Teresa Coetzee is a lifestyle journalist for the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld and is currently taking part in the Old Mutual joBerg2c mountain bike race. She shares her experiences with us after the fourth day of the event.
So often over the past few days I have met people who have done the Old Mutual joBerg2c three, four and even five times.
Today I got the answer as to why. For just this day alone, I will come again.
The day started icy cold at Sterkfontein Dam (luckily, we expected it this time around) just outside Harrismith. Shortly after the 7am start everyone was quiet and subdued, and all you heard was the hissing sounds of the wheels on the road.
We were enveloped in a dense mist and, as little as 20 metres ahead, you could just make out coloured dots that resembled the cyclists ahead of you.
Sometimes it felt a little spooky with the thick shroud of fog low in the valley. But, as the sun began to bake and the fog burned off, the personalities thawed and the jokes and witticisms began. Some even started singing!
Part of the first 25 kilometres of our journey today was Kerkenberg, followed by quite a lot of other difficult climbs.
Before we knew it, we were in the heart of the Drakensberg and what awaited us was difficult to put in to words. For eight kilometres on the escarpment, we rode the most beautiful single-track named Great Wall My China. It captivated me.
Every time I looked upon the mighty valleys below the beauty almost drove me to tears. And it’s times like these that I realise anew how incredibly lucky I am to be able to do mountain biking.
For in no other way than participating in this nine-day marathon would I have experienced this. Those who have done the FedGroup Berg & Bush, which use these same trails, will understand exactly what I’m talking about.
Local farmer Solly Prinsloo was apparently responsible for this route, and that’s precisely why the meander down the mountain – Solly’s Folly – was named after him. The last time I took part in the Berg & Bush, I could not ride here. But, today, it was pure adrenalin and fun!
After Solly’s, we rode Bezuidenhout’s and then Bezzie’s passes.
Our first waterpoint was presented by the Rotary Club Harrismith and, as before, we were treated to pancakes and all sorts of goodies. At the second, we even got ice cream! At the third stop, cake and roasted pork sausages were on the menu.
Today my heart beat the rhythm of real mountain biking and the single-track I rode was incredible. This is mountain biking in its very purest form and better you won’t find.
We passed the most beautiful settlements with those typical African clay huts in the most remote places imaginable. There, children would urge us on with song and dance and I could not help but remember why I love our beautiful country and its people so much.
My wish today is that everyone who reads this blog – mountain biker or not – would also get the chance to experience this miracle. It’s a secret that should be uncovered!
There were so many times that I felt small and humble among His incredible creation today.
Although this was definitely the toughest day thus far in terms of technical riding, I was not even as tired as the previous days when we arrived at the finish in Winterton 118km later.
And tomorrow we are going to Kamberg!
Click here to read Teresa’s blog after day three.
