South Coast Fever - On Top of the World
For the article go to South Coast Fever Web Site
A muddy Hayley Smith of Uvongo basks in her World Cup victory.PHOTOS: Darren Goddard (cycho.co.za)/Gameplan Media
South Coast starlet overcomes all odds to seal World Cup victory.HAYLEY Smith (Bell Equipment) claimed a watershed win in the biggest race of her budding career when she triumphed in the junior women’s cross-country race at the RockyRoads UCI MTB World Cup Pietermaritzburg at the Cascades MTB Park last Saturday.
The World Cup debutant’s already shot nerves were compounded as the heavens opened moments prior to the race, which forced event organisers to cordon off certain sections of the course for safety reasons.
The Uvongo teenager, as she has done her entire life, defied the odds in the dire conditions to secure a convincing victory in a time of 59 minutes 11 seconds, a full four minutes 19 seconds ahead of runner-up Nicole Erasmus.
“I can’t believe what I have just done! I am so overwhelmed with my win and glad that all my training and preparations have paid off. I desperately wanted this win,” an elated Smith told The Fever.
“I was very nervous before the race and then it started to rain really hard and I forgot all about my nerves and was trying to work out how I was going to race this extreme track in these wet conditions.
“This is definitely one of my biggest achievements in my cycling career so far. It has been a very exciting weekend for me and one I will always remember,” she added.
Smith’s victory was the most emotional and remarkable of all over the course of the weekend as it came less than a year after the inspirational young rider had undergone heart surgery to treat an arrhythmia with a cardiac ablation.
17-year-old Smith had been battling with an abnormally high heart beat for about 18 months and would often have spells of light-headedness, lack of energy and even fainted after races.
It was only early in 2011, when she was selected through Cycling South Africa as a member of the Sport Science Institute’s High Performance Team that her condition was correctly diagnosed and she was withdrawn from the team to undergo treatment.
After making a full recovery, Smith suffered another setback when she broke her collarbone during her first race back which required a plate and five screws to be inserted. She said her love for mountain biking never waned and was the main driving force behind her recovery.
“I never dreamt that I would achieve this goal so soon after what I had been through last year. Last year was a very challenging year for me health wise and I am just so grateful that I am able to cycle again. All I wanted to do was to get better and get back on my bicycle and do what I love most.
“The World Cup experience has been awesome and watching all the top riders in the world and getting to chat to some of them is really cool. The vibe of everyone cheering and shouting for the riders out on the track is awesome and really helps to motivate you.”
Prior to Smith’s heroics, Umtentweni superstar Burry Stander (Specialized Racing) secured second place in the elite men’s cross-country race after narrowly being edged by world number two Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team) of Switzerland.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium, so second place is not what you aim for, you always aim to win, but I’m satisfied with what I did today,” said Stander.
“It was a big race that I wanted to do well in. It’s definitely the most stressful World Cup for me all year. The level goes up every year. Today we were probably going faster than we were three years ago.
“I think everyone is on top of their game and trying to improve where they can and I realised last year that I would have to do the same and pick up my level if I were going to carry on competing. That’s what I’ve done. It seems to be working and I hope to build and get stronger going forward,” he added.
Candice Neethling (BMC) and Evan van der Spuy (Varsity College) also did the South Coast proud in the season opener, the former finishing as the top-placed South African in the women’s Under-23 cross-country race (11th) and the latter 14th in the junior men’s cross-country race.
The World Cup debutant’s already shot nerves were compounded as the heavens opened moments prior to the race, which forced event organisers to cordon off certain sections of the course for safety reasons.
The Uvongo teenager, as she has done her entire life, defied the odds in the dire conditions to secure a convincing victory in a time of 59 minutes 11 seconds, a full four minutes 19 seconds ahead of runner-up Nicole Erasmus.
“I can’t believe what I have just done! I am so overwhelmed with my win and glad that all my training and preparations have paid off. I desperately wanted this win,” an elated Smith told The Fever.
“I was very nervous before the race and then it started to rain really hard and I forgot all about my nerves and was trying to work out how I was going to race this extreme track in these wet conditions.
“This is definitely one of my biggest achievements in my cycling career so far. It has been a very exciting weekend for me and one I will always remember,” she added.
Smith’s victory was the most emotional and remarkable of all over the course of the weekend as it came less than a year after the inspirational young rider had undergone heart surgery to treat an arrhythmia with a cardiac ablation.
17-year-old Smith had been battling with an abnormally high heart beat for about 18 months and would often have spells of light-headedness, lack of energy and even fainted after races.
It was only early in 2011, when she was selected through Cycling South Africa as a member of the Sport Science Institute’s High Performance Team that her condition was correctly diagnosed and she was withdrawn from the team to undergo treatment.
After making a full recovery, Smith suffered another setback when she broke her collarbone during her first race back which required a plate and five screws to be inserted. She said her love for mountain biking never waned and was the main driving force behind her recovery.
“I never dreamt that I would achieve this goal so soon after what I had been through last year. Last year was a very challenging year for me health wise and I am just so grateful that I am able to cycle again. All I wanted to do was to get better and get back on my bicycle and do what I love most.
“The World Cup experience has been awesome and watching all the top riders in the world and getting to chat to some of them is really cool. The vibe of everyone cheering and shouting for the riders out on the track is awesome and really helps to motivate you.”
Prior to Smith’s heroics, Umtentweni superstar Burry Stander (Specialized Racing) secured second place in the elite men’s cross-country race after narrowly being edged by world number two Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team) of Switzerland.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium, so second place is not what you aim for, you always aim to win, but I’m satisfied with what I did today,” said Stander.
“It was a big race that I wanted to do well in. It’s definitely the most stressful World Cup for me all year. The level goes up every year. Today we were probably going faster than we were three years ago.
“I think everyone is on top of their game and trying to improve where they can and I realised last year that I would have to do the same and pick up my level if I were going to carry on competing. That’s what I’ve done. It seems to be working and I hope to build and get stronger going forward,” he added.
Candice Neethling (BMC) and Evan van der Spuy (Varsity College) also did the South Coast proud in the season opener, the former finishing as the top-placed South African in the women’s Under-23 cross-country race (11th) and the latter 14th in the junior men’s cross-country race.
Bundu Bashers Mtb Club
Club rides from Dura-Cycles every Saturday at 6:30 am sharp with four groups catered for and the ever friendly cuppa coffee afterwards.
Bundu Bashers Excel in XCO
BUNDU Bashers can again hold their heads up with pride after yet again representing the club and the South Coast at the highest level with James Reid, Hayley Smith and Brandon Venter finishing second in their respective categories in round two of the Momentum Health XCO Internationals over the weekend. Cale Lindecke managed a hard-fought third whilst Gary Neethling, Candice Neethling, Brian Lindecke, Evan van der Spuy and Dominic de Bruin (with no back brakes) finished in the top five.
The weekend once again hailed a great turnout for the club ride from Dura-Cycles with thrills and spills galore. Karen Preston earned her long overdue voyager miles straight over her handle bars. It is so encouraging to see the amount of mud hoppers riding with the ever young Pete Swinney in the “Super Social“ group. Parents come along with your youngsters, how much better can it get riding with your child out in nature and the glorious surrounding of the South Coast?
There will be more cross-country racing at Cascades this coming weekend and don’t forget to keep the days free for the upcoming World Cup - it is super spectator friendly this year. The Dura-Cycles School Series will kick-off in the second term so keep checking www.bundubasher.co.za and www.duracycles.co.za for details.
There will be the usual club ride from Dura-Cycles this Saturday at 6:30 am sharp with four groups heading out. Quote of the week: “Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again, so is a bicycle repair kit.” - Lord Charles Beresford.
The weekend once again hailed a great turnout for the club ride from Dura-Cycles with thrills and spills galore. Karen Preston earned her long overdue voyager miles straight over her handle bars. It is so encouraging to see the amount of mud hoppers riding with the ever young Pete Swinney in the “Super Social“ group. Parents come along with your youngsters, how much better can it get riding with your child out in nature and the glorious surrounding of the South Coast?
There will be more cross-country racing at Cascades this coming weekend and don’t forget to keep the days free for the upcoming World Cup - it is super spectator friendly this year. The Dura-Cycles School Series will kick-off in the second term so keep checking www.bundubasher.co.za and www.duracycles.co.za for details.
There will be the usual club ride from Dura-Cycles this Saturday at 6:30 am sharp with four groups heading out. Quote of the week: “Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again, so is a bicycle repair kit.” - Lord Charles Beresford.
Petition for Cycle Lanes on the Hibiscus Coast - Hibberdene to Port Edward
Imagine flying above the coast on a short trip from Hibberdene to Port Edward. Looking out the window of the plane you can see bicycle lanes as a continuous, single, coloured strip unifying the entire Hibiscus coast from one end to the other.
There is a great “road safety need” for South African motorists to be made aware that roads are not built solely for their use. Roads are frequently used by pedestrians, dog walkers, joggers and cyclists alike. Road demarcations , together with appropriate signage, will help drivers become more aware of the presence of cyclists. It is also known that cyclists generally feel safer when using cycle lanes.
Bike lanes are defined as “a portion of the roadway which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement marking for the preferential or exclusive use by cyclists”. Bicycle lanes make the movements of both motorists and cyclists more predictable and as with other bicycle facilities there are advantages to all road users in striping them on the roadway.
Bicycle-friendly cities such as London and Amsterdam in Europe and various cities in the U.S have developed extensive bike lane networks since the 1970′s and more recently large cities such as Tucson, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle have begun to stripe bike lanes on their arterial and collector streets as a way of encouraging bicycle use.
There are a number of innovative bike lane designs that have been tried and tested to overcome particular barriers to cycling, or to solve a problem in a particular location.
- Coloured bike lanes have been a feature of bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands (red), Denmark (blue), France (green) and many other countries for many years. In the United Kingdom, both red and green pigments are used to delineate bike lanes and bike boxes.
- A growing number of communities are using shared bus and bike lanes to give preferential treatment to both bikes and public transport.
- While bike lanes should normally carry cyclists in the direction of traffic, there are some locations where there is a strong demand for cyclists to travel against the normal flow of traffic, or to travel in both directions on a one-way street.
34 Great Reasons To Have One Continuous Cycle Lane between Hibberdene and Port Edward
- Unifying the Hibiscus coast with a single, continuous demarcated cycle strip
- Our Hibiscus Coast Will be Seen to Join the Global Environmental Initiative in Lowering our Carbon Footprint
- Tourism Spin off – The Hibiscus Coast as a Quality Road Biking Destination
- Giving Citizens a Cost Effective Alternative to Public Transport
- A Local Governmental Alternative to a High Quality Transportation System
- More Resources for Public Use
- High-Tech Business Is Attracted by a Perceived Better Quality of Life
- Improved Personal Finances
- Promoting a healthy lifestyle – Better Physical Health
- Better Mental and Emotional Health
- Fewer Overweight and Obese Citizens
- More Free Time
- More Beauty
- Greater Mobility
- Inclusion of all Cultures and Age Groups, including Senior Citizens
- More Equitable Living for Low Income Earners
- Increased Sense of Community
- Individual Opportunities for Safer Travel
- Less Congested Roads
- Safer, Quieter Neighbourhoods – Lowering Noise Pollution
- Enhanced and More Credible Metropolitan Image
- Better Air Quality
- Visually More Appealing Metropolitan Area
- Cleaner Surface and Ground Water
- Quieter City
- Slowed Pace of Global Warming
- More Sustainable Lifestyle
- Recognition for Leadership in Sound Environmental Policy
- Readiness for Other Environmental Initiatives
- Enhanced Quality of Life for Women
- Promote an Internationally Recognized Sport Right Here on The Hibiscus Coast
- Increase in Local Property Values.
- Correlation with Overall Wealth.
- Enhance the Opportunity for Local Business Growth
Keep up to date...
Ladies & Gents, plenty on the go at the moment so keep up to date via our various social media groups or contact Heather at Dura-Cycles...
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