A Day in the Gutters

Durbie Dash 2016

Checking out who was brave enough for deep sections

As the morning of the 2016  Chris Willemse Cycles Durbie Dash approached it became increasingly apparent that this year’s Durbie Dash was going to be spent in the gutter.  When the morning arrived, so did the wind! The team decided to roll from the A group for a little more suffering this weekend.

Our best Borril pose~ Boom!

Due to baby sitting duties, injuries, work and a serious party the night before only three Savages lined up in A with one more straggler in C. We watched as DC team sized groups started in the league ahead of us for a day eating wind. At precisely 6:25am we set off at a fast, but easy pace with the wind behind us towards Windmeul.  

Unfortunately, a few km before Windmeul, our new recruit Waldo punctured and proceeded to carry out an excellent solo time trial, but never quite catching up to the peloton.

The left turn at Windmeul signaled the end of the good times as the rest of the ride was either going to feature a head wind or cross wind.  When Brendon was grabbing some action shots, a few dead wheels got served up and created a break in the group, which allowed the winners to go off the front. Savage did plenty of work, both physically and verbally getting the chase back to the main field just before the prison climb. Unlike the elite bunch or prior years the group was rather sedate over the prison climb keeping the group rather large.

Having the crosswinds in support some of the Swagg boys were happy to create some echelons and give the group a taste of the gutter, as was proven by the explosion on Strava flyby. The Think Bike marshal did a great job on this stretch of road keeping riders in the left lane with trucks flying by in the oncoming lane.

Can somebody say gutter?

Coming in to Klipheuwel Brendon put in a sizable but ultimately ill-fated attempt to pick up the speed of the group by going off the front for a few km.  A truly awesome sight for Calvin to watch. Brendon’s excuse was that he had an interval to do for his coach. (We know he doesn’t have a coach.)

#OnTheFrontSelfie

With 10km left the A bunch was treated to another, ultimately ill-fated attempt to pull the group apart when Calvin went off the front up the penultimate hill hoping a few hill climbers would follow. Little did he know that his team mate was the main antagonist to bringing him back to the group. 

Hammer, nope that’s not a new Savage shirt behind us.

Ultimately it was the earlier well-orchestrated attack from Graham Coker along with Jarryd Haley that ensured victory was a minute and a half away from the bulk of the A bunch. A well earned Strava Kudo’s to those guys. Savage rolled over the finish line with the peloton of A in just over 2:31. Click HERE for a link to the results.

In retrospect, the A group felt like everybody had taken tips for Alejandro Valverde on how to ride in a break, we were caught by some beasts from C in USN kit. We have crafted a list of things we saw on the day that created many a face palm moment:

• Once getting to the front of the pace line, stop pedaling, chow some food and have a drink.
• Trying to high five and have a chat to the person that has just peeled off.
• Surging off the front, looking around and then throwing hands up in despair. 
• “Mr Second Wheel” this guy had the ability to remain second wheel while everyone else around him took a turn on the front.

The wind really made this a tough event without having to climb over any mountains. The organisers put in a lot of effort to make sure that there was a great atmosphere at the finish with a very welcomed chocolate milk at the end! The Durbie Dash was once again a well-organized event by Durbanville High School and PPA. 

Savage obviously did not send a watts app about the kit for the day…

The next big race is the Coronation Double Century, which means a final long team ride or two, bicycle servicing (Complete Cyclist Hout Bay, you’re up!), fresh kit from Ciovita and some more goodies from our new partners!