Juan Mason and Tim Ziehl had rigged a few Friday night off-road triathlons up at Idas Valley Dam as the first real taste of triathlon taken from the sterile tarmac to the fertile funlands of mountain biking and trail running – a taste that would shape my future. It took another year of two of listening to stories told by Conrad Stoltz on returns from the USA before South Africa acquired the rights to host an Xterra locally, as part of the global series.
September 14th I think it was; A date two weeks on from the Athens Olympics, with Stoltz and Megan Hall both returning from Athens for the event. Megan had stayed with me for two six week stints during the year, as local base for preparations and racing. So too the week before Grabouw – sharing the newbie rookie to Xterra experience with me.
I did not own a mountain bike at the time, and had borrowed as needed, mostly from Mason and often his own personal one. But for Grabouw, I’d asked a friend for his Specialized Stumpjumper (think it was orange) – A very different machine to the Epic I now race. The first time I tested the bike, was out on the course with Stoltz and Megan a few days prior to racing, getting lost in the Grabouw forestry plantations on an unmarked route. Ai. I can recall Megan giving up on us two, and cursing off down the mountain side only to find her way back precariously through an informal settlement which added to the thunder cloud Stoltz and I faced on return. It seemed all adventure back then…
It was an epic race, taking myself the better part of three demanding hours. Some 20minutes longer than Stoltz, and 8minutes slower than Lieuwe Boonstra. 3rd was precious, and even more so sharing the podium with two I’d idolized before. Megan had a yo-yo battle with Jeannie Bomford, but eventually ‘out walked’ Jeannie up the last climb for the victory and the then very valued R14 000 winner prize purse.
Strange recalling the bits and pieces now: Watching a movie the night before (cant recall what though – think it was King Arthur), changing cluster minutes before the start (chain had snapped and new one was jumping), prize giving on hay at the club house. My father walking sections of the route, offering words of encouragement… What a fortune my R4000 felt like.
I shuffled about in 2005, having done no real training before. Recovering from broken wrist in 2006 meant that in July of that, my final year of university, I did my first serious Xterra after Grabouw 2004, and that on the island of Ilhabella in Brazil. 2007 was a fortunate and grossly undeserved 2nd.
The randomness of it? I know. But it has been on my mind, Grabouw and all. And Megan surprised me with a call last week from Sydney. So there it is – the starting point of it.
One Response to "Xterra Grabouw 2004"
that prize money must have been massive back then.
interesting to see how the prizemoney has come down but the entry fee shoots up!