Big ride Wrap up

What a country

It’s been two weeks since I finished my cycling adventure and the long hills and endless roads have been replaced with fond memories of  the magnificent route, our beautiful country, the emotional experience of giving to people in need and the team spirit that developed on the way.

As we rode into Cape Town on the last of 14 days and 1600km of riding I was overwhelmed by the moment, seeing family and friends there to welcome us in and to share in the celebration of our success.



Three days later was the Cape Town Argus Cycle Race around the Cape Peninsula and I completed the 110km route in just over 4 hours; a puncture and very sore legs slowing my time and resulting in me missing my goal of completing the race in less than 4 hours. After riding 1600km without incident I managed to get a puncture 2 km from the start of the race…maybe I should have paid a bit more attention to my bike after the big ride?



Caitlin and Vaughan at the Argus start




Vaughan and Caitlin both rode the race as well, for Caitlin it was her first time and what a celebration when she finished in just over 6 hours! Vaughan was 10 minutes behind me, his goal of beating me still not achieved, but it won’t be long now! Don, my cousin and room mate, also battled through the race, our bodies definitely needed more time to recover. Robert, who joined us in Port Elizabeth finished the best in our family with a time of 3 hours 45 minutes just beating my brother Dave who finishing in 3 hours 50 minutes. Robert’s and Don’s father had a fantastic ride and finished 8^th in the 70 to 79 age group category with a time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. Our 2 friends from Jakarta, Kelly and Curtis, both enjoyed the ride and finished in time to collect their medals, although Kelly did say at times that she hated me for persuading her to do the race.

Back to our big ride, 7 cyclists made it the whole way, not bad for a bunch of old guys, our average age was 55 years old. Our target was to ride 1700km but we lost 100km on the way due to road works and heavy traffic. In all we were on the bikes for a total of 65 hours and I burnt just under 80,000 calories. On route we raised R550,000 (80,000 dollars) and with our personal sponsorships included it is estimated that we will have raised a total of  R800,000 (117,000 dollars). I was personally able to raise R120,000 (17,500 dollars), thanks a million to all of my Sponsors.

Before the trip I did not really understand how the daily fundraising activities worked and these became the highlight of the trip for me. I have a special memory of the donation on Day 2 of the ride when the recipients were a center for homeless children and the small kids came along to participate in the donation handover.


Donation in Dundee, KwaZulu Natal Day 2



The most spectacular part of the trip was riding next to the Lesotho Mountains in the Free State and the last day riding along the coast from Hermanus to Cape Town. We had a saying “It’s not a race it’s a ride” which was used whenever we were pushing ourselves and not appreciating the fantastic countryside around us.



Breakfast, my favourite - boiled egg, bread with honey and peanut butter and a cuppa tea

 There were hard days when I wanted to pack it all in, the worst of these were Day 3 when we pedaled through Golden Gate in the Drakensburg Mountains. The landscape was stunning but the hills were ridiculous and the day never seemed to end, hill after hill.

 On Day 12 we the rode down to Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa, and had to ride into a 40km headwind for miles, we eventually sought refuge behind the support vehicle. It was no good complaining to the locals about the wind, they said it was normal and we were lucky it was not blowing harder! Day 9 was the day I really hit the wall and probably the day I was closest to giving the whole thing up. The day before we had enjoyed a great ride and finished early and has gone to a local pub and watched the rugby; as a result I did not feel myself the next morning. We had a bunch of local riders joining us on that day so the pace was a little faster than usual, throw in a couple of really steep hills and the result was a really difficult day. Amazingly enough, after a good night’s sleep and a little motivational talk to myself I was on top form again the next day.

Would I do it again? I am not sure I would. But I definitely need these sorts of goals to motivate me to keep fit and active. I have not looked at my bike since we finished the Argus and have no desire to do anything strenuous, my plan is to spend the last 2 weeks of my holiday thinking about what the next challenge will be.

Thanks to Rotary Club of Empangeni, all the Organizers, fellow Team Mates, especially Don my roommate for the great ride.


Don and me leading the pack


A special thanks to my darling wife and family who had to put up with all the training, preparation and worry while we were on the road.

I am not sure what will happen to the blog from here onwards, I will keep you posted!

Thank you so much for all your support, knowing that there were people out there thinking about me and wishing me well kept me motivated on one of the biggest adventures of my life.





 



A happy group at the end