Defending champion Hannele Steyn will act as a team player when she mentors two friends at the Around the Pot Overberg 100 Miler in Swellendam on Saturday.
“We decided to do this race together because one guy has never done a distance like this. I think it’s his first proper mountain-bike race. So, I’ll be a team player,” said Steyn, who finished last year in six hours 17 minutes and four seconds.
She said it seemed odd to say she would not be aiming for a win. “It’s quite difficult for me to say it, but I’ve learnt what a team ride consists of by doing the Cape Epic.”
Hannele Steyn will act as a mentor when she lines up alongside two friends at this weekend’s Around the Pot Overberg 100 Miler in Swellendam. Photo: www.oakpics.com
The 52-year-old added that she would give of her best throughout as she believed if you entered a race then you had to race.
“I hope I won’t keep my friends back, but I think I’m talking big talk here now – I hope I can stay with them.
“When you get to my age your excuse is to put back into the sport and help others. You know your power is not as strong, but I believe endurance events are not only about physical body, it’s really about mind.”
Steyn, who is building towards the Trans Baviaans 24-hour mountain-bike marathon next month, felt she was the one who could take pain the longest and believed she had made friends with it all through her life in racing.
She said last year’s event went very well for her and she enjoyed it a lot, especially the halfway stop.
“You could take a bit of a breather, fill your bottles, go for a loo stop and then get onto the ferry that takes you across the pond, which is quite exciting. It’s also a beautiful route and area to ride in.”
She felt the tougher the route the better and she enjoyed the climbs as she had always been a climber.
“Climbs are where I can keep a consistent pace and push harder. I’m not such a fast rider on the flats, and on downhills I’ve come to realise the consequences of making mistakes. I ride a little bit smarter and wiser.”
Steyn added that the route was made for all types of riders and it was not very technical, but definitely undulating.
“The climbs take it out of you, so your fitness must be right. I also strongly believe in nutrition and if you’re eating the wrong stuff in a long race it really adds up to a place where you’re just going to bomb out.”
She shared a tip by saying that if you wanted to go for the win or be pulled in the beginning, it was important to ensure you were sitting at the front.
“The top racers go out hard, so it’s a challenge to keep up that pace and fall back again comfortably. You must know your body in the sense of your heart rate or what power you can ride over such a distance, monitor it and not waste too much time at the halfway stop.
“Right at the end there’s a bit of a rocky section and you ride under a highway with some single-track, which comes after the full distance so your legs will already be finished.”
Steyn added that you should plan and be aware of what your body cannot do.
She said what she was most looking forward to was the “roosterkoek” riders were presented with at the halfway mark.
“That roosterkoek with bacon and egg is absolutely amazing – it’s my highlight. You know you shouldn’t eat a whole one in the middle of the race, but it’s just too nice.
“The atmosphere on the ferry is also special and there’s always a wonderful vibe at the finish.”
