Shame Oupa Gert is the TV broken again? Hehe Hardy had some stories to tell about his paddling and Power Girl finished her 60km shivering. Me? The hardest thing I did was to help Sgt Skillz with the potjie in the dark and the light drizzle. . . Well done!
On 8/3/09, Gerrit van Niekerk <[email protected]> wrote: > > For years I had been doing cross-country, but not since 2005. That is > until this year when I decided to give it another try. Including a > trail run in the events helped. On August 1 there was a cross-country > event at TUT and also a Blitz MTB event at Pelindaba. This called for > a toss-up which one to do. In the end I convinced myself that it would > be a good idea to do both since the two venues are both on the other > side of town from where I live. So I planned to do the 35k instead of > the customary 60k MTB ride, picnic and watch the 60km riders come in > and then go run the cross-country. > > The rain that started during the night should have been a warning, but > I got up anyway and when I left it was a light drizzle - it would > surely clear up very soon and there would just be a nice dust-free > ride. By the time I got to Pelindaba, the rain was coming down in > buckets. Power Girl and Mummy were also there and we were seriously > discussing giving the ride a skip. Like true MTB warriors they entered > the 60km ride and I tried to convince them that they could always > reduce it to the 35km ride if it got too wet. The long ride started > earlier and I really have no idea whether they actually started or > headed home. The hardy AR types they are, I very much doubt the > latter. > > At the start the organizer regretfully told us that the mattresses > they ordered to protect us when we fall on the sharp rocks were not > delivered and the guys who were to run with umbrellas next to us also > did not pitch. The rain was not too bad and off we went. About 12 k's > into the race we hit a very muddy place and I found the bike very > unstable. After the muddy patch the bike just remained unstable until > it dawned: I had a flat. A quick pump and ten meters further it was > flat again. > > A wheel covered in thick mud. Tubeless tyres. Cold and numb fingers. > You get the picture. After wrestling open the tyre, I discover that > the Puncture Free sealer has all but disappeared. No problem, I have a > spare bottle with me. After a battle to get the cap off (it needs to > be cut) and squirting it into the tyre the next battle is to get the > tyre on again. The tools slippery with mud do not make it easier > either. The people passing seem to be of the fuller body variety. Pump > - not much effect. Roll the wheel to evenly distribute the sealant. > Bomb. Fortunately remembered to put the soddy full gloves on before > that. Nozzle get frozen solid to the gloves and the tyre inflates > nicely - for ten seconds. > > Lots of offers to help from the ever slower riders labouring past and > the faster riders coming back already, but this is a job for one man. > Struggle to get tyre off again, struggle to get tubeless liner out, > tube in, struggle to get tyre on again. The Last Lady slowly passes. > Bomb empty; have to pump. Finally on the way again. No kudos for a > fast fix this time. > > Just after passing the Last Lady, an unexpected turn and a steep > uphill. Change from big ring, but it doesn't go. Change to granny and > it slips over - chain suck! Struggle to get chain loose. Last Lady > passes and disappears up the hill. Chain loose, on bike, clack! - > chain broken in two places. Fortunately the one piece consists of only > a few links and I am prepared: master link and multi-tool with > chain-breaker. I have never used it, but I have seen it being used. I > must have been a good observer; it goes easier than expected. Now to > be careful to thread the chain correctly and I am off again - > everything fine up the hill and the next downhill. On the next up the > change from the big ring again does not work, but I'm careful about > the chain-suck and toil it out in the big ring. Going down again I > click the lever to the big ring position and the chain comes complete > off! What the heck? That has never happened before? Stop to fix it and > then another dawning - the chain has not been threaded through the > front derailleur. > > It is quite a lot more difficult to undo a master link than to put it > in; especially when you have a chain slippery with mud. Fortunately a > marshal cowering in his 4X4 is at hand and can lend me a pair of > pliers. Finally I am on my way and have the nicely curving > single-track all for myself. Back on the dirt road I pass the Last > Lady and predict that she will see me soon again, but my luck has > changed and I pass a number of people on the way back. > > Somehow there is a time difference of one and a half hours on my watch > and on my cycle computer when I finish and discover that I have an > hour to get to the cross-country. A quick wash and change to running > gear and in the car with toes and fingers still freezing. I get to the > XC with twenty minutes to enter and warm-up, but warming up is not > possible today. > > The XC course has three laps and after the first lap I feel I am > beginning to unfreeze. Then the wind starts howling and I almost trip > over the bunting being ripped off. After the second round the wind > stops and ten seconds later the heavens open up. And not just rain - > fine hail as well... > > All I can say is: The hot shower when I got home lasted for a long > time and was thoroughly enjoyed! > > Oupa Gert > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DarkAndDirty" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DarkAndDirty?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
