Sporting (Life) lessons from an Everest Mindset!

It is often said ‘Life is a Journey, enjoy the ride!’ I guess the #FNBWines2Whales has to be the closest one can get to MTB Heaven, so enjoying the ride was simple!

I have been fortunate to ride the past two editions of the #FNBWines2Whales with one of the world’s great adventurers and mountaineers Sibusiso Vilane. I think there are many similarities between the two of us, as deep down we are both very competitive but we have both come to realise that it may be Summits or Podiums we strive for, but it is how we respond to the obstacles, the challenges and setbacks that determine if we will be truly successful or not.

Imagine being left for dead on Mount Everest? Picture it…. you’ve just summited, you are exhausted, facing extreme weather, struggling to find the energy to put your Crampons (climbing boots) on and your Expedition Leader, fellow climbers and Sherpas have started the descent without you (presumably not realising you aren’t in the group). It is just YOU against the World’s most unforgiving Mountain…. there can be no quitting, no raising the white flag on Everest, it is a case of staying focussed on the Finish Line (next campsite 4 or 5 hours away), because if you as much as close your eyes, you will die on that Mountain!

The #FNBWines2Whales appears to get the balance right between the racers and the masses and Sibusiso is one man who knows all about celebrating participation and finishing the task, as opposed to being the fastest. So instead of writing a race report focussing on the race or the podium, I thought I would share some of the lessons we can all learn from Sibusiso.

Let’s put the issue of ‘race’ and results to bed very quickly, because the Isuzu Adventurers team comprising Sibusiso & I were certainly not able to compete, so forget about peeking at the results as virtually everybody would have beaten us in terms of minutes elapsed.  I think Life should be focussed upon challenging yourself with personal goals to become better than you previously were, remembering that he who experiences the most wins. Yes, we had progressed from MTB beginner to Novice and we had done a lot more training in preparation, but will somebody please tell my partner that running not one, but two Full Marathons the weekend before a Friday start is not ideal MTB training.

It was about 25km into Day One when I realised that my partner was in trouble and that the deadly cocktail of his two marathons and my ‘fast’ early pace had combined to kill off any reserves he might have had left in those ‘mountaineering’ legs of his. Only when I detected that his legs were crying out for levity did I start to back off and switch to Plan B, which was survival and finish mode.

Just like the Isuzu TV Ad I knew we were now facing the longer ride and that we had to pull through, while also ensuring we didn’t get timed out at any of the check points and believe me that was a close shave. Sibusiso’s legs may have deserted him, but his mind was as alert and determined as ever as he showed immense resilience and pushed through the fatigue, the pain and the cramps en route to tent town in Oak Valley.

Never once did Sibusiso ask for pity, never once did he try and blame me for the fast early pace, never once did he try and use his double marathon as an excuse, never once did he doubt our ability to finish the day and never once did he utter a single negative word or sentence.

Sibusiso opted to smile (perhaps it was a grimace), he opted to remain positive, he opted to remain focussed upon our task and goal which was to finish, he opted to pick himself up and dust himself off (when falling) and get on with it, he opted to thank the volunteers, he opted to encourage me and he opted to be positive about the experience, the terrain, the views and the challenge. Sibusiso remained resilient and focussed, the hallmarks of a Champion!

Sibusiso in the company of Tim Duncker & Matt Bind

Important Life Lessons learnt from an Everest mindset:
1. Take responsibility! Take responsibility for your actions, your preparation, your race as playing the blame game will not help anyone and wastes an invaluable amount of mental energy.
2. Remain positive! Strangely enough your Mind can only hold one thought at a time, especially if you are focussed upon that thought. So you have a choice, feed it a negative or a positive thought and if you feed it positives, your chances of success are enhanced dramatically. Feed it negatives and you are doomed!
3. Avoid hosting a pity party! Firstly it will be a lonely party as nobody wants to attend pity parties, so build a bridge and get over the river (of tears).
4. You can choose to face the ‘Ugly Truth’ or the ‘Beautiful Lies’, the former being reality and the latter being the sugar coated excuses that we are all capable of inventing. Sure, it does sound harsh but even if you have an excuse cast in iron (as Sibusiso did = 2 marathons) and you allow your mind to focus and dwell upon it, it will become larger than life. Nobody is interested, so change focus.
5. Smile! Smiling and laughing, even if you are laughing at your own plight has a positive impact upon your situation. Smile often and learn to laugh at yourself, believe me the Sun will still rise again the next day! We joked often about the fact that it’s better to be a Live Donkey vs a Dead Lion, implying don’t take unnecessary risks.
6. Keep on bouncing back. My late Dad always said to me “if you can get up once more than you are knocked down, then you will always be successful!” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to dust myself off, but those words echo in my ears whenever I feel down and out and I keep coming back for more and so can you.
7. Express gratitude! Thank the marshall, the volunteer, your support team and even your situation as it has a positive impact upon your efforts. In an Ironman I am always force feeding myself with positives and thanks, I express thanks to my mind all the time, sometimes for simple things but the more I do, the better I feel and guess what, there is no room for negatives.
8. Be resilient! If you read the paragraph about being left for dead on Everest, you will realise that Sibusiso has learnt that you have to keep on moving toward your Finish Line, no matter what! Imagine going into your next race knowing that waving the white flag is not an option, unless you choose death?

It’s a Special-ized World!

9. There is no I in Team! Sibusiso and I are an unlikely Team, but we both have similar views and outlooks when it comes to sport. It doesn’t matter what sport or event you are participating in, you are always a part of a Team as it is Impossible to achieve anything on your own. So be cognisant of the your team-mate/s, your support team, family, sponsors, etc and remember that there are many pinning their hopes upon you.
10. Ten is for 10 out of 10! Sibusiso, it was a pleasure to be your team mate, it may have been slow at times, but I learnt a great deal as I listened intently while sometimes choosing just to watch and admire your fortitude! Well done on your 2nd #FNBWines2Whales Finishers Medal, mine will be cherished!

No need to go into Days 2 and 3, other than to say my team mate got stronger each day and that we had a great deal of fun, we stopped to smell the roses, we encouraged and were encouraged by some remarkably tough individuals/teams, who themselves were faced with their own challenges and overcame them, well done!

In closing a mighty big thank you to all involved in an incredible event, until the next Chapter, Sibusiso and I wish you all the very best!

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!

W2W Tips & Experiences

The iconic Wines 2 Wales Mountain Bike events start this weekend with the Adventure and is followed by the Ride and then the Race, 3 events comprising 3 days of the most incredible mountain biking trails, fun and camaraderie. Ironman athlete Alec Riddle joins Sibusiso Vilane, of Mount Everest fame, once again, but this time they are riding the W2W Race from 7-9 November. Riddle reflected upon their experiences as total novices last year and share some thoughts and tips for MTB beginners and Stage Race novices.

It all starts at Lourensford Estate in Somerset West, with the race village at Oak Valley, a place that holds special memories for me as that was where the Isuzu Iron Bakkie vs Ironman TV advert was shot and I got to realise one of my boyhood dreams, to be an actor-if only for a day. The finish in Hermanus would be a particular highlight for me, as I had never been to this iconic coastal town.

Last year I teamed up with Adventurer extraordinaire Sibusiso Vilane to do our first ever Mountain Biking event and talk about jumping in at the Deep End, it took us all of 9 hours to complete Day One (in the rain I might add) which was a solitary minute slower than the leaders combined time for the 3 days. So to say we had and still have lots to learn is an understatement, but I do feel we can offer some invaluable tips and thoughts to novices and a few ‘weekend warriors’.

Life is not always about Gold or Silver, but about Finishing the Challenge. Those who experience the most are the true Victors!

Our Adventure got underway on the Thursday with registration at Lourensford Winery and that was the easy part as both Sibusiso and I have been to many event Registrations, but if it is one of your first, try and register timeously between 14h00 and 20h00 on the day preceding your event start. It is worth spending some time looking at the route profiles and the briefing on the TV monitors which are played continuously. It is highly recommended that you browse through the Wines2Whales website and the packing checklist, something I didn’t do as I was too busy, but how I would pay for that oversight.
Look out for the great gifts and value-adds from the organisers Stillwater Sports & Entertainment team and FNB, who are amazing sponsors. I was so impressed with FNB’s sponsorship last year, I changed banks after 34 years and return this year as an FNB client.

Race day dawned and with it lots of Grey clouds which seemed to want to cry all day long and the only silver lining in the early morning was the Bokomo Breakfast and Coffee, which was extremely welcome. Hitting rain along the route is one thing, but starting in the rain is another (brrrr) and mistake #1 I had no rain jacket and forget to check out the weather forecast. Be prepared and know what to expect. PS For those doing the Adventure it looks nice and dry on Windguru.

Race announcers Gerald De Kock and Altus Schroeder spotted the Isuzu Adventurers in batch K (stands for?) and made us sound like seasoned Pros but nothing could have been further from the truth. We were less than a km into our race, when we had to pull over to rectify mistake #2, Sibusiso’s saddle was many inches too low. Ensure your bike has been serviced and is ready to roll and double check everything especially after your bike has travelled. It didn’t take long to realise that Mountain Biking (especially in the mud and the wet) is a whole lot slower than road biking, so my hope of finishing by lunch time soon went out of the window after noticing the first 10km took an hour. Mistake #3 Ensure your mind (body ) is prepared for as long as it takes.

Reaching the first refreshment station was a relief and to see what is available, even for us right at the back of the field was a delight (with no thoughts of Banting on the day). Mistake #4 No need to pack a kilo or two of nutrition and extra liquids, the refreshment stops provide ample liquid for topping up bottles and plenty to eat, so limit stocks to specific needs. One of the beauties of mountain biking is the fellowship and encouragement received (and given) to all riders, something glaringly absent in road races. However, the lessons learnt and encouragement received by my esteemed team mate who has conquered Mount Everest twice was one of my best sporting experiences. I have certainly tried to focus upon the Journey in my sporting life (as opposed to the destination or outcomes), but Sibusiso has such a positive and mature outlook it inspired me a great deal. Seven hours into Day One and the Finish ever so far away, I asked him how he was feeling, his response “Great! Whenever I do something where I don’t have to stare death in the face is very enjoyable.” Now I’m not sure about not staring death in the face on a MTB, as I thought I had on a few of the down-hills or muddy switchbacks. Another funny quip was fired back at me when I asked Sibusiso should we attempt to ride this downhill (steepish) or walk it and his response was “Rather a live Donkey than a dead Lion Alec!” So we walked and that was not a mistake.

So on to the finish and some banter from the folk in the bar, thanks to Brandon, Mark, Silvio, Mike and Richard our only 5 supporters left as most had retired for an afternoon nap by 5;30pm, which was when we crossed the finish line for Day One, wet, cold, bikes clogged in mud and very fatigued. We made a good job of missing lunch, as dinner was starting when we arrived, but maybe being out in the country so long would lead to a lighter Riddler for Day Two, as admittedly my chassis wasn’t finely tuned.

Off to fetch our FNB kit bags and locate our Tents, only for me to discover Mistakes #5,6, 7and 8! Mistake #5 No slip slops or gum boots to trudge through inches of mud to and from the showers, the bike park (bikes get cleaned daily thankfully), the beer tent and the food tent, so my one pair of running shoes were wet, muddy and cold. Mistake #6 The light only came on in my head that I would need a headlamp (or torch) to find my tent in the dark, what a primary school error. Mistake #7 Pack or attach your pillow to your bag properly, mine was attached flimsily and didn’t make the trip successfully, which left me using a T-Shirt as a pillow… eish! Mistake #8 Pack a spare bottle or two in case you lose one.

Important Tip: Pack a good recovery drink for consumption after you finish, I use Muscle Milk which aids recovery and is high in Protein.

Enjoyed a few beers with good friends (and new ones), some good food and slept like a log and thankfully no packing required (which meant I wouldn’t lose anything else), so getting started on day Two was a breeze, only to find my bum was still feeling the effects of Day One. It was going to be a long, long day. We were even upgraded to a higher batch, but that may have been to do with people not finishing as opposed to our finishing time. Packed a whole lot lighter, had dry clothes but wet squeaky shoes and hoped to make it by lunch-time. Not sure if making it back by 2pm (7 hours) qualifies as lunch time, but fortunately it was a couple of hours quicker than the day before. The scenery was magical, so if you are not racing for overall or age group honours, be prepared to pause, take a few pictures and thank the volunteers and marshalls.
The only mistakes made on Day Two were the fact that we hadn’t trained enough, although this was our Boot Camp to aid us to get going for Summer and my lack of skills, which led to a number of falls for me (mistake #9 did not do enough specific MTB training). I was acting as the Body Guard taking the hits and forewarning Sibusiso about the dangers that were lurking.

Important Tip: I learnt to sit further back on the down-hills (hope learnt correctly), which seemed to create more stability and more importantly learnt to anticipate the steep hills and gear down in advance. There is nothing worse than being in too high a gear and you cannot turn the pedals as then it is all about which shoulder may have to take the hit if you cannot un-cleat fast enough.

Day three dawned and we had to rise a little earlier to pack and drop our bags off (to be taken to the finish) before embarking on hours #17-23 and I was starting to realize just why the Cape Epic has never caught my attention, those guys are radical. Another awesome day of mountain biking with incredible views and the most challenging part of the day was what to do at an intersection, which if reached by 2pm meant you could ride through the trails to the finish and if not you could freewheel down the tar road. As we reached the junction with seconds to spare we were given the option and in our state of fatigue we did well to follow the Isuzu motto, which is be prepared to choose the longer route and like life you only realise how happy you are after the fact, that you made the tougher call. PS We did sacrifice a few precious finishing positions as a few behind us took the shorter route, but it wasn’t about position for us, it was about Finishing the race you start.

Awesome views

Hermanus is indeed a beautiful town, but the finish line was like an oasis in the desert, it was the highlight of our three days together, the medal was worth 23 hours of blood, sweat and fortunately no tears. They do say that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but that is only if the dog is unwilling to learn and this old dog is learning all the time and am prepared to. So in 2014 Sibusiso and I will return to represent Isuzu in the ‘Race’ this year, but before expectations run too high we haven’t improved sufficiently enough to convert our 9 hour day one time into 9 hours for the whole 3 days so we will not be ‘racing’, we will be there to participate, to support, to encourage and to have fun and if we crack 20 hours we will be happy!
Alec introduces his MTB partner and fellow Isuzu Brand Ambassador, Sibusiso Vilane who has summited Everest twice, is South Africa’s Chief Scout and loves adventure. 

AR: What do you focus upon a 3 day stage race like W2W? I will focus on three things, “Safety first, enjoy each day & strive to finish, as this is my end goal.”
AR: What to take on bike (nutrition)? Energy gels and race food are important, but learnt that we can carry less as water points have plenty of good food.
AR: Your thoughts on the organisation compared to other major events done? Each event is different, I have not done many mountain bike races or events, but I thought that the organisation of W2W was world class
AR: What to do in your free time during the 3 days? Getting enough rest is important for me, so I spend most of my time doing just that obviously with a bit of networking and mingling.
AR: Your best moment of the ride? I condition myself to live the moment, so every minute is just the best moment for me. This includes even having to push the bike for ages up some dogged hills.
AR: The finish line experience in Hermanus? It was a personal fulfilling moment for me, getting that medal and being cheered by our support team, awesome!
AR: Did you pause to reflect & enjoy the views? All the time, I even took photographs to remind myself of the experience.
AW: Some advice for your fellow riders, in particular the beginners or novices? Keep the end goal in mind, but do not be too overwhelmed by it such that you miss the little things that make the entire race a spectacle! Cherish cherish every moment. Don’t be overly brave, be prepared to get off and push your bike, as I said to Alec last year “better a live donkey than a dead lion!” and that will be our motto again this year!

Savour the Moment!

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!