2013 African Continental Championships - PMB

African Continental Champs was a special race for me. It was my first race back and I was super excited to see how my newly reconstructed shoulder held up. After 3 months of rehab and adjustment to the new positions of ligaments, and so on, in my right shoulder, I was ready to send some runs on the DH bike. 

Going into the weekend I wasn't quite sure how I was going to take to not being able to race with the confidence or ability that I was used to having. I decided to take things as they come which was the only way to do it in my opinion. Leading up to the weekend I had Stefan Garlicki and Adi Van der Merwe staying with me, which was good as we got some planning done for the European racing season, where we will be travelling together.

I wasn't feeling quite at home on the bike during Fridays practice runs, but started to feel slightly better during Saturday and I ended up having a ton of fun in the slippery mud of Cascades. Heavy rain on Saturday night made the race track unbelievably slippery on Sunday morning. We were on a bit of a tight schedule and so after one practice run,] and struggling to find grip on the track, we went straight into seeding runs. 

I, along with almost all of the other riders, had a slide out during my seeding run but I was pretty pleased with being seeded 11th after a very mediocre run. I had no expectations going into my race run which was a good thing because a pretty big crash left me winded on the side of the track for a while as the clock ticked away. When I got my breath back, I finished my run. At the end of the day my result on paper was not great at all, but looking back at the weekend, I see it as a win, with my shoulder surviving a big crash and me making it out of those conditions alive. I am really looking forward to what this year has in store. Will keep you posted.

2012 season - A short Recap

Looking back at my 2012 season I can safely say it was my most successful season yet -  in terms of both results and generally just enjoying my time on the bike. The highlight definitely being selected for the SA DH Team and competing at World Champs in Austria. This was an amazing experience and one that I took away a lot from, including a shoulder injury which is in the rehabilitation stage after stabilisation surgery was done on it. I am really pleased with the progress and I can't wait to be fully back on the bike. I ended up 4th Overall and 2nd Junior in the SA national series. My best result was finishing 2nd overall and 2nd Junior at the Gauteng leg of the series. My worst would have to be a solid last place at SA Champs in Mankele where the wooden berm broke as I rode it. At the KZN Awards Evening I received my Provincial as well as National Colours and I also was awarded the Most Improved DH rider of the year. Overall 2012 was an amazing year filled with many more ups than downs and I am so grateful for all of the support I received. Here's to an even better 2013 season.

Sam Bull and Kyle Davids riding the PMB WC track

2012 UCI MTB World Championships - Leogang, Austria

Walking the track with the SA Team on Thursday morning, really got me excited. The track was absolutely insane, and was pretty rough,  even before hundreds of the worlds fastest riders were let loose on it. I couldn't wait to start getting some runs in. My bike was ready with the forks having had some love from the guys at Rock Shox.

I wasn't sure how my shoulder was going to hold up so I took the first day of practice pretty easy, which you actually can't do at Worlds - I have now learnt that you have to get up to speed on the track on the first day. That night it rained, which carried on through the whole of Friday - the muds were on the bike and the tear-offs were on the goggles. I had so much fun riding in the wet. My shoulder was holding up fine and I forgot about it, and focused on the riding. The high pressure hose worked overtime that night to get our kit clean.

After one run on Saturday morning I was ready for my timed run that afternoon. It would give me a chance to see how I stacked up against the other riders. I had a good run - I knew I could go a lot faster in the top corners and on the pedal and I couldn't wait to race on Sunday. I was 49th in the Timed Runs.

The weather was a lot better on race day, with the sun making an appearance. I ended up choosing to switch to my dry tires and I am still not sure if I made the right decision or not. I got into the start gate after a solid warm up and I was ready to go.

I managed to get the top section a lot better than I did in the timed runs which I was really happy about. I dropped into the first wood section with a clean run so far. Unfortunately I slipped out and went down which was a costly mistake. I was back up in no time and I gave it my all the pedal section that followed. Near the bottom of my run I ended up getting a bit wild off the wooden wall ride, and went off-track - a very disappointing race run. After a run like that I knew I would be way off the pace. I ended up 58th.

Although I didn't get the result I wanted, I learnt so much and had the time of my life. I am so thankful to everyone who was involved in making the whole experience so awesome! It is now time to focus on the 2013 season, set new goals, and prepare myself for the journey ahead of me.

World Champs Experience

Arriving in Leogang, and seeing the World Champs track for the first time has got to be one of my highlights of the year. When I set World Champs as one of my goals at the beginning of the year I didn't think that that it would be upon me so quickly.

The first thing I did upon arrival was rip my bike out of the bike box and build it up as soon as possible. I could not wait to get some European riding under my belt. Our accommodation was really nice. It was a massive house with everything we needed, from Wi-Fi to a high pressure hose. We were "comfortable" to say the least. After a wholesome meal of toasted sandwiches and boiled eggs, courtesy of myself and Adi Van der Merwe, we went to bed - 16 hours of travelling tends to make the body a bit a tired.

The next day we were met with sun and the most beautiful views of the Alps - perfect conditions to hit the bikepark. I was told that I would need to stiffen up my suspension before I got there, but I didn't quite believe them, until I rode there. I could not believe how much of a difference it made. 

The riding in Europe is just unbelievable. It takes you longer to get to the bottom of a run than it does to get to the top in the gondola - and the views from the gondola are mind blowing. I really started getting the hang of the riding and was having the time of my life. There is nothing better than riding in the big mountains with good friends. 

Wednesday was Round 2 in the bike park. There was big group of us all riding together - Johann Potgieter, Stefan Garlicki, Adi Van der Merwe and Tiaan Odendaal. It was awesome to ride with these guys. About halfway down the trail Johann and Stefan stopped after a corner. As I was trying to stop, my front wheel just lost traction. It was not a hard crash at all, more like a little slide along the ground, but as I got up I realised something was wrong. My right shoulder was no longer where it is supposed to be. It was not very painful but I knew it had to be put back in straight away. I asked Johann to put it back in quickly, but he had never done it before so he was slightly skeptical about it. He had no need to be though, because after a loud pop it was back in place. I was so relieved that "Dr" Johann was there to help. With my newly relocated shoulder, I rode to the bottom, taking it easy of course. All of this took place before the actual event even started.

That evening was the Opening Ceremony. It was amazing to walk through the streets of Saalfelden alongside all the other riders from the various countries. World Champs was now officially upon us.

SA DHI National Championships - Mankele - 22 July 2012

With Mankele being steep, technical, and rocky all tied together with lots of tight turns, I had set my sights on this race since the beginning of the year.

There was a mad scramble to get my bike sorted out the night before we left, with my practice wheelset only being built up the day before we left. However we managed to hit the road very early on Thursday, and we got to the track at around lunchtime. Track walk really got me amped to ride. The track was everything I had hoped for and more! 

Fridays practice was full of surprises - first of all I was surprised with how loose it was and secondly I was surprised at how sore my arms were at the bottom. Saturdays practice was even harder with the corners getting more blown out. The track was shredding tires as well as riders elbows with lots of guys getting some mean roasties from the loose gravel.

 I felt good on race day and was looking forward to seeing how my time stacked up against the other riders. I was on a good one in seeding until I came into a 180 degree corner too hot and I went down. I hopped straight back onto my bike and finished the run well. I was stoked to see that I was seeded 5th.

A luck would have it, as I got into the start gate for my race run, my nose began to bleed. I was putting pressure on it right until the last few seconds. If anything, this got me more pumped up. I cranked it out the start gate. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, covered in roasties and dust. As I looked back at the wooden berm, I saw the big hole where my front wheel had disappeared into after it broke as I hit it. The picture speaks for itself. I carried on my run but my head was out of it and I had a few more incidents on the way down. I ran the last part of the course and and managed to at least cross the line. I was offered a re run due to the course giving way under me, but with the state of my body, and World Champs to look forward to, I decided against it. I was super disappointed as I was hoping for a good result to end off the SA season. 

I have moved on from it though, and am focused on preparing for World Champs in Austria in September. Big thanks to the guys from Jeep who helped out! Very lucky to have such awesome people behind me.

A closer look

KZN Provincial #4 - Giba - 8 July 2012

With SA Champs just around the corner the last of the provincial series wasn't at the top of my priority list. However I did well on the track last year and so I was keen to race it. My brother and I went down on Saturday to check out the track and get some runs in. The track was super loose and in some sections it was like riding on the beach. I can't say I had too much fun that day.

My prayers were answered on Saturday night when the track received some needed moisture. I did a couple of runs on a much better feeling track and actually enjoyed myself. There was a pretty sketchy line that I tried on one run, but after that, my better judgement took over and I chose not to do it because of the risk factor.

My first race run was fun. I enjoyed myself the whole way down and I had the 3rd fastest time. My second run went pretty much the same although the track was a bit drier. I improved on my first time by about half a second. Finished up 2nd Junior and 3rd overall. My goal for the weekend was to finish the race safely and come out 100% healthy. Getting the result I did is just a bonus so I am stoked. The provincial series has really been a lot of fun this year and I am stoked to see the increase in riders and the growth of DH on KZN.