Weekend of training

Tim and Annettte were in Jo-Berg for the weekend so together with Mike we managed to get a really good ride in on Sunday 75 km across parts of Lanseria that I did not know existed. There is a series of hiking trails near the Pelindaba area that were fantastic to ride, and a monster hill to walk up, a bit of bundu bashing, and very little tar. The rivers were in flood from all the rain we are having, and the grass is as green as can be.

The good news was that there were no reported bike hijackings this weekend, and the amount of people cycling at Northern Farms on Saturday would indicate that most people are opting for the safer areas to ride. There also appears to be a lot of new people on mountain bikes, you could tell by the way they wobbled, so the sport is growing.

This week will be a bit of a recovery week on the legs, slow paced rides, to build up the endurance for the Trans Drak race in the beginning of March, the race last year was cold and dry, I have a feeling that this year maybe hot and wet, and the race will be a bit more difficult that last year because of the conditions although the big hills will still be the same !!

The news on the Freedom Challenge is that the entries are over subscribed so it should be a full field of entrants this year, for both the Ride Across South Africa and the Ride to Rhodes, if anyone is looking at doing the challenge the Ride to Rhodes is a great stepping stone that gives you an idea of what the main race is about and what your in for. The first 6 days to Rhodes is not easy, the navigation is some of the hardest on the race, but it makes up for it in having wonderful view's, great single track, and some places that you would never normally see. Well worth the effort.

Ride safe and be careful.