Earlier in the year if I would finish 38th at any World Cup race I would have been super stoked! Taking in consideration the high altitude and my 40th starting position, the plan for this last world cup was just to survive the start and work my way up throughout the race trying not to go too deep into oxygen dept for the first lap...

At one stage in the race I managed to work my way up into the top 30. With the wet conditions I had a tumble down a steep section and lost a few places. I was a bit shook up and didn't want to take any more unnecessary risks through the slippery sections. I am glad to be in one piece and planing on it staying this way! My next race will be the big one in London on 12 August!   

Lets do this!!!

Monday was a super busy day sorting out many things before my departure for 3 weeks that evening! First stop would be France for the final round of the UCI World Cup series! SAA is the official Airline for the South African Olympic team! Although we weren't able to fly on the specially painted jet with the rest of team SA, all the staff of SAA were very supportive and helpful!
"Sir your luggage is 10kg over weight..." 
Yes!!!...I am going to the olympic games!!
"Aaah!! we are so proud! you must bring back 12 medals!....next please!!"

This year our SA national champs were held at Mankele MTB park near the Sudwala caves. After 3 laps we were 3 riders that broke away from the rest. Rourke, Burry and I. Rourke lost touch and Burry dropped me up the climb on the final lap! About 2km from the finish I did have a quick wheel change, but this would not have changed the end result. I finished 2nd, about 1min30 behind Burry. I am pleased and exited with the form that I have at the moment!

This was my first race for new sponsor USN! Also my maiden ride on the Scott 29 RC. I could clearly feel the distinctive effect of the bike's SDS (Shock Damping System). Early on in the race I pushed hard for a few minutes just to test my body. I could feel that I was still weak and not yet fully recovered from a slight stomach virus.

I decided to ride a defensive race and not initiate any moves. Going through the most beautiful and technical part of the race Brandon and I broke away from the rest. We were later joined by Neil. Brandon took some strain as we went into the final 20 kilometers of the race. The fight for victory would be between Neil and myself.

10 km from the finish we hit a steep climb with very little traction. I managed to ride up all the way and Neil had to dismount. From here on I made sure that the gap between the two of us stayed the same. I didn’t want to push my body too deep into the red zone and managed to win by not much more than a minute. Its all about results!!  

Once again a great event by the Advendurance team and a fine day out for the whole family!!      

Philip Buys has signed with USN, one of the world’s leading sports nutrition supplement brands,  and will start riding for them with immediate effect.

Buys has been part of Team Contego/28E since the start of 2012.

According to Schalk Louw, CEO of Contego Investment Solutions (Pty) Ltd, it is a great opportunity for Buys and that the team is really proud of his achievements since joining the team.

“We are so happy for Philip. He has been in superb form the whole season and having him in our team was a pleasure and we wish him all the best for the next phase of his career. For us at Team Contego/28E it is all about the development of the riders and helping them be the best they can be.”

For Buys it is an exciting move and he is looking forward to the challenge after getting the opportunity to ride for Team Contego/28E the past six months.

“They saw the potential that I had and they decided to invest in me and for that I will always be thankful. The team served as a sort of incubator for me and it is the same for many other young talented riders. Expect some more future star hatchlings coming out of this team! Their investment gave me a platform and the opportunity to excel tremendously in my cycling career.

“With my rapid growth and improvement as a mountain bike racer, I have now come to a point, sooner than expected, in my career where it is time for me to move on. I am thankful and feel honoured to have had the opportunity to be associated with this team. Team Contego/28E will always have a share in my success.”

Buys is more than ready for his next challenge that includes the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“USN will now give me the opportunity to take my cycling career to an all new next level. Dealing with the USN team over the past few weeks I quickly realized how passionate and driven these people are about their products and sport in the general. They will provide me with the support that I will need, on and off the bike, to perform at my absolute best come that all important Olympic race. It’s all about results!”

As I sit here back in South Africa again I feel satisfied with my result! This is the first time that I've achieved the goal that I set out for myself in all my overseas campaigns. I've never been 100% happy with my previous results, so this trip finally felt well worth all the effort to me!

I stayed very relaxed in the long open start loop and basicly hid away in the bunch for most of the time. As soon as some of the riders started fading towards the end of the start loop, a gap opened up for me on the side and I had enough power to move up into about 25th place before the track narrowed down!

I pushed myself well into the red zone up the first climb knowing that the downhill section would be long enough for me to recover. From lap 2 I settled into a comfortable rhythm and started passing riders throughout the race to end up in 14th place by the second last lap. Lost one spot in the final lap to finish 15th! I took it easy on the downhills, as many riders had to pull out of the race due to mechanicals. Very high speed rocky sections. The track suited me pretty well I'd say! It wasn't any harder than my other races...I just got faster because of the last 3 week's very hard quality focused training! It felt amazing racing among the best in the world.

Breaking the top 20 at a WC gives me huge confidence for any race!! And the timing just before the games gives me so much more motivation to work hard and to know that I have the capability of a top 10 finish at olympics!

We spent the whole next day running around in New York city doing the tourist thing. Throughout the trip I slaughtered about 2kilograms of M&M's and a half a dozen Mc Griddles! Time to slim down again and get back to intervals!