Hanging tough in big freeze
How did two EL mountain biking enthusiasts cope in Switzerland’s Snow Bike Festival? Ross Roche finds out
TWO East London cycling enthusiasts enjoyed the trip of a lifetime when they joined TV sports presenter, Dan Nicholl and former Springbok rugby captain, John Smit at the Snow Bike Festival in Switzerland last month.
Financial adviser, Mark van der Vyver and Daily Dispatch assistant circulation manager, Riaan Odendaal made the trip to the sleepy town of Gstaad, where the third edition of this fast growing and popular race sets off from.
The pair’s trip was all-expenses paid after Van der Vyver won a competition in December and just over a month later they were on their way.
“I entered a competition via Facebook in October 2016 which was advertised on SS1 on The Dan Nicholl Show, after my son encouraged me,” Van der Vyver said.
“I didn’t really take any notice of what it entailed and the distance involved.
“On the fifth of December I received a Facebook message to say that I was one in five who were in the draw and I had won, can I attend on the dates and that it was with a partner.
“I first had to check whether I could make the dates and find out more as to what was involved as far as the riding went as I had not taken any notice of the details when I entered as I never thought I had a chance of winning.
“The prize was for two riders, all flights from East London to Zurich return, a train trip to Gstaad in Switzerland which was a two-and-a-halfhour incredibly scenic trip and all our accommodation and [race] entry fees. We stayed in five-star accommodation in Huus Hotel in Gstaad.
“It was not very difficult choosing a riding partner as Riaan Odendaal and myself have been friends for a number of years and we met riding mountain bikes, so it was the automatic choice.
“I had a huge list of reserves all hoping they would get the nod if Riaan had passport/visa problems, which nearly happened as not much happens at Home Affairs over December.”
The Snow Bike Fest is the brainchild of Herman Coertze, a South African living in Switzerland, not far from Gstaad.
He is a keen mountain biker who has competed in a number of Cape Epics as well as running a few Comrades marathons.
The race consisted of three days of riding, with a total distance of 100km and 2 500m of climbing broken up fairly evenly. About 100 other enthusiasts make up the competition.
A prologue of three laps of a 2.5km flat cross-country ski track plus an eliminator night race over 800m is also part of the event.
“The riding temperatures varied from a very fresh -18 to a warm 2°C. The area had very good snowfall a week prior to the race, which was perfect for the event and the odd overnight snowfall during the event,” Van der Vyver said.
“With temperatures as they were there was very little melting of snow and it made our riding very difficult in certain stages because of the depth of the snow.
“Keeping our drinks on our bicycles from freezing was impossible, most of the time our liquid was either almost frozen or slush. I resorted to placing mine in hot water at the drinks stops where we were served hot soup and various goodies to eat. With it being so cold I had to force myself to drink as one never really built up a sweat.”
To ride in the snow bike festival, participants have to use a Fat bike, which has tyres that are roughly double the thickness of a normal mountain bike, so as to help with the grip.
Van der Vyver said that it was difficult to ride in the snow, as you are unable to judge how soft or hard certain areas will be until you are riding in it. He said the team had a lot of falls, noting that the fall is a lot softer than what they are used to riding in South Africa.
“In certain places falling off on the sides of the road where the snow is normally about a metre thick had its moments as you and your bicycle would disappear into this snow and you would battle to work your way out because it is so soft.
“At times your bike would disappear and it became quite scary as it was almost like falling into water except you couldn’t swim [your way out],” Van der Vyver said.
“To summarise this ride I would say it was a huge experience, definitely not one I would do in a hurry again, but it was thoroughly enjoyable if I have to think back about it now and would definitely like to go back to Gstaad and ride the same terrain minus the snow this time.”
For Odendaal it was a fantastic experience that you can’t prepare for.
“We have never ridden on snow, nor ever been on a Fat bike let alone been in these sub-zero temperatures so it was an eye-opener for us, I totally underestimated mountain biking in the snow, it’s not what I expected and peddling those heavy Fat bikes with low tyre pressures is much harder than what we are used to. It is nothing like riding on the beach, there is no way that we could have prepared for this.”
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch prior to leaving for the festival, Nicholl explained his involvement and why they had decided to hold a competition to take a team over to the event.
“The organiser, Herman Coertze, is a South African living in Switzerland. I met him through the Cape Epic, and he’s become a good friend of mine,” Nicholl said.
“I go over to MC the event, and so it seemed a natural fit for The Dan Nicholl Show to become a media partner, and include a team. The Snow Bike Festival is loads of fun.
“Fat bikes, snow, beautiful scenery, great camaraderie, it’s a very special event and Gstaad is a lovely little town, so it makes for a magical experience, although climbing hills through snow can be tough.”
The Snow Bike Festival will be broadcast on the first episode of season five of The Dan Nicholl Show on Wednesday, April 5.