Q-Blog

For the first time ever I was challenged with something I never imagined I could do. I arrived in South Africa and had conversations with my colleague about this ‘road cycling’…woo, woo…another 45 kilometers this weekend, “where did you guys cycle to?”, I’d ask… “Cape Town and back?...”

I never really thought that a day would come when I would actually commit to cycling 105 kilometers (65 miles) in a race. A race meaning other people, a start, a finish and expectation—

This all came with a big bonus. My friend Froneman offered me all the parts off his bike. With a new frame I was ready to race. The only complication being the organization of all this was one day prior to the race.

I picked up the bike on Friday evening, rode it and punctured the tire on Saturday morning (after 10 km=6 miles). We left for Port Elizabeth on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday morning I sat upon my brand new bike with 105 kilometers of road ahead of me.

I was impressed. I finished. I finished strong. I liked it! My official time:

Event date: 2006/02/05
Event Name: VW Herald Cycle Tour
Distance: 105
Race Time: 03:38:09
Position: 768/1262
Gender Position: 684/1075Age Position: 87/113

I have to admit, a quarter into the whole thing I thought I wanted to quit. There was also that part when I just didn’t want to ride hard…Oh, and the other time when I felt terrible…Something about all of that makes me really like it…I’m sure it was the sea views, the stunning atmosphere and the thrill of accomplishing something like 105 kilometers…