Ellsworth USA - The Beast is here!!

Hey Guys!!!

Check it out! My new machine from Ellsworth USA landed a couple of days ago and is now built up!



I'm just waiting on a few things. ie. ZTR Race 29er Rims w/ Dt Swiss 190s hubs : KCNC Ti Pro Lite Seatpost : AX Lightness Endurance saddle : Crank Brother Eggbeater 11's : Sram XX cranks and Stans/No tubes The Raven Tyres

All the above metioned products including my Ellsworth Enlightenment 29 frame are available and stocked by WSquared Cycling in Hilton!

I'd just like to say thanks to Tony Ellsworth and the guys over in the US for making this amazing frame available to me!

Catching up and slacking off

Wow guys! I must appologies for the lack of communication over the past month or so! I've been so out of touch!!!

First off... Compliments of the season to all my readers! I hope you guys have an amazing year ahead!
I've was down in the Western Cape for almost the entire holiday with my family and girlfriend. It was awesome to get away from all the hustle and bustle, and to just let my head run free... O! and of course, WORK ON A TAN!!

The riding in the Cape was surprisingly awesome! Its the first year I've done my base training down there, and the roads are really sweet, not to mention the fantastic mountain biking areas like Montagu Pass or Saasveld XC course.

Now that I'm back in circulation, as well as in the new year, I will be takaing my blog a lot more seriously and will be posting regularly! So keep your eye on this space people!!

God bless
B

HP Urban Rage - Thrills and spills

Wow, what a fun filled and exciting weekend! It was the 3rd Urban Rage held at Ushaka Marine World in Durban on the 11th and 12 December and this event always promises to dish up some excitement.
I went down on Saturday morning to take part in the 4hour team enduro event with fellow team members Ryan Ellis, Ryan Redman and new team member, Evan van der Spuy. This turned out to be a great day with the most amazing vibe amongst the competitors. Everyone helping one another and a great social event where we could let our hair down while enjoying our riding at the same time.To our surprise we were first overall with the Maverick Team, lead by Mike Bradley in second and then our very own senior citizen members of Team Jeep lead my Clint Morck in third. Well done Ballies.
Sunday, dawned bright and early and we were already on the road to Durban at 05h45. Today would be very different, as this is the event that brings out the best riders and some nice prize money up for grabs, but it would turn out to be a day of thrills and spills for the majority of riders.
The day began with the first individual qualifier, where two riders would start together and the times would determine your seeding in your second and final qualifying run. Thereafter your second qualifying run would determine the top 10 men and top 5 ladies that would go into final, where we would all be sweating more than just blood.
The first qualifier saw a number of competitors crashing, which obviously effected their times. Luke Roberts fell twice, I connected some scaffolding resulting in me facing the opposite direction and Arno du Toit unfortunately took a huge crash carrying too much speed over an obstacle and breaking his collar bone/shoulder blade in the process. This was really unfortunate as he would have brought a nice mix to the competition. “ Sterkte boet”. We hope you get well soon.
Craig Paul and I then did the 2 man team event in an effort to double check some lines and then it was time for our second attempt to make the top 10.
This run went off a lot better, but James Reid took a tumble and withdrew - I am sure he would have been in the top 10. The top 10 men and top 5 ladies were announced and I had just made it in spot number 10. Going into the final, I was going to have to pull out all the stops.
As the last qualifying male, I would have the honour of running first directly after the females. What a race the ladies had, with Candice Neetling destroying her competition to take her third consecutive win. Well done Candy, you are a machine.
I set off and pushed as hard as possible. I really felt good and I was really enjoying the course. What are the odds that both myself and team mate Ryan Ellis would find ourselves in a heap in exactly that same spot at the bottom of the stairs leading down into the aquarium? . I managed to get up again and pressed on. I really felt good, but only managed to make it into 8th spot. Ryan Ellis and young Alan Hatherley also took tumbles but were also able to recover. However the star of the show must without a doubt be Phillip Buys. This guy is unbelievable. After crashing his brains out on the last metal bridge crossing on the far side of the canal, he ploughed into the shade cloth and still had to repair his chain before he could ride any further and he still posted the fastest time of the day. Respect Mr Buys. Respect.
A huge thank you must go out to Max Cluer and his army of helpers as well as all the associated sponsors for putting this event together. You guys all did an awesome job and I am really looking forward to the 2011 event.
Now I am eager to get to the Cape where I am going to enjoy a nice holiday with my family and some friends. It is long overdue and I am going to make the most of it.
Catch you later

Ellsworth USA - 2011

For the past couple of weeks, I have had some really exciting news building up regarding sponsorship deals for the coming year. I've finally been allowed to let the cat outta the bag, so...... In 2011 I will remain with Team Jeep South Africa, but will also be representing my new co sponsor .... Ellsworth bikes.

I have been fortunate enough to have been offered to ride from Ellsworth Bikes in the USA. I will be riding the Ellsworth carbon Enlightenment 29er which is the hard tail configuration in the mtb range while riding the Ellsworth Coercion carbon road bike on the road.
Ellsworth Bikes are renowned for their quality hand built frames that are built by craftsmen to the highest standard. These two babies should start arriving soon and I am really excited about getting them sorted in preparation for the 2011 season.

I will be racing on a full time basis in 2011 and am really excited about the prospects of possibly racing in Europe, while still meeting my commitments here at home and maybe even getting to the States where I could hopefully get some decent results for Ellsworth on their home soil and demonstrate what an awesome product Ellsworth really is.

Well despite the rest and base training preparation since Hill 2 Hill, the last competitive event for me is coming up on the weekend in the form of Urban Rage in Durban. Bring the family down and come and enjoy the racing and Ushaka Marine World at the same time.

Time to Give Thanks

Ok, so with only urban Rage left on the calender, I think its due time for me to give thanks to EVERYONE who has helped me and stood by me throughout the year!

Team Jeep South Africa (including Clint Morck and Bex van de Linde for there support and advise) and all associated sponsors- John Dory's, ER24, Tropitone, Varsity College and Stedone Hazycrest Projects. These guys are the back bone of my team, and without them the team would simply not be able to survive.

Max Cluer- Team manager/owner, for his guidance, support and understanding, as well as all the hours that he puts into the team behind the scenes. This guy is a machine and an energy bunny of note.

Craig Paul- a Guru with a spanner, always making sure that my bike is running smoothly and a very big role model, training partner and mentor to me! I could not have asked for a better team captain.

Johann Wykerd and W Squared- for his selfless commitment to so many people and for all the help in so many ways. Always giving advise, being a mentor and being a close friend. A huge Thank you Johann for ensuring that I was able to ride a Merida 96 carbon for 2010. You and Allegra are an inspiration to so many and I applaud you for it.

HUGE thanks needs to, without a doubt go out to an EXTREMELY special lady. My Coach, Allegra Wykerd, has stood by me for many years, despite the circumstances and always ensured that I was as well prepared as possible.

Grant Dinkel- Adrenaline Cycles. On a few occasions, Grant opened his shop doors well after 8pm to help me out when I had discovered a problem that needed sorting before a race, and was always willing to squeeze me in on short notice! What he does for the youngsters in the sport is also amazing. Keep up the good work.

The Steyn family in Pretoria for putting us up with accommodation on two separate occasions and especially Nettie for running me to and from Fountains in preparation for SA Champs. "Julle is die beste"

Grant Walliser for assisting me with Nokian Tyres. They are a fantastic product and really contributed to my results. Thank you once again.

Then lastly, my parents and brother. They have to be THE most supportive family in the entire cycling world. Always attending EVERY SINGLE RACE that I do. They drive to opposite sides of the country while I fly, just to show their support. These people are the reason I'm able to race!

Thank you to everyone for your support this year.It has been your support that has enabled me to race and I thank you for it.

Here's looking forward to the 2011 Season, which should be a real humdinger.

Momentum health - 94.7

Wow!! what a HECTIC weekend! in between all my matric exams, I had a little time to 'quickly' shoot up to Jo'burg for the 94.7 road race.

We left at sparrows fart, around 3am on Saturday morning, in order to miss the rush of the JHB traffic. After arriving we settled in with our other family members before hitting the road again to go and get registered.

MAN!!! the expo was SUPER cool! I could've honestly spent a couple of days in there. There was everything from cycling caps to the new 4.7kg Cervelo R5 road bike! There were some really impressive stalls which housed some of the most unbelievable bikes ever! ASG had the Pinarello Dogma and Emotion cycling had the new Volcans and Cervelo's. Unfortunately I had to be dragged away from this paradise to go get some rest before the next day.

I hit the hay early that night, trying to maximize my chances of catching up on some sleep... BUT my 6am start meant I was up and at it at 4:00 the next morning! That's one thing about road races, they are HECTICALLY early! I was a little uncertain of how my legs would be from my past couple of weeks of base training, but my coach certainly knows what she is doing and I was very pleasantly surprised.

At 6am we were off and fortunately it was a nice slow start to the race which allowed for my legs to warm up and by the time we hit the first climb I was firing on all cylinders. The attacks came pretty frequently, but i managed to stay safe in the lead bunch which was able to drive off the front. However at the 2nd climb I could feel things weren't feeling so hot, so I sat up slightly and decided to chase back on the descent towards Ponty tower. I made contacted with the group again and then managed to settle in nicely, before putting in a move on the tight windy streets in central Jo'burg, with the likes of Brad Mitchell and James Fourie. I realised it wasn't going to be a very successful break so the pace eased up again. Then disaster struck at around the 50km mark... my front gear shifter snapped off completely. ( The shifter on the opposite side broke in exactly the same way a month earlier while racing the Midmar Notts).Luckily it was stuck in big ring on the front, so i could keep up with the relentless attacks that were about to come.

The bunch continued to get smaller and smaller as we approached the the final 20kms, and was now just 15 strong, testosterone pumped riders. Luke Roberts went on the attack, and managed to get a sizable gap over the bunch and with no one wanting to chase down and the gap began to grow. The ASG junior team then took matters into their own hands and quickly ground out the gap that had been form, and soon we had Luke back in our sights.

But then the most difficult part of the race came at around 85km in the form of a MOOSE of a climb that looked like a vertical wall. We hit it = the explosion of my legs... not being able to gear down ensured that the gear I had to push made my pace really slow. I just had to watch as the other Juniors dropped to the small front ring and danced up the cliff face. After I eventually hurled myself up and over the climb I rode a steady pace back to the finish, coming home around 15th just behind Luke who had run out of steam with his huge effort earlier, riding up front on his own for quite some time. A very disappointing result especially with my legs feeling so good on the day, but a brilliant indicator that my legs are feeling good for Urban Rage!!!

A huge thanks to Linda Roberts and Charles Roberts for helping me out with an error that was made with my seeding and for sorting it out for me as I only realized the organizers mistake when I was on the other side of JHB when I opened my goody bag.

The organisation and scale of this event was a real eye opener and a good indication of what can be achieved when those involved in organizing an event know what needs to be done and it is done well.We were already on our way home and some riders were only starting two hours later and I was really happy that I was done because it was really staring to get hot.Some riders that were riding for charity dressed up in cow outfits including udders did the route twice.Respect Brothers and sisters. RESPECT!!!!

A great experience and I will definitely be back again next year. One more exam and I can start focusing on the task ahead in 2011.