Post-ADAC: The team

Alex, Christo and Francois; you have been the most wonderful teammates.

Christo has been doing AR for a good few years and has many distance events under his belt. He is a wonderful racer - steady, consistent and strong and capable across all disciplines. He is level-headed with no erratic ups and downs - very solid - and always willing to putting yet another thing into his backpack. In temperment he is calming, organised and efficient. It is little wonder that he earned the nickname, Captain Awesome. Christo is very involved with the trail running and adventure racing scene in Bloem - and he is keen to get to ADAC next year with his own team.

For Alex and Francois this was something quite different and they came through it beautifully.

Alex's progression to longer distance racing, while managing his diabetes, was smooth and without problems. He can confidently tackle events of any distance and duration and I have little doubt that he'll cruise through them and come out tops. He took responsibility for navigating our team through every stage, choosing fast and efficient routes without fail. He has a special talent in this regard. On foot, bike and boat he is strong and consistent - a solid all-rounder who copes exceedingly well with every challenge.

Francois is a freight train on a bike and I experienced this first-hand being on a tow rope behind him; it is little wonder that he has done so well in local biking events. Used to success and walking up podiums, I think that Francois had to make a psychological shift pre-race - and during the race - inline with my assurances that there is no way we would come close to even a Top 20 placing; an event like ADAC is so different to the races he has done before. When you're used to winning this can be a challenge; but he settled in from the start and was as delighted as us with our result. Francois is exceedingly motivated and organised (it is to his credit that we have Hi-Tec and Rudy Project involved with our team) and I have every confidence that we'll see him - and his teams - consistently on the AR scene and doing well. From here it is only bigger and better ;)

These guys have so much to share - to teach and guide other racers - and they are an asset to every team they race in. I've been one very lucky girl to spend this time with them.