Joberg2c 2011-2013: Day 8 of 9 - 97km from Mckenzie’s club to Jolivet in Ixopo

It was a 7am 'A' batch start again this morning. The advantage of being so close to the front at the start was that the single track ahead of us was clear. And what a day it was to have clear track ahead of us. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

We finished todays stage in 49th position in a time of 5h27min but interestingly now lie 40th overall.

‘Eish wena!’ Don’t let anyone tell you that the last 3 days of the Joberg 2C are the easiest! I haven’t yet had an easy day. Today was no exception. In fact I would probably say it is up there as one of the toughest. Possibly because we have now been on our bikes for 8 days and have ridden over 800km's

The route into the Umkomaas Valley is completely different from the Sani2c in previous years. The descent was amazing, but we had to keep our heads and wits about us. If ‘Average Joe” had to race down this pass he’d probably come off second best. My advice is to rather ride it and enjoy it than to race it. The guy behind us crashed and cracked his ankle, and the guy a few teams ahead us broke his hip! The final climb out of the valley was incredibly tough and the incessant burning sensation on my right butt cheek didn’t help matters and I soon developed tendonitis in my right knee.

Stephen was as solid as ever and we really pushed the pace during the last 30km.

Todays stage is over and it's raining now for the first time in 8 days and it looks like it will continue tomorrow. A bit of a pity as a dry final day would have been a great climax to an incredible race. None the less we will continue to stick to our strategy. It's paying off big time now as people seriously begin to tire.