Fat Tracks Club Newsletter April - June 2012

Committee Contact Details Charl Joubert Chair Stephan Jansen v Rensburg Vice Chair Dee Hayter Treasurer & Secretary Melanie Darlow Newsletter & Media Duane Kritzinger Website Dawid Ferreira Social Events Evan Rothman Newsletter Michelle Reed Juniors George Smith Juniors Kevin OMoore Social Events About Fat Tracks
Fat Tracks is the rst Mountain Bicycle Club in South Africa. Established in 1989, the club has consistently led the growth of Mountain Biking in South Africa. As a club we recognize the importance of catering for all mountain biking enthusiasts irrespective of level of tness or skill. The club organizes racing and social events for club and visiting members.

The Newsletter
Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the Chairman. While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information from sources and given to readers, the Club cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom.

PEDAL TORQUE

Mountain biking in Port Elizabeth is for sure not boring and is very alive. The National XCO and DH at Addo recently was something special. I must thank those members who drove all the way to support! It is always impressive to watch the skill and intensity of Cross Country racing at this level! I want to encourage all members to join Fat Tracks on Facebook or visit our web page regularly. Duane doesnt miss a thing and always surprises me with the way he is updating our web page. Good luck to all who are preparing for the TransBaviaans. It is nice to hear about the serious training groups who dont get onto the bikes before dark! Happy MTBing,

Charl
Charl Joubert Fat Tracks Chairperson

SAFETY FIRST: ICE ID

Article by Stephan Janse v Rensburg As most of you know, accidents, falls and medical emergencies are all part of our lovely sport. If you look in history books and see how medical emergencies were dealt with in medieval times, we are truly blessed to live in a time where medical services are top notch, especially if you have medical aid. However, most of us carry our medical aid cards in our wallets, and our wallets are usually not taken with us on a ride. This means that should an accident occur and you cannot speak for yourself, it will be a mission to gather all your medical information such as your next of kins

contact details, medical aid number, allergies, ID number, etc. This is where the ICE ID wristbands become very useful. I have been using mine for the last six years and it is a very durable wristband, and it provides ample space for all the vital information that might be needed in case of emergencies. ICE ID have offered Fat Tracks members a discount on the wristband. It can be purchased through their online store at a price of R150, where the usal price is R179 which is a 16.2 percent discount. The ordering of these products will take place on the ICE ID website, and a coupon code will activate the discount. A batched shipping method has been considered, but as the

information on these wristbands are so critical we recommend that members ship the product directly to their post ofce/home/work in order to prevent ID theft or similar. More details on ICE ID can be obtained at http://www.iceid.co.za/. Members need to enter the coupon code FAT TRACKS at checkout in order to qualify for the discount. Only paid-up members qualify for the discount - ICE ID has a list of paid-up members that gets updated as new members join. Coming soon is a another Fat Tracks outride where members who show their ICE ID wristbands will be able to enter free!

2012 FAT TRACKS OFFICIAL CYCLING JERSEY

After the successful launch event of the new-look Fat Tracks 2012 cycling jersey at a special price, we have made these jerseys available for sale at the Merrell Norm-Hudlin Trail Centre shop with Sharon. This high-quality item manufactured by Velotex would retail for R800 at your local cycling good shop, but Sharon has them available for sale at R426!

OH SO SOCIAL

Article by Dawid Ferreira Photos: Dawid Ferreira and Charl Joubert Fat Tracks has enjoyed two social events in the last months. We headed to the beautiful Harkerville Forests near Plettenberg Bay for a weekend of socialising and MTBing,

and we then hosted an evening at our local spot, the Moths Club in Sherwood. Harkerville Weekend: Many of our Fat Tracks members enjoyed a social camping weekend at the Harkerville Forest Lodge over the Easter weekend in April. We managed

to do a good few rides during the course of the weekend despite the weather cutting our visit a bit short towards the end. Groups were formed according to the abilities of the riders and enjoyed the various rides, which included the famous Red Route and Petrus se Brandt in the Knysna Forest. We were well looked after by the

Harkerville Forest Lodge management and we made use of their lapa and indoor braai facilities. This made for a great social atmosphere where we could get to know the new faces who joined us for the weekend.

Social Night at the Moths: Fat Tracks held a social evening at the Moths Club in Sherwood in March. Despite the cold and rainy day, many members joined in for a good chat around the re. We made use of the event to introduce our new Fat Tracks riding shirts. Our members were given the oppurtunity to get their

new shirts at a discounted price. Over 70 shirts were sold that evening to some very excited riders. Those who missed out on the opportunity can get their riding shirts from Sharon Holmes at the Norm Hudlin Trails in Kragga Kamma Road. More photos here: http://on.fb.me/JZPjIi. And, here: http://on.fb.me/JZPCmt

FROM JOBERG TO THE SEA

Article by Jacky Tunstead Photos: Supplied An incredible nine days, 900km lay in front of us. My partner, Martin van den Ordel and I, were privileged to participate in this years Joberg2c. The event starts in Heidelberg, just outside Joberg, and ended in the beach town of Scottburgh. We are very much your average mountain bikers (well, I am at least and my partner is an Ironman nisher so no matter swim, cycle or run I was in good hands!) who tootled along in the bottom half of a race and leave the fast stuff to the racing snakes. We do, however, have a massive love for our country and all its incredible places; what better way to experience this than from the saddle of a mountain bike?

After a few months of training in Longmore and a couple of BIG rides back-toback, we nervously started the long drive to Gauteng. Joberg was itself an experience for us country bumpkins, and we could not leave without a ride to Pretoria and back on the Gautrain... Gautrain-ing is better than no training at all? The big day nally arrived and we all gathered in rather chilly and windy conditions for the start in Heidelberg. Doug Bird, the MC, set us all off on our merry way behind the biggest Massey Ferguson tractor known to man. Day One was a neutral day as we would cross the Vaal Dam in Dragon boats and this would add about an hour to our time. The rst three days of the race were

through the Free State, and what a job the organisers did to ensure you ride on as much singletrack as possible! Mielies and cosmos abounded and on Day Two we got to ride through and interact with wolves in a wolf sanctuary. Day Three ended at the enormous Sterkfontein Dam and there was a nervous buzz around the camp in anticipation of the HUGE stage that was Day Four. Day Four was the most incredible day you will ever spend on a MTB... The singletrack took us up on top of the escarpment where the 60km/h winds nearly took us into the skies. We then descended along the most incredible and frightening singletracks to the bottom only to be taken up to the top of Spioenkop and plunged back down again. It was an exhausting and exhilarating day, especially if your technical skills

were pretty bad and the bridges at Norm-Hudlin scared the daylights out of you! To boot, the Tugela River had to be crossed by holding onto a rope for dear life as it was so strong. And then as a nal reward we encountered a hectic climb called Puffadder Pass near the end which really stuck its fangs into you. Day Five and Six were also incredible days with game reserves, lush dairy farms and brutal climbs called Valley of Death and Snowtop, and a walk through the Umkomaas River. The last three days of the event (Days Seven, Eight and Nine) took us onto the Sani2c route and the gorgeous manicured tracks of Farmer Glen. The second day down into the Umkomaas Valley was wonderful as by now my condence in singletracks had really grown and

we quickly saw why singletrack was so named! As we came out of the forest and with the Umkomaas Valley in front of us, everyone ahead and behind can be heard shouting WOW! The same cant be said for the climb out Sjoe, the legs were MOEG! Day Nine was fast and furious, and we ended with strong legs and in a much better time than on the previous stages. A magical, awful, brutal, wonderful and incredible journey: the three guys who organise and own the race are amazing people who uplift the community along the entire route and every day you will see them out on the route sometimes even cycling bits of it with us. They were all at the end to present the medals as we crossed the line. The Race Village has a wonderful and

relaxed vibe, with incredible food and free Seattle Coffee all day long (very important!). The Pros mingled with us ordinary folk and we would often nd ourselves sharing a table with one of them. Beg, borrow, steal or save the money: if you love our country and mountainbiking, you must do this race at least once! P.S: Everybody loved our Fat Tracks shirts!

RIDING WHILE ILL?

Article by Evan Rothman Photos by Evan Rothman There are many articles and tips oating on the Internet regarding riding/training with a cold or u. A quick poll of my cycling friends say that when they get the snifes, they hang up their helmets and nearly overdose on Vitamin C tablets to ght off the bug. With u bugs doing the rounds in winter months, many of us will be struck down with the illness, our immune systems take even more of a pounding while on the bikes. Should we climb off the bike rather, and more importantly, when do we climb back on the bike? Deciding when to stop riding depends on many factors. A snife, not a cold or u, I ride through, although I dont ride as far and as intense as I would normally. (Note: I dont train for races, etc, so my riding is purely for my pleasure and for the love of MTBing, so my

motivation in cycling is different from the race snakes out there; Also, I am a cycling addict). If it is a cold or worse, I dont dare head out on my bicycle. My rule of thumb: if I feel in the slightest bit uncomfortable on my ride within the rst ten minutes, I turn back. Once I have nished my course of medicines from a Doctor, or I feel sufciently recovered from the cold of u (and this may be one to three weeks off the bike), I will then strap on my helmet. Once again, if I feel the just the slightest bit uncomfortable on my ride, I turn back. I will then head out for a quick spin the following day and try the next to head further. Simply put, I slowly re-engage my body. This, of course, is different for many other MTBers out there. Bicycling Magazine South Africa posted an article on just this topic (and by clicking the following link you may read in its entirety: http://bit.ly/MOEUx8). In brief, they use the above the neck rule that is related as follows:

if your symptoms are above your shoulders, then a low-intensity workout is okay. If the symptoms are below the shoulders (chest, tummy, etc), then youre better off not cycling. Their article goes into detail on the various symptoms and their suggestions for whether you could cycle or not, and is worth reading. Bike Radar, a website from United Kingdom, posted a similar article recently, and it echoes what the article from Bicycling Magazine South Africa wrote. However, for a more indepth look into this subject, you would be better off if you read both these articles before climbing onto your bike with a bug or snife. Here is the post from Bike Radar: http://bit.ly/MOJTxL. Riding with an infection or a persistent cold is not advisable. Riding to blow the cobwebs out of your lungs might sound good before the ride, but it may lead to your body taking more strain and become vulnerable to a secondary infection. Ride smart and ride safe!

TREAD 101 SKILLS CLINICS

Article by Evan Rothman Photo by Evan Rothman Gaining technical riding skills in MTBing is vital to your enjoyment. Not just for faster XCO lap times, but riding up pavements on your way to Norm-Hudlin Trails, or over a railway track, requires a certain level of technical ability. Everyone is able to perform these basic skills, and if they cant at this stage they can easily learn these tricks. It starts with the correct position of the saddle, the saddle height, and your condence levels. Riding in groups, learning from others is the best possible way of learning new skills, learning new techniques and gaining experience. With experience learned, more techniques

are learned and need to be learned, and this just grows ands the rider. Remember, young Danny Macskill wasnt born with a bicycle stuck to his feet... In this regard, Fat Tracks invites its members to take part in Tread Skills 101 Clinic, a one-day training course hosted by Tread Magazine South Africa. A minimum of 24 riders are required for this, and Tread has booked two days on their calendars for Port Elizabeth MTBers. Circle the 28th and 29 of July if you are interested, and indicate as soon as possible whether you are interested in this and on which day. If you book now with the bulk booking befor ethe dates, the cost will be R300 per attendee. If you book after the bulk booking at the end of May, the cost will be R400.

If you still want to attend the clinic on the dates mentioned above please send me an email with the following information: Your name and surname Which day you want to attend, 28th or 29th (Saturday or Sunday). Please send this information to: Stephan Janse van Rensburg s0827192420@yahoo.com As soon as 24 people have indicated their interested, we will notify Tread Magazine. After this, everyone who committed to attend need to pay the R300 to secure their place in the bulk booking. Remember, please let Stephan know if you want to attend before 30 June. This clinic is going to be heaps of fun, and it will totally transform your MTBing experience!

EP XCO & DH SELECTION RACES

Article by Evan Rothman Photos by Evan Rothman This race meeting was as action-packed as a World Cup event! Racers from around the Eastern Cape descended on Zuurberg for what was a great days MTBing. Jason Reed claimed honours in the Elite Mens class, followed home by Andre Hugo and Terry McGahey. Errol Black beat Tony Thorburn in the Grand Masters Mens category, with Kyle Bradford stealing home as the fastest in the Junior Mens class for Fat Tracks.

In the competitive Master Mens, Jacques Malan took rst place, followed by Charlie Jackson and Patrick McGahey. In the Mens U/23 race, Andre Nelson took the honours. Charl Joubert won the Veteran Mens race, with Bernard Playdon, Rayno Peo and Conrad de Beer chasing him to the nish line. Charl set the second quickest lap time of the day: the fastest lap time was set by 14-year-old Marco Joubert! Marco sped to a convincing win the Youth Mens class and was also the overall winner of the days racing. For the ladies, Loyrn Thorburn took the

gold in the Sports Class. Racing in the stiing mid-day heat, Andrea Von Holdt took the race win from Annalize Ferreira in the Sub-Veterans Ladies category, and Priscilla Moore took the win in the Elite Womens class for Fat Tracks. All race results are available for download from http://www.mountainevent.co.za.

CSA NATIONAL XCO RACES

Article by Evan Rothman Photos by Evan Rothman A handful number of Fat Tracks members braved the challenging Hayterdale XCO course for the CSA South African Super Series XCO Races at Addo on 26 May. Fat Tracks had the strongest presence of the 19 riders selected to the Eastern Province teams, and they did the province proud. The day dawned early on Saturday 26 May for the racers, with near perfect weather conditions. The early morning air, however,

didnt cool the hot action on the 5.5km-long course. The rst big climb of the course, and its intense descent, was awe-inspiring to watch, with these XC riders pushing their race rigs to their limits over the jumps, drop-offs and into fast and tight bends with aggression. Setting the tone for the rest of the day was Fat Tracks committee member Duane Kritzinger riding to second overall in the Sports Class. Andrea Von Holdt raced to a strong third place in the Sub Veterans Women Category after a close race against her rivals.

Grand Master Mens racer Errol Black rode to second in his Class on the testing laps of the Hayterdale course. Here he proved his skill on the XC bike once more. Charl Joubert stormed to an inspired third in the Veterans Mens class, whipping his trail machine over the course like a youngster. His son, Marco, is most denitely from the same gene pool to come home sixth in the biggest class of the day the Youth Mens. A fantastic collection of results; well done to all our riders!

MTBERS AT THE EC ROAD CHAMPS

Article by Charl Joubert Photos by Charl Joubert Yep, this headline does not sound right and this article was not easily accepted by our editor! Four Fat Tracks riders participated in the Eastern Cape Road Champs, of which three were Junior competitors. The event consisted of a Time Trail the Saturday morning and Hill Climb that afternoon. Sunday was the Road Race. The Hill Climb was 3km long and really steep. Proof of this was a best time of the

day was near 8 minutes! The Time Trial was extremely hard with a very cold and near gale force wind. From Fat Tracks, we had Shannon Bradford and Kyle Bradford (both new members), Marco Joubert and Charl Joubert (the author of this article) taking part. All did really well and from the Port Elizabeth clubs we must be one of the few where all our riders nished on the podium. Shannon took part in the U/16 girls category and did well to nish second in the Time Trial, Hill Climb and 50km Road Race.

Kyle took part in the Junior Mens category and was second in the Hill Climb and third in the 120km Road Race. Marco had a very good event, winning all three events in the U/16 boys age category. He also received the trophy for the best performing young/schools rider at the event! Charl was not as energetic as the young riders, and only did the Time Trial where he nished third. He stuck to the rules of hardcore mountain bike racing and did the time trial on his mountain bike with knobblies too.