I want to
write this piece as soon after the Attakwas as possible so that I don’t forget the feeling
of having ridden it. Is it worth doing? A huge Burt Le Clos “Absarootry!!” I cannot stress what a
great race it is! I have done a fair number of races and I do feel that this is
the most complete XC MTB race that I have done. It doesn’t have singletrack –
but it’s not a trail race. It’s a 121km marathon across rugged countryside that
will challenge not only your endurance but your mountain biking ability as well.
Every component of your riding skills will be tested – but in the nicest and
toughest possible way. Sound like a paradox? It is. If you go into this race
unfit or try and blast the first 60km, chances are you’re going to be in for a
very long day. We saw enough long faces and cries of agony as the cramps set in
on the murderous climbs that make up the last third of the race to validate
this statement. So unlike many other shorter races, we heeded the warning to
hold back in the first half.
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| The start line at the Chandelier Ostrich Farm outside Oudtshoorn |
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| Shaun and Rens approaching water point 2. Both finished in 07:32. |
Shaun and I
were first timers doing this race, so we were seeded in the last starting
group. Andrew, Warren and Hendrik (his Epic partner) had completed the
Attakwas before and opted to ride with us at the back. Epic John was seeded up front and Mandy would again amaze all of us by riding this grueling event without much pre-race fanfare or jitters (Mandy is truly one of the Smooth Knobblies toughest athletes and her "can-do" attitude to any event is a brilliant example to all of us!).
Admittedly, it had
been some time since I’d been relegated to the rear-end of a start group and I found
myself having to fight back the urge to charge through the pack. And I am
very glad that we decided to hold off on that – especially seeing that it was
our first Attakwas ….without fully knowing what would lie ahead...
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| The first big climb - too many pedestrians! |
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| If you're not a good climber, accept this position for a lot of the day |
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| Some of the amazing scenery that you ride through |
There is
enough cycling-blog literature available to inform you that the Attakwas is a
race of two halves. The first 70km is rocky, rutted, and characterised by
uber-steep technical climbs and descents that will test the best riders. One
wrong move and you’re bound to have some body part resting in a sling. Think of
climbing 10 Fu(k My Dog’s all strung together per climb. Then think of
descending through 5 Baby Head Alleys and a few Plum Puddings per descent
(please refer to earlier blog regarding Acronyms if you don’t know what tracks
on Table Mountain I'm referring to). That about sums it up from a technical
viewpoint. A MTB race is often measured in vertical climbing. The Attakwas has
2900m of vertical ascent – that’s about 14 rides up Ou Kaapse Weg. On tired
legs. Over loose rocks. In the heat...
To illustrate how rough the terrain is, the eventual winner (Christoph Sauser) had 2 punctures on the route. Max Knox had such severe mechanical issues he had to withdraw from the race. The 3rd placed male rider, Erik Kleinhans, punctured before the 4th waterpoint.....so the terrain is rough and has no mercy on amateurs and pros alike. 84% of the starting line up managed to cross the finish line under the 11-hour cut off (a drop of 4% from the 2012 edition).
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| Hendrik and Warren cruise into the second water point. 09:12 would be their final time. |
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| Andrew cruising on his Specialized on his way to a credible 07:57 ride |
MYTHBUSTERS
Myth 1: Don't enter the Attakwas as your first-ever MTB race. Shaun and I
are silly though. Perhaps we wanted to discredit the cynics and prove the
nay-sayers wrong. This was Shaun’s first ever MTB race. Most people would need
2-3 years of MTB riding to be at a competence level where the race would be
enjoyed – or stand the risk of crashing or blowing out. But for a first timer
Shaun flew down the descents like a man possessed and easily out-climbed most
of the riders in our vicinity. Myth: BUSTED!
Myth 2: Don't ride the Attakwas (or any race) on a brand new bike. After the theft of my Giant Anthem, I had replaced it with a Trek
Superfly. Even the gearing (a 2 x 10 system) was different from what I was used
to. I took ownership of the bike on Thursday evening – a quick 20km in Tokai at
sparrows fart on Friday morning would be the only preparation I could get in –
and then Saturday morning we were on the start line. The bike was fantastic! It
climbed like Spiderman and I was able to negotiate all the technical downhills without an
issue. Myth: BUSTED!
CONCLUSION
If you ride
a mountain bike and haven’t done the Attakwas, you simply haven’t tested
yourself yet. The water points are superb (and not because of the scantily-clad
girls who answer to your every request whilst your bike is taken off your hands
for a lube job)…. But I digress. You are
guaranteed to look back on the Attakwas with fond memories – and earn some
street cred to boot.
Moose;
Twakkie; GavC; JayZee; and Timmy – you guys are missing out. Enter for 2014 as
soon as you can!!
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| Yep - hang it in your man-cave with pride! |
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| The leader group tackles one of the first big climbs |
