Silence

Hello all,

I trust everyone has had a good rest and is ready to attack the new year!

Sorry, I've been very quiet. Hopefully we can fit all that's been going on into one to the point post.

December with the family, a trip to Mozam, a week with my Kirsten in her home town and a fair amount of riding has been going down.

Lets not forget that Christmas has hardly stopped since early December: Scott bikes, Scott helmets, Scott gloves and loads more, USN, Decca Kit, Gaerne shoes, Linebreak compression gear, Nike eyewear, just to name a few.... Lots more on its way, Fedgroup-ITEC is styling for 2013 and 2014.

The training is going well and we are certainly on track for later in the year. Just off training camp which was a really good vibe. We trained hard and played a little to!

KZN road champs was the race of choice after a fairly big week on the bike at training camp, we arrived with little expectation.

The plan was for me to attack from the gun and the rest to sit in for the ride. I established an early break with two others crossing over, they weren't scared to put in the hard yards. By the 45km mark, we had 4mins 30. By the turn at 58km with the big climb out the way, we had 6mins but it was just me with a rider about 20 seconds off. I kept riding but slowed a little to see if he could come back across. He came straight past me and put his head down on the front, impressive. The way home was quite nasty with solid headwind but we continued sharing the workload! 10km to go and 5 minutes to spare. In the end, it was a great feeling to lift my arms in the Fedgroup-ITEC kit, overall and u23 KZN Road Champ.

Brandon sprinted home for 1st elite and 3rd overall with Neil in 4th. Kev coasted home shortly after.

The previous years holder of the KZN overall trophy was the late Burry Stander. RIP Burry, may his family find peace and his legacy stay with us forever.

Now it's off to chase some golf balls around with the team.

Off to Barberton Ultra Marathon on the weekend. Eina!

Cheers,
Brad

Thinking for two people

Hi all,

Our final goal for the 2012 season saw us take part in the Fedgroup Berg & Bush. With Fedgroup being one of our title sponsors, it gave us a platform to announce the new team member for 2013 and 2014. Brandon will be partnering with Neil MacDonald, an experienced ex-roadie with a very impressive CV.

The Descent is where all the racing snakes congregate to have 3 days of magnificent riding. Brandon had teamed up with Neil while Bridgette and I would tackle the mixed category.

Racing in the mixed category brings in a very interesting dynamic. As the stronger partner, you have to think for two people, choose lines that make it harder for yourself in order to help your team mate spend as little energy as possible without killing yourself in the process.

Bridg was on antibiotics and so we knew we were on the back foot but her never say die attitude saw us give it a good go.

Day 1- 3rd Mixed, 10th overall: lots of district roads meant that I could help Bridg along and my roadie knowledge came into play. We lost some time on the two strongest mixed teams but also put valuable time into another.

Day 2- 3rd mixed on the day, moved up to second mixed overall: A tough day saw one of the strongest mixed teams losing considerable time with mechanicals, we also lost 3 minutes of the 7 minute lead we had over Jeanie and Martin Dreyer. By this time Mariske Strauss and Justin Porteous had a comfortable lead in the mixed category and were almost certain to take the title.

Day 3- 4th mixed across the line: Martin and Jeanie got away from us early in the race and having only 4 minutes to play with meant that we had our work cut out. Being stuck further back in the field makes it hard not to lose a lot of time especially when there are sections that many people have to walk. The last 10-15km were on district and tar roads, Bridg gave it everything and dug deep. We pulled back critical time. Martin and Jeanie had finished by the time we got in and it was a nervous wait to hear if we'd held onto our position. The news came that we'd managed to keep 2nd mixed by a minute.

Bridg was fantastic and despite not being at full strength, didn't let the team down. She gave it everything.

A race to put on the calendar for sure. Don't miss it!

For now, time to rest up before we start the training for 2013. Big things to come for us.

Cheers,
Brad

Back to how it started

Hi guys and girls,

My dad has always been the biggest supporter of my riding. The early mornings, the expensive equipment, the moments of success and the times when I've let him down.

Back in 2010, I did my first Sani2c with my dad. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to partner with him at the Fedgroup Berg & Bush 2 Day, the original event.

Two days of brilliant riding, time to have a look at the views and enjoy some of the best riding in the country.

Due to the fun nature of the event, we didn't have to turn ourselves inside out to be near the front, free runs down the single track!!!

Nothing better than having a couple beers with good company, listening to how the battle took place on the top of Spionkop.

6th on Day 1, 1st parent/child
6th on Day 2, 1st parent/child

5th overall, 1st parent/child.

Will be back to do the event every year. Something completely different!

We have fantastic sponsors on board with the team and seeing them involved in events like this, makes it easy to be proudly associated to their company image. Their involvement on a personal level is second to none.

Thank you to all those that made it possible.

Off season now, time to do some different things. It was sad to say goodbye to my Momsen today and I can't wait to get onto the new 2013 bikes.

Ciao,
Brad

Living the life

Been a while,

The past 2 weeks have been busy but unforgettable. A fantastic trip along the Wild Coast where the Fedgroup-ITEC Connect riders got to host the Kathea Polycom Wild Coast Adventure. 4 days of sun, good company, beaches and bicycles. Unfortunately, I had to cut it a day short in order to get Mankele for the Isuzu 3 towers. Brandon stayed for the extra day as he was designated tour guide. (The joke was on him though, the last day turned into an epic 9hr adventure)

Tim Stark and I made the trip home from the Transkei, little bit of time to pack and get to Mankele for the Isuzu 3 towers. Kallen Williams of the Toyota CSA U23 Academy had asked me if I'd like to ride. Silly question. Another first for me.

Rourke Croeser and Brandon had teamed up. The riding was out of this world, a big change from the perfectly manicured trails and the fast style of racing of Sani2c. Each day had lots of climb to set your legs alight. Day 1 and 2 were 72km each with 1800m of climbing. Day 3 was a shorter 45km with 1200m.

Some bad luck for both Fedgroup-ITEC Connect pairs meant that we were on the back foot, Brandon and Rourke being the biggest losers. Deemed the favorites from the start, serious mechanicals lead to the pairing losing a massive chunk of time on the first day. The overall win was a far reach away. The two kept fighting on. A puncture and crash/mechanical on day 2 made it clear that it wasn't meant to be. Day 3 was almost hassle free and the pair took a comfortable stage win. Inspirational never say die attitude.

Kallen and I suffered several punctures spread across all the days but our overall position wasn't really affected. The issue was more a lack of horsepower as a team. We were fighting for the scraps. Our stage positions were: 8th, 8th and 6th. Finishing up in 7th overall. A good result but certainly a lot of room for improvement.

Day 1 and 2 were good for me, day 3 saw me start well and lose steam towards the end. We all have those days. There is a saying: Somedays you are the pigeon, somedays you are the statue... So, 2 days of flying, 1 of being the statue.

I had good legs all the way, bar the last day and definitely am feeling positive that I can make success of my opportunity. Looking forward to what the future holds. The vibe within the team is great, the mentality is even better!

Cheers,
Brad

In the money

Hi all,

Another week has passed and some more firsts. Most importantly, raced my first Ultra Marathon and a first time being in the money for Fedgroup-ITEC Connect.

After riding Hill2hill and seeing that the Hilton Ultra Marathon had even more climbing, I knew I was in for a hard day.

The rain had come down the day before and another muddy ride was a certain. We set off and the pace was solid from the start. Onto the first climb and I rode my own tempo, slowly losing contact with the lead group. From there it was a long ride to the finish. The legs felt good after 4hrs, after that the lights went out. Nutrition is a big part of these races and its a rough learning process to get it right.

There is a new found respect for the Ultra Marathon riders, it's certainly no easy ride to finish.

11th overall, progress in the right direction. Brandon took 5th overall with Bridg taking 7th in ladies race.

Cheers,
Brad