XC Racer Blog Post
National Cup R1 & Karkloof International - RSA
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterBY: Will Cooper
Published: 6th March, 2012
Orange Monkey-Cannondale went into their third race in as many weeks in Africa at the KZN MTB International - Karkloof Falls with a full strength team for the first time since arriving. A dry dusty course with little climbing but some tough technical rock gardens and world class competition from South Africa, France and Germany this was sure to be an exciting day of racing.
Junior rider, Alex Baker started the day with a great opening first lap that had him flying through the feed in 2nd position before taking the lead as the riders exited the arena. It wasn't long before three riders, including Alex were well away from the rest of the field. On lap 4 of 5 it was Carl Dorkin who stormed to the head of the race and continued on to take the win with Alex finishing in 2nd place in only his second race of the season!
The tension for the Elite Men's race had been building all day with the guy's from GT-Skoda-Chamonix in attendance as well as the top riders in South Africa the pace was bound to be high. Indeed it was with Phillip Buys flying through the first lap in less than 13 minutes closely followed by James Reid and then our own Rourke Croeser. Dave Fletcher was sitting in 5th with Ben just inside the top 20 after a crash in the rock garden.
Lap 2 and it was Dave who was the first Monkey sighted in 4th place and then Ben still inside the top 20 and moving up well, however no sign of Rourke who had snapped his chain at the beginning of the lap and not been able to fix it meaning he would be off the podium for the first time this season. As the race progresses ben continues to move up through the field and Dave flirts with 3rd place before the guys come home exhausted in heat of around 35 degrees to finish 4th and 16th.
This was another fantastic race for the team at a fantastic venue with the backdrop of Karkloof Falls. We have been made to feel very welcome in South Africa and would like to thank Max Cluer and his team for their encouragement and help.
Rourke has given us his account of Round 1of the South African National Cup race in Cape Town... We arrived on Wednesday, which gave me more than enough time to get the course pinned. The track was set in such a way, that one could see 80% of the course from the start/finish making it spectator friendly.
Some really big training blocks prior to the event left me feeling confident, although I have just finished base. It is always a good opportunity to race the elites, however they need to sort out the start seeding structure. Starting from the back doesn't give us (U23), a fair chance to compete.
12:00, I smashed a good start. I was well in the top ten by the first single track. I personally felt that the Cannondale Flash 26'er was the ideal bike for the track, letting me punch the hills hard. After a couple of laps, once the race nerves had settled, I decided to test my competition and hit one of the climbs. I opened a small gap put me head down and focused on keeping a rhythm.
I had moved up to 3rd elite by lap four, which was an added bonus as I came here to win the U23. By lap 5 things had settled down and knew this is where I could open major time. I pushed hard, and other than dropping a chain towards then end all went well. Unfortunately this cost me 3rd and 4th place in the Elite category.
Through out the race everything felt under control. I won U23 and gave my self a major confidence boost.
I would like to thank you all for making this year happen. A few months ago it did not seems as it would after my season ending injury. Team OMC, Omnico and Red Dot Gutters your Support is appreciated.
Blogger Info:
Will Cooper
Orange Monkey Pro Team Rider
Read More By WillDisclaimer:
This blog post was written by a third party and their views do not necessarily reflect the views of XCRacer.com
Contact Us | Advertise | Use Our Online Entry System
All content © XC Racer.com | Website Designed and Developed by DesignUNLTD