So the Mtunzini Super Classic has been and gone and I am now marking exam scripts instead of the track. The event has been heralded as a great success with about 200 more riders than expected registering for the 25 and 50 km events, which were completed by 441 riders, including many locals. Both the intermediate and 50 km routes seem to have been winners (much to my relief) with no major complaints about the sand, although it did break up in a few places.
People seemed to enjoy the variety of terrain and views on a fast course that wasn’t technically difficult, but with a few challenging hills. Leaving the best for last - the Twinstreams singletrack - paid off as the field was well sorted by then.
My ride in the singletrack was interrupted by the bearings collapsing in the bottom jockey wheel of my derailleur which jammed the chain and severed the derailleur hanger. Thanks to Les for stopping to help convert my bike to a singlespeed which allowed me complete the course without losing too much time - my first 'mechanical' in a race, ever. Anyone (except those on Santa Cruz bikes, which do not have hangers) who venture far from the madding crowd should learn how to convert their bike to a singlespeed in the event of a broken derailleur or similar disaster. You need a chain breaker (that works) to shorten the chain and a power link to rejoin it after selecting a suitable gear combination.
We set mine on middle front and middle back which allowed me to ride the rest of the singletrack and up the rise to the finish comfortably, but pedalled my mielie off on the road past the forest lodge and Nature’s Way. Luckily (for me) a friend came past who had lost a contact lens and was battling to see in the singletrack. I guided him through that and then held on to his camelback along much of the dirt road to save my legs falling off. Converting to singlespeed works well on hardtails but can be difficult on a soft tail. Fortunately it worked perfectly on my bike – it depends on the type of rear suspension. It is also advisable to carry a spare hanger and a jockey wheel as well. Well done to all of you who took part – we are certainly creating a presence at these events with our distinctive colours.
Mtunzini is unusual in that we host a major mountain biking event, organised mostly by a bunch of guys that don’t cycle.
A big round of applause to the Mtunzini Round Table who have put this event on for 13 years now as their major fundraiser. It started as the Mtunzini Outdoor festival which now just includes the bike race. Many thanks also to Robyn, Kevin, Suzi, Charles, Debbie and Frank for their help with marking and clearing the track. Les managed to extract some decent sponsorship from Mondi which went a long way to ensuring the financial success of the race. This will benefit charities such as Bev’s orphanage at Ging as well as provide some funds to kickstart our development programme.
Results were posted on www.elitetiming.co.za by lunch on Monday so have a look at how you did.
Elite Timing will do the timing for the rest of the Zululand Big 5 series so if you did not buy a timing chip at Mtunzini, you will have to get one at Heatonville if you want a time in future events. Chips cost R30 and can be used for any event timed by Elite Timing. They do not have to be renewed every year so it is well worth getting one.
With my attention focused on our Mtunzini race I havn’t done some of the events I would have liked to, but Kevin rode the 40 km intermediate event at the Karkloof festival earlier in May and reported a great ride. I rode this a few years ago before moving on to the marathon distance there and is worth doing for good organisation, great track and brilliant scenery.

Licensing
The process is now running smoothly and Debbie has been able to confirm club membership online for members who have applied for a CSA license. Go to www.myrace.co.za to register (login and password) and then to www.cyclingsa.com to complete the online registration. You can also access the CSA site from myrace.

Saturday Rides
The sun gets up a bit later now and so can we! Rides leave at 7.00 am from the corner of Siyaya and Valley drives. Please note that Helmets are compulsory.

June
6th Kevin Hoffmann 0823791048
13th Shane Webster 0836265450
20th Frank Uzzell 0828205701
27th Rodney Owen 0829248837

Numbers on the Saturday rides have been dwindling recently with only a few regulars turning up. This might improve after Comrades but I have been thinking along the lines of having a monthly club ride that includes a variety of distances catering to beginner, intermediate and those looking for more strenuous training. This can be followed by a post ride brunch at the clubhouse to keep the social side going. These dates will depend on other events but will be well advertised. Saturday rides can still continue but will not have an official leader. Some prefer riding in the afternoon and some may do both. The idea will be to form groups of like minded or abilitied riders that can/will ride together when it suits them. Let me know what you think.

Forthcoming events
Mtunzini was the first in the Zululand Big 5 series. To come are:
Heatonville 28th June
Hluhluwe 26 July
Monzi 13 September
Kwambo 4th October

Note that the date for Monzi is as above, not in October as on the KZN calendar.

For those of you that missed the advert in the Observer, riders completing all 5 in the series stand a chance of winning some great prizes from The Spares Shop, Thule, Zululand Cycles and Trappers – with a total value around R15,000 with a grand prize of a Thule Euroway bike carrier (like mine!!) and R5000. Worth riding for!
Next up in the series is Heatonville. The 50km route has the biggest climb (up Neverest) and the most technical descent (down Neverest). It’s a great ride with singletrack to test all abilities. Good news is that the tricky bits can be easily walked if you are not up to it. The 50 km route loops back to the clubhouse and sets off on the intermediate course which is a fast, flowing delight – easy but great fun.

Our own Nashua Nite Race is on Saturday 4th July starting at the clubhouse at the Town Hall around 5pm. Mountain biking, running and a walk will be on offer as before. The showers are complete and parking has been arranged on the school field. Registration and route details will be posted in the next week or so.

Not mountain biking, but a MAC event that we should all get involved with is the Bush Run (or walk) on the 9th August, comprising a 16km run through the nature reserve, onto the beach and back as well as a 5km fun run (or walk). Details will be posted in the July Seatpost but cyclists not intending to participate are requested to help with registration, timing, marshalling , catering and general cheering. There will be a great atmosphere at the clubhouse on the day so come and enjoy it.

Regards
Rodney