The Sani2c Trail 2012 - Part 1

Early Saturday mornings and tiresome afternoons on the spinning bike has finally culminated into this… the Sani2c 2012. We were there! I still can’t believe it! The long wait was finally over…

When we arrived Underberg School was a hive of activity and immediately the vibe of the race started to sink in. We collected our boxes containing heaps of awesome gear and goodies. This included an Aca Joe winter jacket, Salomon jacket, Salomon riding vest, sani2c beanie and loads of USN and Dischem stuff. This made the excitement run even higher and I still had to pinch myself every now and again just to make sure that I’m actually in Underberg for the Sani2c. We returned later that afternoon to the School for the race briefing and the reality of what lay ahead of us started to sink in. It was not only the pleasure of your riding your bike for three days through the most pristine scenery Africa has to offer, but also a massive challenge of 250km and close on 4000 meters of vertical ascent in three days. Day 2 would be our biggest challenge but we were confident in our training and that we would be able to finish relatively comfortably. That was ultimately the main aim.

Before we knew it 15 May 2012 had arrived and we found ourselves on the start line of the Sani2c. It was a bitterly cold morning but nothing could dampen our spirits. We started in group F, with groups starting from A through to O. We decided beforehand to break each day up into segments, something that worked quite well on our longer training rides over Breedtsnek and back. Our first goal would be waterpoint 1 at 40kms. But before we got there we had some riding to do. We started slow and conservatively and lost our group early on when I dropped my camera bag and had to turn around to go and fetch it. It didn’t matter much as we knew our pace had to be our own and wanted to keep the pace steady and well within ourselves. We knew that every pedal stroke on Day 1 would have an effect on how we felt on Day 3. The quote that I kept repeating to myself in my head was: “Don’t write cheques today that you can’t cash tomorrow”. We also knew that the big challenge of the event was still a day away and that we needed to have fresh legs for the challenge of day 2. But, soon enough, we caught back up to our group as the route made its way through some working farms where farm workers and jersey cows were busy going about their daily routine. A rain shower the night before removed all the dust from the route and for the most part left us with a hard packed road surface with a couple of muddy bits scattered throughout the course. We kept a steady pace as route undulated through the hilly Underberg country side and soon enough made it to the infamous Oak singletrack. This was the point at which the realisation that I actually was at sani2c really sunk in. For years (literally) we’ve been watching highlights from the race on SuperSport and this section was always a feature. Actually being in the famed Oak singletrack was surreal and right there and then I knew the 2012 Sani2c had begun.

The Oaks

The Oak singletrack sections, as with all of the many singletrack sections throughout the three days of racing, was manicured to perfection. Smooth as silk, fast and flowing. The meticulous detail and attention that went into building these trails are evident in every inch of track we have had the privilege of riding.

Soon after the Oak singletrack section we headed towards the first of the climbs of the race, but first had a quick stop at the spectator point to say hi to our biggest fans; Adél, Evan and Maggie. Despite the cold, they were there and it was awesome to see them, especially Evan. What a privilege to be taking in the sights and sounds of one of the world’s premier mountain biking events at the tender age of only 4 months… and he loved it! Having him there meant the world to me and seeing those bright blue eyes during the race made my day. I guess that’s also one of the reasons I didn’t even feel the first climb of the race. It was a long climb with a few switchbacks taking you to the top. Like most climbs of the sani2c, it was rideable at all times. We stuck to our rhythm and passed quite a few riders on the climb. As it was never excessively steep we made it to the top without writing any unnecessary cheques…

Another characteristic of day 1 was the long and sweeping descents. Something that I realised we’re just not used to as most of the descents at home where you reach speeds of 50 – 60 km/h are steep but quite short and often relatively technical due to a rough road surface. These descents were long and flowing and smooth, allowing you to average speeds downhill of over 60km/h without even pushing. We descended down to another trademark of Sani2c; the PG Bison Floating bridge.  As the bridge snaked over the water there were some nervous moments, but we made it over without incident. Taking a plunge in these icy temperatures would’ve been more than slightly uncomfortable.



The PG Bison floating bridge

Our first stop was the first water table at just on 40km. Everything from potatoes, bananas, chocolate, doughnuts, Coke, Powerade… you name it, was available. Our first taste of the spectacular Sani2c waterpoints… and a bit more of just a taste it was! With stomachs a bit fuller than we would’ve liked we pushed on to the next water table at the 65km mark. The middle part of the stage went through massive pine plantations, each with its own beauty and, as was expected, piece of singletrack included. Again, a number of challenging climbs tested us as we made our way through the plantations. It’s funny how as the road starts to tilt upwards the banter and chirps around the riders start to quiet down. Because the Pine tree is not an indigenous tree of South Africa the plantations are void of any bird life and is there an eerie silence hanging over these woods. Something that can get a bit much for someone like me… everything is sound, right? Still, beautiful in its own way. Then, suddenly, after a couple of hours of pine plantations we took a turn an found ourselves inside the Xumeni natural rain forest. What a sight and what a contrast to pine plantations. The last waterpoint was on 64km where we were treated with some freshly baked flapjacks. It was on the climb after this water point that the cramp started to attack Kalla but we soldiered on, stopping every so often for him to try and stretch it out. Luckily, after the climb the road started to tilt downward and for the most of the remaining part of the stage we were afforded some respite with some flat and long sweeping downhill sections. Even though the route itself wasn’t so tough, the cold conditions made things a bit tougher and could possibly also be what Kalla’s cramp could be attributed to. It was an uphill finish into Mckenzie Country Club, our first stop over. We eventually made it to the top and lunch, a bike wash, hot shower, power nap and massages were the order of the day. During that evening’s race briefing Farmer Glen explained in detail what was waiting on us tomorrow. It was no secret that Day 2 was going to be a long hard day…

Mckenzie Country Club Race Village