Wildevy MTB Race

Held just outside of Burgersfort, it was the perfect place for a winter’s get-together. Warm temperatures and dry conditions welcomed riders to test their winter fitness on the second running of the mountain bike event which ran in conjunction with the festival.

 

Originally I wasn’t going to race this weekend, but I found it increasingly hard to decline the race organisers’ invitation to be part of their race. So it came that I lined up for the 70km Wildevy Classic on Saturday morning alongside 200 other excited riders.

 

The 70km marathon was split in two distinct halves with the 2nd section being significantly harder than the first. I had taken things very easy since last week’s SA XC Championships and my strategy for this event was to race according to the course. That meant taking it as easy as possible on the first half and opening up the taps on the 2nd half, if the taps were willing to open.

 

According to the script I stayed with the leaders through the first 35km with Lourens Beeslaar leading the charge for most of the way. At the start of the second loop I upped the tempo on a slight drag and only Hein Engelbrecht could go with me. On the only climb halfway in the race I accelerated again and this time it was enough to shake Hein, leaving me to ride the final 20km alone to win the race. Hein never gave up and finished second ahead of another local Johnny Diederichs after Beeslaar broke his chain and had to settle for fourth.

 

The route was the real star of the day and offered a very well balanced challenge. It started on a game farm where we saw Giraffe, Wildebeest and some other antelope. From the winding game tracks we went into the Orange tree plantations which lead to some hand swept singletrack next to the river. From there we traversed another game farm with some steep climbs and sweeping descents before doing the fun river singletrack for a second time.

 

A while ago I did a local race in Riebeeckstad and in similar fashion the Wildevy MTB Race overwhelmed me with the organisers’ passion, commitment and hospitality which can sometimes go missing at bigger events where corporate interests understandably get first priority. It’s the personal touch and ownership for the event’s success which brings the best out of these people and it was a privilege to be part of their event. Here’s to many more!

 

Until next time, happy trails!

 

Melt