SasolRacing’s Catherine Williamson snatched her third Old Mutual joBerg2c win when she and Yolande de Villiers claimed victory with an uncontested time of 38:33:35 in the women’s category earlier this month.
Of all the races I didn’t compete in last year, I think I missed the Old Mutual joBerg2c most, not only because I had good results, but because I have so many fond memories.
The atmosphere relaxed and waiting at each race venue are hordes of eager school kids, happy to clean your bike, give you water and clean up after you’ve demolished one excellent meal after another.
The evening race briefings we enjoyed the comedy trio of Glen, Gary and Craig as they recapped the day and briefed us for the next day’s stage.
The ride itself took us through the vast open landscapes of the Free State to the groomed, famous Sani2c trails and varied each day until the sea at Scottsbrough was finally in sight.
SasolRacing’s Catherine Williamson snatched her third Old Mutual joBerg2c win when she and Yolande de Villiers claimed victory with an uncontested time of 38:33:35 in the women’s category earlier this month. Photo: Full Stop Communications
Stage 1
Karan Beef near Heidelberg to Frankfort (116km)
I always feel rubbish on day one so I was grateful that it wasn’t a racing day so I could suffer without it mattering.
Leaving Heidelberg we soon hit one of the few climbs of the day and straight away I lost Yolande and our fellow SasolRacing teammates Johan Labuschagne and Leana de Jager, riding mixed.
Fortunately the route splits at the top and while most riders headed to the left I went right and soon got Yolande’s wheel back.
Day One of the Old Mutual joBerg2c is a hard one to ride; you must still get through over 100km of pretty flat but sometimes gruelling terrain while trying not to expend too much energy.
Staying in a group helps a lot but the one we were with was shifting along too fast so I dropped off with Leana forcing Yolande and Johan to also drop back.
The route was very muddy all day on account of an overnight downpour.
The ride was tough but soon we were at the third water point and we stopped to have some Karoo meat and marshmallow dipped in condensed milk – a very sweet combination.
At the finish the race took a short detour through the junior school where all the kids were cheering us on and making us feel like super stars, before finishing at the high school in Frankfort.
Stage 2
Frankfort to Reitz (93km)
The racing began in earnest on day two of the Old Mutual joBerg2c and I must admit that I struggled for the first 30 minutes.
We rode fast along a jeep track and I seemed to find every big puddle, rut and ‘black’ mud, the kind that sucks you in and doesn’t let go.
I saw Yolande, Johan and Leana in one line and the more I tried to catch them, the more mistakes I made.
Once I caught them on the open road I was good; the pace was fast and our group was a nice size.
The 10km of single track near the end followed by passing Larry’s wolf sanctuary was the best bit of the day and all four of us came in the finish together, me and Yolande winning the woman’s category, Johan and Leana winning the mixed.
Stage 3
Reitz to Sterkfontein Dam
Day three of the Old Mutual joBerg2c in the Free State gave us a clear sky and with it much colder weather than the first two.
By 7am we were off in the bright sunshine and we didn’t stay cold for long as we were in for another gallop as soon as we hit the dirt road out of town.
I could tell straight away Yolande wasn’t comfortable and she said she had one of those days where neither leg would work.
Luckily it was pretty flat until Mount Paul and we sat in a slightly slower group where I was able to take in the landscape a little
Vast open spaces, massive corn fields and distant mountains surrounded us as we neared the dam.
Thankfully the 4km dam wall provided a strong tail wind and soon we arrived at my favorite camp venue at Sterkfontein Dam.
The compact race village was equipped with baths so I could have a hot and cold recovery bath and enjoy a long table full of sweet treats.
Stage 4
Sterkfontein Dam to Winterton (121km)
We had a foggy start on the fourth morning of the Old Mutual joBerg2c as we prepared to move from the Free State into KwaZulu-Natal.
We ventured out onto a rough newly laid road full of big stones making it difficult to ride in a big group with so many riders around.
The rolling hills and fast pace split the groups up quickly – a good thing as we climbed up the escarpment and onto Great Wall My China.
The single track down Sollie’s Folly is one of my favorites and by the bottom we formed a nice group with Leana and Johan.
All was going well until Leana hit a huge ant hill with her pedal on a fast downhill and flew at least 10 meters through the air.
When I got back to her she wasn’t moving and I feared at the very least a broken bone.
Yolandi and I were both very down after that but grateful that some of the group we were with hung back for some other conversation.
The route had changed a lot since two years ago and instead of the steep concrete climb up Spioenkop we climbed round the edge and still got the fantastic single-track descent.
After the last feed we had Puff Adder climb and then it was all down hill.
Apart from Yolande taking a brief dip in the river a few kilometres out we finished without any issues and placed 12th team overall.
The best part of the day was seeing Leana and Johan ride in only 15 minutes or so later, bruised and very sore but with no broken bones and they even held onto their first place in GC!
Stage 5
Winterton to Clifton Prep School (112km)
Leana managed to start the fifth day of the but soon had to pull out with pain in her arm and chest.
We started strong and hung onto the lead group for a while.
One of the best parts of the Old Mutual joBerg2c is that every day you end up riding with the same riders until they become friends.
Day five was full of long but not too taxing climbs on open roads and stunning views of the central Drakensberg.
I have never seen kids as polite and helpful as those at Clifton Preparatory.
They were so accommodating – leaving cookies in the tents and had drawn pictures of bikes dotted all over the smart new indoor sports centre.
After lunch and an hour massage I relaxed outside on the green lawns with a Seattle coffee and my third piece of lemon cake and caught up with some Australian friends, Meg and Nick.
Stage 6
Clifton Prep to Glencairn Farm (98km)
To top off a very generous and welcoming venue we were led out of the school grounds by a few students on their horses on day six of the Old Mutual joBerg2c.
The mist was thick and the organisers decided to control the start until we were out of it.
We then had a second start up a hill so we went from freezing cold to flat out sprint.
The pace felt very hard on the road and I wished that the long climb would come quickly so we could back off and ride a bit slower.
I was off the group sooner than I thought with a flat tire on a fast decent and found myself alone as Yolande was ahead of me.
I found my bomb and tried to assemble my adapter that had fallen apart in my bag but it wouldn’t seal.
I tried with my other bomb and a plug at the ready but couldn’t see a hole and it went flat again.
By then loads of riders had passed and thankfully Paris, an Avis rider, came to the rescue and put my tube in and bombed it in a matter of minutes.
Once I was back with Yolandi we kept the pace steady.
With 40km to go the real work started with a huge climb and a lot more ups and downs.
The last 10km was the hardest to finish and took forever.
Finally the finish was in sight, a new venue at Glencairn Farm with great views from the dining marquee.
Stage 7
Glencairn Farm to MacKenzie Club (79km)
Although the seventh stage is generally known as the rest day of the Old mutual joBerg2c, with six long days in our legs a rest day would involve no more than lounging on the sofa all day.
I battled with the start and went backwards on the first climb.
I dug deep to stay on the wheels, blew on the first uphill single track and dug even deeper to hang onto wheels once back out in the open.
Thankfully Yolande looked strong and paced until my legs finally clicked into action and we worked our way back up to familiar faces.
Neither of us wanted to ride flat out so we sat in a group and were able to really enjoy the groomed flowing single-track sections among the trees and the famous floating bridge.
We travelled through an indigenous forest and for the fourth year saw no sign of the endangered Cape parrot.
The finish was through a new farm and, although it was still a climb, it was a much better end than the old route.
The marquee had a great chill area inside where I spent most of the afternoon lounging on sofas, eating banana bread and talking to other riders.
Day 8
MacKenzie Club to Jolivet (99km)
Day eight was the last ‘big’ day of the Old Mutual joBerg2c and in preparation for a long outing for many riders the first batch was let loose at 6.30.
I wasn’t impressed with having to set my alarm that bit earlier, but at least breakfast was good – every village made large pots of porridge and there were hardly any queues.
As the sun came up we set off for the coldest start so far.
Everyone wanted to get to the single track down the Umkomaas Valley first so it was flat out from the get-go.
We were positioned fine until about 10 of us went the wrong way and, although it was only a few hundred meters off, we lost our places and started the descent behind a long line of riders.
To do this single track in the middle of the day, with baggies on and with a few mates around and experience the views made it one of the best descents in South Africa.
Once past the first water point the tough riding began, although the building of bridges over the last few years has made the crossings a lot easier.
The single tracks back down towards the finish were smooth and felt fast in and out of the trees and Farmer Glen had done a great job sorting out the finish down Charlie’s Catwalk.
We had been warned about having to go down the road as the catwalk was a mess but since early that morning Glen had got a group of workers on the job and the finish was safe and fun.
Much later that afternoon the commentator got a whole group of riders out on the finish straight to bring the last tandem home to a hero’s welcome.
What a story that was – blind Kenyan stoker Douglas and his 19-year-old pilot John had crashed and John had broken his collarbone.
He couldn’t carry another rider and Darryl Gove from New Zealand brought Douglas back.
It was Darryl’s first time on a tandem and when they eventually finished he was emotionally broken.
Stories like these make joBerg2c the special race it really is.
Day 9
Jolivet to Scottsburgh (84km)
What I remembered from the last day were memories of being pretty sick with a stomach bug, which had spread like wild fire round the camp.
If you didn’t have the bug you had a cough and the place looked and sounded like a hospital.
This year, however, thanks to hand sanitizers at every camp there very few cases of sickness and the final morning of the Old Mutual joBerg2c was filled with excitement.
The changed route made the day one of steep lactic acid climbs, loose corners and long sections of downhill with some great sections of single-track.
We sat on wheels all day as neither of us had any energy saved after the last eight – there was no way we were going to be able to race flat out to the sea.
It was still a tough and intense day but soon the sea was in sight topped off with the excitement of the floating bridge all the way to the line.
Falling in wouldn’t have been too bad as it was a lovely warm day and, once finished, we had a swim anyway.
For results, photos and news go to joBerg2c.
