Saturday the 14^th marked the 2^nd round of the National XCO series at Fountain Valley in Pretoria. Having raced there many times before, I knew exactly what to expect. As usual I was greeted by a tight and twisty course that winds itself along the river with too many corners to count, and only about 80m elevation per lap. This was definitely going to be a race of concentration and daringness.

Seeded 3^rd on the line ensured that I got a good position into the first singletrack of our 7 lap race. Philip Buys of Team Contego charged off the front on his home course at a pace that no one could match, while small chase group of 4 formed. Marc Bassingthwaight of Namibia was the next rider fto get off the front, riding at a hard and steady pace. I decided that it would be wise to back off a little as the altitude was beginning to hurt me. This proved a wise decision, as taking it slightly easy for a lap or so meant that I was able to open up at full tilt to drop my other chase group companions and ride the remaining few laps by myself. Riding by yourself on this course is probably key to having a good race as it means you are not pressured into making mistakes on some of the sketchy corners, and you are not forced into riding in the same style as the other riders.

Before I knew it I had crossed the line in 3^rd place, 2 mins behind Mark, and 3 behind winner Philip Buys, and over a minute ahead of my nearest chaser. I was really happy with the result. The way I felt out there shows that the Cape Epic definitely did my form a lot of good, and it was great to see that I am almost fully recovered from the 8 day effort.

Next up on the calendar is the Karkloof Classic in Howick, followed by African Continental Champs in Mauritius!

Thanks for the awesome write up, Renay!

To keep an eye on all things Team RSAWEB – check us out on Facebook and Twitter.

The start of the Totalsport Buffespoort Xterra was only at 9:30am on Saturday morning. This gave us some extra time to sleep in and make our way to the Buffelspoort dam from Pretoria, where we had spent the night with family. Ash had to be designated driver as my credit card had expired and the car had to be rented out in her name. Its not often that I get to sit back relax and enjoy my lunchbox porridge while my beautiful wife drives me to my race start. It felt strange that she was the one that would be supporting and I would be the one that would be racing, however it was the best feeling to have her by my side for my first comeback in multisport.

The morning was perfect and the water was like a mirror, reflecting its beautiful surroundings. There were over 1400 participants lining the waters edge, ready to tackle the 1.5km swim, 27km mountain bike and a 12km trail (rock climbing) run. I was surprised how relaxed I felt and how ready I felt for the race. It was a fast start as always and I soon found myself just off the feet of Conrad Stoltz and Dan Hugo. I settled in and soon found some good rhythm alongside fellow competitor Stuart Marais. I exited the water in 7^th place, 1min down on the likes of Stoltz and Hugo. After only a month in the pool I was certainly happy with my swim and I know it can only get better from here.

After exiting transition 1 for the bike leg I felt great and slowly began to catch guys up the road. Before I knew it, I found myself in 3^rd chasing Stoltz and Hugo. With the top five athletes all on 29er bikes, I felt a little out on my well worn in 26er. The terrain was best suited to a 29er bike and while battling over the loose rocky climbs I had lost a few minutes to the leading two. I entered transition 2 with Tyronne White and just over a minute behind us was Stuart Marais. I knew it would be difficult to hold off a fine runner such as Marais.

I exited transition 2 in 3^rd and from the start struggled to find the rhythm I was looking for. We were soon greeted with great scenery and steep embankments, as we had to make our way up and down Buffelspoort Dam wall. The run course was grueling and represented a typical Xterra run route. There was very little opportunity to find rhythm on the two-lap 6km run route. After lap one Marais had passed me and I kept him in sight. With 3km to go in the run I hit a real bad patch and soon was passed by White. In the last km I found my feet again and soon a few meters separated Marais, White and myself. It was however to late and I finished in 5^th.

The race is certainly one to remember and I will definitely be back to give it another bash. I learnt a lot from the race and now have a better idea of what is needed to be even faster. The Totalsports Xterra at Buffelspoort Dam is definitely a race that an Xterra warrior should put on their race calendar for 2013.

This weekend saw Team RSAWEB Mountain biker Renay Groustra race back to back races in Barberton and Cape Town. Unfortunately the Barbeton Ultra Marathon did not go to plan and due to a severely cut rear tyre he had to abandon the race. Not one to let this temporary disappointment upset him, he refocused and boarded a place for Cape Town to ride the WP Cross Country(XC) race held in Durbanville.

Here are his thoughts from the race:

With the 40degree heat, and a tough technical course, it was going to be an extremely hard race. Even the competition was at a level higher than normal with an on form Philip Buys in attendance and a super quick Dominic Calitz and Louis Knipe there to mix it up.

For the first two laps all I could do was hang on as I got used to the pace of XC racing again. By lap 3 Philip had lost some time to mechanical issues, which left me to give stick to the rest of the field.  I rode off the front of the field after one or two hard accelerations and stayed out for most of the race, doing my best to survive the sweltering heat and stay upright on such a challenging course.

Towards the end of lap 5 of 6 I could see Philip clawing his way back into the race. The last lap was basically an all out sprint to stop him coming back, but try as I might, I couldn’t hold him off. With half a lap to go the cat and mouse games began, and after a few brutal attacks from Philip I could no longer respond. It was a great first outing and felt good ofter Barberton’s disappointment.

The weekend’s races started off with great success as Team RSAWEB took gold (Neville Cragg) and silver (Rob Quinn) in the Individual Time Trail, which took place on Saturday. The celebrations continued when Edward Greene made a crucial break in the closing stages of the 126km Msunduzi Road Challenge, and secured the victory.

Greene was part of an eleven rider breakaway that split the front peleton shortly after the halfway point at Dalton, and made his move as the contenders reached the outer city limits and reached the finish at Alexandra Park alone after a gutsy solo break. His break splintered the front bunch as individual riders tried to catch him, but to no avail.

Mens 30 - 34 Time Trial - From left: Jeremy Maartens (3rd), Neville Cragg (1st), and Rob Quinn (2nd)

126km Msunduzi Road Challenge - From left: Kallen Williams (3rd), Edward Green (1st), and William Bush (2nd)

The team almost secured a second podium spot, but missed it by a mere 6 second resulting in Jos Le Roux in 4th position – not a bad result considering Le Roux raced in the Durbanville High School PCS the day before!

Team RSAWEB continued their Pro Classic Series campaign by representing at the Durbanville High School Race, which took place this past Saturday. Carl Pasio secured yet another podium position for Team RSAWEB in second place, behind Theuns van der Bank.

Saturday saw the second stage of the series, the Hill Climb, an approximate 2.2km individual hill climb whereby cyclists climb from the bottom of Malanshoogte to the top. Team RSAWEB rider, Jos Le Roux, took first place and fellow team rider, Edward Greene secured 3rd place – a mere 1 second off the pace, and 0.1 second short of 2nd place.

From left: Louis Knipe, Jos Le Roux & Edward Greene

After leading the Team Competition after Stage 1 (Orbit Tour de Worcester), Team RSAWEB entered the next stage with a firm grip on the competition. Jos’ win also gave him enough points for the General Classification lead and thus receiving the Pink Leader’s Jersey.

Sunday’s Circuit Race was a challenging course for the Team, amidst wind and undulating terrain. Team RSAWEB had 3 riders representing to defend Jos’ lead and control the peloton. Late in the second lap, a convincing group – which had Team RSAWEB rider, Edward Greene, in the mix – broke away and managed to stay away. This group fragmented before the finish line, and it was Edward that put himself in the lead to secure the win.

Back in the peloton, Jos – in the Leader’s Jersey – managed his own break away in pursuit of the lead break. He soloed for two and a half laps without catching that break, but managed to claim 7th position for the day – enough to comfortably defend his points lead of the Pink Leader’s Jersey.

An overall successful day with all Team RSAWEB riders finishing well and defending their lead in the Team Competition.

From left: David Garrett, Edward Greene, Louis Knipe

The Aca Joe Pro Classic Spring Series continues with Stage 4 on 23 October 2011 for the Tiletoria West Coast Express race, but in the interim Team RSAWEB will be focusing on a few national races.

Team RSAWEB rider, Jos Le Roux, shares the team’s experience:

On this warm, sunny day for 98km Team RSAWEB spared no energy attacking to get a successful break off the front of the peloton. By half way, 7 riders formed this successful break and opened a 2 minute gap. Once through the 3.2 km dirt section (a shallow climb), the break was down to 4 riders: Jos Le Roux (Team RSAWEB), Leonardo Van Onselen, Danie Marais and Theuns Van Der Bank.

In the chase-group, teams that had missed out were in pursuit of the break. Over the dirt section the peloton split, but then shortly rejoined once on the tar again.

Jos could feel the peloton creeping back to the break (now at 30 seconds) and made a large effort over the final 12km to assist the break. This in turn weakened his sprint against his companions and managed 3rd place for the stage. This, however, has kept Jos in close contention going into the next stage.

As the bunch came in to finish, 30 seconds behind the break, Team RSAWEB lead out the field. Robert Quinn (Team RSAWEB) claimed a small win with 5th place, which has given Team RSAWEB the lead in the team competition, and again, going into the next state, the team is in a strong position.

From left: Theuns Van Der Bank, Leonardo Van Onselen & Jos Le Roux (Team RSAWEB)

]]> http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/09/19/first-podium-position-for-the-season-at-tour-de-worcester/feed/ 0 http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/02/09/team-rsaweb-stands-strong-in-the-herald/ http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/02/09/team-rsaweb-stands-strong-in-the-herald/#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:29:03 +0000 Liane http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/?p=3795 The Herald VW Cycle Tour, is one of the premiere road cycling events on the competitive cycling calendar, and attracts the top cycling talent from all around the country.

Carl Pasio secured a 4th place for Team RSAWEB, battling some challenging racing conditions, and stiff competition.

Carl took some time out to tell us about the race:

The conditions for the race weren’t ideal, and in my opinion, seemed quite dangerous. With approximately 100 riders at the start, we had a strong head wind on the way out for the first 20km, and although it cleared up at 30 – 40 km into the race, it was still really misty. Visibility was poor, there were massive potholes which were filled with water due to the rain, and the road was damp and slippery.  At the 70km mark we turned with a tail wind, which seemed to clear everything up. As a rider, I enjoy the wind, because I’m bigger and heavier than most, but the smaller riders tend to feel it more, which worked in my favour.

Our strategy for the day was to ride in favour of Rob (Quinn), to protect him and deliver him to the line first, but when the split happened, I had managed to be in the split that got away, so immediately our strategy changed to that of Rob and the rest of the team playing a more defensive role.

With 20km remaining, I attacked from the leading group to which Tyler Day reacted immediately. I knew the route as it was the same as the SA Road Championships Time Trial route, which I had ridden 3 days prior, and I had a feeling that I had the upper legs on Day. I got away, but unfortunately, with 5km towards the finish line, the bunch caught me… I had the lead, it didn’t last, but it was close.

Team RSAWEB’s celebrations continued with Edward Green taking 5th place (U23) in the Time Trial and 6th in the Road Race; Carl Pasio taking 7th (Elites) place in the Time Trial; and Neville Cragg securing 4th place (Sub Vet category) in the Road Race.

An overall impressive showing at the SA Road Championships for Team RSAWEB – Nice to know that we’ve got some of South Africa’s fastest riders in our team.

Team RSAWEB rider, Neville Cragg, shares his SA Champs Road Race experience with us:

Team RSAWEB travelled to PE on a mission. Four Sub-vet men of varying talents were assembled to defend our jersey – The South African National Championship jersey for the 30 – 34 age category. Robert Quinn didn’t want to let it go, and had simple advice for us:

“Ride as if you are the champion defending your own jersey.”

Upon arrival at PE, we were treated to our new team kit – stunning neon red Champion-Systems gear, complete from head to toe including jerseys, arm warmers, gloves, bibs, warmers, gillet and socks completed the look of the best dressed team in the peloton.

The start was fast with a steady pace. I decided to cover moves early – Luke Phieffer jumped and I followed – the bunch speed was relatively slow so we were brought back immediately, but a minute later Luke went again, with me right on his wheel, this time the bunch didn’t follow, which left a big gap pretty soon and with the tight course, we were soon out of sight.

On Lap 4, above Climb 2, we were bridged by Jaco Fereirra, a TCS pro and serious threat. He was alone, and I couldn’t see Rob (Quinn). I had to slow him down, but not get dropped – Luke and Jaco could now work together. They knew they I was dragging and conspired to drop me, with dead wheels and hill attacks coming mostly from Jaco, but he couldn’t shake me in a sprint. I attacked on the downhill before Climb 2 – mostly to get a jump on the climb – but effectively shelling Luke who was already struggling on the hills. This was good as they couldn’t work on me in tandem anymore, and Jaco  needed a ‘helping hand’ if he wanted to stay away. I couldn’t take him on myself though, he is too good a climber and would drop me with a lap to spare if we went head-to-head.

I attacked on the plateau and downhill to get him out of my slip and make some breathing space for Climb two. It worked, but looking back as Jaco passed me, I saw Rob coming up the climb behind me – with a second TCS rider, Clive Seebrechts and Jac-Louis van Wyk. I left Jaco and waited for Rob, as they coupled my back wheel I paced Rob back to Jaco.

Neville Cragg (front) with Rob Quinn.

I stuck with Rob to counter an attack from the other riders. I rested on the flats and killed myself on the climbs, but got dropped as the TCS Riders took turns attacking me off. I would however crawl back into contact after each time and rejoin while Rob played sheepdog on the climbs. We had a formed a gap of five minutes on the bunch.

Jaco escaped on Lap 7, and by Lap 8 we needed to reel him in. With Rob on my wheel, I closed the gap – over the start/finish he had 200m, and by the time we arrived at the climb there was less than 20m gap.  I had closed all I could, Rob thanked me and said it was now up to him.

The remaining portion after Climb 2 was easy, flat, fast and mostly downhill, I passed a few tail-enders and kept looking back into the empty space behind me. I was 4th over the line – ecstatic and completely in disbelief… then a spectator shouted:

“Your team mate won!”

We had done it! Rob had ridden a calculated race and blown them away in the sprint. The jersey was ours – mission accomplished.

Rob Quinn crossing the finish line at the SA Championships Road Race.

]]> http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/02/07/double-gold-for-team-rsaweb-at-sa-championships/feed/ 0 http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/01/24/team-rsaweb-takes-second-place-in-boland-drukpers/ http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/01/24/team-rsaweb-takes-second-place-in-boland-drukpers/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:28:39 +0000 Liane http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/?p=3450 Team RSAWEB took to the streets of Paarl this past weekend for the second race of the Pro Classic Series Summer League – Boland Drukpers Funride. The 100km route started at Kronenburg,where the riders traveled along the R45, crossing the Wellington four-way stop towards Malmesbury. After a brief cycle through Malmesbury, the riders entered onto the R301 towards Durbanville and then left onto the R312 at the “fruit sellers” four-way stop, and left again onto the R44, heading back toward Kronenburg.

Team RSAWEB member, Robert Quinn reflects on the race:

With a gale force tail wind at the start, we didn’t expect any action until we reached Malmesbury where we’d turn right-angled into the wind. Instead within 15km of starting, the bunch split into several groups – 3 riders tore away after 20km before a 7-strong chase group caught up. 10 riders then worked together and stayed clear of any further groups threatening to bridge the gap.  Daikin, Team RSAWEB, Cape Town Market, Brother’s Sport and IntelliBus were all present in this group.

There was harmony in this break-away down the R304, until a left turn caused the wind to come in hard from the right. With little space on the left of the road, the attacks were imminent. Initially, 3 riders escaped (2 Team RSAWEB and 1 Cape Town Market), but were caught momentarily before 5 more riders got away and maintained their lead. These 5 riders (2 Team RSAWEB, 1 Cape Town Market, 1 Daiken and 1 unattached) rotated the load with great difficulty against the wind. Darren Lill (Cape Town Market) attacked down the left with Team RSAWEB rider, Carl Pasio, in hot pursuit. Carl barely got into Darren’s slip-stream before he kicked again, and Carl lost his wheel. The 3 remaining riders then absorbed Carl in an unsuccessful attempt to catch Darren. The competition for 2nd place got the better of the chase group, who finished a few minutes after Darren. I won the sprint for 2nd place, with Moolman Welgemoed of Daikin taking 3rd, and Carl coming in at 5th.

Robert Quinn (2nd) with Darren Lill (1st) and Moolman Welgemoed (3rd)

Boland Drukpers route map

Boland Drukpers route profile

]]> http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/01/24/team-rsaweb-takes-second-place-in-boland-drukpers/feed/ 0 http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/01/17/second-place-for-team-rsaweb-at-cape-cobra-race/ http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/rsaweb/2011/01/17/second-place-for-team-rsaweb-at-cape-cobra-race/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:13:50 +0000 Liane http://www.rsaweb.co.za/blog/?p=3324 With an almost perfect day in Cape Town, hundreds of enthusiastic cyclists turned up for the opening race of the PCL Summer League series. The Cape Cobra was bound to be an exciting race as most of the riders were out to test their fresh legs after a festive season of relaxation and good eating. Due to the South African Championships being held earlier this year (first week of February), top athletes from around the country came out to gain some valuable racing experience, and to see what sort of form the other cyclists were in. Two new teams to the peloton, Team RSAWEB and Team Brothers Sport, brought a new and interesting dynamic to the race. Both these teams were well represented and resulted in a more distributed load in team strengths.

The Cape Cobra is a well known race and is considered as one of the toughest road races in the Western Cape. The 85km race started at Reddam House School in Constantia and took riders over some of the most challenging climbs along the Cape Peninsula.

Team RSAWEB rider, Carl Pasio, reflects on the race:

A hard tempo was set from the start as many teams tried to get a rider or two off the front of the peloton. It was not long into the race when the first decisive move went off the front. Robert Quinn from Team RSAWEB had initiated this move on Boyes Drive and had got away with riders from Cape Town Market, Team Brothers Sport and Diakin Gu. This move put pressure on teams that were not present in the move, such as GT Maties. Defending Spring League champion Christiaan Kriek (GT Maties) was first to react and set a hard pace in pursuit of closing the break. On summiting Black Hill for the first time, the peloton closed down the breakaway group of Robert Quinn.

With the group all back together, the riders headed towards Kommetjie where they were to tackle the short but steep Slangkop climb. A hard pace was set up the climb by Darren Lill (Cape Town Market) and Edward Greene (Team RSAWEB), and it was not long before the peloton was strung out in a long line and gaps between riders were starting to form. The race wasn’t going to be determined here though, as a long decent allowed riders to rejoin the front riders. A long and gradually climbing road took the riders along Misty Cliffs towards the Cape Peninsula, where many attacks went off the front.

The descent from Smit’s Winkel into Simons Town brought the riders to the bottom of Military Climb – it was here that the race was to be determined. Team RSAWEB timed the lead out to this climb perfectly – I was launched away with riders Darren Lil, Stefan Ihlenfeldt (Cape Town Market) and Oliver Munick (Mr Price GT). The steep concrete path that took the riders to the top created massive gaps in the peloton and left Team Diakin Gu with no riders present in the break away.

The four break away riders,  Oliver Munick, Darren Lill , Stefan Ihlenfeldtx and myself  worked well together and soon opened up a decisive gap over the chasing peloton. After climbing Black Hill for the second time, the riders descended towards Silvermine, where they would tackle the final 7km assent up Ou Kaapse Weg to the finish line.

At the start of the final climb it was Darren Lill who began to attack, and it was not long before the first victim, Oliver Munick was dropped. This resulted in me being alone to fight the duo of Cape Town Market, and I set a consistent hard tempo to prevent any attacks going off the front. In the final kilometer all three riders rode side by side, and it was in the last 300m that the final sprint began. Stefan Ihlenfeldt took the honors, followed by myself in second, and Darren Lill in third. Team RSAWEB rider, Edward Greene, made a good effort up the final climb to finish in a respectable fourth place.