Attakwas 2020 - Another Sub 7 attempt

Before & After

My 2020 cycling calendar started off with my 3rd attempt at an Atta Sub 7. First try was in 2016, that year I missed it properly by 17 minutes, 2017 I came fairly close - I was cruising on my way to a Sub 7 when vicious cramps jumped me on the last 2 climbs and I missed the Sub 7 by 2 minutes. This year I was confident, form was good, trained well over the December holidays. The new full suspension bike on it's own surely would surely be worth 5 minutes down on previous attempts?

But in the lead-up to the race the obstacles to my goal started piling up. As in my previous 2 attempts I was seeded in C bunch (I have now made peace with the mystery of my bad Atta seedings and the resulting struggle through crowds for at least the first 50km of the race). The weather predictions were also unfavourable , with heavy rain & headwinds for the last 50 kilometers being predicted.

As every year we started off at the Chandelier game lodge near Oudtshoorn. The weather was overcast but no rain (yet) and the first kilometers were fairly easy going and I made good time. Leaving the second waterpoint at 45 kilometers I was about 2 minutes ahead of my 2017 time split. On target for the Sub-7. Going up the 4x4 trail through Attakwaskloof was easier than usual with the cool weather helping. The biggest challenge was working my way past slower riders but when I crested the Outeniqua mountains at the highest point matters turned for the worse.

Clearly on the George-side of the mountain it had been raining for a while, the rocky jeep-track descent down the mountain is treacherous at best of times but now it was slippery as soap as well. It didn't take very long for my back-wheel to swipe out underneath me and I had a nasty fall on my backside. In the fall my bike board was torn off, my shoe broken, my right leg & arm bloody but somehow the only serious damage was done to my confidence. I was a bit dazed and super cautious on the downhills, my bike was impossible to control on some sections so I walked a good few sections I normally would have been able to ride. At this point I felt as if I was the only one affected as loads of riders were passing me.

I reached the Spur waterpoint in just under 4 hours, still 57km to go and somehow still 2 minutes ahead of my 2017 time. At this point I felt fairly confident that I could still finish under 7 hours despite the earlier setback, headwind and muddy conditions. At least the technical stuff were behind me with only district roads ahead. However it was hard going in the rain and mud, on the steep climbs you would often loose traction in the mud and on the downhills you were blinded by mud spraying into your eyes and you had to be cautious of treacherous & slippery mud spots on sharp turns. So at no point was it really possible to go at full pace.

Me gaining in the background

Despite the conditions I was making good progress, it felt like I was passing most of the riders that gone past me in the kloof. However at every waterpoint I had to stop to just get a quick lube and clean my glasses which wasted precious minutes. I was more or less on par with my previous attempt but the big blow to my Sub-7 attempt came with a detour after the 4th waterpoint that added 2,5 kilometers to the route, roughly 5-7 minutes. Suddenly I was a few minutes behind on the time splits and there was just no way to make up 5 minutes on the last few kilometers given the conditions.

So after 7 hours and 5 minutes I rolled over the finish line, quite a decent time given the weather and my tumble in the kloof. From the close to 1000 riders that started just under the 700 managed to finish and I was happy to be one of them. However the Sub-7 Atta result still evades me, maybe 2021 will be my year?