The 2008 Tour De Krantz was a bit chilly but a lot warmer than the previous races. With an hour or so to go Rourke Croeser and I went to warm up, we noticed all the top riders were here and knew it wasn’t going to be an extremely difficult race.
On the start we were all lined up together. And as the whistle went it was a full on sprint. I managed to get into a group with Rourke Croeser, Brandon Stewart, Craig Paul, Jedson Tooms, Pete Smith and Travis Walker. On the first small climb I could not hang onto the pace and I dropped off. I still maintained a pace fast enough to maintain my position on the road.
After I had recovered I caught Craig Paul who was suffering from flu, and we began to work together. The course began to get really difficult, and we hit some brutal climbs. Daniel Paul caught us and Daniel Paul and I broke away and started working together to catch the group ahead of us.
I began to chase as hard as I could but Jedson and Travis were too far ahead and I could not close the gap in the end. Eventually Daniel broke away from me and I just couldn’t go any harder.
It was definitely not one of my best races of the year as I did not feel very strong, but it was one of my favorite courses so far.
The course was awesome and the climbs were really difficult. There was some good single track, and some awesome views from what I had a glance at. Well done to the organizers who put in a very big effort to make it an enjoyable race!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Cowan House Super Classic 10 August 2008
The 2008 Cowan House Super Classic saw their most entries ever, along with many of the top riders being there. The Cowan House is one of the favourites among most riders, with its variety of single tracks, and really tough climbs makes for some awesome racing.
This year Cowan House greeted everyone with some nice warm sun, nevertheless it was still very cold, but at least the sun was out. The classic was heard to be thee toughest it has been in years, and all the top riders were there, Brandon Stuart, Craig Paul, Rourke Croeser, and Pete Smith. The race was off at 09:10 and the racing stated from the word go. I had a good start and was situated at about 7th overall. The pace lifted and Jedson and I began to work together and we soon found ourselves going really hard to try and reel back Trav Walker and Andrew Hill.
By the time we had reached K.O.M (King Of The Mountains) we had noticed David Louw and Gary flint were closing on us. Jedson upped the pace considerably and we manage to open up the gap. Luckily I managed to enter the single track first and I went as hard as I could, but Jedson would catch up on the open roads. Eventually we caught Andrew Hill who had taken a wrong turn, but it did not last long as Andrew and Jedson opened up a gap and I chased as hard as I could to close down. Their sheer power was too great on the open roads , but I was able to close on them in the single track, unfortunately not enough. On the last climb I went as hard as could and closed the gap down to 4 seconds between Jedson and I by the finish. In the end I had to settle for a 8th overall and 2nd youth.
The course was absolutely grueling, but it is one of my favourite courses out of the super classics I have done this year. The climbs were really brutal, the single track was fantastic and the all round organization was brilliant. Well done to everyone who made the event possible.
This year Cowan House greeted everyone with some nice warm sun, nevertheless it was still very cold, but at least the sun was out. The classic was heard to be thee toughest it has been in years, and all the top riders were there, Brandon Stuart, Craig Paul, Rourke Croeser, and Pete Smith. The race was off at 09:10 and the racing stated from the word go. I had a good start and was situated at about 7th overall. The pace lifted and Jedson and I began to work together and we soon found ourselves going really hard to try and reel back Trav Walker and Andrew Hill.
By the time we had reached K.O.M (King Of The Mountains) we had noticed David Louw and Gary flint were closing on us. Jedson upped the pace considerably and we manage to open up the gap. Luckily I managed to enter the single track first and I went as hard as I could, but Jedson would catch up on the open roads. Eventually we caught Andrew Hill who had taken a wrong turn, but it did not last long as Andrew and Jedson opened up a gap and I chased as hard as I could to close down. Their sheer power was too great on the open roads , but I was able to close on them in the single track, unfortunately not enough. On the last climb I went as hard as could and closed the gap down to 4 seconds between Jedson and I by the finish. In the end I had to settle for a 8th overall and 2nd youth.
The course was absolutely grueling, but it is one of my favourite courses out of the super classics I have done this year. The climbs were really brutal, the single track was fantastic and the all round organization was brilliant. Well done to everyone who made the event possible.
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