on the road with burry stander

rough weekend

 

The weekends racing kicked off with a tough 120km marathon in the small mining town of Barberton on mpumalanga.as this is a seriously mountainous area the route was super tough and the route comprised some 3500m of vertical ascent.

 

The race kicked of fast,very fast seeing as we had to go for atleast 5 hours.i started off weel and the specialized epic was flying over the rough parts that we traversed over the first couple of km’s.it wasn’t long before we started the first major climb of the day.i expected it to be long but I didn’t quite expect it to be in the region of a 30km ascent.at the front I was setting a steady tempo along with jaques jv rensburg(dcm chrome).jaques is more known for his specialist climbing abilities on the road but has certainly lifted his game on the mtb.after around 5km of going up we were down to a group of 6.the group comprised 3 dcm chrome riders,2 mtb riders and myself.

 

As we neared the top jaques and I had a sprint for the k.o.m prize with myself managing to be first over the top.along the top of the climb the going got alittle rough and muddy and the epic was feeling all the more at home.we rode steady in the group and pretty fast on the small descents.the mtn riders started dropping gback alittle until the group only contained 5 riders.max knox,Brandon stewardt,jaques and Kevin evans still keeping me company and I was getting ready for an epic battle over the last half of the race until I took an unplanned dirt nap on one of the fast descents.i  had been following Brandon and max with very little sight of what was coming up when I got stuck in a muddy rut and spat over the handlebars.my left knee took just about all of the impact along with my head after I flipped over.i jumped up in a hurry but felt striking pain in my left leg.that was that for the days racing as I didn’t want to risk further injury to my knee and headed for the finish.i had a docter take a look and besides major swelling,  luckily not much was wrong.

 

I drove back to Pretoria on staurday afternoon to try and race a road race on Sunday.after a lot of icing and anti-inflammatories my leg felt good enuf to ride when I woke on Sunday morning.the elite men had an early start at 5 30 am so it was still darkish when we took off to cover the 102km route.this is sa’s fastest road ride and its even called the fast one.the pace was super fast early on and the bunch was large.its quite scary riding shoulder to shoulder at like 90k/h on the descents and I reckon way more dangerous than any part of single track.at around the 40km mark the stronger teams started to shell everyone in the gutter.i stayed close to the front onboard my new specialized tarmac and that meant out of any trouble.the split came at around the half way mark and the new team on the circuit(medscheme) were driving hard at the front.i pretty much had a free ride at the back of the group that contained around 25 riders.the course from here on out was pan falt so there was no reason to put my nose out front.

 

With about 3km to the finish the bunch came back and swallowed our break away.this didn’t matter much seeing as it was going to be a pretty big group sprint anyway.it just meant all the sprinters were now there to duke it out.i tried to stay near the front even though im by no means a sprint ace but felt that again it was the safest place to ride. The run in to the line ended up being probably the fastest one ive had and I managed to get across the line in the top 10 which was rather cool.the average speed for the day was a brisk 50.5km/h!after the race cherise and I rode back to the start with a group to get in the extra miles and enjoyed some good company.

 

This week im off to

cape town

for tire testing with the specialized crew.im looking forward to hanging out with the new team.

 

Ciao

 

burry

taking it easy...

off time...

 

after cape town i managed to catch a mild stomach bug so on wednesday it was off to the doc to check it out.i rested for most of t he week only doing a 2hr ride on thursday 5 on saturday and then another 2 on sunday.i think however the rest might be good seeing as i have a few hectic racing weeks coming up.

 

this weekend its the opener of our marathon series in barberton and this year they have uped the distance to 120km!should be a good 5hour slog.got word that my dad is riding epic this week  so if you guys at home see him slacking let me know!

 

ciao

 

burry

stellenbosch sa xc round uno...

season opener

the south african mountain bike season has kicked off early at the first round of the south african xc cup in stellenbosch.i flew down on wednesday and enjoyed some incredible hospitality at a guest house provided by specialized.i was super eager for the weekends racing especialy as it was my racing debut on the new machine.

the course was a long 8.2km and with the pros riding six laps i knew it would be tough.the track suited me tough and with the many rocks and harsh climbs i knew the specialized would be up for it too.

on saturday i lined up in the new specialized-mr price kit with a race tuned epic and a positive mindset.i got out front early on and managed to find a steady rythm.i kept it tidy and the bike performed icredibly well.at the end of 6 laps i had built up 7minutes over second place which was more than satisfying for the first race.

on sunday cherise and i joined world champion team mate for a good training ride around the four passes loop around the bosch before heading back home.i will now be looking two weeks ahead to the next race on my calendar,the marathon series opener in barberton.its a 120km race this year so it should be tough...

ciao

burry

photo time....

new years 2008/2009...  my pops and i hanging on the melody cruise liner

cherise and i leaving port

working on the tan...wow i like that shirt

the festive season has come and gone...

and so the racing season kicks off early with the first round of the south african cross-country series taking place in stellenbosch this weekend.over the last few weeks training has gone realy well.ive also managed to tweak the new specialized s-works bike to suit my riding style which has been tricky as it is a full-suspension bike with a "brain" on both front and rear shocks.this means i can set the bike so that the bike senses the terrain getting rough and automatically softens up the suspension which ultimetitaly allows me to focus more on where im going and ride faster.specialized also incorporate all this technology in a 9.2kg bike so it absolutely flies uphill!

the festive season was also a time for some play and being merry.my tan has come on good and i had to fight to keep the weight of with all the good meals at "mommy's" house.i had some great friend sover for new years to see in the new years.on the 1st i just wished that my sister in-law wasn't so proficient in mixing cocktails!

heres to a great 2009!

ciao

burry

get back in it

got back on the bike this week after a serious stomach bug last week.atleast im going into base light which makes it easier although i have been suffering.cherise had her birthday last week and thanks to her sponsors i got to go to the international motorshow on her day.that place was incredible.you can spend some mad cash at a place like that.on sunday i took part in the triple challenge with the mr price team.after being off for three weeks it burnt like hell but it did feel good.

ive been getting used to the living alone thing lately.altough ive had buddies down to train with.its a whole lota fun.im even getting my head around cleaning the house,making food and doing dishes.atleast cherise will be down next week.

the weather hasnt been great lately.lotsa rain and cloud cover but atleast its warm.been getting the summer tan ready in time for the holiday season.just need a few more good days.

ciao

burry

back sa side

natro berg and bush impi

this weeks report starts with a funny story or rather an embarrasing one...on wednesday i took off for the airport way in advance to catch my flight back to sa after spending a cold week in london visiting family and getting away from racing.i made it there no problem,checked in and rolled through to the boarding gates.for some reason when the lady told me my boarding time i thaught it was 21:05 instead of the actual 20:05 and as a result continued siting in the main terminal lobby while my flight left without me.todd offcoarse is going to have a field day with this!after a serious feud with myself i had to get my luggage and head all the way back to my brothers appartment.on thursday i did it all again and finally made it.good thing or i would have missed an awesome weekends riding!

the two day natro berg and bush impi took place at spioenkop.its a very historic site nestled between winterton and ladysmith.after my long flight my dad picked me and my partner rourke croeser up and we headed up into the berg.for the weekend my role was slightly different.there would be no racing.just socialising and riding with the people on route and getting to hang out with people who all share the passion for mountain biking was great.i made so many new friends and heard some great stories.as far as the routes for the two days went ,you dont get much better.tons of sweet singletrack and some interresting bits like traversing the spioenkop dam by speed boat and crossing a river by means of a zip line!

this week ill get back into the saddle and start easing into my summer base regime.its going to be a tough year next year and this is when you got to start putting in the hard yards.

ciao

burry

crater...

getting back on track...

before i write this update ive had to go and read my own sight becoz i cudnt remember the last post or when it was.;so since that post alot has happened.i had a good last world cup finishing 10th and securing the overall u/23 world cup title.i also managed to place 5th which at the start of the season i would have deemed impossible.we had a good celebration the night after as wellsy came in for a career best 10th overall aswell.

my 21st birthday was pretty sweet.cherise wasnt guna make it or so i thaught but then she surprised me so it was pretty sweet.just when i thaught my season was going to be easy from then on out i had to race the 100km hill 2hill marathon in like 2deg c that weekend.i managed to win but it was tough.more mentally than physically which is the worst kind.

after that i was up in pretoria for awhile logging in some huge miles to prepare for this years crater cruise.things went well.i had great form on the day and managed to get rid of most of the yellow soccer team before a sliced sidewall ended my hopes with 10km to go.i rode home on the rim to finish in third and still made some cash so i was content.after the race i rushed home in 6hrs to compete in the lake eland super classic on the sunday.with great prize money,a super fun track and an awesome atmosfeer it was definitely worth the trip.its not everyday you get to ride behind a group of charging girrafes!

after this i strted with a break.i eased into it by only doing a few short rides and moving into my new house before taking off completely a week later after doing one last race.the asishova classic at giba gorge.i managed to pick up a chest infection just before which made the race hard and i only narrowly managed a win in this xc style event.i carried on moving house last week before leaving for london on wednesday to visit my brother and gwet away from training completely.the weather is so cold you dont feel bad sitting inside and being lazy.add to this a nephew that has discovered his feet and runs around all day and ive managed to keep busy.im also getting to be a real tourist and for the first time im taking in the sights.yesterday we hit harrods and the wax museum which was pretty cool.

in the last few weeks it also become public knowledge that im changing bikes next year from gt to the big s.im realy looking forward to ending my run with gt in some team stage races later on in the year and the exciting new challenge of cramping suzis style!HEHE

thats enough of an update from me.ill try and keep the site more up to date once base training starts as ill spend alota time on the couch relaxing !

hope todd isnt too cold in the us and a...

cheers

the dart

no updates,im surprised i still know how this thing works!

kyamandi bmx track launch

a few months after a young man named songo fipaza dreamed of a bmx track in the little township of kayamandi a track has been completed.this saturday saw the launch of the track that has been the work of many supporters.i had the opportunity to contribute in my own small way by teaming up with christoph sauser to ride in the colours of songo during this years absa cape epic.

it was such a great experience to attend the launch,the happy faces rolling around the track on their brand new mongoose bikes and the skills that some of the kids were showing off was awesome.i was told that some of these impressive riders could not even pedal forward a few weeks ago but were now attacking the jumps!

the rest of my week was spent fighting the wind on the coast while logging in some miles for the next couple of races.i wasnt complaining as i was just too happy to be home.this week i race in schladming,austria at the final leg of the 2008 mtb world cup.im currently 1st in the u/23 section and 4th overall.a big result could set me as high as 2nd so im totally focused.i then make a trip back home on monday for my 21st birthday and the hill 2 hill race on sunday next week.

ciao

burry