The Official Tango Cycling Launch Weekend

Over the years I've been organising these trips, this year however was the first time that I charged for it. A friend of a very good friend designed my logo for me and I revealed it at the Launch Weekend. 

We filled 5 log cabins at Trawsfynydd Holiday Village with 32 people.

As the group consisted out of various levels of abilities and fitness we didn't have a set itinerary and riding was flexible and down to each individual. Coed-y-Brenin provided riding for all levels as they have blue, green, red and black routes all conveniently starting from the trail centre.

On the first day most of us did The Beast, it is a black run and contains all of the single track, the loop is about 38km long. We naturally split into groups as the day progressed, a A-Team, B-Team & C-Team formed. I have done parts of The Beast 2 years ago and I remember it being rough & tough, this time however I was well chuffed with how my riding ability improved and that I was able to do complete the whole Beast.

Back at the cabins a big bowl of pasta and yazoos were waiting for us, I was so grateful for that as I was starving and at one point it felt like we were never going to get back to the cabins.

Zane & Jason mentioned in jest that we should have a prize giving on the Monday before the weekend, I thought it was a good idea, so I scrambled around and got a few small prizes together. I then realised that schucks somebody would have to host/speech at these. We all know that I can talk a lot, but seriously talking in public especially in front of mostly my friends freaked me out. Seeing that I'm organising it, I couldn't really get out of public speaking by delegating this to one of the guests, so I had to get over my fear of public speaking. I went pale in the face and quiet, Zane & Nicole saw something is not right and asked me what is wrong to which I could hardly explain what was wrong. Anyway I made some notes on what I wanted to say as I didn't trust myself to remember everything.

1st Speech

Prizes:

1. First paid booking - Louis van der Walt
2. Rent-a-Crowd - Johan Olivier
3. Rider of the day - The Beast (Dawie Rice) for taking on The Beast without a back brake
4. Panic Mechanic - Roald Wallis
5. Gravity Rules - Willem de Jager
6. Bonker of the Day - Christiaan Botha (sorry:))

Tonight we had steak, paptert (one of the signature dishes of a Tango Cycling Weekend) and a new beetroot, pea & goats cheese salad on the menu.

Braai-a-pizza 

Johan text me at midnight on the Friday night that he will be bringing a vegetarian friend along. Now I usually don't panic about extra people, we can always make a plan to fit another person in, but you can't tell me that a vegetarian is coming at midnight of the start of the weekend. My biggest worry was that he might have ethical issues with meat in which case I won't have control over the bunch of South Africans who love their meat and stories about meat. I had no need to panic as our token Brit and also token Vegetarian had no such issues. He even braaied his pizza. :) Apparently 6 people told him that he can have some of the paptert, he just had to take out the bacon. Love the way how we tried to convert him back to eating meat.

On Saturday night 13 people were keen to ride the Marin Trail at Betws-y-Coed on Sunday. On Sunday morning 25 of us were ready at 8:30 and the 10 car convoy actually set off at 8:28. This was record breaking stuff, I felt like a proud mother and it just proves that all mountain bikers suffer from FOMO! (Fear Of Missing Out)

FOMO Addicts

This scene made me SOOOOO happy!

We all started together at the car park, but the group split up on the first climb that felt like it was never ending. Hills are not my strong point especially not on an so to speak 'empty stomach' at the start of a ride. The A-team dashed off, Nelo caught up with me and I rode with him for a bit. The A-team split into a B-team and the B-team suffered a puncture at the bottom of one of the single tracks. Nelo & I then joined them. I realised with a bit of a shock that I was the only girl in the pack, but the boys looked after me and patiently waited for me where it was needed.

I LOVE the Marin Trail, the climbs are a bit boring (not technical), but I'm not complaining at all as the benefit of that is that you have enough energy to let go on the downhills of which there a quiet a bit. It is technical and rocky in some places, but SOOOO MUCH FUN! The last time I rode the Marin I loved it, this time I loved it even more as we missed out on the last section of single track 2 years ago and this was seriously the best part of the trail.

Sunday would be remembered by half of the group as an awesome ride where as the other half of the group would remember it as a day of chain-reaction-punctures and ongoing uphills.

Once we were back in the car park, some people headed back to the cabins, some stopped for a scenic tea stop in Betws-y-Coed, others carried on to ride Penmachno or back at Coed-y-Brenin, others were picked up from the trail as everybody ran out of spare tubes.

Back at the cabins the girls kindly prepared us pasta, but unfortunately went for a walk and didn't hid the key for us. We all drove past them, but thought they wouldn't want to be picked up as they went for a walk, so instead of driving to pick them up and get the key for the cabin, we broke into our own cabin by opening one of the windows. Shooo don't tell people. (You can take us out of South Africa, but not South Africa out of us)

We all chilled at HQ at some point or the other, some people fixed their bikes, some people fixed mine whilst I was kuiering next door, some slept, some read, some chatted.

Drinking Stella with Heike Kruger

I asked Zane if he would interview a few people. In my mind I thought he should record it with his video camera as he speaks to individuals during the evening. In his mind however he thought we are all going to get together and ask people questions. What a great idea?! So we went with that. He was such a brilliant MC who got most people interacting and by doing it this way everybody got insight in to what happened on the trails, how people heard about the weekend, why Bokkie finally came along and what drugs Willie has been handing out to everybody just to name a few. We were all cracking up in laughter!

I took the floor after him with another prize giving. With repetition everything becomes better, I started to get used/enjoying the 'attention' and got over my stage fright.

Prizes:

1. Best Supporter Rider - Willie Jonker for hanging out with the newbies in the morning and then riding with the boys in the afternoon
2. Most impressive & courageous Newbies - Siobhan Stotter & Marie Tooman
We got them to ching-chong-cha as the two prizes I had was a bit unfair, Marie won the best of 3 and got to choose first. Thank you Simon for donating a cycling shirt and arm warmers.
3. Moaner of the Day - There were 3 nominees: Siobhan about all the hills, Roald about all his punctures, but the prize went to Steve (Poohbear) for complaining non-stop about all the hills
4. Panic Mechanic - Today there were so many punctures and ultimately Roald would've gotten it, but because everybody was sharing inner tubes and they managed to break 2 pumps between them we got Willem & Pierre who gave their tubes away and then landed with punctures themselves to arm wrestle for the prize. Dawie did the adjudication and Pierre walked away with the prize. (we didn't think a Soutie would beat a genuine Dutchie - hehe)

The Arm Wrestle

We smaak a lamb chop!

Expectation levels were high as tonight we had Welsh Lamb chops on the menu along with potato salad, butternut & spinach salad and as a special treat banana salad. Yes you read correctly banana salad, it is bananas & condensed milk and a drop of lemon juice.

On Monday we all packed up and cleaned our cabins. Yet again, a lot of people were hmmmming & aaahhhinnngg if they should ride. I quickly got my whip out and said the weather is to amazing not to ride, we can worry about sitting in traffic later. I mean seriously all winter we are complaining about the bad weather and finally we have a sunny day and people don't want to ride???!!! As I've mentioned before most of us gets FOMO. Those of us riding went for an easy spin at Coed-y-Brenin, as we knew the routes we pieced our own routes together so that we were able to do some of our highlights again.

I started off with Willem & Siobhan on the blue route till we bumped into Nelo & Heike. Nelo & I continued up to False Teeth, my favourite section. It has quite a few rocky drops and dips, but all ride able. We came across a few cows on our way to the entrance of False Teeth.

Just before the entrance to False Teeth

Oli taking instruction

Coed-y-Brenin Trail Centre is very well equipped, we made good use of the cheap bike wash (washed 7 bikes for the price of 2) and shower facilities before we headed back to London.

My riding highlight: The last single track section on the Marin Trail

Funniest memory: Willie Jonker handing out tissue salt pills for all aches & pains. "Tharinatjie, I have just the thing for you, now take 2 of these & put it under your tongue and you'll be fine in no time."

Kuier highlight: Spending time oh no I mean drinking beer with Heike Kruger  (ha-ha-ha)

New Nicknames:
Potty - given to Albert by Jason for wearing a helmet in the shape of a pee pot
Poohbear - given by Zane to Steve for having a Winnie the Pooh duvet cover

Ultimate Highlight: Having so many friends around, riding together, making new friends and preparing the food together - I just LOVE it.

Thank you everybody for coming along and enabling me to do what I love to do!

Ps. Zane has kindly started a Facebook page for me, so to see more videos & photos, please look up Tango Cycling.

THE MOVIE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2I1plNGAYg&list=UUNw_JZjAxHqQkb8KKxjs_vQ