Wow what a weekend of racing!!

This weekend was the UCI MTB World Cup #1 at Pietermaritzburg.

It took place at Cascades centre, where course designer Nick Floros built an amazing course, living up to every standard. It tested each riders ability to the limits, both physically and mentally.  

I was well prepared for the challenge to come. Was happy with the way I was riding the track and was mentally prepared for the task that lay ahead.  

So finally Saturday arrived the fun begins today! The U23 XCO race was only at 4:30pm, which meant quite a long wait for me. I spent most of the day chilling around the house with my feet up and making sure I ate the right food to have enough fuel for the late afternoon race.

It was a beautiful morning with the U23 men, Elite men and women having a great race in good weather conditions. It was eventually my turn to give it a bash and I was feeling good. All of a sudden at about 4pm the clouds came over and poured with rain, making it a total different scene. We had to change our tyres to mud tyres as we got ready to battle it through the mud and slush.

It was one tough race in the conditions we had, as we tried very hard to stay on our bikes let alone upright, making it quite a challenge. But I made it to end as I fought on and on through the hetic course. I managed to finish 14th which I'm quite pleased about.

It wasn't the nicest thing to ride in those conditions but it was good as it prepares us for any conditions to come and to keep our heads up. It was a good start to the world cup series!

On Sunday was the Downhill World Cup and what a FANTASTIC day!! As we sat with goose bumps while the top ten guys come down the hill waiting for Greg Minnaar to come down. There was so much excitement that surround the course making the vibes unbelievable. And to finish it off with a win from a local boy was the cherry on the top for the weekend.

Thank you to everyone for all the support, especially those that stood out there in the rain shouting. It truly means so much to me, it makes you go that extra bit harder. Thank you!!!

The next step is Europe, we leave on the 20th to go have an experience around Europe, as we ride our bicycles over some amazing trails. Its going to be great to get some experience in international racing!! I'm very excited and will post updates of the Europe trip when I can.

Xxx