We competed in the Tans Baviaans 230km 24 hour mtb challenge on
14 August 2010.
Team Blend properties (Stuart Marais ; Charles Keey & Dave
Morison) took part in the 230km Trans Baviaans. The start was
very fast, with the first 100km done in 3 hours & a average
speed in excess of 32km/h.
We were comfortable in the bunch, but it was clear that the
majority of the lead bunch, around 10 teams, didn’t realize that
the race would only start from about 105km into the race.
We hit 105km & the main bunch had blown. We kept a steady tempo
throughout, but lost crucial time at the various checkpoints
along the route due to the fact that we did not have back-up
vehicles through the kloof. 2 minutes at every checkpoint would
prove to be the difference in the end.
We were playing catch up all the way, but the winners from last
year were too strong in the end & were deserving winners.
We were happy with the result, proving to ourselves that we are
able to mix it with the best in ultra endurance races. We ended
2nd overall, also smashing the record by 25 minutes.
