Happy happy times. It is always a very busy weekend this one when it is the Amashova cycle race. A race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Our friends from Johannesburg come to stay for the weekend for the race and always a great time.
This year however i decided that my friend from school needs to experience this race and do it. He is in the hostel at school so he came and stayed at my house for the weekend. On the Saturday before the race I gave him a taste of what it is like to be an Pro-Amateur cyclist and what needs to be done the day before the race. Checking the bike, going for a light ride, drinking a lot of water and also registering. Carbo loading was also something new to him and he really enjoyed that part.
After a lovely dinner the night before at Pesto's Restaurant in PMB, we all got out of bed on our own time. Some of us had to be at the start at 6 and others 7:11am. To me it wasn't different to usual races, but I felt really welcome when I met up with my fried Nico from Team Westvaal-BMC. He explained to me all the key things about road racing and what to do. That definitely gave me some confidence for the race.
The start was a lot different to what i am used to. We started of slowly just rolling down the road, where i normaly start races where we go full out from the start. I guess it has a lot to do with the distances we are doing. In 45kms you can go very hard but with 106km's to do you have to save your energy for later. I had a wonderful experience in the peleton and loved the sound of tubulars rolling over the road. In the last 2km's of our race I laughed a lot when some of us Junior riders tried braking off of a Vet men group, but just got 5 meters on them and realized we have restricted gears and were spinning like crazy. The Vet men came past us with a storm and also laughing. From there on we sat up on the bikes and just rode to the finish. My time was 2hrs & 47mins for the 106km's.
I learnt a lot in the race and also how you have to focus the whole time. Touching the wheel in front of you can be costly but at least i didn't do that.
My friend, Marnus, also had a great ride for his first Amashova and felt less tired than I did. He even said that i might have given him to much tips for the race and that's why he wasn't as tired as I was. It was a super fun weekend and really enjoyable. I will try and do the Amahova every year till i can't no more.
Jaco
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Friday, 12 October 2012
A bit of news since SA XCM Championship...
The one race i was really looking forward to and wanted to perform at. Well it didn't go as i would have wanted it to go purely because of not having the best lead up to the race, being sick.
On a very positive not i enjoyed the race so much and even finished in the top 20 after i was way down in 40th at a stage during the start of the race. I didn't start fast and just kept my own pace to see how felt and if i was able to race and take my heart rate up. During the first 10km's i rode and looked at the spectacular views and how beautiful the nature around me was. At about 20km's to go a spectator kindly told me that i was laying 26th. Those few words was such a moral booster that i decided the fun and games was over! Race time and off i went in pursuit of that Top 20. I past my coach and the first lady(i never want to get beaten by a lady in a race, ever!). Over the line was all smiles and lots of heavy breathing, but definitely worth all of that. On the results i later saw i made the top 20!
The route however was one of the most spectacular ones, with not one part of the race not being surrounded by beautiful scenery! The other amazing thing was of how my team mates performed! So many SA champs and nearly half of the A batch on the start line were red...wearing BMC kit! What a great day and weekend, with great friends staying with us and also having a good race.
One week school holiday - What to do?
Now that wasn't a hard question for me to answer. On the 27th of September i flew to Cape Town where i met my cousin's and went to Hermanus. I visited them till the Sunday and whilst there i did some crazy road rides. The one think that surprised me about the people there, is that they really do care about cyclist on the road and really make sure to go out of the way. The one cycle shop there is also typical Europe style with the bicycle shop on the bottom floor and the owner's house is on the top floor. The coffee in that little shop was absolutely delightful and easily could become a drug. Ha ha, the roads are very safe in and around Hermanus with really wide shoulders and also great views being surrounded by big high mountains. It is always so much fun to be with family and being able to ride your bicycle! I thank them for the great time and all the lekker Afrikaanse food.
I then went to Somerset West for the next six days till the Saturday when I'd fly back home. In Somerset i stayed with Malan and Rochelle Wykerd, who by the way have one of the nicest homes, full of animals and lots of hospitality! I worked at Malan's bicycle shop, called Cycle Addiction. It wasn't really a holiday from then on as I'd be in the shop, working and helping out with whatever i could. I enjoyed it so much and the amount of things i learnt is amazing.
On the Tuesday i went with Heino back to Hermanus where he had work to do. I then rode back from Hermanus to Somerset. It was the best road ride ever in my life so far and 104km's is definitely worth it if it is that beautiful.
I also went riding in Jonkershoek with Odie, an old friend from Malan and Johann. It was pouring but i still enjoyed it so much. The trails there is unbelievably fun and fast to ride, it is my new favourite place to ride in South Africa! The bicycle shop is the busiest i have ever see and been to. I thank the Cycle Addiction guys for a wonderful time and all the tips and things i learnt!
I made a lot of friends and will go back there whenever i have the chance!
Thanks to Johann my Coach for also sending me there.
Till my next adventure
On a very positive not i enjoyed the race so much and even finished in the top 20 after i was way down in 40th at a stage during the start of the race. I didn't start fast and just kept my own pace to see how felt and if i was able to race and take my heart rate up. During the first 10km's i rode and looked at the spectacular views and how beautiful the nature around me was. At about 20km's to go a spectator kindly told me that i was laying 26th. Those few words was such a moral booster that i decided the fun and games was over! Race time and off i went in pursuit of that Top 20. I past my coach and the first lady(i never want to get beaten by a lady in a race, ever!). Over the line was all smiles and lots of heavy breathing, but definitely worth all of that. On the results i later saw i made the top 20!
The route however was one of the most spectacular ones, with not one part of the race not being surrounded by beautiful scenery! The other amazing thing was of how my team mates performed! So many SA champs and nearly half of the A batch on the start line were red...wearing BMC kit! What a great day and weekend, with great friends staying with us and also having a good race.
One week school holiday - What to do?
Now that wasn't a hard question for me to answer. On the 27th of September i flew to Cape Town where i met my cousin's and went to Hermanus. I visited them till the Sunday and whilst there i did some crazy road rides. The one think that surprised me about the people there, is that they really do care about cyclist on the road and really make sure to go out of the way. The one cycle shop there is also typical Europe style with the bicycle shop on the bottom floor and the owner's house is on the top floor. The coffee in that little shop was absolutely delightful and easily could become a drug. Ha ha, the roads are very safe in and around Hermanus with really wide shoulders and also great views being surrounded by big high mountains. It is always so much fun to be with family and being able to ride your bicycle! I thank them for the great time and all the lekker Afrikaanse food.
I then went to Somerset West for the next six days till the Saturday when I'd fly back home. In Somerset i stayed with Malan and Rochelle Wykerd, who by the way have one of the nicest homes, full of animals and lots of hospitality! I worked at Malan's bicycle shop, called Cycle Addiction. It wasn't really a holiday from then on as I'd be in the shop, working and helping out with whatever i could. I enjoyed it so much and the amount of things i learnt is amazing.
On the Tuesday i went with Heino back to Hermanus where he had work to do. I then rode back from Hermanus to Somerset. It was the best road ride ever in my life so far and 104km's is definitely worth it if it is that beautiful.
I also went riding in Jonkershoek with Odie, an old friend from Malan and Johann. It was pouring but i still enjoyed it so much. The trails there is unbelievably fun and fast to ride, it is my new favourite place to ride in South Africa! The bicycle shop is the busiest i have ever see and been to. I thank the Cycle Addiction guys for a wonderful time and all the tips and things i learnt!
I made a lot of friends and will go back there whenever i have the chance!
Thanks to Johann my Coach for also sending me there.
Till my next adventure
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)