random thing to do. So while I checked the films they took, I decided well maybe I should do it myself although I need to buy myself a tricycle in order to do it. I arrived at a food store named Shoprite and well there was two tricycles up on the shelf (one in plasic and other one not in plasic) so I took one off and decided to sit on it and well yes there was other people standing there to pay for the things they bought and everything came to a stand still when I was sitting on it. Felt like I was the Queen who rule the world haha.

While I love track cycling, I decided to take my family on a Tour in the Bellville Velodrome to show them around on how it looks inside etc, I found myself in the middle of the track walking around on the slippery part, while I was standing there, the track was covered in bird poop so I found a cleaner place and actually kissed the track. Wanted to leave something behind for fun. While I was on a camp in January, I clearly didn't know what I'm getting myself in to, there wasn't really time to get some rest and on the last night of our camp, we had a war where its a battle (guys vs girls) and it was going on in the middle of the night and all you hear are screaming and my cabin mates was rushing in just to protect themselves. You couldn't even go to the bathroom as guys where hidding there with water balloons etc. I wasn't prepared to be thrown by some sour milk or eggs that time of the morning so I just sat and listen to the stories of others what was going on outside.

While me and my friend Callen Watson made a promise on throwing each other with eggs, its super crazy to throw each other with 21 eggs or 18 eggs. I'm not scared at all in fact I will need a good shower afterwards. That shows exactly how crazy I can be when I feel like it. While I'm on the bike, I can crash without breaking a bone, till today the most serious injury is hurting my ankle ligaments. Don't ask me how I get it right but I ask myself the same question. I always got time on my hands to do crazy things and I actually enjoy it. One day while traveling in Cape Town, I rode in a taxi to the Cape Argus Expo, now to be squashed and hold on for your dear life on your belongings is one of a story and the music they are playing is.. very strange. When people stands next to the sidewalks, the taxi driver thinks you actually need a lift so they will whistle as loud as they can. That was honestly the most random thing ever and thats to find yourself in a taxi. When me and family traveled back with a other small taxi, we were impressed to see no one was in the taxi, no one! We wasn't too impressed when it makes the strangest noises coming from under the taxi. That was serioulsy scary stuff and we were relieved when we arrived safely back to our destination.

Well thats all for now.

Till next time!

Yolande

When things might not go according to your plans.

Today I just realized that bicycles and cars sharing a narrow road is not such a good idea and why? It can be very dangerous especially when it involves a traffic circle. Now from my house to the traffic circle is downhill all the way and some motorist simply ignores the stop sign cos of the fact that they are to lazy to brake and they simply just carry on. To be honest that's Robertson people for you.

Now while going down this bumpy road all the way to the traffic circle before heading up a fairly steep short climb, you don't really think of braking at a high speed and take your one foot out of the pedal as fast as you can. In my case the traffic was fairly good until someone decided to brake in the middle of the road near the circle which backed up the vehicles going in the same direction causing drama as you hear hooters and people shouting for the car to get out of the way. I just watched it as it happened.

Now a few meters from our house is the provincial hospital and yes I don't recommend people to go there but the drama continues as I couldn't brake in time to miss the car standing in front of me. Its either braking and lose control or just head straight into the car and well at that point I braked as fast as I could and ended up crashing. Yes not the best choice but I wouldn't dare seeing myself going through someone's car back window and ending up getting major injuries.

After a while lying there in pain, I just picked myself up and carrying on and well that wasn't the easiest thing. With the grind on my face explaining the pain, all that was going through my mind was to get back home as fast as possible. At that point, you just really hope for the best. Sadly some people don't have any respect for cyclists using the roads and most of the town roads don't have any yellow lines only the main roads. Lots of discussions went into this for safety reasons and till today no feed back.

So I see myself for a couple of days getting rest and recover to start training again. Its a very painful story but sometimes you simply can't avoid anything.

Thanks everyone for the support as it means a lot.

Till next time!

Yolande

The Journey to the ABSA Cape Epic 2013

To all my readers, sorry for taking to long to update my blog due to the fact that lots of planning is going on these last couple of days but here I am to update everyone on what's going on these couple of days. Hope you guys enjoy it.

In my last update, I wrote on the ABSA Cape Epic, the 2011 edition just finished on Sunday at Lourensford Wine Estate outside Somerset-West. Like they say you aren't a mountain bike until you finished it and that's what I'm about to do. In this blog I will write on some of my journeys that I experienced the last couple of days.

For any typical person such as me, we take some time to write our goals down and do anything to achieve it but it takes lots of courage, determination and motivation to achieve it. While the ABSA Cape Epic is known for its grueling challenging courses layed out by Leon Evans known as Dr. Evil, its not always as easy as watching it from a spectator side and if you are not a cyclist yourself the you won't understand how that guys feels and that's when no one have respect for us as they don't get an idea of how it effects our bodies in many ways. For a week, these guys don't get a chance of seeing their families nor friends if they don't live in this areas but with so many spectators lining up at the start/finish areas, this do mean something for each of them taking part on this endurance event.

From professionals to just amateurs, finishing this event is a huge honor and the feeling of crossing the line is something they can't describe to anyone. With this being a team event, its not all about having not only faith in yourself but in your teammate as well and team work is a must. The thing I love of team events is the bond between two persons and they exactly know what's your strong and weak points as you race over a part of the Western Cape.

South Africa have a beauty of its own that attracts people to visit the country and with a rich history and culture makes our country special in a way. With beautiful areas, we have amazing routes for mountain biking and road. It brings international riders to our country as the ABSA Cape Epic shows what we have to offer for international tourist and showcase our beautiful nature as well.

Recently I decided to search for the right partner to team up with me to do this event in 2013 and as I was thinking on whom to ask, the name David De Backer came to mind. He is racing for Team Senqu and have a passion for the sport of mountain biking. While he had to miss out on the South African XC Championships and African XC Championships, this was the perfect opportunity for him to experience different from what we are used to with me.

With training starting soon, long hours on the bike awaits for both of us and with the cost of the 2012 ABSA Cape Epic stands on R35 400, its important to get a sponsor who will back you with everything you need during the 8 days of racing. While I'm waiting for confirmation on whether I'm accepted to volunteer next year in order to stand a better chance of receiving an entry, a couple of things need our attention such as training and sponsorships before next year as the entries for 2013 opens next year April.

While watching the repeats of this years edition, the questions pops up “Are you sure you want to do this” but then on the other side you think by yourself at the end of the day its all about the experience and what you have learned during that 8 days. Its not as easy as it looks but it change your views on life and proves to you that no matter how tough it is, anything is possible. By thinking how welcomed you will feel deep inside crossing the finish line with a big crowd supporting you is an amazing feeling.

While training is crucial to prepare mentally and physically, the thing that scares you the most is the part of accidents. If you fall then there is a chance you must withdraw and illness is also a big factor. This is not a one day race but 8 hours of long hours in the saddle and anything can happen at any time and its important to go in with lots of preparations is crucial.

With lots of planning going on, it can be very stressful at times. That's when you sit down and think of lots of things that need to be taken into considerations. No one said it will be easy at all but the fact is that so many people is supporting you can help you in so many ways.

Till next time

Yolande

ABSA Cape Epic Presented by Adidas.

ABSA Cape Epic, toughest and biggest mountain bike stage race in the world. Ranked number one on the UCI list, by the organization and top athletes from around the world, you will understand why. Started in 2004, today its a successful event with top UCI riders participating in this endurance event and for every youngster or old, this a race that test yourself against all odds and every second counts.

International riders sees this as a version of the Tour de France, the only difference is they ride mountain bikes instead of road bikes. In the 2011 edition, 1 200 riders, 707km, 14 550m of climbing in only 8 days in the Western Cape - South Africa. Some do it for the experience, to race against others or simply ride for a charity of their choice however preparation is a must from professionals to amateur riders. No one ever said this will be easy. For those who finish it after 8 days they have spent for hours in a saddle, test your endurance, bike handling skills and physical and mental strength, is a achievement when crossing the finish line in Lourensford Wine Estate.

Every mountain biker's dream is do participate in this event however it takes 20 hours of hard training a week to find yourself on the start line and as we know Leon Evans known as Dr. Evil makes the route tougher every single year so preparation is crucial. Since follow the race since 2007, I never knew of it till they passed through Robertson. Ever since I follow the race on television or watch one of the stages when its in my area. This year, the people in Worcester went all out to welcome them as they visit Worcester Gim for 2 nights before heading out to Oak Valley in Grabouw.

The most amazing thing is that Worcester Primary school created their own arts piece by having coloured papers with the colours of the ABSA Cape Epic while spelling Epic out. With the amazing vibe on the school grounds, people were cheering on their favourite riders no matter if they are locals or international teams. With heavy rains the night before the start of the 32km time trial stage in Worcester, few damages out on the route made the organizers decide to change the route for safety reasons.

First bunch of riders started at 7 am the morning and with a rain cloud hanging over the grounds, this didn't stop any rider from going out of the start ramp while the referee count down the seconds. Spectators was streaming in to see the top 30 elite riders on the general classification in action. With defending Team Bulls not having a great Cape Epic, they focused on defending their 3rd place overall while Team Merida is second and 360ne Songo.info Specialized in 1st position.

Jose Antiono Hermida, world marathon champion was quickly interviewed by Francois and Paul before getting prepared to start. Everyone wanted to know, will Jose and Ralph win a stage?? the answer "I am still waiting for my legs to arrive, from there we will see what is going to happen" who knew what these two have up their sleeves. Burry Stander and Christopher Sauser is the last to start, can they win once again?? The answer is yes. You can never underestimate this pair when it comes to cross country and marathon racing. While Stander won African Cross Country Championships, South African Cross Country Championships, South African Marathon Championships and former U23 World Cross Country Champion, he is surely a champion on his own.

For many years, South African's tried to win this event but was unsuccessful and who knew that Burry Stander will come out and have the golden jersey over his shoulders for a week?? This was the first time a South African won it on home soil. Now for those who don't know after a long period of saying "I will never do it" came the words out of my mouth, "Gonna try and do it in 2013". This time around I will do the first one for experience before taking it very seriously. As we all know training for this ain't easy but with all the support I am getting, it surely do help in every possible way.

I will first do "Volunteer" work during the 2012 Cape Epic to stand a better chance of getting a entry but first I need to get confirmation if I'm accepted or not from there I will see what is lying ahead. Training will be crucial for me after my injury causing me to start all over again which is difficult as I don't know how it will effect me in my performance.

So far I got backing for sponsorships as well a partner. I am planning of riding for a charity called Ride For Recovery which is helping people who is addicted to drugs and many other things. By raising funds for them, makes me know that for all the pain and suffering me and my partner goes through will mean something special to someone else.

Follow me on Twitter @yolpret and my partner @DavidDebacker.

Till next time.

Yolande

ABSA Cape Epic 2011 Part 1

ABSA Cape Epic, the worlds toughest and biggest mountain bike stage race in the world. International riders know this as the Tour de France of mountain biking. Kevin Vermaak, organizer made this event a successful one after he got an idea of creating it in 2004 and after 9 years, this is a well known event a cross the world. From professionals to amateurs ride a distance of 707km, 14 550m of climbing in just 8 days.

1200 riders from a cross the world participate in this prestige race. I honestly never knew of this event till in 2007 when they visit Robertson for the very first time. The water point was located at the airstrip not far from my house and that was the first time I saw the likes of Jose Antiono Hermida and many other international riders pass me. Still today, I would always visit the ABSA Cape Epic when its in my area. The vibe is always truly amazing and so many people come out to make the riders feel welcome when they visit the town.

Last year I finally got a chance of meeting Jose Antiono Hermida and his teammate Rudi van Houts in Worcester and its not always possible to meet up with the world champion himself. Every year it brings many memories back that I will hold on to for years. While I'm a huge fan of Team Merida, I always support a couple of South African teams such as Team Garmin Adidas, Team MTN Qhubeka and DCM. In 2011,
I once again was a spectator at the ABSA Cape Epic, this time at the Time Trial in Worcester. The night before, it was raining since early the morning and with riders and staff sleeping in tents means trouble. Every thing is soaking wet and as with the route, Leon Evans known as Dr. Evil had to fix some of the bridges due to the rain and had to change the route slightly for safety reasons. As the riders started at 7am on Thursday morning, they were facing 800m climbing over a distance of 32km.

With the top 30 elite teams starting only at 11, Burry Stander and Christopher Sauser of 36One Songo.info taking the win, the weather was certainly unpleasant as the wind was blowing and it started raining but this didn't stop people from coming to the venue and support their family and friends. I met so many knew people on the day from Holland to other European countries. Every year this event gets better and with the number of people participating, the Western Cape and South Africa can show what it has to offer.

With some of my friends racing, I decided to go and support them on the day as encourage helps a lot especially after such a long period they have spent on the bike. One funny thing that happened was my friend Francois Ashton who I know from my racing as he is a commentator at some of the races in our area, introducing me to the crowd. The Worcester Primary School took some time to sing and just go all out to support the riders and cheer them on, this was really special.

Now I once said that I will never participate in the ABSA Cape Epic and today I decided to give it a try and get to know the feeling of it as the other riders. The most scary part is the fact of crashing, if you fall there you might wake up in a hospital. After injuring my ankle, this got me thinking but if you don't take a risk, where will you end up in life. Its all about creating memories and test yourself to see how strong you are and how determined you are.

Every rider in this race not only have to have faith in himself but in his partner as well because they are not only your partner but your friend as well. The one thing that inspires me is the words "Together we shall overcome", this is not an individual race but a team of 2. It takes hours of training to get there but at the end when you cross the finish line in Lourensford, you achieved something that you simply can't describe to anyone.

Next year I'm going to volunteer but first I need to go through the process of sending an application to tell them why I would like to volunteer. As we know when it comes to these events, experience in a certain field are required. Thanks to African Cross Country Championships, I have a chance of getting accepted. Its not an easy job to volunteer but its all about having fun. All I do hope for is to participate in 2013 myself. This is chance I want to grab with both hands and test myself against the best riders in the world and see where it will take me. Every person who have done this in the past, have a inspiring story to tell and this is something that change you views on life.

In my next blog, I will be writing on the second part of the 2011 ABSA Cape Epic.

Till next time!

Yolande

Watching tv while realizing you just saw yourself.

For a average typical ex roadi and now a mountain biker, every Tuesday night 7pm you will find me in front of the tv watching Supercycling on Supersport. With some familiar faces being shown every week, the time I was waiting for have arrived. The UCI African Cross Country Continental Championships will be broadcasting on South African most loved cycling show on tv.

As most know, I was the bottle girl for Team Jeep rider Ryan Ellis on the day. Never the less did I know the tv crew of Supersport caught me on camera while Renay Goustra of Team GT Mr Price had a mechanical not far from me. While my parents is looking out for themselves walking up and down past the start/finish line, I was standing on top of a mountain passing on bottles for Ryan and there wasn't time to do any other things besides looking into the bushes of the Forest of Jonkershoek searching for a person with a Scott Scale bike with a red Specialized helmet.

Tonight was one of those nights when the memories become a reality once again. It felt like I was experiencing it over again as I watch myself on tv while taking over a couch. One thing is for sure, nobody will every take that experience away from me as it was a special moment for me and a big present before I'm turning 21. Its never an easy task as its quite stressful but at the end of the day, its all worth it. You meet so many people alongside the road and be able to see your friends you haven't seen in a very long time.

Today the pictures of Ryan Ellis and me at the UCI African Cross Country Continental Championships is against my wall and everytime I take a peek at it, everything single moment is going through my mind like some kind of movie playing in a cinema. I just would like to take a time to thank Ryan Ellis for everything he have done for me and my family for driving me all the way to Stellenbosch early in the morning so that I can support Ryan on the day.

Soon I'm starting racing and I'm looking forward to it.

As I'm an Ambassador for the movement against the use of drugs in the sport of professional cycling, please support Bike Pure which is an organization that supports a drug free sport. If you like to join as a rider or a team, please feel free to drop us an email at info@bikepure.org or visit our website www.bikepure.org to see how you can make a difference within our sport. Follow us on twitter @BikePure or join our page on facebook Bike Pure for daily updates.

Till next time.

Yolande

The road to recovery.

If you want to be a successful cyclist, training is crucial when it comes to winning races and physical and mental strength. When you compare road racing to mountain biking, you will soon find out that mountain biking is a real tough sport. The worst thing that can happen to you is injuries, it takes a lot of time to recover and training is out of the question. Unexpectedly this is what happened to me more than a year go and till today I struggle to recover from a ankle injury.

There comes a time when you think by yourself while sitting at the hospital waiting for confirmation on tests, “Is there a chance I can't do cycling anymore?”. With pressure on your shoulders to do well in races, it does make it even more stressful when you look at your training plan and think on what's really lying ahead. No one ever said it easy to make a comeback and that's true. While I'm sitting here writing this blog, lots of things run through my mind. Cycling is definitely not an easy sport and for those who sit in front of the tv looking at the racing thinking to themselves, that looks easy, then you should try it for yourself.

While I was walking in Pick-n-Pay one afternoon, I got this evil look from my enemies and I though to myself this time around I'm gonna beat them at the line. While this is giving me some motivation to train even harder this time around, I'm going to show them what I'm capable of. I have more experience when it comes to climbing and singletrack then them. Thanks to the organizer of the event, I was chosen to ride out the route and give my option on the route. We just hope it won't be muddy this time around.

This is never an easy route, with lots of steep climbs and technical downhills and singletrack, this is where support comes in. While my dad is pushing me to train harder this two months to prepare for the big event, my goal is to take the win home. Not an easy task but would be the greatest achievement. All men for itself, there is no such thing as a person riding next to you in a car, shouting “Go harder”. This is where the voice inside your head comes in telling you to push harder like never before. With about 6 climbs you have to face, it goes up and up. When you hit the nature reserve, its either turning those legs till your lungs burn and your legs shout at your or get off the bike and walk up with your bike over your shoulders.

This might sound easy to those who read it, but trust me its a tough race in the Klein Karoo. If you want to finish under 3 or 2 hours, then you have to forget thinking about pain and use your determination. The evening before the race, I think back to the route and know where to ride at a high pace and where to relax. With the race around the corner, two months of suffering is lying ahead. With my family and friends backing me, this is now or never. The road to recovery is painful but can pay off at the end of the day.

Robertson Winery MTB Challenge is taking place on the 4th of June 2011 at Paru Farm. This is the moment I've been waiting for.

In my next blog, I will be writing on my training so I can update everyone on my journey to take the win home.

Hope you guys enjoy reading it.

Till next time!

Yolande

While watching the Social Network, I found myself breaking one of my teeth.

For a long period of time while seeing the advertises on the Social Network which is based on Facebook, I was looking forward to watch the behind the scenes of how they develop this amazing social networking site which I'm using. The reason why I'm using facebook is to communicate with my family and friends all over the world. Its also a great way to advertise a business or even a organization on this site.

While you find people that's against the use of facebook after they read articles in newspapers or hear what the presenters on the news on how girls and guys breaks the rules and regulations of facebook, the number of safety concerns was certainly a huge factor. You will even find people who use facebook to find their love of life. Strange enough some people did find a guy or a girl that they met over facebook and today they are happily married or in a relationships.

After a long period of wait for the Social Network to come out on a DVD, today the wait was over. While I took a painkiller last night, it caused me to sleep till after 12 today and maybe that's the reason why family so concerned about me sleeping till late. All I do remember was when my mom and sister rushed into my room to tell me that they are going to town while I'm looking like someone who recently experienced a hangover.

While I got out of the bed, I accidentally over heard that my sister went and hired two DVD's at our local video shops in Robertson. While I rushed to my sisters room in my pajamas after one in the afternoon with a packed of Lays chips, I was ready to watch the Social Network for the very first time ever.

While watching it with a smile on my face and eating some chips, something strange happened to me. For some reason there must have been something hard in my packed of chips and while grabbing some of it and eating it, the worst thing happened. One of my small teeth in the back of my mouth broke off and I thought at that time maybe it was just a chip that got stuck in between my teeth or something. I went to the mirror and saw I was wrong.

This certainly spoiled my say and with my that hate a dentist just like a doctor, I wasn't happy to hear that I need to visit one during this coming week. With my ankle giving me hell since this last few days thinking if I should consider visiting my doctor for a injection into my ankle ligaments, I wasn't prepared for the next part of breaking one of my teeth.
All I can say is that I do hope for better days instead of worst ones that consistently hit me day in and day out.

Let's hope the upcoming week will turn out better.

To all of my friends who rode and finished the South African XC Championships at Delvera Farm today, well done.

That's all for now.

Till next time!

Cheers

Tv crew + mud = a fun/challenging Robertson Winery MTB Challenge.

The month of June means Wacky Wine Weekend for our local cyclist its not about the wine but the most amazing race on the mountain bike calendar! When it started in 2007, I was there on the start line while its raining cats and dogs and all you hear is the squeak of the brakes behind you. It was so cold that I couldn't feel my legs or anything.

With the route that have a bit of everything from jeep tracks, climbs and single track, its a race for the whole family to enjoy. While you walk out the steep climbs, you can take some time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the wine valley. Robertson is known for its famous wines from Bon Courage, Robertson Wines, Rooiberg, Graham Beck who passed away from cancer, Van Loveren and for those who likes brandy, Klipdrift is also here.

With the pouring rain, we was clearly not warned of walking with our bikes through a dam and with your mtb shoes and socks getting wet, your feet was freezing off. When you got to climbs there was no chance of changing gears nor brake on the fast down hills. We don't want to crash and end up getting injured at all. With parents watching over their young ones we grouped up with the 12km route before turning off into the bushes of the little karoo. Its dry and all you see in front of you is mist. This was making racing difficult as you couldn't see where you are going at all.

While I must stop to wipe of the mud from my chain and have some lube on my chain ring to carry on riding, it was surely not easy and I all I want to do is finish. At that moment I want a hot bath and a warm cup of coffee. That time there was no chance of doing it. With my glasses covered in mud, the water on the roads was rising quickly as it wasn't stop raining. With no phone signals in the area, you simply keep on pushing yourself to the next water point.

There was a point I wanted to give up but I was pushing myself and telling myself you can do it you are not that far from the finish. As I waS climbing out the last climb, I could hear the music and the screaming of the people at the finish line. That made me pedal faster and my heart was pumping with the adrenaline rush.

I could see in my mind how I'm going to throw my arms up into the air from being proud. My family is standing next to the finish line waiting for me to come in. Like I know them, they will shout at me and do all kinds of things. With my cycling kit soaking wet and see myself covered in mud while all you see is my eyes and my teeth. It was hilarious to think what my mom will say. Coming in at a high pace into the finish I had watch out for the slower riders in the single track and find a solution to past them without putting not only myself in danger but them as well.

While doing some bunny hops over the pot holes and keep on pedaling, the end of the long day out on the bike in the rain, I finished it under 2 hours. It was first time to take some pics and get my bottle of wine. I forgot to bring some clean clothes with so I had to walk around it dirty and smelly cycling kit. My mom came up with the comment “Only a mother can lover her child” after she realized that she have to wash my clothes. But man getting a prize for the best youngster was a honor.

Thanks Barry Kok organizer of the event for this insane race, Robertson winery for sponsoring the event and the owner of Paru Farm for hosting the event on his farm.

Hope you guys enjoy this blog.

Till next time!

Cheers

Finding myself in the middle of a gay parade while traveling by a taxi and see how cyclist train in Green Point

On the 5th of March, I'm turning 21 and what's a 21st without a party, in my term its nothing so I decided I want to celebrate it with my friends and family in the beautiful city of Cape Town. During the week happy things happened and at the same time disappointment eventually happened at the worst possible time. After running around organizing the final few things such as searching for a guest house and where I will meet my friends at the V&A Waterfront, it was time to sit back and simply hope for the best.

Early Saturday morning, my sister woke me up with a sweet letter for my birthday and it struck me that I'm 21. While traveling in a old toyota car, we came to a stand still on the N1 due to road works and it caused heavy delays especially if you're traveling in the direction of Cape Town and with everyone heading back home from the argus mtb challenge it made it even more difficult. On a hot summers day all you want to do is chill and enjoy the scenery of Signal Hill, Table Mountain and Green Point stadium which was used during the 2010 world cup.

After a while of swearing words such as f%@k, I found myself ending up giving directions to Green Point and when you're traveling to Cape Town with my family be sure to hold onto your seat. After checking in at the guest house, we organized us a taxi with a guy named Jack and he was kind enough to take us past 3 Anchor Bay and Sea Point. While I'm enjoying being a tourist, I found myself in the middle of a Gay Parade and yes it was funny till a point where I can't stand it any longer. Bad timing to get stuck in traffic seeing guys walking around in their underwear or dresses to prove a point on whether it should be legal for them to marry the same sex as them. Walking around with signs won't help you get somewhere in life especially when it comes to things like that in my case I simply ignore the things they say.

After enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Cape, I finally arrived with my family at the waterfront and the first thing we wanted to do is head off to grab some food and while I was getting out of the taxi, I saw the two of a band I unlike Die Antwoord walking in looking so pale and yes its true. With the view of the ocean from Spur which is located on the second floor, this was surely the best way of celebrating a birthday. For me the special thing about my birthday was having my family and friends there to make it more special day.


For the first time I enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Cape Town as every time I was there, the south easter wind will blow you away or simply the bad weather show its face over Table Mountain. The weather turned out to be perfect which was a great turn out for the weekend. While taking a tour in the shopping mall at the V&A Waterfront with my sister, I saw so many interesting things which was pretty awesome for someone who's there for the second time.

With my blackberry reaching its “Low battery” mode, I had to rush somehow back to the guest house as its the only way to stay in contact with the rest of the world. While my sister is doing her shopping spree, I was biting my nails and that was pretty much not a good sign. While me and my dad is sitting outside, I was looking how the buses and taxi's are traveling past by and all I hear was music coming from the Green Point stadium and its a 20min walk from where I was that is if you take the fan walk which was used during the soccer world cup. For my parents it was all new experience of seeing parts of Cape Town they never been too which meant I was the leader in explaining every detail of Green Point.

While traveling back in the taxi to the guest house, I saw some cyclist out on the road training for the annual Pick-n-Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour which is the biggest one day race in the world as nearly 40 000 cyclists participate it, I was shocked to see how they ride in the middle section of the road and simply ignore the traffic rules by riding over a red light at the robots or simply ignore the signs of the traffic officer that's leading the pile up of cars waiting for its turn at the traffic roundabout and this one of the reasons why the death of cyclists on a public road is rated high. Personally when I heard what Jack our taxi driver told us was shocking.

After being dropped off by the V&A Waterfront on the opposite side of the Breakwater Parking Garage, it was time for me to be the host of the day and take my family all over the waterfront but first we head off to the Spur located on the second floor and wow the view of the harbor was out of this world. While my mom and sister was exploring in the shops, me and my dad decided to take a break and sit outside then a women came up to me and we were starting talking about the scenery of Cape Town and then I found out that her twins is sharing their birthday with me and that was really strange. After along period of sitting in the sun, it was time to head back to the guest house and just chill for a while before heading back. While I was pumped up by some music on my Blackberry phone, I got a call from my friends telling me that I must meet them at the Mitchell's Waterfront Brewery and I was obviously was stoked but then again I found myself figuring out where the hell Mitchell's Waterfront Brewery are as I was confused with the other beer house near the head office of Nedbank on the other side of the bridge which caused some confusion not only for me but my family too.

After waiting for nearly 2 hours at the main entrance of the shopping center building, I found myself listening to the music of a guy outside playing his guitar and sing the song "De La Ray" who was the leader of the Voortrekkers during Anglo Boere War many years ago and it reminded me on when I visited the concentration camp in Vryburg where lots of white crosses are of the women and children who passed away during the war. Sadly till today no one knows who's buried there and there's a memorial stone with rocks on it with the last letters they wrote before they passed away. To study in South African History about the Blood River where they fighted against the Zulu's.

After receiving a call from my friends, it was time to run all the way to the other side of the shopping center to find them and as I walked as fast as I could, I quickly found myself standing in front of the NSRI (Nationals See Rescue Institute) building and then its back to searching for the building of where my friends are waiting. For someone who was a year ago at the V&A Waterfront, it was surely stressful to have someone walking next to you while keeping on asking the same question. Thanks to the friendly staff of the V&A Waterfront, it was time to turn around and walk over the bridge once again. All I see is banners of the ABSA Cape Epic all over the place which is great exposure for cycling in general.

After walking up and down, it was time to sit down with my family, Roxanne and Lauren Alberts and their friend Roxanne. While sitting with a Hunters Dry in the one hand watching the Big Wheel, it was time for a toast for my 21st. We also decided to order some cake and ice cream, I was the only one eating vanilla ice cream with a bar one sauce over it. While hearing guys scream behind me at the tv screen cos of the rugby that's being broadcasted, we chatted the whole night long and enjoy our evening with laughter while talking about stalking Ikey Tiger the mascot of the Ikey Tiger Rugby Team that's playing now in the FNB Varsity Cup. After my dad came around and told us its after 11pm already, it was sadly time to leave and hike for a taxi to come and pick us up. While standing at the circle in front of the hotel, I saw parents coming from the bar drunk and for me it was shocking as they didn't know what's going on around them neither is they a good example to others. While the taxi use their hooters, we waited for our man in a white vehicle to pick us up and yes it was Jack. We decided to give him a tip to say thanks for doing such an amazing job.

After arriving at our guest house, it was time to head off to bed and get some rest in.

Just want to thank my family for everything, Jack of Inter cab Taxi for his friendliness and loyalties, Roxanne and Lauren Alberts and their friend Roxanne for an awesome evening.

That's all for now.

Till next time.
Cheers

The story of a time when I fall in front of hospital with a road bike

This is probably the most uncommon fall you will ever hear from this part of the wine valley which was dangerous and the most painful one ever. This may be sensitive to readers and I do recommend that no one must try this in public roads if you do not have the experience of bike handling skills.

One day I was doing my final preparations for the Individual Time Trail Champs and while I didn't think back to the piece of road surface that's worked on that's wet and sand lying all over the road, I came around a traffic roundabout in Van Zyl street where the back side of the hospital is then you're back on climbing a short climb, on the opposite side of the road in front of the hospital, I did n bunny hop over the wet road surface to miss it from getting the wet tar stuck to my wheel. Unfortunately it didn't go well according to the timing. My front wheel slipped on the sand causing me to fall in front of a other vehicle.

One of the sister who's on duty at the hospital was walking on her way to the hospital and saw what happened. Everyone got out of their cars to come and help me get out of the road while I was in pain. My knee was full of tar and a glass cut my knee as well. My jacket back side was ripped off with a black mark all over it. The person of the hospital checked out my shoulders and knees to see if there are any damages. With a little bit of help, I was getting up walking with my broken bike on my back all the way back home.

To be honest I felt so embarrassed on what happened and everyone asked me if I'm ok. After that fall I broke my bike into pieces. I got back home and my parents was cleaning my legs etc and wash off all the tar and blood from my body.

A couple of days later while out training, a cop from the traffic department gave me a warning. Worst thing of all is that I stopped at every stop street but when a other guy with a bike rode over a stop street, he had no problems at all. I felt like I was treated unfairly that the other person got away with everyone just cos he had a other skin color doesn't mean it is right of him to do it. We sent a letter in for the mayor of the town to place signs on our roads and yellow lines for our cyclists on our public roads. I was invited to attend a sport and recreation meeting, I told him what we as cyclists need from the government in order to have safer roads for us. Unfortunately till today nothing came up.

From this I urge people especially primary kids to not try anything like bunny hops or riding their bikes without helmets or hands on their handlebars on public roads where its unsafe to do so. Motorists don't respect us when we use the roads so obey all traffic roads and always stay on the left side of the white lines at all time and make use of the yellow lines.

Have a safe ride.

Till next time.

The time when I punctured at the wrong place at the wrong time.

For a 20 year old who's lazy do stand up and do things that need attention is too good to be true. After I got injured on my 20th birthday (which was last year) I couldn't do any real training that can effect my recovery from a serious ankle injury. For a very long period, I had to get enough rest in and stay off the bike which was quite hard for someone who's used to getting up every morning and take the bike out of the garage and hit the road for about 2 hours. With Robertson known for a town thats small but have a big heart is likely to attract many international tourist to the famous R62 wine route but pretty much this town is dead. The only thing that keeps me super happy is my cycling which explains once again why Robertson is to bored and no wonder nobody knows Robertson besides the fact that the Wacky Wine Weekend is on everyone list of events, to mention that students even takes time off from university to come and join the festivities. So after my small accident at the Pick-n-Pay Cape Argus MTB Challenge, I had to give up my chance of traveling in the bus of the Cape Town Market Cycling Team at the Giro Del Capo which is now known as the Tour de Boland. After came back home, the next morning I saw myself sitting in the office of Dr.Naude with a bandage wrapped around my sore ankle. Clearly I didn't know what to expect besides hoping for the best and prepare for the worst.

The only thing that went through my mind that time was "What if he gives me an injection??" I'm scared when I see a needly just touching my skin, thats the time when I want to run out of the door. The next thing I hear is I have to go in for x-rays which I clearly found unacceptable but its the only way to find out whats wrong. The next morning I had to go in to the hospital just before 7 to get my files done and yes you can guess where that is.. the provincial hospital. The was a table at the waiting room where the files are and the person who's file is there first goes in first but then we saw that one of the workers who's file wasn't there got in first was unacceptable to all of the patient's including me. For 2 and half hours of sitting there was enough for me to walk out and shout. I found myself sleeping on the seat just to feel better. I got in and done the x-rays which was uncomfortable as you have to put your foot in a certain position on a plate. Luckily I didn't have any broken bones whatsoever which I was happy about and two sessions of physio and train at light intervals of 20min made me the happiest person. After weeks gone by I still had problems with it which forced me to stay off the bike. After long time I'm finally back on the bike training.

The most inspirational moment was when I was racing in Robertson with a sore ankle and finished 4th place in Robertson which motivated me to carry on training. Today I'm back on the bike training for the mountain bike season. With February that just passed, its the vineyard harvest which makes it difficult to train as there's trucks and tractors everywhere and sadly enough Robertson have narrow roads and no yellow lines in town itself.
So the only way to train is over weekend, so one Sunday I decided to take a spin on my mountain bike. The weather was great and I was ready to hit the road then a few meters from our house I got a puncture in front of the hospital so you can say I rode on my rim all the way back. There was no other choice but to turn around in the main entrance of the hospital and all I see is people staring at me from the building and outside. I thought hell did they never saw a cyclist before?? That was too strange for words to describe the looks on their faces.

I got back home and still till today my bike needs a new tube and urgently need a wash with all the mud on the frame and wheels.

My next blog is all about my interesting weekend in Cape Town.

This is it for now.

Till next time!

Cheers

Power of will.

There comes a time in our life where things don't works like we want it and we would sit down and argue of every little situation we're placed in. One thing someone taught me is that we should turn our situations into a challenge because if we win the battle, we'll come out a stronger person on the other side. Its never easy to go through pain but I would say this is our way of becoming a stronger person at the end of the day. Lets take cycling, you would watch cycling races on tv and say hey but thats easy but when you get on the bike yourself you realize that its never easy at all. You go through lots of pain, you feel how your heart is beating and you breathing is starting to change as you push yourself to the limits. There was a time that I had to coach a young boy to become a cyclist and he thinks its really easy to become one but I told him that it takes lots of courage and determination to become one and if you don't understand the whole concept on cycling nor race with your hearth instead of your head, you'll never become a true cyclist.

After a long battle with a illness in 2007, three weeks of not be able to get my nutrition into my body, the doctor gave me lots of medication but at the end of the day nothing helped me get any better and I was lying there with a body that I can't feel, I couldn't feel my heart beating and have no energy to get up, I knew I could die at anytime now. But deep inside of me I knew this is not the right time for me to leave. I kept on fighting and I was planning of giving up either. My body was in so much pain and my fever was over 40. For three weeks I had no food. It wasn't the greatest thing that happened to me after we moved from the Kalahari to a small town in the Western Cape named Robertson. All I wanted to do was to get back on my bike nothing else mattered to me.

After my battle, I finally started to get better and I was starting to eat small portions of food to get my nutrition back into my body to get my strength back. This journey taught me lots of things like realizing that at any moment something can happen to you and you should appreciate those around you and the things you have while you're still alive. I told my friends my experience of what was going on and what I was going through, they got inspired by the fact that I was on the point of leaving everyone behind but I kept on fighting. When I got the go ahead to start training again, I could still feel a bit of pain in my lungs but even though I feel pain, I kept on telling myself that this is the start of a new chapter in my life and that is not the right time to give up. There was this will inside of me that kept on telling me go on Yolande just have faith in yourself and everything will fall into place at the right time.

I had lots of fear for a very long period and I was scared something worse will happen again soon but I know that God is on my side all the way. After a couple of weeks, I came 3rd in a race and that proved that I was strong. My legs hurted so much but deep down inside of myself was ready for a challenge. I attacked on one of the steep climbs and no one was planning on catching me. The headwind was a factor but I kept on turning my legs and push myself to the limits. When I went over the finish on top of the climb, everyone was saying congrats on my 3rd place. I couldn't believe it myself till I went on the podium. That was the highlight of my cycling.

One thing is for sure, if there's a will, there's always a way. No matter what your situation is, there's always a time in life that worth living for.

On my next blog, I'll be writing my journey towards the start of my racing as the mountain biking season starts very soon.

Till next time.

Cheers
Yolande

A typical day of a life of a cyclist!

In my previous blog I was updating on the African Cross Country (XC) Continental Champs down at the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve just outside Stellenbosch but as I was mostly writing on the racing, I clearly forgot to explain the part where 3 people was trying to lie down on a picnic mat but as Ryan was unfolding it, we saw it was actually in fact not a picnic mat but a beach for mat that was made for one person. Surprisingly we all manage to share it that includes me, Ryan Ellis and Hilton Frost aka Frosty. I'm talking here from "Behind the scenes of the African Champs) Now as we all know this area I'm living in is known as the "Little Karoo" so you might expect some dry areas as I mean there absolutely nothing but thanks to some vineyards etc, the place looks quite nice during the harvest times with all the green leaves etc but one thing is for sure, this place can be hot at times not even to mention over the weekend of racing at Jonkershoek. Now for those who have never been to Stellenbosch or Jonkershoek itself, you'll be surprised to see how dry it is. The forest makes this place looks nice but when you see the typical roads of a forest, you'll probably wet your pants when you see the rocky/technical sections.

For a person who never passed on bottles for a rider at a big event such as this one, it was definitely a new experience for me to be honest I had to stay focused for nearly than two hours and with the UCI watching you with every possible move, you were surely scared at times! With me walking up a mountain with a set of 29er wheels, a backpack and a cool bag with 7 water bottles, I had to think back to our practice run between me and Ryan to pass on the water bottles and to keep in mind lots of other things. Thanks to Evan van der Spuy another Team Jeep rider who was kind enough to keep me company for a few minutes and Team Contego's people was also kind enough to give me something to drink while I was waiting for Ryan to arrive.

Now for us sitting in front of the tv watch all these big international events, it does seem quite easy for us but then you see in the reality that the who's who of cycling is also in pain but they keep on turning those legs. In Ryan's case, he crashed two times but it didn't make him withdraw from the race, he was in so much pain but he kept on going and I was supporting him at the Feed/Technical Zone while my parents was cheering him on at the Start/Finish line.

This was my kit on race day.

Ryan's race number was 60 and if you saw someone coming out of the single track, I can surely spot Ryan easily!

Ryan is certainly very focused at this point!

 Ryan concentrating on the rocky single track!

Remember to check out Ryan Ellis,Brendon David, Evans van der Spuy and new rider Travis Walker on Team Jeeps website or follow them on twitter and facebook!

Hope you guys enjoy this!

Till next time!

Cheers
Yolande

UCI African XC Continental Champs 2011

Being kicked out of bed by your dad at 3:20 am in the morning after you only went to be after 1 am is no joke but with all of the excitement to know you're going to the event of the year on the mountain bike calendar. I was so stoked to head off to Jonkershoek Nature Reserve for the very first time and if you're a mountain biker and live in the area of Stellenbosch, I'm sure you'll know this course very well and for most of us we'll see it as a "Mountain Bike Heaven." With the beautiful mountains surrounding not only Jonkershoek but Stellenbosch as well and I couldn't stop looking at this most amazing area. Now if you're a huge fan of Cross Country racing short name in the cycling community is XC, you'll love to check out Africa's best riders battling it out not only to become African Champ but to earn points to qualify for the World Cup in Europe. Most of us dream to be able to race against the worlds best riders but its never as it looks.

As we all know there's always favorites for the event. Burry Stander, Yolande Speedy, James Reid, Candice Neethling and Luke Roberts but no one mentioned Brendon Davids of Team Jeep as also one of the favorites. The first battle was on between and Davids and Roberts, this is surely one to watch out for and I was sure that Davids can take the win on the day. As for Brendon, you can see the grind on his teeth as he was coming at a very fast pace through the Start/Finish line and all he left was dust as he was riding down that short downhill. For me this was surely more than interesting to watch. Everyone was asking "what happened to Luke Roberts?" I knew at that moment people was starting to wonder if Roberts will take the win or not. Brendon was focused out on the course and it didn't even looked like he's tired at all. With the UCI who made the course tougher for the competitors, it surely an easy one as it was a dry, sandy and rocky course with a steep climb the riders had to face. The most difficult thing for the riders on the day was if they had any mechanical issues they couldn't get any help outside the Technical Zone and it surely didn't make things much easier for the riders as they lost time on the other riders. While I was waiting on confirmation of Brendon, I knew he won. Brendon won with a time of 1:22:02 with Luke Roberts taking 3rd with a time of 1:24:53 with 5 laps of racing in the Junior cat.

With the sun showing its face and the blue open skies with a few clouds, the heat on the day was unbelievable and riders out on the course suffered. Everyone seemed to try find a shade in the forest next to the Start/Finish line but was surely not very comfortable to sit there and miss out on the racing. The worst thing is there's no phone signals so when you try to avoid not get cut from the line while taking to the person on the other side, they'll surely think you're being rude or something. While I was chilling, I walked into my friend Renthea Boshoff who also rode in the Junior Women cat and I was stoked to see her. Most of my friends told me how stressed they are for the racing and some of them didn't even had a chance to really train on the course a couple of days before the race and they keep in mind of their tactics to insure them a good position at the end of the day. With racing going on since 7 am the morning and there wasn't much of parking space left, you saw vehicles everywhere and riders doing their warm up for the race and getting ready themselves ready to prepare their minds for the race. With spectators everywhere, the vibe at Jonkershoek was something that I can't simply describe to anyone. With family, friends and teammates supporting them and pushing them to go on even if their bodies are screaming of pain. With a few accidents that happened out on the course, the ambulances of Tygervalley Hospital was on standby to take the riders to Stellenbosch Medi Clinic. Famous sports doctor Jeroen Swarts was also on standby to help the riders and giving the support they need.

While I was waiting for Ryan Ellis of Team Jeep to arrive, I was chased away from my seat under a tree in front of the coffee shop because its only for riders etc and I thought by myself but hell I'm Ryan's Support Rider so they can't say I'm not part of the African Champs. As Ryan arrived, it was time to chill for while before having our practice session to pass bottles just to make sure there won't happen something causing some problems in the end. Time was running out and it was time to get the wheels, backpack and cool bag ready to head off to the Feed/Technical Zone up at the top of the climb. The worst part is that there was being said that there was a vehicle taking up people up there but in my case I had to walk up with 2 spare wheels, a backpack and a cool bag containing Ryan's water bottles etc.While Ryan is giving me some instructions on what to do, I had to focus and remember to give 2 bottles of energy drinks, a water bottle, 2 energy drinks and a bottle of water. At that moment I clearly forgot to take food + drinks with me with me but in my case I had to find way to spot Ryan to pass on the bottles but you really need to focus and remember what you did during the practice session otherwise it can cost Ryan's time. With me shaking of being nervous, Ryan was surely impressed with my job so far.

With everyone shouting at their riders, I had to focus on Ryan and insure that not one bottles falls when passing it to him. I had to calm myself down and say everything will be good just focus. First lap done, Ryan was happy to see the progress and I was supporting him all the way. With riders dropping out like flies, I knew Ryan had a good chance of getting a good position. Sadly Ryan crashed twice and it cost some of his time but he kept on going. With my family down at the Start/Finish line, they kept cheering on Ryan.
With drama happening at the Feed/Technical Zone, most guys had punctures or others had problems with a broken derailleur that broke off, it surely didn't stop this guy from keep on riding. With the heat getting worse by the hour, there was no shade to stand and if you get one, the UCI guys will surely have something to say and I didn't want Ryan to be disqualified for nothing so I kept on doing my job. With Ryan doing 6 laps as he's racing U23, he kept on riding at a good pace and with Brendon standing under the gazebo of BMC and Evan standing on the other side of the road in the forest. I was most likely looking for a guy with a red Specialized helmet with a team jeep shorts. Trust me with all those people up there, you had to keep on a close eye on the riders passing by and with people standing in your way it didn't make it any easier.

I must admit this was the first time for me to experience something like this as it not always happening in our area. I met so many new people and made new friends in the process.

With Burry Stander of Team Specialized riding up a storm, I was supporting from Erik Kleinhans to who's who of cycling. I was starting to count down Ryan's laps and I simply got confused at some point. As Ryan took all his bottles without one dropping, it was a success and now it time for me heading back to the finish line. But while I was getting the things packed to head back, I received news that Ryan got 5th position and the best part he qualified to go to the World Cup.

Ryan Ellis cruising through the finish line after over an hour of tough racing!

While I was asking around for a lift back, I had to walk with all the things down a downhill. Thanks to Team MTN Qhubeka and Nicole Allan, they was friendly enough to give me a lift. Just would like to thank them. While James Reid won the U23 in a time of 1:36:33, Ryan received 9th place in a time of 1:46.34. Top 6 for Ryan Ellis and Team Jeep.

Burry Stander took the win in the Men's Elite while Yolande Speedy took the win in the Elite Women, Brendon David took Junior Men, Ashleigh Parker took Junior Ladies, Candice Neethling took U23 Ladies, James Reid took U23 Men.

All the categories winners!

U23 Ladies podium finishers!

Elite Men podium finishers!

Elite Women podium finishers!

I would like to thank Ryan Ellis for this most amazing opportunity and well done to Team Jeep with their great results.

  Hope you guys will enjoy reading my behind the stories of the African Champs 2011

Next up I'll get myself prepared to start racing again and I'll update everyone on how the progress are going so far.

Till next time!

Cheers
Yolande

Standing between being clean or simply dope and think you'll never be cought.

Earlier this week news came out that former House of Pain rider, Michael Pepper used banned substances and was tested positive during a cycle race last year October. Usually you'll hear about International Tour de France riders get tested positive for the use of banned substances but hardly South African riders. Michael Pepper used the exact same banned substance than Contador but riders do disagree with the fact that Contador came away with a 1 year ban while Pepper is facing a 3 year ban. The question is why is this happening? We all know this the answer why our sport is on the point of going nowhere and why riders decide its time to do a other sport than to face this drama day in and day out.

Thanks to Bike Pure, a organization against the use of banned substances in any sport besides cycling. If you wear their armbands, you'll show your support again doping as well by listing your name you'll show to the world that you're a clean rider. I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be a ambassador for Bike Pure and spread the word of why you shouldn't dope and the side effects of why not do use banned substances. Potential youngsters for the future of pro cycling is also facing the consequences of being target of doping. Some team managers have also been caught for giving banned substances to team riders etc when the riders don't even notice it. Thanks to the Drug Free Sport which forms also part of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) they're catching riders who doped and so far its a success. As riders we would like to see a difference in our sport.

As I passionate cyclist, I follow the rules and regulations based on WADA. By doing so, I know that I'm a clean rider when they test me in the near future. Sometimes riders are tested positive due to the fact while you're in hospital or after visiting a doctor, the medication also have drugs in it which makes it also more complicated. Riders who got injected with medication or are on medication due to some issues with illness can get a letter from the doctor that can be send to WADA or Drug Free Sport to notify them in this matter.


The more we spread the word on doping the better the chance is that we'll clean up the sport. I think now its a crucial time for us to sit down and have a discussion on this matter. If no one is going to stand up and talk about these things then we'll never see a positive outcome.

Visit http://www.bikepure.org/ or http://www.drugfreesport.org.za

My next blog will be about the UCI African Cross Country Continental Championships down at Jonkershoek.

Till then!

Cheers
Yolande

Tranining ride with a interesting end!

As we all know there comes a time when you have to lift your butt from the couch and start doing some serious training to stay fit. So yesterday while I was like any other average person spending some time on the couch watching some tv, I though as the weather cleared up and there's absolutely no wind as we speak, it was the perfect time to get some training in. So I'm preparing myself to make a good comeback into the sport after I ended up with an injury and forced me to stay off the bike for quite some time.

These days you won't easily see me on a road bike as I'm more into mountain biking and I love it more than anything else! Down in the Cape, there's always a mountain bike race happening. Its a family sport so you'll see so many youngsters riding with their parents during the event which is great to see because those are the future stars of the sport. Mountain biking is more exciting in a way, its fast, hard and its always technical. It takes lots of concentration and focus.

Yesterday I decided instead of lying on a couch and watch some tv and you know you'll end up getting lazy, I got my cycling kit ready, got dressed and most importantly get my helmet because like our PPA says "No Helmet, No Ride!!" Got my mountain bike out of the garage and the path way was covered in water so I had to find a dry path to get to the gate. With clouds covering the skies and some sun showing its face. It was time to turn those legs. To those who don't know...I love my mud, so if it stopped raining, I would take a spin on the bike.

If you know these roads from everyday training, you'll know where to find the best mud patches and trust me its sometimes deep and really thick so if you're taking a risk by riding through it, then you need to know how to handle your bike otherwise your face will be covered in mud! This time around I found some awesome mud patches. For me cycling is all about having fun and experience nature at its best, cycling is enjoying yourself and meet new people on the road during a race or just on a training ride. Others take cycling very seriously and its all about winning races.

So while I was enjoying my ride and riding at my own pace, one of our local club riders came past me and asked me if I want to join them. As I joined them I decided to go hard on the climb before I'm turning around heading back home. As I stopped to look if its safe for me to turn around at one of the farms, the farm workers children was all over the road and before I knew it, they were standing around me greeting me and would ask me all kinds of questions. One thing about Robertson is the fact that wherever you may be riding even if its on the road or on the gravel roads, they'll always greet you when they see you. If they see you have a mechanical issue or something, they walk up to you and help you with a smile. The other thing is you must also be careful because you never know when they want to steel something.

As I turned around to head back home, the little children would shout at me asking me "Girl can we maybe run behind you even if its just a few meters?" I though well if there's no on coming traffic and its safe then its fine with me otherwise it can be dangerous not only for the children but for myself as well. So they run besides me and behind me and after a while they said goodbye with a lost of breath as they couldn't keep up with me anymore. Makes me realize that no matter whats going on your life, you'll always find a person who'll take some time to put a smile back on your face.

This time around I decided that because there wasn't any traffic this time around (thats after 6pm last night) I'm going to take a longer route to get back home than then average route (the faster one). Strangely enough there was this massive splash of mud on this short piece of gravel road leading back to Van Zyl street. So I rode through it and I could feel how my tires are slipping on the slippery rocks beneath the water and it was super deep as well. Thanks to some bike handling skills, I rode through it with no problems are although my legs and socks was covered in mud including my bike. My bike's brakes made this squeaking sound when I brake.

My mom knows me so well that she knows when I get back home from a muddy ride, I'll be covered in mud. She always says: "Only a mother can love her child." when she sees a cyclist covered in mud. This comment comes all the way from the 2009 Robertson Winery MTB Challenge down at Paru farm. It was raining non-stop and our bikes was so covered in mud that we had to walk up the climbs, when we're on top we use some lubricant on our chains just so that we can ride for a while. The roads are slippery and we had to go through one of the farm dam's and trust me when its raining, the water is rising fast and the dam was so deep that it reached my hips! The water was freezing cold that I even didn't feel my feet! When we finished you only could see our eyes other than that everything was covered in mud!

Yesterday was an amazing ride and I would like to thank everyone for making it awesome!

Up next I'm off to the UCI African XC Continental Championships at Jonkershoek this weekend to see the best riders battling it out to become African Champ. I'll not represent our country but instead I'll be handing out bottles to Ryan Ellis of Team Jeep who'll be racing the South African colors.

Well thats it for now.
Hope you guys enjoy my latest blog.

Have a safe ride!

Cheers
Yolande