This time last year on the Old Mutual joBerg2c I remember being shattered. Seven days of early starts, packing, riding, finishing, unpacking, finding the tent, finding clean clothes, looking for the showers in a new race village and so on is exhausting. I’m happy to report that nothing’s changed.
One of the side effects of a stage race that’s nine days long is stage race brain, also known as pregnancy brain. Basically, it’s when you go through a normal routine of showering, brushing your teeth and perhaps putting on some socks, and then 10 seconds later looking for some socks to put on and rummaging in your bag for some toothpaste so you can brush your teeth.
Getting dressed is an ordeal, while trying to remember where you were going while standing in the middle of the race village is virtually impossible. Your life becomes a life lived through a fog of confusion, your brain operating at the pace of a snail riding a sloth walking through quicksand into a howling Cape south easter.
That being said, I’m not complaining. This event has to be one of the greatest experiences a lover of the outdoors can put themselves through. The different race villages, the local communities involved, the daily scenery changes, the characters you meet along the route all add up to make the joBerg a special nine days. Just two metres away from me Sibusiso Vilane, who is riding this year, is setting up to give a talk on his climbing experiences.
But it’s tough, and certainly not one to be underestimated. The organisers don’t sell the event on its toughness, but some experienced riders admit that they find the challenge comparable to the Absa Cape Epic – not quite as draining, but certainly up there.
Thankfully today, day 7, wasn’t one of those days. A relatively short 79km let riders “rest” their legs ahead of the descent and climb in and out of the Umkomaas Valley tomorrow, another 100km day.
Day 7 is pure riding fun. Fast district road was followed by flowing singletrack all the way from Glencairn to MacKenzie Club in Ixopo. The trails are in excellent condition and not too technical. You can really let yourself go on the descents and trust the line and the flow. Even the floating bridge over Moss Bank is the sturdiest of the entire race.
The only problem with the shorter distance and the easier terrain is that I finished just after 12 noon. That’s a lot of time left to drink beer before getting to grips with the reality of tomorrow’s challenge.
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