Author: Cris Bloomfield

Usually mountain biking in the North.

Number Plates, Race Bags and Rider Briefings

So we’re registered, our bags have been sent ahead to the finish and we are now living out of the “everything must fit” Adidas kit bags. Food and drink, riding kit, post race clothes, sleeping bag and campsite gear. Everything in a bag each.

For lunch we stopped off in a local bar here in Knysna and chatted to some fellow riders. The combination of my Ti Deluxe and Tyrrells’ stickered up pseudo IF have caught a lot of attention. It turned out that the Californian guys we were chatting to were numbers 153-1 and 153-2, immediately behind is in the original listing. A bit weird! Tim is a fellow Indy Dan owner, but the two of them are riding 29ers here.

If all goes to plan and we wake up tomorrow at 5.30am tomorrow’s post will feature news of the days racing. Keep and eye out for Andrea’s Canadian bloke Karl Yeh and his buddy Mike Jacoby riding as The Weapons of Mass Destruction – 418-1 and 418-2. Tomorrow’s 2,660m starts with a 20km climb up from sea level, so we’ll soon find out how we match up to the rest of the field.

First Ride in South Africa

Yesterday after landing in Cape Town we had made the drive up the coast to Port Elizabeth. There were a number of stops along the way including Hermaneus for breakie, Knysna for lunch and Jeffreys Bay (home of Billabong surfing) on route.

After checking out the beach, getting some last bits and pieces and a bit of sight seeing, Tyrrell and I set out on our first ride tonight. We did a loop known as The Marine – a stunning coastal blast with the setting sun at our backs, but against an evil headwind. It was only as we approached the bend that took us onto the Sea Front after the University of Port Elizabeth that the wind swung around and pushed us home.

The whole ride on tarmac was big ring stuff that didn’t let is drop below 20mph and as we wound up coming into town our legs told is we were doing over 30mph. It was a good chance to practice some through and off work and share the tow, but as the sun quickly dropped below the horizon we still had a high speed 20 minute run through the streets of town and past the townships.

Stories over the last few days of riders being mugged for their bikes (or shot) along the roads which we were now making a lightless dash provided an added incentive to keep heavy legs loaded with lactic acid turning. As we pulled back into the drive of Tyrrell’s brother in law, it was pitch black. The sun sets quickly here, so there was no time for a leisurely cruise home.

Tomorrow we drive over to Knysna and on Friday preregister for the race. South Africa has a certain appeal, not just because some of us have just escaped from a northern part of England where there was still snow on the hills, but because there is a real sense of open wilderness here.

In South Africa

Between 19th March and 4th April Cris Bloomfield and Tyrrell Basson from rothar.com/racing will be in South Africa. Specifically between the 24th and 31st March they will be racing under the rothar.com banner in Singletrack and Independent Fabrication kit at the Cape Epic – the world’s largest mountain bike race and one of the most challenging. Keep and eye out for the riders 152-1 and 152-2 on the official Cape Epic Website.

Fancy That

Andrea’s been in touch. It turns out her boyfriend Karl Yeh is riding in the Epic too with a guy named Mike. The two of them are flying out tomorrow and I’ve said we’ll have to try and meet up during the race. We are both under strict instructions as she wants to see pictures of elephants, zebras and rhinos. I’ll have to see what we can do. She has also been showing off about the fact that last weekend they went cross-country skiing. This winter landscape is just over an hour from her new home in Calgary.

Mmm. Nice.

One Day to Go…

We fly tomorrow. I’m sure everything is ready, but I just need to pack and check everything off the list. Little things like cleaning the race shoes and lid and making sure that various clothing items are clean and dry have been going on over the last few days. Most of the ordering for various things needed has happened a couple of weeks ago so we should in theory be completely prepared.

That said Tyrrell’s forks only came back from Tim at Sideways yesterday and he was off for most of last week on antibiotics for a chest infection. We’ll have a few days to rest and acclimatise before the race. Given the weather we’ll be leaving behind, the forecast for South Africa looks very appealing.

Costs have really stacked up for this trip. On top of the initial £1,024 for the basics, getting the bike prepped and ready to fly and nutrition sorted out has added a further £345 and getting £200 or so money for the trip as spending money that needs to pay for car hire and such hasn’t been easy on top of things like mortgage and loan repayments. Selling one of my beloved Indy Fabs and a lot of other bits and pieces to various people via the Singletrackworld classifieds was a necessity. That said we have raised over £600 now for our chosen charity so I so feel that some good is coming out of this.

I am particularly grateful to my friends at Singletrack and Independent Fabrication who have stepped in to sponsor us in the form of some great race kit. We’ll be wearing it in pride and I hop it’ll inspire us to really work hard during the race. This is a once in a life time trip and I’m sure it’s going to be great!

Singletrack Cover Photo Credits

I updated the Singletrack Archive yesterday with the listing for the latest issue. A new look site is still being developed – a time consuming process for which I have little resource. With the latest update I have added in all the spinelines that have graced the bound edge of the magazine since issue five.

For some time I have also wanted to acknowledge the work of the photographers who have made it on to the front cover and who have contributed to the contents pages over the issues. Looking back through the issues made me realise the calibre of the contributions. There are some big names and some stunning work. Here are the links to some of them:

Rob Hamilton-Smith

Sterling Lorence

Seb Rogers

John Gibson

Dan Barham

Ben Haworth 

Getting Digital

I’ve a few old mountain biking Videos on my bookshelf that I’d like to get into digital format so that I can watch them on the DVD player. A brief question raised on Singletrack’s forum has generated some great feedback. Although I know there are a few firms that specialise in doing this, I thought it might be something I can try myself. Of course wanting to do it on a Mac adds an extra level of challenge.

Word is that you can capture to DV tape and recapture the long way or there is wee application called BTV pro carbon which will capture via a camera or deck with analogue video in/firewire through, direct to the hard disc. You can specify the format and change it once its captured. Then you just edit and output whatever you fancy. You can apparently also capture a firewire stream direct into Quicktime Pro or iMovie too

So I think I’ll have a look at www.hireacamera.com. They’re recommended and it’s said that they deliver via courier and are pretty cheap. I think I’ll make some enquiries at work too, as I’m sure we might have some useful kit available.

Doppelgänger

There is another me. Well some one else with my name and they appear to be from East Anglia too. A recent google has revealed a runner who is continuing ‘his one man assault on the Cross Country series with his third win in succession and no-one looks like taking him in the last two races barring injury, illness or some underhand move by league bad boys Tri Sport Ford’.

In other news IMBA-UK and CTC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. IMBA has demonstrated that mountain biking provision will improve more speedily if cycling organisations work closely together. As a result, increasing cooperation between IMBA and CTC has led to this first formal step in formalising the arrangement between the two organisations.

1)  CTC and IMBA believe the health and wellbeing of the nation will be improved by encouraging more people to enjoy the public trail network by cycle.

2)  CTC and IMBA agree that the byway and bridleway network in England and Wales, and cyclists access rights in Scotland should be protected and enhanced

3)  CTC and IMBA recognise a common interest in promoting and campaigning for greater rights for off-road cyclists and will actively seek opportunities to work together in support of these objectives.

4)  CTC and IMBA will encourage greater integration of our volunteer networks to work towards better promotion of and provision for off-road cycling.