Nedbank Sani2c

Podium finishers :)

Nedbank Sani2c, Underberg-Scottborough, 3 days

Day1, Underberg-Mackenzie, 82km, 1200m

The Nedbank Sani2c has become one of the most iconic events on the South African calendar. So popular that the organizers had to make it into three races held over three days. Our race, known as the ‘race’, is the last to start, after the ‘trail and ‘adventure’, and after nearly three thousand riders have hit the trails before us, it makes for a fast and smooth course, but takes nothing away from the super trails.

The start was pleasant, temperature wise, as Underberg has some fresh mornings to say the least. The pace however was hot, and the competition was super close this year. After the twin oaks single-track, where the race normally splits up, there were about 9-10 teams all together. This would change the dynamics of the stage. Personally I was having a better day, as I was starting to find some long lost form returning to the legs. My partner, Gawie Combrinck from Westvaal/Columbia was battling with the flu that caught me the previous week, and was struggling through the end of the stage.

By the finish it was almost a bunch sprint of around five teams, with Team Cannondale/Blend winning the stage, with all the top teams finishing on the same time, Brandon and Neil right up there. Gawie and I managed to only loose around one minute, which keeps us in the loop for the race, should we feel better for tomorrow.

Our only podium for the day was from a fantastic ride by team manager Bridgette and her partner Jackie. Top ride to finish third.

The race is normally decided on the second stage, and I doubt it will be a bunch finish tomorrow, but who knows!

Day2, Mackenzie-Jolivet, 102km, 1950m

This would be the second time I’ve had to descend down the mighty Umkomaas in slippery wet and muddy conditions. Combined with mist and an early start, with poor visibility, I was just happy to make it through the stage in one piece.

We got to the bottom of the valley in ‘bits and pieces’ as teams were separated in the technical conditions. After a few kilometers of easy rolling along the river, the teams were all back together and the racing heated up. Team Contego had taken a few risks and made a big gap down the valley, and we would basically be chasing them for the stage. Max Knox and Nico Bell also had a small gap, but were quickly joined by Brandon and Neil. Gawie and myself were trying to follow RE:CM and although he was a bitter better today, the flu still had the better of him on the steep climbs.

At the end of the day, Max and Nico won, followed by Brandon and Neil. Gawie and myself were 5^th, around ten minutes behind on the stage.

With only around 10minutes separating the first five teams, the racing will still be on tomorrow, and it won’t be an easy day, that’s for sure.

Day3, Jolivet-Scottborough, 84km, 1000m

Farmer Glen decided to mix things up a little for the final stage, with a new ‘reverse’ order of starting. The A batch would start at 11am, whilst all the rest of the riders would start at 7am. The reason for this would be to have all the riders at the finish when the top guys came in. I have to say that it was a great idea and worked really well. The slower riders that we caught towards the end were gently pulled aside by the lead bikes, and the enthusiasm and support from them whilst racing past was fantastic.

Back to the racing, the start was really fast, and there was a serious tempo being set by most of the top teams. We had decided we wanted to have a hard day of racing, one for training, and two because we had nothing really to lose.

Gawie and I took over the pace making up front, and the group of around five teams rolled quickly through the trails. Once we were through the beautiful Vernon Crooks Reserve, I knew from Joberg2c that the route had changed and the ‘railway’ track was approaching. This was where we made our move, and with Brandon and Neil riding the single-track behind us, they just rode steady which allowed Gawie and I a chance to get our initial gap. Once we had a gap, we put our heads down and powered through the last 20km of the stage.

The finish was really special, the Nedbank floating bridge along the lagoon was unique, but it was the support and the crowds at the finish that made it even more special. Personally for me it was an emotional win as I’ve battled some health issues for the past seven months. The body is good, and the form is slowly returning.

Brandon and Neil finished third on the stage behind RE:CM with Max Knox and Nico Bell finishing fourth.

Max and Nico won the overall title, with team FedGroupITEC taking a great second place and Team Contego finishing third.

Our FedGroupITEC third team of Bridgette Stewart and Jackie Moore took third place overall in the ladies race, rounding out a very successful three days of racing for the team.

Again big thanks to all the sponsors, Scott bikes performed flawlessly, USN kept us fuelled to the finish, and KIA Motors carried our super back up crew of Grant, Sue and Lucky. Thanks again for all the support, on and off the bike.

Next race, Brandon Neil will race the Nissan Trailseeker in Johannesburg, whilst I’ll be flying the flag on golf tour for a change of scenery. Then it’s final preparation for SA Marathon Championships at Induna, Hazyview in two weeks time.

Till then, cheers.

Kevin Evans

 

Provisional results:

1^st Max Knox/Nico Bell (EAI/Westvaal) 9:44:50

2^nd Brandon Stewart/Neil Macdonald (FedGroupITEC) 9:46:19

3^rd Louise Knipe/Gert Heyns (Contego/Giant) 9:49:02

4^th Lourens Luus/Waylon Woolcock (RE:CM) 9:50:48

5^th Kevin Evans/Gawie Combrinck (FedGroupITEC) 9:51:43

MTN Ultra Marathon, Gravel Travel, Wellington

Family support!

MTN Ultra Marathon, Wellington Gravel Travel, 110km, 2950m

Almost exactly one year later, including four trips to the hospital, and I finish the 2013 MTN Gravel Travel one position worse than the previous year. Although scratching my head for some positives to take out of this race, I have to remember that it was only five weeks ago, in the same town, whilst spectating at the Epic, that I had only just gone for my first ride. And after all that I’ve been through, the body is still fine, and the problems I had are a thing of the past.

So moving on, at least this year’s race was bathed in great weather, and a really tough and technical course was set for us to race. The track would have no less than nearly sixty kilometers of flowing single-track, and three thousand meters of climbing, making it slow and demanding. As all the riders knew, the last forty kilometers is really tough, and so the pace wasn’t too fast from the start. However it didn’t take long before the top riders started to increase the tempo. This would be just too fast for me, recovering from a lingering cold post Joberg2c, I would have to settle for my own pace on the day, and use it for good training.

I had a few moments when I thought I may just throw the towel in for the day, I had Kari and Rubes with me for seconding, and the temptation to stop was great. On the other hand, I just pressed on with the task at hand, and decided to not think too much about the direct outcome of the race, but rather the good riding and training adaptions I would be making.

As we all knew, the last forty kilometers was brutal, and many of the top riders would feel the effects of a super hard course in the final section.

I cannot comment what happened at the head of the race, but it sounded like Max Knox was the dominant rider as expected, whilst Lourens Luus put in another great ride to take second place ahead of a class field of riders.

I would scrape in for tenth place, and only just made the podium call up to round out the first ten. But having considered all I’ve been through, and where I’ve come from, I was quietly happy with my form and build up thus far.

Thanks to Kari and Ruby for coming with me, and watching me suffer through not quite some of my finest five hours. Always there for me through thick and thin.

Next race sees us making the trip back to Underberg for the Nedbank Sani2c. We will have two teams, Brandon and Neil, and guest rider for FedGroupITEC, Gawie Combrinck and myself. It’s a super competitive field this year with a few subtle route changes. I’m looking forward to some different dynamics whilst racing with a partner, it has been awhile!

Till then, cheers.

Kevin Evans

 

Provisional results:

1^st Max Knox (EAI)

2^nd Lourens Luus (RE:CM)

3^rd Mathys Beukes (Scott)

10^th Kevin Evans (Fedgroup-Itec)

Old Mutual Joberg2c

Took this pic whilst riding, stage 1.

Old Mutual Joberg2C, 9days, 900km,

The Old Mutual Joberg2C has quickly established itself in four years, as one of the must do stage races in South Africa. Besides being the longest, it is also without a doubt, one of the best events to show case our beautiful country. The event is definitely about a journey.

In a very brief description, you start in the very dry town of Heidelberg, just outside of Johannesburg, wind your way for three days through the arid and rocky countryside of the Freestate, to the magnificent Sterkfontein Dam, before literally dropping off the escarpment and descending through the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, before hitting the lush cane plantations and forests of the Kwazulu-Natal province, and finally, rolling up onto the beach in Scottborough.

The first day is as always a ‘neutral’ stage with no racing as such, but by no means an easy day. The racing then begins the following eight days, and the physically challenging route, combined with great competition, makes for a very hard week on the bike.

Whilst the racing was on in the front, I was riding the ‘solo’ category this year, and using the event as preparation for the rest of my season due to obvious setbacks. It’s not easy riding solo, for one, I know you need to stay out of the mix of the racing in the front, but you also want to try and gauge yourself against the others. I think I managed to balance this well, as I would ride some days up front, others just inside the top twenty, taking it easier where I needed to be more progressive. I did however spend a large majority of the race riding completely on my own, in the middle of some of the most beautiful parts of our country, I guess essentially what I signed up for.

The racing was made easier with our fantastic sponsors, and in the thick of the suffering that happens at the back of the race, Scott Field (Fedgroup) soldiered on through the whole race to complete his second Joberg2C journey. Crusader Logistics Stu and Cath Roos had supplied us the ‘Chillbox’ truck for our accommodation, and without this, the results and atmosphere created by the team would have been impossible.

Brandon and Neil would roll onto the beach as the overall winners for 2013, Neil’s second win in the event, but Brandon’s first and probably biggest win of his career. Bridgette and Brad finished inside the top ten in the mixed category, whilst I won the solo race, and finished fourth overall. More importantly for me however, was the fact that I finished healthy, body feeling good and without any issues. I’m happy to say that my health is back to normal, and can start progressing forward finally!

Our equipment, Scott Sparks were flawless, tires (Maxxis Ikons) bomb proof, and nutrition from USN superb.

Thanks again to everyone for making our journey that much easier, Grant, Tannie, Lucky, Stacey, Sue and Kobus, no one sees the ‘behind the scenes’ and how hard you guys worked for us.

Next race, I will try fly the flag at the MTN Ultra Marathon in Wellington. This will only be my second Ultra for the season, and will great to see how the form is moving.

Till then, cheers.

Kevin Evans

 

Provisional results:

1st Stewart/Macdonald (FedgroupItec) 34hrs11

2nd Woolcock/Luus (RE:CM) 34hrs22

3rd Pfitzenmeier/Cooper (Bridge) 35hrs02

MTN Ultra Marathon, Barberton

Post Race Pic: Zoon Cronje

Kevin Evans

MTN Ultra Marathon, Barberton, 124km, 3020m

The MTN Ultra Marathon series as per usual kicked off over the weekend in Barberton. I’ve always said that this is the race where the new teams and riders come show who’s been doing what over the off-season. It’s usually a good indicator as to who has early season form. With my two trips to the hospital in the off season, and only a month on the bike, I could only but watch the race unfold in front of me, and would have to settle for a good day in the saddle as training and not quite racing.

The team had a fantastic training camp leading up to the race, but the race was never part of our bigger picture in terms of building up towards bigger goals.

Anyhow, back to the race, the guys were clearly in no mood to hold back, and the attacks started already on the first climb, with guys going hard to test each other.

I can’t comment, once again, on what happened at the head of affairs, but it sounded fast with new names appearing at the head of affairs.

As usual the race was really well organized, well attended and up to the usual standards we’ve come to expect from Advendurance.

Neil Macdonald was the best of our team, riding into 7^th place, followed by Brandon Stewart in 10^th, and youngster and newcomer to the Ultra Marathon step-up, Brad Stroberg in 12^th. I managed 13^th place, but thoroughly enjoyed my ride and for a change, taking in the beautiful scenery and vistas that we are usually so oblivious too.

Meanwhile Max Knox rode the race that was expected of him and managed to fend off the rest of a good quality field and win his fourth Barberton Ultra.

The race was also a perfect testing ground for the team to test out all our new equipment. The Scott Sparks ran like a dream, Syncros wheels and Maxxis tires were put through their paces and came out tops. USN nutrition fueled us all the way, Gaerne shoes and Look pedals providing superb platforms, and Transition lenses allowing for the ever-changing light. All made to look good in our top of the line Decca clothing. And of course, safely driven by KIA. But the big thanks of course goes to Fedgroup-Itec for making the team possible, a great bunch of riders, and a fun start to an action packed year.

The Fab Five

Our team will continue with its progressive build up, and keep the main goals for the season in the back of our minds, and take only the positives out of this race.

Next race, Brandon, Bridgette and I will compete at the Herald mountain bike race in Port Elizabeth whilst Brad and Neil will race a Kia sponsored event in Johannesburg.

Till then, cheers.

Kevin Evans

 

Provisional results:

1st Max Knox (Specialized) 5hrs17min

2nd Mathys Beukes (Contego)

3rd Charles Keey (Blend/Cannondale)

4th Lourens Luus (RE:CM)

5th Waylon Woolcock (RE:CM)

7^th Neil Macdonald (Fedgroup-Itec)

10^th Brandon Stewart (Fedgroup-Itec)

12^th Brad Stroberg (Fedgroup-Itec)

13^th Kevin Evans (Fedgroup-Itec)

 

www.kevinevansracing.blogspot.com

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Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek

Defended our 2011 Title!

Photos Karin Shermbrucker. Kevin Evans

Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek, 7days, 534km, 11500m

After a frantic finish to the MTN Series in Parys, we caught a flight from Warwick Langebrink, a mate of mine who flew us down directly to Oudtshoorn in his Cesna210, and we were there late Saturday afternoon to start the Bridge CPT on Sunday with us much recovery time as possible thanks to him.

Prologue, Oudtshoorn, 15km, 330m

The first stage on Sunday would feature a short prologue around Matthys Beukes’s farm, just outside town, where he has a number of awesome hand built trails. No doubt he would be the favorite together with his partner for the event, Melt Swanepoel, to win the opener. Dave and I managed a flawless run though the tight and technical course, but the track was in great condition and flowed beautifully. Times were becoming faster with every team that that was setting off, and Matthys and Melt held the fastest time until we managed to edge them out by a mere 22seconds. Dave and I are both really well matched, and prologues suit us, so we were happy to start the race with the leaders jersey on Monday.

Team Contego, Louis Knibe and Craig Boyes posted the third fastest time of the day in the open category.

Happy Prologue winners.

Stage 1, Oudtshoorn-Calitzdorp, 103km, 1750m

The first stage to Calitzdorp would incorporate some new jeep tracks, and some amazing singletracks, which the organizers had found/made in the middle of the Karoo. The bunch stayed together for the first 40-50km, mostly due to fresh legs and a nice flowing track. The rugged terrain would slowly take its toll on equipment and tires, mostly the European riders learning the hard way. Two of the worst incidents, one involved a group of riders being attacked by a huge swarm of angry bees, causing carnage at the back, and very nearly ended a life or two. Thanks to Drylands quick response for evacuating the riders to hospital and re-routing the remaining riders, all riders were treated safely and reinstated into the race as soon as they had recovered. Another casualty for the day was Louise Knibe who took a bad fall and landed up in hospital, Contego’s race over for them.

Meanwhile Dave and I rode a perfect stage, made it count when the route got hard and rode away from the small group  with around 25km to go. We were chased hard by Westvaal/Columbia’s Nico Bell and Gawie Combrink, who at the end of the stage had finished around 40seconds behind us, with Cango-MTB’s Melt and Matthys coming in third not to far behind them. It was a hard day, and recovery for the next day would be key. Again, thanks to Dryland for rolling out the red carpet for us with Guesthouse accommodation as opposed to camping, whilst the weather all the while was looking ominous.

Stage 2, Calitzdorp-Swartberg Pass, 85km, 2800m

This was the stage that had the mountain bike community buzzing, with a mountain top finish on the Swartberg Pass, a huge climb of 1100m over 9km, winning team to the top taking R10000-00! This was provided you finished the race and met the criteria of a point system to ensure you were competitive throughout the race.

With 1700m of climbing before we even got to the pass, Dave and I raced hard from the front, opening a gap on the field, putting our heads down and opening a lead of around 3minutes going into the final climb, ahead of Melt and Matthys. Unfortunately Nico and Gawie had broken a hanger and were loosing time due to having to fix the problem. We continued to set a hard tempo up the climb I know so well, and at the top, we had won the stage by 8minutes, and were close to hundred thousand rand richer, unheard of in mountain biking in South Africa, and creating an iconic stage which will take a fair amount to surpass.

R100000-00, Swartberg Pass finish.

Stage 4, Prince Albert- De Rust, 109km, 1750m

Our race tactics would take a slight change from now on. Key would be safety, to finish each stage without hassles and avoid any mishaps. Having said that, we would remain always at the head of the race, as we still wanted to defend our 2011 title. But with no pressure, it would be fun riding from here on. Near the latter half of the stage, Cango-MTB and we had ridden away from Westvaal/Columbia as they had tire issues. The beautiful tracks took us through the Great Karoo and finally through the scenic and majestic Meiringspoort to the finish in the small town of De Rust. Melt and Matthys made sure of a solid sprint to the line to take the stage win, whilst we cruised in for second place on the day, and Westvaal/Columbia making up huge time to finish third about a minute later.

Stage 5, De Rust-Herold, 64km, 1650m

Although the shortest stage on paper, by no means the easiest, with the small task of having to ride through the infamous Kamannasie Mountains. Our Scott Sparks were absolutely in a league of their own here, and we simply used them to the max as we peddled away from the competition on the rugged jeep trails. Once safely through the harsh terrain, Westvaal/Columbia joined us, and this suited us perfectly as they were racing for second place on general classification. We got a ‘free ride’ to the finish, where they took their first well earned stage win, and reduced their deficit to second place to a mere 30seconds, whilst we had extended our overall lead to a healthy gap over second place.

Stage 6, Herold-George, 73km, 1700m

Rain had put a serious damper on the moods of the riders, and the organizers were forced to cut out a start loop of about 15km around Louvain, but obviously putting the safety and enjoyment of the riders first. The delayed start was great for Dave and I as we crept back into our warm beds, not so cool though for Swen as he was beginning to suffer from post camping/hypothermic/mud depression!

Again we had a plan, and it worked perfectly, as we set the tempo up the first climb, taking Nico and Gawie with us, and once we had safely negotiated the technical descend of the ‘Duiwelskloof Pass’, Nico and Gawie did all the work into George, securing their second place on GC, whilst Dave and I had another free ride to the finish, coming in second for the stage again behind them. We would now go into the final stage with a lead of around 24minutes, and everything looking on track!

Stage 7, George- Oudtshoorn, 84km, 1580m

The final stage, and again, not an easy one, with riders having to tackle the Montagu Pass in the first 20km. Again the weather was miserable, and the back markers of the race would feel the worst of the bad weather as it seemed to get worse as the day went on. Dave and I were keen to bookmark our race with a win, and we set a hard pace right from the start. At first I felt fine, but then the fatigue of a hectic last two weeks kicked in, and I was forced to have to battle with myself to stay on Dave’s wheel. In fact halfway up the climb, I had a few choice words with him, for whom I then apologized, and he politely offered to carry my water bottle up the climb, which saved me about five watts, but I was grateful. Westvaal/Columbia weren’t keen on letting us go, and they were chasing hard around 90seconds behind us. Dave was doing all the work, and I was constantly forcing myself to dig a little more, whilst at one stage, he said lets wait up. After he had worked for around 65km, I couldn’t let him down, got angry and mashed the peddles, only just enough to help us open a gap to around 2minutes, where we could really enjoy our ride up to the finish of the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek, and successfully defend our title form last year.

I have to make special mention to Henco, Carel and the Dryland crew. One for putting together my most enjoyable Pioneer yet, having found the correct balance of testing routes and some of the best trails the Karoo has to offer. Also for them hosting us and looking after Nedbank 360life like true professional sportsmen, which reflects on their race and organization. For this reason, we will be first to sign up for 2013. It seems they will continue to use these routes, and develop them, so the riders can expect for fun, and even better trails!

Then special thanks to Bridge their new sponsor, with your generous prize money that will no doubt attract bigger names next year. Bridge will always stand out now as great sponsor who supports our sport.

Suffered a bit on the final stage.

So that’s a wrap for the 2012 season, and what a great year we had with Nedbank 360life. We had our fair share of ups and downs, but with their continued support throughout the season, meant we could focus solely at the job on hand, riding our bikes, and having fun. Thanks to all the rest of our sponsors for the super season, its time now for a well earned break, before preparation for 2013 gets underway.

That’s me, tapping out. Perhaps you will see me on a golf course soon!

Till then,

Cheers,

Kevin Evans

 

Provisional results: MTB

1^st Evans/George (Team Nedbank 360life) 20hrs56

2^nd Bell/Combrink (Westvaal/Columbia) 21hr21

3^rd Beukes/Swanepoel (Cango-MTB) 21hr51