 I
returned for my second Lourensford mountain bike race
and really enjoyed it. The last time I did Lourensford
it was in 2004 in the wet and it was a very different
race with a 70km distance and almost 2000m of ascent.
It was one of the toughest races that I had done with
over 5 hours in the saddle. The race was also pretty
technical so it was a real challenge, but the views
made it one of the best events that I had ever done. I
was back a year later, but when it poured with rain on
the start line I bailed out – probably one of my
darkest mtb moments ever. Something I will never do
again. So this time I knew if I am there I will ride,
there will be no turning back.
Boy was I glad that I
did, the day was perfect for riding, just moist enough
to firm things up a bit and keep the temperature
reasonable. A bit of rain into the finish was not a
problem at all. The long route was about 55km with
almost 1500m of ascent, that makes for a lot of
climbing, but a lot of downhills too. The views were
as good as ever, with the towering mountains on one
side and False bay in the distance on the other side
and some idyllic looking lakes.
I thought the route was
nice and varied with various surfaces like forest
track, slippery sections, loose gravel, rock and some
nice fast downhill forest tracks. It was not super
technical but it also wasn’t a walk in a park.
From the start it was
straight up for about 20km through the forest before
you got a chance to rest a bit on a downhill. After
that the route got a lot more interesting with some
overgrown paths, rocky fynbos tracks and plenty of
stream crossings. Nothing was really flat so it was
either up or down. The last section was also not a
cruise in, there were some technical bridge sections,
a bit of single track and then a last bit of climbing
through the forest and vineyard. Saving something for
the end was a wise move, otherwise you could have been
in for a bit of slog to the end.
This years Lourensford
was definitely a lot easier than the first one I did,
but it was still a great challenging ride. Some people
feel there isn’t enough single track, but I think the
variety of surfaces and the scenery more than make up
for that. Also with the numbers of riders, over 1000
for the three events, it is better to have some space
to pass rather than getting stuck on tight sections.
The winning time was an
amazing 2:29, with the second place almost 15min
behind at 2:45. The shorter 35km route also seemed to
be a fair challenge, with the big long climb included
in that race as well.
Lourensford Race Photos
Somerset West accommodation
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