Tough race is beaten

The Momentum 94.7 Mountain Bike Challenge was a long and difficult race this year, through some hard ground, but riding down the finish line was a joyous feeling.
WITH little time spent in the saddle training, I managed the 57,8km Momentum 94.7 Mountain Bike Challenge in a creditable four hours and 15 minutes – although it was one tough race.

Mbhazima Lesego waka'Ngobeni prepares for the raceMbhazima Lesego waka'Ngobeni prepares for the raceThe only real training I put in before the race was a 10 hour ride in September. I had good reason for the lack of preparation, though, not least of which was last minute mechanical check-ups on G-Funk, my bicycle.

On Sunday, I had been scheduled to start with Group A5 at 7.30am at Waterfall Country Village. But I was delayed by breakfast; my mother had cooked me pap, gravy, chicken feet and chicken breast. With a full belly, I started five minutes late, along with a score of other bikers who were seeded with me because of similar strength.

As for the route, designer Wayne Burnett of Midrand Country Cyclists, a mountain bike technical expert, was either in exceptionally good health or excessively enthusiastic about the race because the track was as arduous as it was enjoyable.

Burnett chose a happy combination of tracks, including mud, rocks, stones, steep hills, gentle gradients, grassland, bumpy gravel roads, grassy footpaths and flowing streams. There was tarmac here and there, but it was largely veld, adding to the thrills and spills of mountain biking.

The beginning
Setting off, I paced myself to avoid burning out as the ride was expected to be daunting. I had ridden the mountain bike challenge in 2010 in a time of three hours and 27 minutes and wanted to beat that.

Cruising through the upmarket Waterfall Country Village, rich with scenery and property, I realised that this year’s route had been altered slightly to include several new sights – and a few extra kilometres.

The first 10 kilometres or so were inside the village, the permanent home of the race. The track was mostly muddy, but also meandered along a paved cycle path, across the Jukskei River and under the R55, Woodmead Drive.

While I see myself as “a daring mountain biker with great panache”, and often do tricks en route, this year there was none of that. I was totally focused on the ride, which turned out to be more taxing than I thought it would be. There were no spectators, except for some children on Leeuwkop Farm, who sat on a koppie to watch the riders swarm past.

The route was carefully marked and plenty of marshals along the route made for easy manoeuvring. It meandered around northern Joburg’s rough county, going through forests, wasteland, bushes, and cluttered, untidy areas. Riders got an alluring sense of the joys of country life.

The terrain
I called this section of the race “the Amazon”, but quickly realised that about 95 percent of the race went through just such territory. But I rode hard, accelerating on the downhills, navigating the cliffs and the many ditches that overflowed with undrinkable water, almost all adjacent to a piece of grazing land, in low, marshy ground near the Jukskei River.

A bikers crosses the treacherous AmazonA biker crosses the treacherous AmazonThe steady ride through the prison farm, Leeuwkop, was pleasant. It was an awesome sight with its vegetation and thickets of plants and large trees. The sun was hot, but not unpleasantly so, and from afar riders could hear music pulsating through the still country air. We had reached the first water point.

I stopped to fill up my water bottle with an energy drink and to stretch my muscles.

At the second water point, my body was still intact as I navigated the 23km mark, but I was irritated when we had to stop for almost for 20 minutes. A pack of cyclists ahead of me was stuck in a low-lying area of the Jukskei; there was mud everywhere.

There was nothing for it: I picked up my bike and ran the next 300 metres or so, passing those who were ahead of me, much to their vexation.

But we were now all stuck in the mud and no one was able to ride through. I was dismayed at this turn of events because it was affecting my performance time. But I refused to give up. I got through and stopped at the second water point to drink as much water as possible, fill up my bottle with an energy drink and stretch a little.

At this section of the roundabout route, we had to navigating a single track back into Waterfall Country Village, which is inside Waterfall Country Estate, between Woodmead and Midrand. It’s a picturesque environment, along the banks of the Jukskei River, which meanders through the estate.

The backwoods
It was time for another “Amazon”; a very large section of the track went through backwoods and then under the N1 Bridge, a few metres from the Allendale Interchange, straight into some rather inhospitable surroundings.

There was another water point, where I heard that there were about 20 kilometres to the finish. About three Gautrain trains passed by along the Midrand Bridge – I envied their speed. The single track wound past the Gautrain Midrand depot and my ride was slow and paced.

Bikers splash across a stream, one of many hurdles that they had to endureBikers splash across a stream, one of many hurdles that they had to endureThe route was gentle and grassy up until the finish, through long, uncut grass and uncultivated land, rich in natural bushes and clearly marked with a sign reading “Do Not Enter. Environmentally sensitive area”.

Towards the finish my pedalling strength reached a crescendo, my breathing surged in time and my heart pounded with exertion. Music playing loudly at the finish line brought out a sigh of relief.

I cut a swathe as I cruised down the finish line, hands on my hips – completing the race at exactly 11:50am. I collected my participation medal, my third so far for bicycle races.

The overall winners were Neil MacDonald, who finished with a time of 02:08:39 and Amy McDougall who completed the race under 02:33:46.

The Momentum 94.7 Mountain Bike Challenge is endorsed by the City and is organised by Harford Sport Promotions and the broadcasting company, Primedia. Along with the Children’s Cycle Challenge, it is part of the main Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge, to be held this year on Sunday, 20 November.

This year, I decided to ride the mountain bike challenge, which took place for the first time on the Sunday before the main event, as well as the main Cycle Challenge. Known as “everybody’s race”, it is the second largest annual cycling event of its kind and the biggest mass-participation, timed sporting event.

My motivation is to prove that cycling is not an elitist sport and to debunk myths about the sport in an effort to promote individual emancipation and social transformation.