1. Windmill Casino to RV1 (Vanderkloof)
Start (Windmill Casino) to RV1 (Vanderkloof)
Start - km0 - 12:00
WP1 - km60 - 15:00 -
15:10 - 10mins stopped
WP2 - km171 - 21:20 -
22:10 - 50mins stopped
RV1 - km229 - 02:30
The start at Windmill Casino was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was
bouncing between absolute fear and tremendous excitement. Fear because my
longest ride leading up to the Munga was a 235km training ride and I have never
done any form of stage racing or ultra-endurance riding and I wasn't sure how
my body would react to spending an insane amount of time sitting in the saddle.
Excitement, well, because I was finally at the start line, something that I had
planned and trained for for an entire year. Was my 8000km/340hrs of training
going to be sufficient?
When the gun went off at 12:00, the time for wondering was finally over
and we set off. I was at the front leading the 150 odd riders through the
neutral section. I did this on purpose, mainly to avoid tripping over anybody
but also to get some exposure for our Munga4Mutts fundraising campaign (a
little cheeky I know). The first couple of kms was neutralised as there was an
unplanned deviation from the race route due to a sewage leak.
When Alex peeled off after about 5km, all hell broke loose! Guys
were pinning their ears back and jetting off into the distance. I was not going
to get involved and I monitored my HR very closely to make sure I wasn't going
to get sucked in to burning matches early on. The scale of what was lying ahead
helped me to stick to my plan of not letting my HR creep above Z3, at least not
this early.
There was an unofficial waterpoint at about 35km where I stopped
and had a glass of coke and some cuddles with the local fur-kids. There was a
chance of the route being diverted at km37 in the event that the rivene was
impassable and I double checked with the locals at the unofficial waterpoint to
learn that this was however not necessary, and I crossed the muddy riverbanks
without any trouble. I later learned that this was where the member of the
parabat team had fallen over and died of a heart attack. A very sad occasion
and not something you like to hear on the route (or ever). RIP Lammie Strauss.
The ride to WP1 was uneventful except for a rear slow puncture
that seemed to appear from nowhere. I stopped once or twice to reinflate with
the handpump, but it kept on going down but not all the way. When I finally
decided to solve the issue at WP1, I discovered that it was in fact a slightly
loose valve core. I tightened, reinflated and that was the end of the problem.
I had a couple of snacks and some coke, topped up my camelback with some ice
and water and set off.
The scenery was amazing: the earth was red/brown with lots of
greenery abound as well as the odd mud tracks. It was clear that the Free State
had had some rain in the weeks leading up to start and the colours were simply
beautiful. The skies were clear with the odd cloud around. I didn't notice any
real wind and life was good as I settled down for the long haul. Leading up to
WP2 I had the odd thought cross my mind that this was going to be a looooong
ride and what the hell was I thinking to enter a 1000km race, but NEVER did it
cross my mind that I wasn't going to finish. I told myself that I was exactly
where I was supposed to be, it was my destiny!
The riding up to WP2 was nice and relaxed and my HR was settling
down not going above Z2. I was about to experience the first sunset riding over
the steel bridge at Kalkfontein Dam (Riet River) and I was just admiring the
colours of the early evening. Riding into the sunset with my lights on was
something that I had been looking forward to with great anticipation. Not long
after the sun had set I had come across the famous Joggie Waterpoint
(unofficial waterpoint but very much a part of the Munga tradition I learned
later on) and was offered something to drink, but the thought of getting brandy
and coke down my throat was not something I was willing to partake in at this
stage, although it did seem a rather good alternative to cycling for a 1000
kilometers!
I sat down at WP2 to have some solid food (potatoes, boerie roll, cakes,
some coffee and lots of coke) and to just have a little bit of a break before
the challenging section awaiting me to Vanderkloof. It was at WP2 where I
learned of Lammie's passing and it kind of made me sit down to spare a moment
for him. I did not know him, but losing a participant was always going to have
an effect on anyone.
Leaving WP2, I was aware that this was the section to be focused
as this is where the infamous aardvark holes were located that have cost many a
rider their race. It was dark but my lights were on full beam, and I was
enjoying the challenge. Being a night owl, I was in my element and the going
was easy and I was relishing riding in the dark! I was actually catching and
passing riders who were clearly not as comfortable as me riding at night down a
2-spoor dodging aardvalk holes! I was having a blast!
The closer I got to Vanderkloof, the wetter the earth under my
wheels were getting. I was riding in a slight drizzle, but it was nothing too
serious, I didn't even bother to put on my rain gear as the drizzle was cooling
me down and the air wasn't too cold either. Dodging some serious puddles of mud
and the ever-present aardvalk holes on the last stretch before the turnoff onto
the tarmac leading up to Vanderkloof, the drizzle stopped and I was starting to
get excited about reaching my first race village on my first Munga. On this
section I had had my one and only off if you can call it that: rolling into a
massive puddle of mud and getting my wheels sucked in, I fell off to the side
and landed with both feet ankle deep in the mud. I rinsed myself off in a
nearby clean water puddle and set off again: that puddle had caught me out ever
so slightly but thankfully nothing serious happened!
As I rolled up to the top of the Vanderkloof Dam wall I noticed
the mist from the water thundering through the sluice gates. It was pitch dark,
but I was standing on top of that dam wall in absolute amazement, just
listening and taking it all in.
Being that I work in the civil and structural engineering field it
was my first time standing on a dam wall of that size and I wished that it was
light so I could take photos or videos to share on the Whatsapp group that I
started for all of my friends to follow my adventure. I know my colleagues
would have enjoyed the sight and it is a pity that I couldn't capture the scene
for them to appreciate with me.
I pressed on to the race village at Vanderkloof, signed in, handed
my bike over for a clean and lube and went over to find some food as I was
starving at this point! I wondered around a bit trying to find a spot to lie
down. There were additional sleeping facilities available up the road but I
didn't feel like saddling up my bike before it had been cleaned and lubed so I
sat down, recorded a video for my Whatsapp group, had more food and drinks
until a spot would open up for me to have a nap and to charge my garmin. I
learned that the guys in front and behind me had had much heavier rains to deal
with and I was feeling lucky that I had missed the heavier rains.
As I was lying down, the rain started coming down again and I knew
that my decision to stop over for a rest was a good one. This was proven to be
true when I set off at 06:30 and saw the world outside and I was thinking how
good a decision I had made to not tackle that terrain in the wet!
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