Day two was an early start, for some... The batches would start 10 min apart again. With fourteen start groups, thats two hour and twenty minutes of starts and this is a 100km course with 1700m of climbing to come. The Yellowood Park Massive, er... The Back Markers would have a long hot day if The West Side 26'ers, er... I mean the race, didn't start earlier.
Sunrise was officially at 06h30, so naturally the start is 06h00... Wait what?!! Thirty minutes before the sun is up?!! It was :(
We wake up at 04h30 in the cold and dark. Heavy D was off almost immediately to queue for a first go at "his morning ritual". This happened at least twice before we starts, EVERY DAY!!!
(BOd and BObbie LOOKed at each other and screamed "Heavy Tenting!!!")
We had arranged for our boxes to be returned to the trucks by the Massive and in return we would collect theirs when we got to the finish. This made for a much more pleasant morning. Breakfast was next and then a mad rush to the start about 100m from the tents (yes, yes, shut eff up BObbie!!!), it was still dark at this point. Oh, did I mention that after the epicness that was Day One the 26'ers found them selves in the A batch for Day Two.
Heavy D tried to record the start, but the GoPro does not work well in low light (Lani: (snickers) Get a real one...). There was a lot of excitement in the start batch in anticipation of what is effectively the reason why Sani2C is so popular. Day Two starts with a short bit of dirt road and then into the Uhmkomaas valley single track. The most stunning views, epic single tracks, river crossings, local supporting (better than Argus) awaits.
And we're off!!! We soon realised that we were in the big league now. The ease with which we manhandled the schmucks in E batch on Day One was no where to be found. We, in 43rd position (of 50), were the ones being man foundled in the A batch now. The pace tense, the dust thick and dangerous and yes, its still dark. The lines formed quickly when the single track came and the group spread a bit. Perfect for the long technical downhill single tracks to follow.
Last year this was frustrating. The batches were too close together, bunching happened and the downhill was wasted on stupid effing roadies (Entire Team B.O. collectively flashes gang hand gestures at the Donkey, Gaat only managed a hoof...) clogging up the beautiful trails. This year, we were in the driving seat, up front in A with very few riders ahead (BOd: (snickers) 42 teams isn't exactly a few...) and the the ones that were there could handle their "beep" round the corners, over the rocks and through the water (BObbie: (bitching) Fine, fine, so many kids was faster downhill but I was the first up at the golf course I was!!!). The km's flew by, the crowed roared around every corner, the clouds floating beneath you in the valley and the sun finally sticking its head out, everything was just, perfect.
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Its hard to remember all the individual bit of single track. They all have names and farmer Glen is very proud of them, but for me its just thrill of riding, I don't care what their called really (BOd note: Let's just not let Lani name nothing...).
This is like the World Rally Championship... Speed, speed, speed, sharp corner steep drop left! Don't forget to look at the view ... Oh crap, rock, right! Right! Speed, speed, speed, man with a flag! Indicating... uhm... "EFF" that was close! Hey, river down there! Cool! Speed, speed, speed, Something on a board telling you that the next bit of track was built by the blind kids from the school followed by some blind kids and a school and am I being rude if I think I am gonna smack into a tree?!!! Speed, speed, speed! Rocks!!! River! Hairpin left! Hairpin right! Hairpin left! Speed, speed, speed, rocks in the water!!! Idiot, the view, don't forget about the view!!!
(BOd note: half way through reading this paragraph BObbie needed BObaby 2's diaper and claims he will never ride a mountain bike with Dinki, ever...)
40km into this epic trail things finally settled down a bit and your ridding along the mighty Umkomaas river at the bottom of the valley. And then, the bridge. The big, slippery, steel structure is telling me that One, you are about to cross the main Uhmkomaas. Two, the first water point is close. Three, you are at the lowest point of the day which means... 40km of up of course. The last point usually encourages some additional snacking at the water point. Even the racing snakes stop to catch their breath one last time.
The first part of the climb is marked by some rolling hills with a grand total of 14 river crossing. Some have bridges and some you go swimming. At one crossing the bridge was broken making for some Super Mrio Bros over broken bits of planks. The bike shops love this bit as it washes out lube from every joint causing bearings to cease , gears to jump and generally maintenance cost to sky rocket. You don't notice it just yet though, you are having too much fun. Its only later when you are back in the dry, hot and dusty part of the climb that the creaking reminds you the expense to come.
There is a long climb before the last river crossing that most get confused with the Nando's climb. Alas its not, but when you get to the top you get one last chance to roll down a long hill ending in a 10m wide 2ft deep river to make sure you now have absolutely no lube left anywhere on your bike. Next is the real Nando's climb. 5km of steep, hot and dusty dirt road. Heavy D by now had depleted his water reserve and decides to steal mine, since I seemed to require less. I am not sure if this is a mental thing or knowing that I had very little to drink or I spent too much in Day One, but it's beginning to take a toll on me, I am now running on fumes... Heavy D was strong now after he stole my water and rode away with it.
(Team BO mental note: Never let Heavy D anywhere near your water! On that note, NEVER let BObbie anywhere near your food!)
After pulling a "BObbie" Heavy D blasted ahead without me. I stopped, drank my last sip, kneed down, hands to the sky and gave my self a pep talk and then got back on my bike to catch the bastard. At least he waited half way up and we rode together to the top, reading the annoying Nando's jokes on boards every 500m or so. The trail eventually flattens out just before the second water point. The famous Nando's Stop.
Heavy D tried to take out the Nandos chicken man which made the announcer look up and take notice of us. He made a rather huge deal out of the fact that we were the first team of little wheels (the 26'ers). Not sure how to read into that really. Is he saying "wake up and get some big wheels" or "congratulation on leading the little wheel race"? Not sure, but before I gave it too much thought someone offered me a Nandos burger and my focus shifted like BObbie... These are simply the best 'kak burgers' on this planet!
Back on the bike we started on our final push. This is a kak, insanely steep, single track section that climbs you straight out of the valley. "Push of a climb" it was named and damn that's what I did! The only section in fact that I did not ride this year.
(BObbie: (screaming) See, see!!! If Dinki gets off I don't feel so bad now!!!)
After that madness it settled down again with a flatter, wider dirt road to get you home. The third and the final water point has quite a stunning lake on the right to ease you down, with some potatoes when you get there and the last "short" climb almost immediately after to remind you of those potatoes...
After that, just the catwalk remains. "Cat" as in diggers. Sani build a road next to the highway for school kids to use to and from school. It saves a few lives every year and cuts a previously used hill out of the last 5km. For that, we are great full!!!
The process once we crossed the finish line of Day Two was similar to Day One. Bike wash, box collect, shower, eat, sleep, with one exception ... A swim. There is a pool that very few people use. Its ice cold and all mine. Well, until he showed up...
The camp here is rather nice, but the food hall not so much. The tents are pitched in a macadamia nut orchid so you dont feel like you're all on top of each other with a row of tent between you and the next guy. The food hall on the other hand is very disconnected. The tent on Day One works well for the slides and briefing, but this multi level, multi hall setup was not so good. Food was once again epic and the food poisoning incident of 2008 was luckily not repeated...
Off to bed early again as tomorrow was the last and we still have the floating bridge to contend with at the end.
(BOd note: It's rather amazing how BObbie can squeeze his name into this diary since he don't do mountain biking and is not even there...)
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