Sasol Cross Off Road Triathlon Abrahamsrust

Before we knew, it was time for the last race of the series Sasol Cross Series. I was feeling confident after my performance at the SA Championships the previous weekend. I was the current leader of the series and if I had a good day, could be crowned the winner. There were heavy rain the previous day and night so the race would be very muddy and wet. Nevertheless, I was ready to race and still have fun while doing it.

The swim was a non-wetsuit cold and fast one. Chris and Theo and I was in the lead out the water into T1.

Rudolf, Chris, Theo

As predicted, the bike leg was very wet and muddy. I was leading the bike until about 7km where after Theo and I exchanged the lead a few times. It carried on until about 9km and then I decided to put the hammer down and go for it. I made a small gap and with mountain biking it was always “out of sight out of mind”. Once I made a gap it started to grow slowly but surely, I was really having fun which was a bonus. Unfortunately Chris had a few crashes and decided to abandon the race after the bike leg. I entered T2 with a minute and a half gap. I now knew that I could take the run easy and enjoy the race for a change. I had the series wrapped up and was winning the last race as a bonus.

Finish

It was a very good series – two wet, muddy races and two dry, hot races. Thanks to the organisers Spektrum Sport and all of the sponsors of the series: SASOL, SUUNTO, Cebe and Asics for making this series possible.

I will be back next year to defend my title.

Cheers
Rudolf

SA Triathlon Championships (ITU African Cup)

It was time for SA Championships. They took us all the way to the “windy” city – Port Elizabeth. For the elite’s – yes, I’m first year u/23 – this will double up as an ITU African Cup. I was feeling good about my chances because of my previous races and results leading up to SA champs. I was the first time that I would race against the big boys of South African triathlon and a few International athletes – which includes former World Champion, Tim Don.

We flew down to PE on Friday and on Saturday did the course familiarization, registration and pre-race briefing.

Soon it was Sunday. Our race only commenced at 13:30 – so there was lots of time to chill. There was silence before our race started and my heart was pumping(loudly). As the gun went off I knew this is now – I’m playing with the big guns. The swim was very intense and we were fighting for position and slip behind the good swimmers. I got caught out behind the wrong feet in the swim and lost a bit of time there, but it wasn’t that bad. After the first 750m lap, I could see that I was 2nd pack and the front pack was about 30 sec ahead of us. I swam as hard as I could but I couldn’t catch them. Running into T1, I saw that our group was quite big and thought that we could catch the front pack if we worked well together.

Unfortunately we didn’t. We tried out best to catch them but that didn’t happen. I motivated the other athletes to push just a bit harder. The frustration was on everybody’s faces.

I had a good T2 and was out in a flash. The last(biggest?) hurdle was the 10km run. My legs were sore after the bike but the adrenalin was pumping and I started the run very motivated. The run consisted of 3 laps of 3.3km. On the last lap my body didn’t want to go anymore. I wasn’t running - I was just surviving. I finished the race 8th overall elite and 2nd u/23. This was a huge success for me. It was my first race with the big dogs and I managed to survive and do well, I was very happy but tired.

Thank you to all my sponsors (TUKS, K-Swiss, Orca, Felt, Whasp, CycleOps) for investing in me. Thank you to my parents and brother for the support. Thank you to my coach Lindsey, for always being there with assistance and advise. Last but not least – thank you to Lord for my talent and the courage and will that he gave me to do my sport.

Cheers
Rudolf

Sasol Cross Off Road Triathlon Emerald Casino

It was the 3rd leg of the Sasol Cross Off Road Series, and this time I was happy to have home ground advantage. It was a fine and hot day, with no wind …. Perfect conditions. I was the home town hero and was hoping to win the race in front of many local spectators – even my grandma.

The swim was 250m downstream, 100m across and 250m upstream. After the gun went off, myself and Rodney(who was participating in a team) went full out on the swim. After T1 I had a comfortable 1:20 lead. My wish for today was that I wanted to survive on the bike leg and not get caught like at the first to races. I went flat out on the bike – I managed to open the gap with a few more seconds. The cycle was AMAZING …. just being in nature is a wonderful experience. I went through the course like a rocket …. everything was working for me. Maybe I’m getting used to my MTB now.

Leaving T1

When I started the run I had a comfortable gap and that allowed me to take it easy. But soon my competitive nature kicked in and before I realized I was running harder than anticipated. I was feeling good and I ran according to how my body felt …. and it felt good. I was running like the Springboks that I could see in the distance. I also saw a wildebeest run across the road and I was wondering whether this thing is dangerous? Can it charge and kill me? With these thoughts I ran a bit faster to get out of the reserve and into the safety area of the finish.

I was happy with my performance on the race and felt good. This was 2 weeks before SA champs so I was hoping I could carry my form over from this race to SA champs in PE.

Cheers
Rudolf