“Waar rook is, daar is ook vuur”. This was the first clue sending us scrambling up the koppie on the first 4km dash. With no map and no marked route this leg was chaotic as we searched for the clues. We arrived back in transition with many of the other teams, the first leg not having split up field that much.
We were quick onto the bike for what was going to be a tough 17km. I especially struggled with the rocks and the steep hills (usually at the same time!). We couldn’t escape from a male pair that seemed to have memorized the map at the start. They were flying along and didn’t seem to ever look at the map. Thanks to Alex’s spot on navigation we arrived back into transition first just in front of them .
Another quick (closely monitored by Brian) transition got us out onto the run quite a while before the other teams. And finally it was our race, our pace and our route! We did a bit of extra hill training repeats when we overshot CP2. But back on track Alex made some good route choices and we pulled a bit of a lead. We climbed a game fence for a compulsory Waypoint on our way to CP5. The big farm house where CP5 was proved much more difficult than one would think to find. We then climbed up the Koppie where the abseil was at the first Diamond Dash race and down the other side spotting some of the clues that we managed to miss while maintaining our can’t-even-breathe pace on the first leg.
On this leg we came across a herd of wildebeest as they dashed down the hill behind us. I was suddenly worried that it was Stephan and co. closing in on us. Just having recovered from the wildebeest fright we almost ran straight into 2 giraffe. Other sightings included Zebra and Springbok. The transition area was then in sight which forced everything out of our legs. My excitement at reaching transition and getting out of the heat (even if just for a moment) was dashed as Brian shouted – ‘Quick transition guys’.
First back into transition and first out for the last leg – a marked mountain bike leg. With no cycle computer in our team this leg was interesting with no way of answering my ‘how much further’ questions. We pushed on. Up another hill. Down some single track. Gijima advertised ‘Brand new single track’ which translates to a portion of the veld where the grass has been trimmed. This should not be attempted on a hardtail – cramp is inevitable. The ride was 19 km; it felt like 29. We ended off with a compulsory floating bridge crossing made exciting by a couple of uneven sections.
We finished first only having been passed by a solo racer, in the last bit of the last leg, who could cycle much faster than me. No thanks to me, but rather to Alex for his navigation and Brian the strong-as-an-ox teammate and pacesetter.
A tough race. A strong field. A hot Highveld winters day. Great team. Lots of happy AR faces. Cold coke and hamburgers at the finish. Is there any other way you would want to spend a Saturday?
Author: Jane Swarbreck | Team Red Ants | Diamond Dash #2, 17 July 2010