Rustproof - adventure racing

been a bit quiet on the racing front, so let's have a throwback to 15 years ago - start of EA 2011, army kit optional

85km+ running means the writing takes a bit longer too. NAKANJANI, here it is!

Comrades #1 - Uprun 2024 Dare I write my name on that page? Dare I write my name in that history? Yes, I dare. If you know, you know, If not, stick around here f...

I always try and get a window seat on a plane, and love looking down and guessing where we are. 15 years ago on a JHB-CT flight I spotted a valley near Ceres I didn't quite recognise. Checking up on google earth I discovered the Witzenberg valley, with only a single road in at the top of the Gydo pass. It is the source of the Olifants river.

It seemed like the perfect location for what would be the last ever WPASS100 Adventure race, so I got in my car and got scouting this secret valley of about 20x4km(100 000ha) framed by mountains on all sides. Fortunately my door knocking very quickly got me to the Hanekom brothers, farmers who are also top local mtb riders. They got me the right contacts to call for access, but more importantly fielded some calls from confused farmers querying my credibility/sanity.

The race was quite an undertaking, inspired by Darron Raw from Swazi Extreme I put on a 3 stage rogaine, where the lite category skipped the middle night time stage - it was actually a great concept and kept everyone close and together but the racing format was still clear to follow.

We got access to the most spectacular private campsite normally for small church groups to use as the race HQ. I kept it all very oldschool with no location or discipline clues at all till the friday lunchtime. One of my highlights was the very experienced Ugene Nel who was the best and only local race organiser at the time asking me "how the hell did you find this place?!".

Late on the friday night, after registration had closed I put the last few checkpoints out before the 6am start. Coming down a mountain section in the car, I had another vehicle coming towards me. The farmer had forgotten my meeting with him a few weeks back and the schedule I laid out for the weekend. And that is how I had a shotgun in my face demanding explanations for my trespassing, it was very tense standoff but luckily I remembered his name and his wife's to jog his memory!

I have great memories from the race, and it was worth all the stress and effort in the end - could definitely do a return there as there was so much untouched. The seconding team from the 2nd place Rustproof - adventure racing adopted me for the weekend (I had forgotten to really plan for my own food adequately). I would go on to join them next year for Expedition Africa Adventure racing and have been doing silly things together ever since.

A few years later, the Cape Epic PR machine announced how Dr Evil had "discovered" this secret valley. Sure enough they went from Tulbagh up the old donkey trail and passed my shotgun spot, and played in the valley for the day. They are there again today and I think this is the 3rd time they are now in the Witzenberg Valley.


Here are some (blackberry quality) pictures from scouting that race - have lost the actual race ones it seems!

850km of Adventure Racing World Champs 2023 done and very dusted. 850 km in 195 hours. Tough as nails.

The last leg to the finish line! A few sand dunes to conquer but spirits are high.

T9 was the last stop and our team had just over an hours sleep here. @

Riding off into the sunset

Leg 9 was a 224km bicycle route out of the Baviaans kloof to Oesterbaai. We had to pick up Magan as she has an injury but it took Jo and Myself a very long time to find them in the mountains as neither Google nor tracks for Africa played along, we didn't have those maps and the reception there is quite bad. Google wanted to test our 4x4 abilities I think. We opted for the longer safer route in the end. As I mentioned before, we really do have our own adventure on the side.