The Tankwa Trek
The Tankwa Trek (15th to 17th February)
Inaugural 3 day stage race a ground breaking event
This inaugural 3 day stage race held by Dryland and Bigshot Media promised to be a ground breaking event. It was in every way imaginable. There were 98 riders in total so it had a really personal touch and pretty much everyone knew each other which really made for a great weekend.
The venue Kaleo Farm was stunning. We camped under lovely old oak trees on thick spongy grass and the dining area was delightful. As for the food…. It was voted the best at any race ever!
The trails we raced each day were virgin territory for mountain bikers and had been made by local farmers who all have a passion for mountain biking. They did a fantastic job!
Day one was the Witzenberg Valley full of single track, fantastic routes through rocky areas, forests, orchards, open roads, long climbs up and fast descents down passes. It was an eventful day in which I helped a friend fix his chain and he got severely teased for it! Not long after, I had a graceless fall into a big bush when the chap in front of me stopped suddenly and I failed to un-cleat in time.Then a puncture and then another rather high speed crash to the ground around a sandy corner which left me slightly disorientated and I swear there were birds tweeting above my head.
A friend and I were both riding in solo and were racing for 4th place and though this comradery the day ended in a mad dash along the last few kilometers and up to the finish. She got the better inside line and just beat me to the finish line. It was a solid days riding with 90 km’s and some decent climbing the belt. A good prep for that other big 8 day race coming up.
Day two was also to be another day of mechanicals. I was feeling a little under the weather so decided to take it easy. This was a training ride after all and I had Knysna 300 the following weekend to consider. This was the day of the Merino Monster! And boy was it a monster. We did 2316 m of climbing! I managed to get to the top and as I started a speedy descent I burped my tire and had to stop to pump it up……to no avail. I then decided to bomb it but realized I had only empty ones with me. A rookie mistake! Then the front tire went flat! So that was that! I ended the day getting a lift back with the Media Crew. I wasn’t too upset when I saw what the last 25 km’s was like! A tough ride in anyone’s books. I take my hat off to all those that completed that days riding. It was a challenging day in the saddle to say the least.
Day 3 was something different. We all boarded a bus and were taken to Morester Farm further up the Valley. This was by far my favorite day. The farmer had spent 4 years building this single track and I have to commend him. What a ride! Absolutely fantastic. Technical rocky bits, silky smooth flowing tracks, fast descents, terrific bridges and just a whole heap of FUN FUN FUN!
After that a long stretch along a district road included a nasty climb 10 km’s before home with a tricky descent and a dash to the finish as it was getting very hot at 35 Degrees!
So all in all a fantastic weekend in preparation for the bigger 8 day ABSA Cape Epic coming up soon.Thanks to Dryland, Big Shot Media and Kaleo Farm for a race not to be forgotten.
Well done to Team RECM for winning the men’s and to Hanneli and Ischen the women’s categories and to all the others who completed the race as it was a tough one and the medals received at the end were well deserved.
Di Carolin
www.teamhansgrohe.co.za