Need MTB RACE...Willing to Travel

Wow.....Talk about an EPIC weekend....
We spoke to Kathy van Dyk of Fat Tracks MTB Club in Port Elizabeth recently. This lady had undertaken TWO races this past weekend! In TWO different places! The Thomas River Challenge and the Addo Mondi, both over 60kms each. When asked why on earth two races.. Kathy replied..."Just the Need for Speed, I guess"!! She just felt the urge to try the two races on one weekend! She is definitely an amazing woman who is truly up for a good challenge!
 
Kathy left home on Friday afternoon to take part in the 65km distance of the Thomas River Challenge near Stutterheim and spent the evening visiting with friends from East London who live on a farm in the Thomas River District. Had a good sleep and was up early ready for the race which should have started about 7.30am, but was delayed for about an hour. This did not phase her too much as it gave her time to make sure everything was definitely, definitely working. The heat became a bit of a factor as they were riding later in the day than was expected and it warmed up quite a bit. The race took Kathy about 3hr28m. She was not sure of the official time as the results had not come in at the time of our interview.
 
The route was very good and she was feeling pretty strong on the day. There was quite a long climb at the beginning (no speedo on the bike, so not sure of distance) with a fierce descent along a nice, technical jeep track. Kathy felt she was going way too fast for comfort, but realised if she braked then, she would probably be very dead, so decided to hope for the best and keep going! That was quite challenging, but went well. The rest of the route was pretty good. There were spots where some people walked, but she did not have to walk anywhere as a result of having trained very hard. Proving once again that when you train well you perform well. The views were great. There was a good variety of service road, jeep tracks, cattle tracks and at the end a river crossing. This made for a very interesting ride.
 
 There were plenty of water points, which was a relief considering the heat. Kathy says the evening before had been very frosty and she half expected the day to be cooler. She did not win this time around, but was quite happy with her own performance. She says there were quite a few very tough ladies out there. She is not quite sure how many ladies actually took part. Not being from the area she did not see very many familiar faces, but the Challenge was well attended with 400 plus riders taking part. The children were also very well catered for which was very nice. They had a Chocolate Race for the kiddies. It was really super to see Moms, Dads and kids riding. Proving once again that Mountain Biking is a sport for the whole family to enjoy together. It is good to see that more and more race events and clubs are catering for all ages, so that the whole family can spend a weekend camping and riding and generally having fun together. This is one of the aims of Fat Tracks Club as well. Kathy says that the race was brilliantly organised, except for the hiccup of the start time. But it could have been caused by the fact that more people arrived to take part than was expected. Which is a good thing anyway! And Mountain Bikers are a very laid-back bunch of people who are very easy going.
 
This race finished around 12.30. She showered and had a very delicious meal laid on by the organisers. A good spread of salads, potato salad and pasta salad and obviously roast mutton, because they are in sheep country. That revived her greatly and then she stayed for the prize giving after which she packed up her things and headed off towards ADDO.
 
Kathy arrived in Addo just as it was turning dark and luckily had help to pitch her tent while she went to register. Yes, the lady camped out! At least it was a little warmer than the night before! Addo is known for its laid-back, festive atmosphere, and a lot of socialising was done during the evening. Woke up early at about 5 o'clock because the local roosters had been crowing them awake since about 2am... Their biological clocks were obviously not set correctly..ha ha...
 
Kathy took part in the 60km which, although it is advertised as a 60km is actually closer to 68 or 69km. The race started promptly at 7.20am. It was a very well organised race as well. Obviously she was a bit fatigued from the race the day before, and took a bit of strain. The day was a lot hotter than the previous day too. The track was very well marked with plenty of water points. This race took Kathy 4hr18mins, which she feels was not too bad, considering that she had done the 65km the day before. The route had been changed quite a bit with a lot of winding paths through the orchards which was lovely with the look and smell of the orange blossoms. A very challenging and worthwhile event. The event was also very well attended with many families camping out as well. They also had an event for the kiddies, called the Choc Race. The whole weekend was filled with activities for the whole family. They had 5km 10km 15km 30km etc. So everybody could take part.
 
I asked Kathy how it felt to ride another 65+ kilometers after doing the same the day before and she replied that it actually felt alright! She feels that with the amount and type of training she had been doing she was better prepared than she would have been a year ago. Initially she got on the bike and thought.."What on earth am I doing?", but once she got warmed up and on the go she felt much better. She did battle a bit near the end when the track turned back, so that they were racing against a bit of a head-wind. Also the midday heat caused her to take a bit of strain. The camaraderie out there was brilliant!! There was always someone to chat with or to motivate you; even to joke with and all were willing to help. You help others out and there is always someone who will offer assistance. Again that generally goes with Mountain Biking... They are really a great group of people. The Mondi route is always very technical and Kathy was "Danger Girl" again.. Going all out as usual. She had taken part in the event before, so knew more or less what to expect. With practice and time one gains a lot more confidence, she says! When asked if she was now the Downhill Devil...she laughed and said she was getting there... Sometimes getting it right and sometimes needing to take it a bit easier!
 
After the race Kathy packed up and waited for the prizegiving which was held at about 1 o'clock and then hit the road back to Port Elizabeth. She got home at around 4pm.. Unpacked the car, threw the dirty washing on one side and got straight into bed. Had a good two and a half hours of refreshing sleep which got her going again for the evening. As she says a good rest and a good meal are always the perfect recipe for recovery.
 
Kathy was very pleased that she never fell once nor did she have any mechanical problems in either of the races. All in all she had a very satisfying and enjoyable weekend! She says that she is feeling good and tired after the weekend with the poor legs telling her all about the hard work they did. But she feels satisfied that she achieved what she set out to do!
 
Kathy's next race will be a Road Race, the Double Century which takes place on the 21st November. She is in a team of twelve, at this stage. It is a 200km Road Race in and around the Swellendam area. She is not a road rider, per se,  but has been training on the road for the past two months or so with the guys. She feels this training has, in fact, made her a lot stronger. She is interested in seeing how the road training combined with the mtb training will work in building stamina and strength.
 
After that is the Longmore Classic MTB on the 6th December which is her next big MTB event..
 
Well, you can't keep a good woman down... Kathy will be trying to get some good rest before the Double Century, but says she can't guarantee that she will be able to sit still for too long! As I said....What an EPIC weekend.....