The Amazing Adventures of an Average Actuarial Cyclist

Disappointment. A non starter for me this year. A sneaky summer cold crept up on me in the days leading up to the race and robbed me of the opportunity to try for consecutive sub-3's. Oh well, that's life, you never know quite what to expect. Hopefully I will get another opportunity in 2017, the new registration venue was nice, and that is all I can say about the 2016 Cape Town Cycle Tour. Now for another stab at the Trans Karoo, giving that Ouberg-monster-of-a-pass another try, how I will hate myself on 30 April!

After ticking off Karoo2Coast in 2014 and Trans Baviaans in 2015, the Attakwas was the only major Southern Cape mtb race that I haven't conquered yet. The problem is that this race usually falls right in the middle of my employer's financial year-end valuations, during which time a weekend trip to Oudtshoorn is less than ideal, however in 2016 the race was at the start of the valuation period so I had time to slip out to attempt my first Atta! The Attakwas is billed as the toughest single stage race in Southern Africa, and apparently it is similar to a Queen stage of the Cape Epic. You have to be properly fit and a little bit crazy to attempt the 120km race between Oudtshoorn and Groot Brak over the historic Attakwaskloof pass (nowadays merely a 4x4 jeep track over the mountains). I left work a bit earlier on Friday afternoon, made the trip to Oudtshoorn where I registered and then camped out for the night at Kleinplaas which was filled with fellow cyclists all attempting

Hell & Back is the original stage race in South Africa. This race started way back in 1995 before I even knew something like mtb'ing existed, celebrating it's 21st anniversary in 2015.   According to the old timers in my training group this race used to be even more popular but with the glut of stage races to choose from on the calendar and being nestled in between high profile races like Wines2Whales and the Double Century the Hell&Back is flying slightly below the radar nowadays. Back in 2012 this was my first attempt at a stage race. My goal then was to do the 120km (60 in & 60 out) in 7h00 and maybe sneak into the top 50. I failed at both.... 3 years later I had a chance to try again. This time I would be a bit older but the flipside I was now fitter, rode a 29er instead of a 26er and had the benefit of more experience. Which would count most on the day? Day 1 The 60km stages are easy to underestimate given the relatively short distances, but along wit