01 December 2011 No better way to finish the season
Team bizhub finished their season on a successful note winning the overall ladies elite category in the Omnicane Southern Tropical MTB Challenge ...
While I'm sat here thought I'd send you my 2 week diary (am expecting to be bombarded
with mugs and coasters to print when I get home so no time then!!) Its another long
one I'm afraid!!
My final weeks in shorts!!
Am currently on my way home having being promised that spring is on the way and
England is out of the horrendous winter I've managed to miss. The last two weeks
have been 2 of the best probably which, considering I've had a great time since
I arrived, has being the icing on the cake (which is all too often missing on Nicolene's
fab cup cakes!)
The weekend 13th and 14th of March saw the two most important events on the calendar,
my birthday and the Cape Argus Pick and Pay race! We had travelled down on the Wednesday,
had had a lovely ride round the course, had had a terrifying ride on the highway,
and with my parents over on holiday I'd even managed a boat trip round the harbour.
My birthday itself was very non eventful, nothing worse than having a big race post
birthday. My romantic husband had sent a book (which actually was one I'd been after
for ages) and my folks left a huge chocolate cake in my room just to torment me!
The girls were great, knocking on my door at 6.30 and making me extra late for our
group ride by giving me loads of goodies and a lovely card signed by them all which
I'll treasure!!! The ride was all part of the Argus experience with thousands out
on the beach front even that time of morning. The rest of the day was spent in the
hotel, resting and watching TV which isn't hard when the hotel is so nice.
On race day the wind had really picked up and getting to the start in the dark was
a mission in itself. Though not a patch on the hurricanes of last year it all added
to the nerves as we waited in the pens and once going you had to be constantly aware
of where the next gusts were coming from. The wind was a headwind on the way out
which made sitting in the bunch fairly easy. I was ready for the attacks up Boyes
Drive and stayed near the front though with the wind back in our faces it soon bunched
up. Eventually as we turned to the right up the next climb the wind pushed from
behind and suddenly the bunch was lined out. Over the top the speed was pretty high
and my bike with carbon wheels along with the uneven road was so frisky at one point
I'm sure the whole bike and me were side on! I stayed near the front out of trouble
and followed the attacks up and over the pass. With a number of guys chasing 3 men
who had got away I didn't see the use in attacking alone, theres no way I'd stay
away if I had got a gap especially as we turned back into the wind. The finish wasn't
as crazy as I'd imagined as most of the men let the woman sprint it out since 3
men stayed up the road. I got slightly boxed in and missed grabbing the wheel of
guys who looked like they were leading some of the woman out. I realised I was in
4th and made a last minute desperate attempt to come through. I knew I was either
3rd or 4th but as I'm always 4th got the knives out ready for my wrists! I was pretty
chuffed then to hear I was 3rd and proceeded to treat myself for the rest of the
day on kooksisters (terrible spelling I'm sure, but the best thing to come out of
SA!!), and of course chocolate cake while laying on the grass watching some of the
thousands finish. Being Mother's Day the podium was a nice present to my mam, which
was a good job as I'd left her pressie in Bloem!
My last week in Bloem was a nice one and it was pretty emotional leaving everyone.
Me and Arien were invited to a braai of lobster tails by one of the guys we ride
with and my new mates in the bike shop were extra nice to me even though the cake
I'd promised to make ended in disaster! (I blamed the altitude). Leaving Betsy and
Arien were partially hard, like leaving my second home, I'll really miss those warm
evenings having dinner outside and putting the world to right, meeting each other
half asleep at 4.30 to ride in the dark, and I'm not sure how I'll survive without
my weekly dose of Grey's Anatomy!!
The weekend just gone we raced in Peter's Bay, North of Durban. I'd travelled from
Bloem and spent a night on the sea front in Durban in 'Faulty Towers' Hotel. Durban
was a whole new experience and culture I found fascinating. I did get a bit lost
riding and found myself saying a few prayers as I rode though the taxi ranks but,
as everywhere I've being, I found the people so friendly. Sitting on the beach recovering
from a near drown experience where I lost my goggles, bobble and dignity trying
to 'surf' the mammoth waves, I started chatting to a guy in his 40s who was looking
at the sea for the first time in his life! He asked me if you could drink the water
and having had half the ocean up my nose and mouth I advised against it!
The race itself was a fast 80km with the men. No one was letting anything get away
and even though one of us was either creating attacks or jumping on moves it came
down to a technical sprint finish. I narrowly avoided a crash and chased onto 3rd
wheel round the last bend just to see another girl flying round the outside and
winning the whole thing. I was 2nd, 4th overall. While the girls had a long drive
back to J berg I had the treat of joining my parents back in Durban for a few days
of holiday: with some painful jogs on the beach replacing the riding, another battering
in the sea, and plenty of kooksisters and meaty braais!!
Catherine Williamson
Warned you it was a long one!! That B and B below Durban was called Sea Spray, I
can find his email if you ever need it. It was really nice and very cheap and he's
a very helpful bloke.
While I'm sat here thought I'd send you my 2 week diary (am expecting to be bombarded
with mugs and coasters to print when I get home so no time then!!) Its another long
one I'm afraid!!