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About Caitlin de Wet
During the past four years Caitlin de Wet has been the SA half-marathon champion three times; she won the Drifter half-marathon series and collected quite a few silver and bronze medals in the SA Road & Time Trial championships along the way. In 2008 Caitlin wrote her name in the SA cycling history books when she became the first lady to represent South Africa at two World Championships in one year: she was selected for the Cross Country World Champs in Italy, and the Junior Road World Champs in Cape Town.
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A quaint little village it may be, but Rhodes is so perfectly situated in the breathtaking mountains of the Eastern Cape, with endless trail options available, that any keen mountain biker would simply drool at the sight.
The evening of Thursday 24 September (Heritage Day) saw the launch of the inaugural antonapps Rhodes Extreme MTB Stage Race – South Africa’s highest MTB stage race – which has superceded the Rhodes Challenge, one of the oldest events on SA’s MTB calendar. The race briefing drew around 50 riders to the rustic agricultural hall in town. The race would consist of three stages over two days: a 40km, 15km night race, and an 85km. Riders had the choice of either riding in teams or going solo. Doing one, two or all three of the stages was also optional – to give riders with all levels of fitness a sporting chance. We were assured that plenty of climbing awaited us, as well as some challenging downhills, but that we must not hesitate to appreciate the breathtaking views... if we could manage that!
A 09:30am start on Friday 25 September allowed everyone to get plenty of rest before the first stage. Things were looking good: the weather played its cards right, locals were lined up along the dusty stretch of street with unrelenting support, and the riders were ready to rumble. At the sound of the shotgun we were off. Youngsters Adam Reynecke and Bradley Mitchell (Team Bruce Reynecke A) set a cracking pace up the first climb, leaving three teams to battle it out after them. Krisjan Slabbert and Francois Jooste (Team Brainsonsite) eventually managed to get away going up the big climb of the day. My dad Rudi de Wet and I (Team Mr Price/Scott) were determined not to let another team slip out of our grasp, but Dirk Maarsingh and Cobus Louw (Team Koos & Dirk) were putting up quite a battle. With 8km to go, we were climbing out the valley of Martin's Hoek and reached the main road. I was hanging on for dear life behind my father's wheel – we had a few seconds' advantage over team Koos & Dirk, but my legs threatened to start cramping up around the last turn. Team Koos & Dirk beat us with a crazy sprint through town. We were still happy to finish 4th overall and 1st among the mixed teams. The high altitude was burning my chest; an ice-cold Coke welcomed me with open arms at the finish.
After a leisurely lunch and some time to relax, we were all on the starting line again. Only this time, we were armed with headlamps, bike lights and a few more layers of clothing (some more than others!) The 40km Night Lights route was very exciting and we could hardly wait to see what the night race had in store for us... It was a mad dash through town. Team Bruce Reynecke A charged off fearlessly through the darkness – others, like me, were a bit more cautious, especially after I had an abrupt meeting with a barbed-wire fence, totally missing the gate! It was an awesome route and was marked so beautifully with reflectors that I soon started to feel courageous again after my little incident. At the halfway ‘arrestor bed’ checkpoint, riders had the beverage choice of Coke, Old Brown Sherry or Jaegermeister. Not surprisingly, the latter two were of higher demand from the riders! The time flew by and we were at the finish in what seemed like a blink of an eye. We maintained our 4th overall position. Time for a hot bath and an appetizing meal at the Rhodes Hotel, a country hotel dedicated to hosting riders needing a warm bath, substantial meal and clean sheets after a hard day in the saddle......
Saturday morning kicked off abruptly. With temperatures dropping below zero, riders were not entirely keen on leaving their warm beds for the 07:30am start. The first 10km were nightmarish – we couldn't feel our legs! We had to look down every now and then just to check if our legs were actually pedaling. Toes and fingers suffered in the icy wind, while several river crossings made us edgy, considering the freezing water waiting to drench our shoes. Normally I wouldn't say this, but we couldn't wait for the 20km-long Naude’s Nek Pass waiting for us: climbing meant warming up quicker. In my case it also meant dropping off the pace of the three teams ahead of us. My endurance is not on a par with that of the guys', but my team member was patient with me and encouraged me all the way.
Turning into Tenahead Mountain Reserve, a nasty headwind awaited us. I was literally blown off of my bike several times up the steep, technical climbs. I was getting frustrated. After 1800m of climbing, we reached the final checkpoint, right on the barded-wire fence demarcating the Lesotho border. Passing Tiffendell Ski Resort, I knew a long, scary downhill was all that was left. At this point, 'scary' did not bother me at all, because a 14km/hour average is extremely frustrating over 60km! The last 25km had to make up for it. And it did. Five hours in the saddle! All that could rescue me at the finish was plenty of sugary drinks and those delicious jaffles that everyone was talking about. My dad agreed, except he preferred the complimentary ice-cold beer to the sugary drinks. Once again we were 4th overall and the first mixed team – a result I am thrilled with.
At the prizegiving ceremony that evening, it wasn’t just the usual prizes that were awarded, but also a few novelty prizes, such as ‘Best dressed’ and ‘Brightest lights’. This was an enjoyable weekend for all. Rhodes is a haven for kids, who can't seem to get enough of exploring the trails. Even though I swear that it was by far the toughest race I have ever done, I will without a doubt be back again next year, and I dearly hope that Rhodes will attract more and more riders in the years to come. The organisation was great and I would definitely advise mtbikers to add this cult race to their calendars for next year! |
