 When
I went to Fritz Pienaar in Hatfield to pick up my race
number for the Big Induna, I was asked a very strange
question. The guy handing out the numbers asked me;
“What bike are you riding” “A Raleigh” I replied. “RDS?”
he probed. “Yes” I said. End of conversation. I
couldn’t quite figure out what he was on about! That
was until I got about 10km into the race. Ah! I
though. He was asking me because he though I should be
on a full susser! And he was right! I would imagine
that all but the hardened race snakes could survive
the Big Induna without a full bouncer.
I was not in the best
of shape for the race. The cold weather in the week
leading up to the event had kept my in my warm duck
down, so I was starting from a state of over-rest! The
5 extra post-Epic kilograms proved to be rather
difficult to haul over the 1500m+ of climbing that
Jaco had somehow found on the most technical of four
wheeler tracks.
 If
you are after pure mountain biking, you need to do
this event. I would hazard a guess and say that 70% of
the riding was on sweet singletrack. The singletrack
descent after the first longish climb was so much fun
I wanted to go back up and do it again. It just never
ended! The start of the race had stack of small, steep
up hills to get the thighs and lungs burning and it
was on one of these sharp inclines that I fell victim
to a jammed chain. Frankly I was happy for the rest
while I tried to get it all unstuck.
The race takes the form
of a figure of eight. This means that the 75km riders
pass the start finish area on their way to a little
piece of hell just other side of the river. It was
painful to watch the RCI racers finishing. And after
the first few kilometres of the second loop, I was
almost tempted to go back. The climbing really starts
in earnest on the last third of the course, so for
anyone planning to do the ride next year, keep some
energy for the last bit. You’ll need it!
While the downhills are
fun, they are not a chance to rest. Nope! You have to
concentrate. Those four wheelers make some serious
ruts, and you best keep your wits about you. The 5km
to go sign was a welcome relief, but I suspect that it
was only there to stop riders from throwing their
bikes in the bushes and giving up altogether because
straight after that there is more climbing. Only the
knowledge that there was 5km to go kept me going.
 Yes
it is tough, yes there are technical bits. But
mountain bikers are tough.
Well done to Jaco and
his team on a superb route. The finish area and
festivities were top notch. And the cycling shirt was
a welcome bonus on top of the entry.
Oh, and just for the
record the Mazda blimp did, once again, try to kill
entrants at the beginning and at the end of the ride.
Maybe it is time to retire the old boy?
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