Harmony Randfontein

Well, I was supposed to be riding Sani2C, but my partner, Ian, was seriously ill before the race and it would not have been adviseable for him to ride it in the wet conditions. So, no Sani2C this year, but from the reports, it is a race that everybody should do at least once in their lifetime.

With the last minute change of plans, I entered the Harmony Randfontein race. A 100km race in the Randfontein/Magaliesburg area. Not any serious climbs, but the the return route can be very hard depending on race conditions.

Given the small field, myself and Colin Germs (my teammate) decided to race in the Elite category to get some good training for the Argus this weekend. The only major team present was Konica-Minolta, along with some good riders from Queens. The juniors were included in the bunch as well, so things got pretty hairy sometimes with all the kamakazi pilots in the bunch.

With a pretty much downhill out leg, a small break was allowed to go, and soon built up quite a bit gap - around 3 minutes. Konica was well represented in the break, with 3 riders, but for some reason decided to let 2 of them come back to the bunch.

The bunch moved along at a comfortable pace, until Konica then decided to bring back the other 2 riders. The paced picked up, but was still fairly comfortable.

The fun starts in this race on the way out of Magaliesburg. A short sharp climb, and then another, provides an opportunity to split the bunch up a bit. So, when the hill came I made sure I was well positioned for the inevitable change in pace. The pressure came on and I just kept my position in around 4th or 5th place, making sure I wouldn't get any dead wheels.

When we got to the top, I had a quick look around to see who had made the selection and we were down to about 7 riders. Myself, Jock Green, a Queens rider, and 4 Konica riders. I was very surprised that so few had been able to hold on, but there you have it.

The second bump out of Magaliesburg was no problem, but then came the long drag up to Tarlton. Konica started attacking. I covered a few of the moves, but started to struggle a bit, while Jock Green (Garmin) was doing his best to cover everything. Eventually, two of the riders got away. I just stuck to a steady rhythm, knowing the pace would have to slow and I could get myself back on.

The chasing bunch did slow, and the riders left in the bunch took stock of the situation. Two Konica riders down the road was not a good situation, but we were outnumbered. Then, some other riders that had been dropped re-attached - including James Louter (another Vet that had decided to race down). Given the pace we had been going from Magaliesburg, it was an amazing effort for these guys to get back on.

After a bit of a breather, the chase began in earnest, with Jock keeping things together and coordinating things. Unfortunately I hit a pothole and had another pinch flat, second in two races! So that was my race over.

BUT, I was very happy with my form, and making a small split with the Elite guys.

My thoughts go out to Neil Frazer who was badly injured in a motor car accident comping home from Sani2C - you are in my thoughts all the time!