.

the 2011 running of the 105km marathon running between hilton and hilcrest took place in very hot conditions over the weekend.although my training has started to slip alittle as we near the end of the season and i have a proper break.i still have good shape from the training i did for world champs and was eager to put it to good use.



my shop concept cyclery was also a sponsor of the event so it was an important weeknd for me all round.i travelled up n saturday to get my bike tuned at the shop and then on to pmb as the race was kicking off at a very early 6am on sunday morning.



the route was pretty similar as in the past but with alot of added singletrack.the first long descent from hilton to pmb is now all singletrack and alot of fun.from pmb there was some easy roads to get the avg speed up before the hard work starts around the halfway mark.



at the front of the race we were a group of around 8 for most of the day untill we hit the notorious batletts climb from with 30km remaining in the race.i knew this would be a realy decisive part in the race and stayed very attentive.brandon stewardt made the first move and then i sort off countered on top.only the 360-life guys stayed with us untill we reached the singletrack descent.on the steep rise as we entered the singletrack i made a move and got a small gap which i stretched from there on out.i had great legs for the last hour and just my head down to win in 3hrs 55min and 43 sec.its been a long time since ive raced for that amount off time and i defnitely relied on my usn bcaa vitargo heavily as it was super hot out.



this weekend ill be racing in hilton again.this time in the last round of the mtn series.i hear the 110km route is very tough so it should be a good one.



cheers

after world champs i had the opportunity to ride in the swiss alps,in the small villag eof zermatt to be exact.upon arrival it was clear that the town was rather special.the only way to get there was by taxi or train as cars arent allowed,well no petrol ones.the town is littered with little electric boxes with wheels that zip up and down the narrow streets carrying everything from bulding supplies to tourists.the main attraction offcourse has to be the matterhorn peak that forms a magnificent backdrop.the surrounding mountains werent too shabby either and i was excited to get out there and ride!

i did however still have a very swollen and cut arm from the world champs and i had to nurse it through the trip which was a small hurdle in an otherwise perfect week.specialized braught a whole range of the new stumpjumper bikes and set us up in a super lux hotel.we were up early in the mornings to do some filming for the new bike and then spent most off the day at altitude ripping down all the technical tracks.

i even got in some pretty decent training which is good as i am racing the hill2hill this year and its coming up this weekend.on sunday gone past it was the lynford classic and i just made it home in time to take part.the course was quite hard but had alot of fun singletrack.the heat was quite a shock to my system as temps rose to 38c!

its great to see so many guys out riding on the tracks and roads.its a good sign for the summer ahead!

till next week,keep it safe out there!

cheers

burry

the world champs took place in the small alpine village of champery in switzerland over the weekend.its a venue that i have enjoyed in recent years and the track is awesome.

in the relay i had a great ride with team sa and i anchored us home with the fastest full lap of the course of the event.we ended up 11th,just 2 sec of 10th!this gave me great motivation for my race on saturday.

the weather looked grim as we took to the line on saturday afternoon and kicked off at 4 30pm.i had a bad start and found myself mid twenties after the start loop.i did however have great legs again and soon moved into 7th.there was a lead group of 6 that got away while i was stuck in the pack but as they were fading i was realing some of them in.at the end of the third lap it started to rain quite heavily.at first i wasnt affexcted on the technical stuff in the woods but as i crossed a bridge on an open section of the track i made a huge judgement error.i slid on the slippery wood and hit the metal side of the bridge realy hard.

i injured my arm quite badly and broke the cockpit in the process.my race was over...

its been a hard few days for me to get over the dissapointment.the whole season just didnt seem to go my way,however hard i tried.i learnt alot and im still motivated as ever.

pietermaritzurg wc is lest than 6 months away...

cheers

burry