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Fat Tracks Club Newslet ter April - June 2012

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Char l Jouber t Chair

Stephan Jansen v Rensburg Vice Chair

Dee Hayter Treasurer & Secretary

Melan ie Dar lowNewsletter & Media

Duane Kr i tz inger Website

D aw id Fer re i r a Social Events

Evan RothmanNewsletter

Michel le ReedJuniors

George Smi t h Juniors

Kev in O Moore Social Events

Committee Contact Details

Fat Tracks is the first Mountain BicycleClub in South Africa. Established in1989, the club has consistently led thegrowth of Mountain Biking in SouthAfrica. As a club we recognize theimportance of catering for all mountainbiking enthusiasts irrespective of leveloffitness or skill. The club organizesracing and social events for club and

visiting members.

The Newsletter

About Fat Tracks

Nothing may be reprinted in wholeor in part without written permissionfrom the Chairman. While reasonableprecautions have been taken to ensurethe accuracy of information fromsources and given to readers, the Clubcannot accept responsibility for anyinconvenience or damage that mayarise therefrom.

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PEDAL TORQUE

Mounta in b i k ing i n Por t E l i zabe th i s fo r su re no t bo r ing and i s ve ry a l i ve . The Na t iona l

XCO and DH a t Addo recen t l y w as somet h ing spec ial . I m us t thank t hose membersw h o d r o v e a l l t h e w a y t o s u p p or t ! I t i s a l w a y s i m p r e s si v e t o w a t c h t h e s k i ll a n din tens i t y o f Cross Coun t r y rac ing a t t h i s l eve l !

I want to encourage all members to join Fat Tracks on Facebook or visit our web pageregularly. Duane doesnt miss a thing and always surprises me with the way he is updating our

web page.Good luck to all who are preparing for the TransBaviaans. It is nice to hear about the

serious training groups who dont get onto the bikes before dark!

Happy MTBing,

Charl

Charl JoubertFat Tracks Chairperson

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Ar t i c l e by S tephan Janse v Rensburg

As mos t o f you kn ow , acciden ts , f a l l s andmed ica l emergenc ies a re a l l pa r t o f ou r

love l y spo r t .

If you look in history books and see how

medical emergencies were dealt with in medievaltimes, we are truly blessed to live in a timewhere medical services are top notch, especiallyif you have medical aid.

However, most of us carry our medical aidcards in our wallets, and our wallets are usuallynot taken with us on a ride. This means thatshould an accident occur and you cannot speakfor yourself, it will be a mission to gather all yourmedical information such as your next of kins

contact details, medical aid number, allergies, IDnumber, etc.

This is where the ICE ID wristbandsbecome very useful. I have been using minefor the last six years and it is a very durablewristband, and it provides ample space for all

the vital information that might be needed incase of emergencies.

ICE ID have offered Fat Tracks membersa discount on the wristband. It can be purchasedthrough their online store at a price of R150,where the usal price is R179 which is a 16.2percent discount. The ordering of these productswill take place on the ICE ID website, and acoupon code will activate the discount. A batchedshipping method has been considered, but as the

information on these wristbands are so criticalwe recommend that members ship the productdirectly to their post office/home/work in orderto prevent ID theft or similar.

More details on ICE ID can be obtained athttp://www.iceid.co.za/.

Members need to enter the coupon codeFAT TRACKS at checkout in order to qualify forthe discount. Only paid-up members qualifyfor the discount - ICE ID has a list of paid-upmembers that gets updated as new membersjoin.

Coming soon is a another Fat Tracksoutride where members who show their ICE IDwristbands will be able to enter free!

SAFETY FIRST: ICE ID

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2012 FAT TRACKS OFFICIAL CYCLING JERSEYAf te r t he success fu l l aunch

even t o f t he new - look FatT racks 2012 cyc l i ng j e rseya t a spec ia l p r i ce , we have

made t hese j e rseys ava i l ab lefo r sa le a t t he Mer re l lNo rm -Hud l i n T ra i l Cen t res h o p w i t h S h ar o n .

This high-quality itemmanufactured by Velotex wouldretail for R800 at your localcycling good shop, but Sharonhas them available for sale atR426!

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OH SO SOCIAL

Ar t i c l e by Daw id Fe r re i ra

Pho tos : Daw id Fer re i ra and Char l Jouber t

Fat T racks has en joyed tw o soc ia l even ts i n

the l as t mon t hs . We headed to the beau t i f u lHarke rv i l l e Fo res ts near P le t tenberg Bayfo r a w eekend o f soc ia l is i ng and MTB ing ,

and w e then hos ted an even ing a t ou r l oca l

spo t , t he Mo ths C lub i n Sherwood .

Harkerville Weekend:

Many of our Fat Tracks members enjoyed a socialcamping weekend at the Harkerville Forest Lodgeover the Easter weekend in April. We managed

to do a good few rides during the course of theweekend despite the weather cutting our visit abit short towards the end. Groups were formedaccording to the abilities of the riders andenjoyed the various rides, which included thefamous Red Route and Petrus se Brandt in theKnysna Forest. We were well looked after by the

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Harkerville Forest Lodge management and wemade use of their lapa and indoor braai facilities.This made for a great social atmosphere wherewe could get to know the new faces who joinedus for the weekend.

Social Night at the Moths:

Fat Tracks held a social evening at the MothsClub in Sherwood in March. Despite the cold andrainy day, many members joined in for a goodchat around the fire. We made use of the eventto introduce our new Fat Tracks riding shirts. Ourmembers were given the oppurtunity to get their

new shirts at a discounted price. Over 70 shirtswere sold that evening to some very excitedriders. Those who missed out on the opportunitycan get their riding shirts from Sharon Holmes atthe Norm Hudlin Trails in Kragga Kamma Road.More photos here: http://on.fb.me/JZPjIi. And,here: http://on.fb.me/JZPCmt

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Art ic le by Jacky TunsteadPhotos: Suppl ied

An inc red ib le n ine days , 900km lay i n f ron to f us . My pa r tne r , Mar t i n van den Orde land I , were p r i v i l eged to pa r t i c i pa te i n

th i s yea r s Joberg2c . The even t s ta r t s i nHe ide lberg , j u s t ou t s ide Joberg , and ended

in the beach tow n o f Sco t tbu r gh .We are very much your average mountain

bikers (well, I am at least and my partner is anIronman finisher so no matter swim, cycle orrun I was in good hands!) who tootled along inthe bottom half of a race and leave the fast stuffto the racing snakes. We do, however, have amassive love for our country and all its incredibleplaces; what better way to experience this thanfrom the saddle of a mountain bike?

After a few months of training inLongmore and a couple of BIG rides back-to-back, we nervously started the long drive toGauteng.

Joberg was itself an experience for uscountry bumpkins, and we could not leavewithout a ride to Pretoria and back on theGautrain... Gautrain-ing is better than no

training at all?The big day finally arrived and we all

gathered in rather chilly and windy conditions forthe start in Heidelberg. Doug Bird, the MC, setus all off on our merry way behind the biggestMassey Ferguson tractor known to man. DayOne was a neutral day as we would cross theVaal Dam in Dragon boats and this would addabout an hour to our time.

The first three days of the race were

through the Free State, and what a job theorganisers did to ensure you ride on as muchsingletrack as possible!

Mielies and cosmos abounded and on DayTwo we got to ride through and interact withwolves in a wolf sanctuary. Day Three ended atthe enormous Sterkfontein Dam and there was anervous buzz around the camp in anticipation of

the HUGE stage that was Day Four.Day Four was the most incredible day

you will ever spend on a MTB... The singletracktook us up on top of the escarpment where the60km/h winds nearly took us into the skies. Wethen descended along the most incredible andfrightening singletracks to the bottom only to betaken up to the top of Spioenkop and plungedback down again. It was an exhausting andexhilarating day, especially if your technical skills

FROM JOBERG TO THE SEA

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were pretty bad and the bridges at Norm-Hudlinscared the daylights out of you! To boot, theTugela River had to be crossed by holding ontoa rope for dear life as it was so strong. And thenas a final reward we encountered a hectic climbcalled Puffadder Pass near the end which reallystuck its fangs into you.

Day Five and Six were also incredible

days with game reserves, lush dairy farmsand brutal climbs called Valley of Death andSnowtop, and a walk through the UmkomaasRiver.

The last three days of the event (DaysSeven, Eight and Nine) took us onto the Sani2croute and the gorgeous manicured tracks ofFarmer Glen. The second day down into theUmkomaas Valley was wonderful as by now myconfidence in singletracks had really grown and

we quickly saw why singletrack was so named!As we came out of the forest and with the

Umkomaas Valley in front of us, everyone aheadand behind can be heard shouting WOW! Thesame cant be said for the climb out Sjoe, thelegs were MOEG!

Day Nine was fast and furious, and weended with strong legs and in a much better

time than on the previous stages.A magical, awful, brutal, wonderful and

incredible journey: the three guys who organiseand own the race are amazing people whouplift the community along the entire route andevery day you will see them out on the routesometimes even cycling bits of it with us. Theywere all at the end to present the medals as wecrossed the line.

The Race Village has a wonderful and

relaxed vibe, with incredible food and freeSeattle Coffee all day long (very important!).The Pros mingled with us ordinary folk and wewould often find ourselves sharing a table withone of them.

Beg, borrow, steal or save the money: ifyou love our country and mountainbiking, youmust do this race at least once!

P.S: Everybody loved our Fat Tracks shirts!

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Ar t i c l e by Evan Ro thm anPho tos by Evan Ro thm an

There a re many a r t i c l es and t i ps floa t ing ont h e I n t e r n e t r eg a r d i n g r i d i n g / t r a i n i n g w i t h

a co ld o r flu . A quick poll of my cycling friends saythat when they get the sniffles, they hang uptheir helmets and nearly overdose on Vitamin Ctablets to fight off the bug.

With flu bugs doing the rounds in wintermonths, many of us will be struck down with the

illness, our immune systems take even more ofa pounding while on the bikes. Should we climboff the bike rather, and more importantly, whendo we climb back on the bike?

Deciding when to stop riding dependson many factors. A sniffle, not a cold or flu, Iride through, although I dont ride as far andas intense as I would normally. (Note: I donttrain for races, etc, so my riding is purely formy pleasure and for the love of MTBing, so my

motivation in cycling is different from the racesnakes out there; Also, I am a cycling addict).

If it is a cold or worse, I dont dare headout on my bicycle. My rule of thumb: if I feel inthe slightest bit uncomfortable on my ride withinthe first ten minutes, I turn back.

Once I have finished my course ofmedicines from a Doctor, or I feel sufficientlyrecovered from the cold offlu (and this may beone to three weeks off the bike), I will then strapon my helmet. Once again, if I feel the just theslightest bit uncomfortable on my ride, I turn

back. I will then head out for a quick spin thefollowing day and try the next to head further.Simply put, I slowly re-engage my body. This, ofcourse, is different for many other MTBers outthere.

Bicycling Magazine South Africa postedan article on just this topic (and by clickingthe following link you may read in its entirety:http://bit.ly/MOEUx8). In brief, they use theabove the neck rule that is related as follows:

if your symptoms are above your shoulders, thena low-intensity workout is okay. If the symptomsare below the shoulders (chest, tummy, etc),then youre better off not cycling.

Their article goes into detail on thevarious symptoms and their suggestions forwhether you could cycle or not, and is worthreading.

Bike Radar, a website from UnitedKingdom, posted a similar article recently, and itechoes what the article from Bicycling MagazineSouth Africa wrote. However, for a more in-

depth look into this subject, you would be betteroff if you read both these articles before climbingonto your bike with a bug or sniffle. Here is thepost from Bike Radar: http://bit.ly/MOJTxL.

Riding with an infection or a persistentcold is not advisable. Riding to blow thecobwebs out of your lungs might sound goodbefore the ride, but it may lead to your bodytaking more strain and become vulnerable to asecondary infection. Ride smart and ride safe!

RIDING WHILE ILL?

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Ar t i c l e by Evan Ro thm anPho to by Evan Ro thman

Gain ing t echn ical r i d ing sk i l l s i n MTB ing i sv i t a l t o y o u r e n j o y m e n t . N o t j u s t f o r f a st e rXCO lap t imes , bu t r i d ing up p avements on

your w ay to Norm-Hud l i n T ra i l s , o r ove r ara i lw ay t rack , requ i res a cer ta in l eve l o f

techn ica l ab i l i t y . Everyone is able to perform these basicskills, and if they cant at this stage they caneasily learn these tricks.

It starts with the correct position of thesaddle, the saddle height, and your confidencelevels. Riding in groups, learning from othersis the best possible way of learning new skills,learning new techniques and gaining experience.

With experience learned, more techniques

are learned and need to be learned, and this justgrows ands the rider. Remember, young DannyMacskill wasnt born with a bicycle stuck to hisfeet...

In this regard, Fat Tracks invites itsmembers to take part in Tread Skills 101 Clinic,a one-day training course hosted by TreadMagazine South Africa. A minimum of 24 riders

are required for this, and Tread has bookedtwo days on their calendars for Port ElizabethMTBers.

Circle the 28th and 29 of July if you areinterested, and indicate as soon as possiblewhether you are interested in this and on whichday. If you book now with the bulk booking beforethe dates, the cost will be R300 per attendee.If you book after the bulk booking at the end ofMay, the cost will be R400.

If you still want to attend the clinic on thedates mentioned above please send me an emailwith the following information:Your name and surnameWhich day you want to attend, 28th or 29th(Saturday or Sunday).Please send this information to:Stephan Janse van Rensburg

s0827192420@yahoo .com As soon as 24 people have indicated theirinterested, we will notify Tread Magazine. Afterthis, everyone who committed to attend need topay the R300 to secure their place in the bulkbooking.

Remember, please let Stephan know ifyou want to attend before 30June.

This clinic is going to be heaps of fun, andit will totally transform your MTBing experience!

TREAD 101 SKILLS CLINICS

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EP XCO & DH SELECTION RACES

Ar t i c l e by Evan Ro thm an

Pho tos by Evan Ro thm an

Th is race mee t ing w as as act i on -packed asa Wor ld Cup even t ! Racers f rom a round theEastern Cape descended on Zuurberg forw ha t w as a g rea t day s MTB ing . Jason Reed claimed honours in the EliteMens class, followed home by Andre Hugo andTerry McGahey. Errol Black beat Tony Thorburnin the Grand Masters Mens category, with KyleBradford stealing home as the fastest in theJunior Mens class for Fat Tracks.

In the competitive Master Mens, JacquesMalan took first place, followed by CharlieJackson and Patrick McGahey. In the Mens

U/23 race, Andre Nelson took the honours.Charl Joubert won the Veteran Mens race, withBernard Playdon, Rayno Peo and Conrad deBeer chasing him to the finish line. Charl set thesecond quickest lap time of the day: the fastestlap time was set by 14-year-old Marco Joubert!

Marco sped to a convincing win the YouthMens class and was also the overall winner ofthe days racing.

For the ladies, Loyrn Thorburn took the

gold in the Sports Class. Racing in the stiflingmid-day heat, Andrea Von Holdt took the racewin from Annalize Ferreira in the Sub-Veterans

Ladies category, and Priscilla Moore took the winin the Elite Womens class for Fat Tracks.

All race results are available for downloadfrom http://www.mountainevent.co.za.

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Ar t i c l e by Evan Ro thm anPho tos by Evan Ro thm an

A hand fu l num ber o f Fat T racks membersb raved t he cha l l eng ing Hay te rda le XCOcourse for t he CSA South Af r ican Super

Ser ies XCO Races at Ad do on 26 May. Fat Tracks had the strongest presence ofthe 19 riders selected to the Eastern Provinceteams, and they did the province proud.

The day dawned early on Saturday 26May for the racers, with near perfect weatherconditions. The early morning air, however,

didnt cool the hot action on the 5.5km-longcourse.

The first big climb of the course, and its

intense descent, was awe-inspiring to watch,with these XC riders pushing their race rigs totheir limits over the jumps, drop-offs and intofast and tight bends with aggression.

Setting the tone for the rest of the daywas Fat Tracks committee member DuaneKritzinger riding to second overall in the SportsClass. Andrea Von Holdt raced to a strong thirdplace in the Sub Veterans Women Category aftera close race against her rivals.

Grand Master Mens racer Errol Black rodeto second in his Class on the testing laps of theHayterdale course. Here he proved his skill on

the XC bike once more.Charl Joubert stormed to an inspired

third in the Veterans Mens class, whipping histrail machine over the course like a youngster.His son, Marco, is most definitely from the samegene pool to come home sixth in the biggestclass of the day the Youth Mens. A fantasticcollection of results; well done to all our riders!

CSA NATIONAL XCO RACES

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Art ic le by Char l Jouber tPhotos by Char l Jouber t

Yep , th i s head l i ne does no t soundr igh t and t h i s a r t i c l e w as no t easi l yaccep ted by ou r ed i t o r !

Four Fat Tracks riders participated in theEastern Cape Road Champs, of which three wereJunior competitors. The event consisted of aTime Trail the Saturday morning and Hill Climbthat afternoon. Sunday was the Road Race.

The Hill Climb was 3km long and reallysteep. Proof of this was a best time of the

day was near 8 minutes! The Time Trial wasextremely hard with a very cold and near galeforce wind.

From Fat Tracks, we had ShannonBradford and Kyle Bradford (both newmembers), Marco Joubert and Charl Joubert (theauthor of this article) taking part. All did reallywell and from the Port Elizabeth clubs we mustbe one of the few where all our riders finished onthe podium.

Shannon took part in the U/16 girlscategory and did well to finish second in theTime Trial, Hill Climb and 50km Road Race.

Kyle took part in the Junior Mens categoryand was second in the Hill Climb and third inthe 120km Road Race. Marco had a very good

event, winning all three events in the U/16 boysage category. He also received the trophy forthe best performing young/schools rider at theevent! Charl was not as energetic as the youngriders, and only did the Time Trial where hefinished third. He stuck to the rules of hardcoremountain bike racing and did the time trial onhis mountain bike with knobblies too.

MTBERS AT THE EC ROAD CHAMPS