Dusi2c The first edition of Farmer Glen’s latest venture began on the banks of the Msundusi River on Saturday 22nd of June. Starting in the very same place as the famed Dusi Canoe Marathon there was an air of anticipation amongst the athletes. I am not sure whether it was the fact that we would be relying solely on our own GPS navigation or the fact that it was a brand new race, and we would be the pioneers. For the first time Brandon & I would be pairing up to tackle this two day event. For me, rather pressurised – riding with the boss. For Brandon, probably the same – riding with his ever demanding wife. No matter what the weekend would hold, we felt confident, knowing that we had fantastic backing from our title sponsor, FedGroup. Like Brett (who is the marketing executive at FedGroup) always says, “Win or lose, you are still part of our family and we are 100% behind you”. The gun went at 8am and we took off in the lead group. Starting with some jeep track we were soon into the single track and shortly thereafter completely lost! User error and inexperience with the GPS, amazingly sense of humours still intact we fumbled around. Finding our way eventually after losing a sizable chunk of time, race faces were on and we began to chase hard. With some solid pushing on the few climbs that allowed and following Brandon’s hugely experienced wheel through the endless single tracks we made our way passed many teams including the leading mixed and ladies teams. Having chosen my ShowX2 transition glasses, the changing light on the trails were no problem, one less thing to worry about. Well fuelled thanks to our USN Vooma gels & Epic Pro, we managed to push hard all the way and came storming into Mfula Store in 13th place and 1st Mixed. What a day! The scenery was spectacular and the trails were rugged, but really awesome to ride. No question about the amount of effort it took to build that route! We were greeted with a cold AQuelle and fantastic hot showers courtesy of Itec. It put a smile on our faces seeing the branding of our team sponsors supporting the event. Day 2 dawned cold and clear. Starting right next to the river, armed with more knowledge regarding the GPS navigation, we set off at a blistering pace with the leaders of the A batch. It was daunting for me to be jostling in a group of extremely competitive guys not eager to give an inch. I think my heart rate elevated from fear as much as effort! Brandon, close on my wheel kept me with the group. He was a great partner and our Scott Sparks were the perfect choice of bike on this proper mountain bike course. After a few chilly river crossing and a couple of crashes, first me into the water and later Brandon off a rocky drop we eased up a bit and rode steadily into the industrial urban trails. What a contrast! I must admit it was not the best part of the race but the only way to get to the sea. The PG Bison floating bridge was rather tricky. One of Mart Dreyers CAL chaps bailed right in front of us so we were alerted to how slippery it was. The course then wound its way through an urban park area bringing us to the finish at Blue Lagoon where we were met by our cheering girls and friends Stu & Cath Roos from Crusader Logistics. We took the Mixed title for the first ever Dusi2C. It was a good day for the Stewart’s and Team FedGroupItec. Bridgette
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:11:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015