Today’s 95km saw us riding through some incredible parts of the Free State, parts that you would never see unless you ride this race. Long district roads separated by some great single track was the order of the day. A chilly mass start saw us following a huge Massey Ferguson tractor for a couple kilometers until the racing started. It was fast and frantic, not even two cows stampeding across the road could slow the bunch down.

South African cycling hero Nolan Hoffman got the all new CSA KZN All Africa Challenge underway at Alexandra Park Track on Thursday morning at the 2012 SA National Track and Para Cycling Championships with a display of relentless domination in the elite men’s category.

Fresh off his recent silver medal at the World Track Champs in Melbourne, Australia Hoffmann, racing for the Tasol GT team racked up the early advantage in battle for the elite men’s Omnium by claiming the win in all three of the opening day’s encounters, the flying lap, 30km points and elimination finals.

So, when somebody tells you that day 1 of Joberg2C is easy because its neatral and a warm up day, smack them. They are lieing. Its 115km, thats far on a mountain bike in anybodies books. Luckily we had a tail wind for most of the way which help me home in a time of 4hr36m, about 10 min behind the front couple teams, who were taking it easy.

Today is the start of the 9 day Joberg2C mountain bike. For those not riding, this might make you feel a it better.

Last year’s surprise winners Neil MacDonald and Waylon Woolcock will be out to silence their critics at the Old Mutual joBerg2c mountain bike race, which starts at Heidelberg in Gauteng on Friday.

The former road cyclists are determined to prove that their victory in the second edition of South Africa’s longest paired stage race was no flash in the pan.

This year, the Team RE-CM riders will be up against a formidable field that includes the likes of Kevin Evans and David George (Nedbank 360Life), Brandon Stewart and Jacques Rossouw (FedGroup Itec-Connect) as well as Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell (Transact).

Exciting young downhiller Tiaan Odendaal will lead the charge as KZN’s mountain biking community continues the launch of enduro racing in the country at this weekend’s CSA KZN All Africa MTB Challenge at Cascades MTB park in Pietermaritzburg.

Odendaal, who finished second behind renowned cross-country rider Philip Buys at the race format’s ‘KZN debut’ last weekend at the Mr Price Karkloof Classic MTB Festival, will hope to go one better in his hometown on Saturday morning.

Happy Friday! Click through and enjoy.