YOU KNOW THAT FEELING when you ’ re at a foreign airport dreading a long , lonely layover and then you spot an old friend . Yes ! A few hours of quality catch-up over beers and time flies . It ’ s like family , your clan , with a real sense of connection .
Every time I race , especially overseas , I ’ m reminded that mountain bikers are a family . We get , and generally really like each other . We share a love for open spaces and endorphinloaded adventure . It ’ s kinda like school break when we rushed into the playground and spontaneously started catchers .
I ’ ve just returned from the Colin Mayer Tour in Mauritius . A four-day stage race on the tropical , lush , volcanic island in the turquoise Indian ocean . It ’ s like South Africa ’ s 10th province – they even have Supersport on TV . The trails are nothing like ours , not groomed nor custom built , they ’ re old colonial sugar plantation roads through game reserves and forest trails . It ’ s rough and lava-lined rocky . The flowers and trees are very different and even the antelope herds look dissimilar to ours . Most riders stay down at the beach to enjoy afternoons snorkelling and recovering on deck chairs , drinking Phoenix beer . The warm-up road ride to and from the nearby university start venue is the perfect way to start each day . This is where I discovered my clan , my kindred souls , daily . The town roads are either silent and sleepy at sunrise or bustling with coconut
vendors and buzz bikes on the return leg . On an island where most bikes are dikwiels and nobody wears a helmet , it ’ s easy to identify a fellow rider . Regardless of nationality or seeded race batch start times , we ’ d spot each other , smile and spend the half-hour spin swapping stories of cool things to do and eat in the local area , races back home to add to
Paul and teammate Luke Van Ees , stoked to take over the Toyota Buffalo Category leaders jerseys .
bucket lists , and what we were or were not loving about each stage . Total strangers , sharing a real interest in each other , like family do over the dinner table .
I also recognised many surprise Saffa faces among the riders and over four days there were ample opportunities to chew the fat , on and off the bike . At the bike wash , in the massage tent , the Investec chill zone , restaurants in the village , on the beach , or poolside at the hotel . Here our busy lives back home faded into tomorrow while we soaked up what we love . Being outside and pushing our bodies while exploring nature .
Racing snakes like Joel Stransky , Kim Le Court , Theresa Ralph and Andrew Mclean weren ’ t much riding company as they flew off the
“ WE ’ D SWAP COOL THINGS TO DO AND RACES BACK HOME TO ADD TO BUCKET LISTS ”
startline every day , but unlike back in SA where they are madly busy with business , we spent long lazy afternoons shooting the breeze with our contented partners who for once weren ’ t frustrated and waiting to go somewhere else .
I made friends from Reunion and Italy , with local Mauritians , expats and even an Aussie . We made future plans to meet at awesome sounding races and bike-friendly destinations all over the planet . Whether we get there doesn ’ t really matter , as long as we have more rides to look forward to , right ? It ’ s like getting through maths before break in the schoolyard , there ’ s always someone doing something fun .
Let ’ s celebrate this sense of friendship and family . Not everyone is an extrovert , but if you feel like it next time you ’ re out training , say howzit to a rider and spend a moment checking in . Even in the start chute at a race – build a team around you because ultimately our opposition are all just kindred souls sharing the same playground , a happy space which we all missed terribly two years ago when squirrel forced us all into detention .
I hope you enjoy our packed Summer edition . Whether you need motivation to get back into shape post winter , inspiration to pick a race or trip destination , nutrition insight , advice on how to teach your partner , interviews with interesting riders , or technical advice on how to make your bike lighter , there ’ s something in here for you . If after wading through weeks of offline time-out reading you feel there ’ s something we could add in future , please email me with your suggestions or constructive feedback . We ’ d love to hear from you , or even better , read your trail tales that we may be keen to publish .
Have a safe , fun year-end . If you ’ re not on our social media feeds or website below we ’ ll see you again in 2023 .
Mountain Bike SA
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10 | MTB | proud as punch