The flight to Switzerland was really awesome and went off without a hitch. As we approached our landing, we were greeted by the beautiful turquoise water of Lake Geneva. Apon landing bikes were collected, vans were fetched, and the road trip to the picturesque town of Champery began. As we got deeper and deeper into the mountains we could see why Champery was one of the most feared technical tracks on the World Circuit. The mountains were steep. Very Steep.
So we settled in and went for a spin the next day to check out the track. It had rained VERY slightly the night before. I arrived at the track and to my horror, the track was like an ice rink. That combined with the steepness and the amount of roots that spread across the entire track, definitely made me a little hesitant to try any of the major technical sections until my tyres had been changed. I rode what I could, but felt super uncomfortable. Luckily Burry Stander was kind enough to do a couple of laps the next day and show me a heap of lines that would definitely help out with passing and staying smooth in the race. Dylan van der Merwe (Burry's mechanic) and Burry hooked me up with some awesome tyres, a saddle, spare wheels and parts and some Rotor Rings to give me the best possible advantage for the race.
With the bike now set up properly my confidence grew vastly. I managed to hit everything, felt fast and felt smooth. My head was right and now all I could do was wait until race day to let it all hang out. The days leading up to the race became more and more chilled out, to such an extent that we left the opening ceremony half way through in order to stay off our legs. Line' Griffiths ensured that all our legs were in tip top order, even if it did mean sending us through the roof with pain on a frequent occasion.
So the night before the race the house is dead quiet, before being awoken by the sound of thunder slamming into the Champery mountains. A heavy thunderstorm had hit and had settled in for the entire night. Race day dawned through a sheet of thick white mist seeping through the streets and alley's of the town of Champery. Surprisingly, I wasn't phased by the bad weather. I felt I had done everything right. I had the best equipment, the best support base. It was now up to me. I took a light spin in the morning to loosen up the legs, finished the ride off, chilled, chilled, chilled and chilled some more until race time.
After arriving at the race village, the 2 hours until my race just seem to dissolve. Before I knew it I was standing on the 3rd row of 106 junior men all wanting to be at the front of the race, battling it out for the Rainbow Jersey. "15 seconds to go..." the gun went. Gert Heyns, who was directly in front of me, unfortunately slipped his pedal, which catapulted me back to around 50th place. Now racing mid pack, I had to stay calm on the start loop and try real back the deficit at every opportunity I could. By the end of the 8 minute start loop I found myself in 37th. I managed to work myself into 30th by the half way point of the 1st full lap, but unfortunately broke my rear shifter in a crash. I got moving, still retaining a top 40 position and rode to the tech zone around 2-3minutes away. I got to the tech zone, but we were unable to fix the problem with the shifter, having lost valuable time and now outside the top 40, it was time to put all the set backs aside and just get on with racing. I began to reel in the positions, and by the end of the 2nd lap was up to 33rd and had managed to catch up with compatriot, Gert Heyns. Lap 3 came around and I had managed to move up into the top 30 and was now sitting around 26th or so. There was now a big group of riders a minute ahead of me. Knowing I stood a chance of a top 10, I went for it. I pulled myself to 15th and had the next 5 positions withing reach. So, as most teen aged boys are, I got greedy, plain and simple. I wanted that top 10. Up 'the BIG climb' I just went to far into the red. I pulled myself onto the back of the bunch of 5, but didn't even realise I had brought along the bunch I was previously in. Being in the "red" I couldn't respond to the attacks that came at the top of the climb. All I could do was hope that the Epic 29er would pull me back on the last and most technical section of the lap. I came back into contact with the group on the descent, but the group was now really stung out and as we exited the last single track, onto the finish strip, I could see I had lost my chance of the top 10 that I had been so close to only a few minutes before. I crossed the line in 23rd, a result that I'm decently happy with, but a result that could've been better had I raced smarter on the final climb. But after the race, I had some very wise words from Burry Stander and his dad, Charles. "It's the only way you will learn. By making stupid mistakes like that, it will teach you to race smart in the future." So I didn't come away from the race entirely empty handed. I at least know now that I have the ability to do it!
(sitting 15th, the dude in the background-lap 4)
A huge thanks to the following people for everything at the World Champs event.
Team Sho-Air/Specialized Factory Racing, for the providing me with the absolute best equipment to get the job done! The Epic 29er S-Works was definitely the bike to be on!
Burry Stander, Dylan van der Merwe, Benno Willeit, and Bobby Behan for all the help leading up to the race, as well as all the help at the race.
Bryan Strauss, Line' Griffiths and Morne' Odendaal for coordinating the RSA team and making sure everything ran smoothly.
Charles Stander, Mandy Stander and Cherise Taylor for being an amazing support crew and for going absolutely "BOSSIES" during my race!
And to everyone that was back home who supported me! My family and friends! you guys rock!
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