From the archives: My very first MTB race

I got on a bike for the first time in 2011.

All smiles!

Well of course I owned a bike when I was a kid, but that doesn't really count... So two years ago I closed my eyes and bought a proper mountainbike: a Giant Reign.

Singletrack!

Three months later, I did my first mountainbike race in Stellenbosch. As a newbie, I chose to do the 30km route. At that time Hanco only had one bike, the Scott Voltage, that he used for downhill, and I realise now, that he must have been really in love with me then, as he trained for and finished that race on his heavy dh bike...

Concentrating very hard to stay on that jeep track...

Oh my, how times have changed! Both those bikes have been sold and, thank goodness, we got new helmets!

Being the gentleman he is, Hanco let me cross the finish line before him.

As this was my first proper race, we ended up doing it again last year, but opted for the tougher 45km route. Keeping with tradition, we will probably take part again this year, and who knows, maybe Hanco decides to do it on his Makulu!