James Reid from Team Spur had an unfortunate run of luck at the 2016 Absa Cape Epic. Two weeks before the race his original partner, US National XCO Champ, Howard Grotts broke his ribs in training and was forced to withdraw. The eleventh-hour team of Reid and Gert Heyns (Scott LCB) were quietly optimistic that they could shake things up, especially in the fierce competition for the Absa African Special Jersey.
Unfortunately Heyns was forced to withdraw on Monday’s Stage 1, due to illness, forcing Reid to start the 100th stage of the world’s most prestigious mountain-bike stage race in the Outcast special jersey for UCI riders.
Reid started Tuesday’s Stage 2 started in C-batch, as is the directive for the Outcast jersey wearers but withdrew after the stage citing a lack of ‘racing’ stimulus,’ saying it felt like he was, “playing pac-man against himself.” In addition, the decision to withdraw was largely fuelled by the the building toward 2016 African Continental Mountain Bike Championships on 2 April, at Afriski in Lesotho
Photo by Dino Lloyd/TreadMTB.co.za
On Friday he popped into the Boschendal race village on a training ride and the FOMO was strong.
“Watching the event comes with a range of emotions – essentially the fear of missing out – wanting to be there,” he said wandering around the village chatting to some mates. “At the same time though, I just got this sense of utter brokenness in the race village,” he said. “Sure there is envy for not being in the race and to be competing and fighting, but some of those kind of levels of suffering I don’t think I’ve experienced – mainly among the weekend warriors and the corporate guys, you know the working, family men.”
“You can see why people get as emotionally invested as they do – when you get to the finish you have completed a full physical and emotional journey and the guys have gone through such utter highs and lows where you think your low is your low, until you hit the next day’s monster – a super long climb at 70-kays into the day…”
“I would need the encouragement of racing for a position on the overall or the push of racing with the guys up front and the kind of scent of an illusive stage win, because I don’t think I would do it for completion’s sake, much respect to those guys at the back,” he says.
Reid had earmarked a few particular days, especially Saturday’s Stage 6 over 74-kilometres around the amazing trails of Stellenbosch and the Banhoek Valley. “It literally comes within a kilometre or two of where I live,” he says. “Up through Bothma’s Kop that looked incredible, also, obviously Wellington – the play day, with all the singletrack was one I was super keen for, so to not have been able to compete there was a disappointment. Yeah, there is a lot of disappointment and frustration…”
According to Reid he has channeled those frustrations into preparation for other upcoming events, “two of those being the third leg of the national series in Pretoria next week and then Continental Champs in Lesotho, the first weekend in April,” he says. “There are 200 UCI points on offer toward Olympic qualification in Lesotho, which is Reid’s big goal for the year. “So you have to shift your priorities and move forward. It’s difficult not being in the event and part of the buzz, but I’ve learnt enough to come back next year…”
Source: Jazz Kuschke
