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
