Although half marathons not being my favorite discipline of mountain bike racing I decided I was going to travel to Sabie to race the third round of Nissan National Half Marathon Series on my Ellsworth Enlightment 29er.
The team travelled up on the Friday morning and arrived in Sabie on friday afternoon. We were privileged enough to stay in a luxurious villa just outside Hazyview. The ultra marathon and marathon races were on Saturday and my race was on Sunday.
On the morning of the race registration was an absolute breeze despite the thousands of other riders. With a quick warm up it was a scramble to the start line.
After a 1.2km neutral zone the racing began and I went straight to the front to see what I could create.
After racing Ryan Gibbons for two years I knew what he was capable of so he was the man to watch. As we hit the first climb he put in a huge effort and I struggled to his wheel.
we already had a large lead by the time we reached the first water table and I couldn't get Ryan to drop off.
After numerous attacks from both parties we were still together at the 30 km water table
After the last water point it was all downhill and I knew if I took responsible risks I would be able to get rid of Ryan
In the last 10 km's I gave it 100 percent effort and finished 2-3 minutes ahead of Ryan.
All photos are courtesy of Zoon Cronje
Next weekend I will be racing at Karkloof for the Momentum UCI XCO race and then the world cup fever begins.
Till next time
Cheers
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