 It
has been quite a few years since I had last done the
Karoo to Coast race. I had completed it twice before,
once in the pouring rain and once on a perfect day. So
I knew that we could expect anything from the weather.
There was a group of us riding, and so we met up in
Knysna the day before.
A big part of the Karoo
to coast race is the logistical planning, because with
the start in Uniondale and the finish in Knysna, it
requires a bit of thought. You definitely need some
non riders to help otherwise you are going to have
issues. We had Belinda and Candice the legendary Cape
Epic support crew so we were ok, but we were divided
as to how to do this. Uniondale can be freezing and
cold, and some of the group had had some rather
painful camping experiences before. So the decision
was to hire a van in Knysna and drive through in the
morning. I however opted for the overnight camp
knowing that I was fairly well kitted out and also
looked forward to the prospect of driving up the
Prince Alfred pass the day before.
Well what a good idea
that turned out to be. It was really scenic and well
worth the drive. But best of all I got to remind
myself of exactly how much climbing there is in this
race, and I could do a little bit of planning working
out where they were and how steep and long they were.
People will tell you that this is a downhill race but
that is really not true. There is almost 1700m of
ascent over the 92 odd kilometres, and that amounts to
about 4 significant climbs over the route.
We started out at 7:30,
cold and overcast with the huge possibility of rain.
If you were a registered rider you could start in the
front, otherwise you found yourself in one of the
other 4 starting groups amongst the 1700 other riders.
We started in the second last bunch. The start groups
were 5 minutes apart, to alleviate congestion on the
ou wapad climb that starts right outside of town. We
caught the bunch in front of us after just a few
kilometres. Luckily there was just enough space to
ride out the whole climb, although I did get some time
to practice track stands and bursts of acceleration to
stay on my bike.
We had a race in a race
as the five of us were racing each other. Up for grabs
was the title of FBCC club champ, and the glory of
beating your mates. So there was no time to hang
around, you had to keep your wits about you to know
where everyone was. Ou wapad did not seem as
treacherous as before and I emerged at the top feeling
fine and in a hurry to get over the top of Prince
Alfred pass to catch Albert who was just ahead of me.
Chris in the meantime had bolted and none of us could
see him, Dion was just behind me and Glen a bit
further back.
The weather was still
dry and the conditions good, once I had caught Albert
we continued the long descent and I had flashback to
the Cape Epic earlier in the year when we had to climb
this pass. We settled in and the pattern for the next
60km was long up hills and short sharp descents, all
on dirt roads so the going was easy from that point of
view, but the climbs took their toll. I was just
hanging on until the 70km mark where I knew that we
had finished most of the climbing. From here we
descended into the forest and the rain started. Kom se
pad was wet and as undulating as ever. At this point
you know if you are having a good or bad race. If the
little bumps seem like hills you know that you
overcooked the first part of the race, however if you
can maintain speed and cruise this section, then you
are looking good for the finish. The final sting in
the tail is a 3km climb 8km from the finish. We
arrived here literally in the pouring rain, thank
goodness for working disc brakes on the descent!
 There
was still no sign of Chris and Dion had not caught us,
so it was a duel up the climb. I got chain suck, and
that meant no granny gear so it was going to be in the
middle ring. Just as well though because I had to get
up there as quickly as possible. The climb seemed to
go on forever and I knew that I had limited energy
left. I got to the top with my legs burning and cramp
twitches saying HELLO! Albert hung on and was still
with me on the tar decent into Knysna, we were head to
head. A sprint finish was never going to be my game,
with Big Blade AL around. I must say I admire the pros
for competing in sprints at the end of MTB races, you
really do need something special to find that extra
speed. Turns out Chris was just ahead of us and Dion
and Glen were not too far behind, a good days racing.
And so the Karoo to
Coast race delivered on an awesome riding experience
again. Going from the arid Karoo to the lush Knysna
forests over some spectacular passes in one hell of a
route. This is one of those classic MTB races that
remains a favourite. Its got that something special
that brings you back. Its perfect for a tandem, mmmmm
maybe next year….
Karoo to Coast Race Website
Knysna accommodation
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