27 March 2008

Pics from France

If Davide looks that cold with a big jacket on, imagine how balmy we felt in cycling kit...
And even though the sun was shining at Rue Tourangelle it was still a frosy 8 degrees at the start.

26 March 2008

La Rue Tourangelle 1.2

Two days later and we were close to Tours for a 195km over lovely climbs and terrible little back roads. Another chilly day made for temperatures between 3 and 8 degrees, this time at least it was dry so I was happy.
After the first two Euro races going badly I was rather edgy and scared, so instead of being aggressive and playing about, I sat in more than I should have. This resulted in the break going away without me. Again. The bunch reacted really strangely so in the end two Ukrainians were left to ride away for the win. Back in the bunch I was sitting the front, making all the splits in the gutter, but it always came back together in any case, so that didn't help much.
Going over the last bump of the day I was in first position 'gooiing it' full tilt, down the other side and Jaro, my Polish team mate, came swooping past me. Knowing him I got on his wheel to leave a nice gap just before the next bend. This gave him a nice lead over the pack who were not sure what to do. The moments hesitation was all Jaro needed and he was able to TT home for 5km to take a well deserved third place! Nice.
 

Classique Loire Atlantique 1.2

Off to France for 180km in windy, freezing and wet conditions. Unfortunately for me the 180km never were a problem though as I had frozen legs standing at the start line in the single digit temperatures. The race started at full tilt and after being caught behind a pileup on a climb and then getting caught mid pack in the gutter I was left in a hopeless situation and watched the leaders speed off down the road.
As soon as they were gone my legs seemed to warm up (amazing in those temperatures) and I started feeling rather strong.
No can do though and any efforts were to no avail. After three and a half of the ten laps my entire group pulled over and we watched the rest of the race from the sidelines. What a waste!

16 March 2008

Mendrisiotto

First EU race of the season was a fun affair, starting off in a very cold early morning drizzle (if you just left summer it was definately cold!). Wet roads and a huge bunch made me quite nervous and I hung mid pack for the first two laps, which was when a 17 man break went down the road with 3 team mates in it. I hung around the front of the bunch and on about the sixth or seventh of twelve laps I followed Nazareno Rossi on the climb. Jacques JvR (riding with the UCI) was on my wheel and we managed to get away and cross over to the front with the help of three other riders.
Once there I just hung on the back, nursing my legs which were trying to cramp, while I tried to drink as much water as possible to prevent that from happening. It was a rather miserable affair, but hanging on the back was all that I could do. In the end a group of about 13 got away from the leading bunch which by then was 40 riders strong and we never saw them again. I was pleased not to cramp up to badly and was able to hang on over the climb the last few times to finish somewhere in the second bunch.
All in all, not quiet what I was hoping for, but considering that I still have to get used to the temperatures and that Jacques was in the same boat as I was, I suppose that I can not complain.
Ben and Jaro had fabulous rides finishing 12th and 13th after Jaro's last ditch attack was caught 250meters from the line.
We leave for France and two more 1.2 races on wednesday. Hopefully the legs will be used to the temperatures by then!

15 March 2008

Nam Champ Jersey

My team (www.TeamFidiBC.com) has just given me to the go ahead to design a Namibian Champ Jersey to wear for the 2008 season. No such thing has ever existed before so I need help in designing it.
 
So...
Whoever comes up with the best design will win a full set of FidiBC kit (bibs, shirt, gloves and socks made in Italy by oneleven www.tecnowear.it) posted to you by yours truly.
 
Designs can be sent to me at dancraven[at]gmail[dot]com
 
The closing date has been extended to Monday 17h00, just in time for the NCF meeting to make their decision.
 
 
Other info:
I would like to have the Sun from our flag integrated into the design but otherwise do not have any requests. Colours can be whatever you like but obvious choices would come from the flag.
 
 

1.3.069

On the national champion's jersey, the following advertising spaces shall be authorized:

• on the front and back of the jersey, in a rectangle 10 cm high;

• area comprising shoulders and sleeves: maximum 5 cm high in a single line;

• on the sides of the jersey: a 9 cm wide strip;

• the manufacturer's label (25 cm

2) may appear once only on the jersey and once on each leg of

the shorts.

these advertising spaces shall be reserved for the rider's usual sponsors.

Here's an idea to kick start your creative mind!

14 March 2008

Quote of the Month

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill

10 March 2008

Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour

The Funride World Champs! Always a lot of fun. After yet another night of barely sleeping we were up at sparrows so that we could start the Argus at a sprightly 6.15 on Sunday morning. With the weather and my legs playing along nicely all was well as we set off at a fast speed with Barloworld sitting at the front keeping things together for Robbie. Chris Froome did an AMAZING job, basically pacing the whole way with the help of his team mate Felix and much later in the race one rider from Neotel. Really impressive to sit at the back of the pack and see what they were doing!
Thanks to their terrific work the pace was steady all day long and we all had a relatively easy ride, chatting and having fun most of the way. I was waiting for Suikerbossie, keen to make a move and interested to see if Domenique Cornu (Belgian National Team) was going to follow my suggestiona and attack with me.
At the base of Suikerbossie I found myself on his wheel and he took off like a bullet! The two of us went all out and only two other riders were with us as we opened up a small gap on the field. Of course we were never going to get far as Pfannenberger chased us down, but it was still fun giving it a go.
After that it was sit in again and wait for Robbie to win the sprint which he did with relative ease. I misjudged the sprint, again, but was still pleased with my 18th place for the day.
 
The rest of the day was spent socializing with people that I have not seen in ages, which was really a lot of fun! Really great to see everyone again!
Now I am in Whk for 36 hours before heading off to EU for the season. Can not wait!!!

08 March 2008

Giro del Capo Stage 5

The last stage of the Tour was the traditional 5km Signal Hill TimeTrial. After barely sleeping for the third day in a row (no idea why!?) and having a slightly blocked nose in the morning (also coming over the last two days) I was not really looking forward to this stage. Nor have I ever really.
After a nice warm up it was off to the start ramp as I watched Domenique Cornu start ahead of me at a blistering pace. One minute later and I set off, immediately feeling slower than he had looked. Initially I thought that I had a decent rhythm but realized that was not really the case after a while. Not much to be done though, I just kept on pushing and briefly enjoyed the great crowd support at the Kloof Nek hairpin. After that it was just a normal TT suffer fest and I eventually crossed the line in a whopping 14min05 a whole 95seconds behind David George who once again won the stage.
Chris Froome put in a fabulous ride to take second on general classification! A fantastic result and a great way to start his first year in the pro ranks!
 
Now all that awaits us are the Funride World Champs, the infamous Argus. Should be fun!

Giro del Capo Stage 4

A loop past Boland Lanbou Skool and then going up the new Helshoogte pass and down the old road four times made for an interesting day. A break including Robbie Hunter went down the road which meant that some other teams had to do the chasing for a change. Once again I could sit on and had a easy ride, enjoying the spirit in the bunch, especially when we missed a turnoff and the race descended into chaos for a few minutes as we all had to regroup and sort out what went wrong.
After the break was recalled and sent on the right route with their original time gap we were off again, heading for the dreaded Helshoogte laps. Unfortunately one lap was cut out due to the mistake and as it was we took the climb at a mediocre pace initially. I was hoping that the pace would be higher as it would break the bunch up even more but at the time I was just happy that I dd not have to suffer that much.
Each climb the bunch would split up a bit but come back together again on the descent, just a little smaller every time. Unfortunately I witnessed two unpleasant incidents as Pieter Henning crashed on the descent while looking strong. It happened right in front of me and I got a huge fright and narrowly missed riding over/into him. Turns out the fall looked nastier than it was, I am glad to say!
The other incident was Burry Stander riding into a Konica Minolta staff member who had no clue what she was doing. He grabbed a bottle from his helper but then Miss K-M got in his way and they collided. I had a front row seat and could not believe what I had seen, very disgusted! To make matters worse Burry punctured shortly after so never made it back to the front group and thus also dropping down on GC, making the 3 second gap I had on him in the morning a bit bigger. Yes, I hate saying it, but I did profit from his misfortunes...
Back to the racing
Coming into the last lap we flew up the steep part of the climb once more before the pace settled on the false flat. Domenique Cornu (2006 u23 World TT Champ) took a flyer, followed shortly afterwards by a K-M and BarloW rider. I tried my luck and jumped after them but never could close the gap, which left me in no mans land for 2km before David George lead a small group back up to me. With 1200meters to go they accelerated and I was not able to follow, loosing 150meters to them by the line, but still coming in 10th for the day and moving up to 11th on GC.
Once again not to shabby. What made it all better were all of the people who had come out to watch and were shouting by the roadside! I was impressed by how many times I heard my name and just have to say thank you to everyone who came out on the day!

Giro del Capo Stage 3

I am still getting used to my 3G toys so was out of touch for a bit. In the mean time the Giro has come to an end and I have some catching up to do with my storytelling.
 
Stage 3 170km Paarl - Paarl via Franschoek Pass and du Toit's Kloof
The race started with a bang as everyone tried to get into the break before the first climb. Unfortunately for us everyone had the same idea and we did the 'sprint' to Franschoek at over 48km/h. Once there it was full gas over the climb as the bunch split up and I was left in a small chasing bunch. Fortunately everything came together again as we cruised on towards du Toit's kloof. At the base things were kept under control but as we went through the small tunnel the fun began and the field blew apart.
Having learnt my lesson in the past I immediately moved to the front in the tunnel and came out with the select group at the front but that did not last very long as more attacking saw me pop off the back and 7 riders went ahead.
Fortunately for me Mannie was right ahead of me and as soon as I got onto his wheel he turned on his Diesel engine and started cruising up the hill. Initially we lost ground to the leaders but the higher we went the closer we got to them, eventually catching them just as we started the descent. The new lead group consisted of 12 riders, gelling well until we got within 4km of the line when I 'sort of' gave Mannie a dead wheel and he went solo for a bit. After that chaos broke loose with several people trying to get ahead.  In the end it all stayed together enough to come down to a sprint and I reacted a wee bit too slowly but still came in a respectable 6th. Mannie was not far behind after having a monstrous ride throughout the day, looking after me and bringing me more than 10 bottles throughout the day.
The average temperature was 39 degrees after all!

05 March 2008

Photos

Made a mistake yesterday by not adding the link to the pictures...
Stage 1:
 
Stage 2:
 
On the 11th photo you can see me catching some wind, not too far behind the Pink Jersey of Christian Pfannenberger, Austrian Champ, riding for Barloworld.
15th photo was the second time going up Vissershok, I'm in 6th position but all you can see is my right arm, recognisable by the glove, sleeve and wrist band. Just trust me on that one ;)

Giro Stage 2

Stage two was a 147km, three lap affair around Durbanville and the dreaded Vissershok climb.
After yesterdays absolute dominance by Barloworld everyone was weary this morning and wondering what would happen. I was expecting an early break to go, lots of guttering on the second and third lap and then broken riders coming home in drips and drabs. This would ahve been the case had the wind ever picked up like it was forecasted but instead it all remained calm and there were only three attempts at guttering (all at different points throughout the circuit).
After learning my lesson yesterday (again) I stayed wide awake and at the front of the bunch waiting for the action that never really happened. A break went in the first 10km's and I was very keen on being in it. Unfortunately the gap I was about to take was shut and I was cut off, left to sit in the bunch. At the time I thought it was a blessing in discuise but turns out it was not as the break was never to be seen again, staying away until the end.
Back in the bunch things were only really dangerous a few times, including up Vissers. The first time was a slow ride but nr two and three were feisty affairs and I bit the bullet and went over the top in about 7th and 3rd position on the last two laps. Both times I hoped to keep the small and select group away but a bigger group reformed on both occasions. After the third summit it was a quick dive down into Durbanville for the sprint where I placed somewhere at the top end of 10th, including the breakaway riders in front that should give me a top 20 for the day and hopefully move me up from 31st in GC.
 
As for the Nam team, Mannie and Marc had really good rides, only fading a little bit the last time up Vissers. Lotto took a bit more strain and finished a bit further off the pace after not making it back to the bunch after lap 2. Arno became a DNF after his chest issue worsened overnight and he pulled out. A great pity as we are now down to 4 of the original 6 man team. At least spirits are still high and we are looking forward to the rest of the tour!

Giro Stage 2

Stage two was a 147km, three lap affair around Durbanville and the dreaded Vissershok climb.
After yesterdays absolute dominance by Barloworld everyone was weary this morning and wondering what would happen. I was expecting an early break to go, lots of guttering on the second and third lap and then broken riders coming home in drips and drabs. This would ahve been the case had the wind ever picked up like it was forecasted but instead it all remained calm and there were only three attempts at guttering (all at different points throughout the circuit).
After learning my lesson yesterday (again) I stayed wide awake and at the front of the bunch waiting for the action that never really happened. A break went in the first 10km's and I was very keen on being in it. Unfortunately the gap I was about to take was shut and I was cut off, left to sit in the bunch. At the time I thought it was a blessing in discuise but turns out it was not as the break was never to be seen again, staying away until the end.
Back in the bunch things were only really dangerous a few times, including up Vissers. The first time was a slow ride but nr two and three were feisty affairs and I bit the bullet and went over the top in about 7th and 3rd position on the last two laps. Both times I hoped to keep the small and select group away but a bigger group reformed on both occasions. After the third summit it was a quick dive down into Durbanville for the sprint where I placed somewhere at the top end of 10th, including the breakaway riders in front that should give me a top 20 for the day and hopefully move me up from 31st in GC.
 
As for the Nam team, Mannie and Marc had really good rides, only fading a little bit the last time up Vissers. Lotto took a bit more strain and finished a bit further off the pace after not making it back to the bunch after lap 2. Arno became a DNF after his chest issue worsened overnight and he pulled out. A great pity as we are now down to 4 of the original 6 man team. At least spirits are still high and we are looking forward to the rest of the tour!

04 March 2008

Pictures from Stage 1

Here are some pictures from stage 1 taken by Wayne Hayward. I'm not anywhere to be seen but it shows some interesting parts of the race.
The Big crash at 20km that took down a whole lot of people (to the left and right of me... phew!) as well as a bit of Bains Kloof.

Giro Stage 1

The Giro kicked off this morning at 9.30 with a 105km stage starting and finishing in Wellington. All started well and I was keeping an eye out for the strong winds that we were all expecting. After about 45km and still no strong winds I drifted to mid pack and was sleeping when all of a sudden things got crazy and the bunch blew apart in the gutter.
Obviously I had been fast asleep and did not notice the wind pick up. Try as I might, there was no getting back to the front and I was left in the second group for the rest of the day. On the way up Bains Kloof I tried to get away several times but that didn't work out the way I had planned.
All in all I'm rather irritated about my lapse in concentration but pleased with my shape. Seems I am strong, just lacking the explosiveness that I will need later in the season.
 
As for the Nam team, we are already minus one as someone rode into the back of Ananias' bike and destroyed his derailleur. Marc and Lotto were in the third bunch while Mannie and Arno were with me in the Second bunch. We were all sleeping while the guttering was happening it seems.
Tomorrows another day, should be fun!