The dreaded Day 2 arrived with a shock when the 04:30 call shook me of of a deep, well-deserved, sleep. It must have been the exhaustion from Day 1 that allowed me to sleep so deeply because the race briefing the evening before had put the fear of MTB hell in all us first timers.
The reality was I experienced the day better than Day 1, soon after our start, 20km in, we did the newly improved DUTOIT drop off. It’s a 300m drop in a scary, hair raising, switchback decent. Having been bumped to the back of the field after Day 1 the going was tough. I recall very briefly seeing the fear in the face of a lady rider that bailed halfway down.
Surviving that with out any incident was like surviving a roller coaster ride, you brag afterwards but at that stage…
Photo: Oakpics.
With great flowing singletracks it was easy to forget that the infamous Marino Monster lay ahead. The scale of this climb cannot be imagined till you start, it just goes on and on. It is easy to think your done when you climb over a rise and reality of the final mast climb rises in the sky. The Marino Monster climbs 1000m for 12km with gradients that surpasses most on a MTB.
Photo: Oakpics.
The decent down from that seemed endless too, highly technical in places but was welcoming after the monster climb.
Photo: Oakpics.
Considering the last 24km was mainly singletrack the ride to the end was a pleasure. MTB HEAVEN
Day 2 of the DUTOIT Tankwa Trek done dusted recovery beers had…
Now Day 3…
Photo: Oakpics
