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Adventure Racing race (MTB) 1:38:00 [5] *** 47.09 km (2:05 / km) +407m 2:00 / km
spiked:3/3c shoes: Specialized Epic Expert 2010
Kinetic Full Moon Adventure Race - 120km - Ribbokkloof / Middleburg in Mpumalanga.
Raced in Team Cyanosis First Ascent (Nathan, Piers Pirow, Nicky Booyens) with Team Cyanosis Salomon (Mac, Jane, Ryno, Alex) the main opposition.
Started out on bikes from Ribbokkloof. First CP easy, on a dirt road, then a big route choice to CP2, with 3 options. First was dirt and railway track, 2nd involved a bit of tar and 3rd a lot of tar. We went for #2, with the other Cyanosis going for #3 (tar, but 2.5km longer).
Turned out to be very high speed. Long rolling landscape, but nothing steep. Big blade all the way, but a strong head / side wind for some sections. We got the the route confluence first, but at least 5 mins, so it worked out best for us. The servitude along the railway was in good condition. Hammered the speed, averaging over 30kphr for large sections. Team hung in there well.
Got to Middleburg dam with about 9 min lead. Av 27.0km Mx 50.7
Adventure Racing race (Tranistion) 7:00 [3]
Slow. Nathan had a puncture, but this didn't slow us down. Cyanosis Salomon did it in 2 mins.
Adventure Racing race (Paddling) 56:00 [3] 8.0 km (7:00 / km)
In plastic boats. Very happy to only be 2 mins slower than Salomon here. Started out paddling with Nathan, but we did a mid-dam changeover and finished paddling with Piers who was getting tired. The 2 boats sat quite differently in the water.
Adventure Racing race (Trail Running) 48:00 [5] *** 6.0 km (8:00 / km) +85m 7:28 / km
spiked:2/2c shoes: Salomon 3D Pro khaki #12
With less than a 2-min lead, we knew this leg would be decisive for the whole race. We needed to break Salomon on this leg, so we maintained a high speed for the full run. Hit all the CPs spot on, which added to their pressure. Seems to have worked, with the team opening up another 7 minutes.
Adventure Racing race (Tranistion) 6:00 [3]
A better transition, although Piers a bit disorientated. Faster than Salomon, so gap went from 9 to 13 mins.
Adventure Racing race (MTB) 2:17:00 [4] *** 50.7 km (2:42 / km)
spiked:4/4c shoes: Specialized Epic Expert 2010
Stated out conservatively after transition and then slowly built the speed up so that no-one blew. Lots more flat and undulating cycling on dirt roads and railway servitudes, but at a slightly slower pace this time. No mistakes. It got dark about 4km from the end, with just 1 mild climb as a sting in the tail.
Av 21.1, Mx 41.1
Adventure Racing race (Tranistion) 10:00 [3]
Slow transition (Piers totally frazzled) with a kit check as well. Gap on Cy-Salomon was 20 mins, but they were 4 mins faster here.
Adventure Racing race (Hiking) 1:58:00 [3] *** 9.0 km (13:07 / km) +380m 10:50 / km
spiked:6/6c shoes: Salomon Crossmax Red #1
Saw Cy-Salmons lights on numerous occassions so was able to take splits and keep a good check on them to ensure that the gap stayed at about 15 minutes. Most importantly, hit all the CPs dead on. We were expecting a quickish trail run, but it turned out to be a hilly trek. One or two steep kloofs to cross, but otherwise quite enjoyable. Gap stayed the same the whole way round, so we got into the finish first, 15 mins ahead of Cyanosis Salomon.
Total racing time of just a few seconds under 8 hours and a total of 120km, definitely a speed record for adventure racing.