The Road Less Travelled

Although I did not get to travel to any of big cities like Barcelona or Madrid I fell in love with the Spanish countryside.  One of the neighbours at the sports hotel I was staying at asked the owner when he was building the hotel why people would want to come here.  All I can think of is why not.  Travelling and seeing the world as a cyclist surely is different than what it would be like for a typical tourist.  We take the road less travelled and get to experience something special and true about every place we visit.  For us it is not about rushing to the next sight to tick off a list but rather to, for a short while at least, live the life of the locals in the country we find ourselves in.  Most of the time it is the simple pleasure of riding your bike somewhere new and being surprised about what you find around every corner.

It is about cycling up that big mountain in the area instead of walking up the stairs of a prominent manmade structure.  It is about taking the time to get to know the people you meet along the way instead of fighting them to be the last person to fit into an already crowded subway train.  Putting my feet up and taking the time to enjoy the view instead of rushing off to the next thing on the to-do-list.   Shopping for different local foods and wine instead of sitting at a café in a busy city square.  I do have to confess that when it comes to shopping for clothing or shoes I do act like a typical tourist on more occasions than I should.

When I used to have a desk job all I could think of was that ski holiday or a trip to Greece.  I woke up one day realizing that the things I thought I wanted I do not need anymore.  I chose a different type of lifestyle and together with every person and sponsor associated with Team MTN Qhubeka I made a life for myself with so much more in it.  I no longer have to wait a year for that two week holiday but I live the dream every day of my life.  Love the life you live!

New Heights (literally)

This past weekend I finally felt a bit better and was ready to take on the well-known (or at least well-known amongst the cyclists in the area) Rocacorba climb out of Banyoles, Spain.  This seems to be the climb to race up but there was no Super(climbing)woman in me today after being sick and I settled for just riding up the climb as “easy” as it can be to ride up a 10km (6.2mi) climb with an average gradient of 7.4% and an elevation gain of 800m (2,600ft).  When you finally reach the top you get to enjoy the view of Banyoles and what seems to be the whole of Spain beyond that.

View from the top of Rocacorba

The ITU World Cup Triathlon was in Banyoles, Spain this past weekend.  I really enjoyed getting to watch the racing for once and not being the one racing.  It was a standard distance triathlon with the 1,500m swim in the crystal clear lake and then laps around the lake for both the 40km cycling and 10km running legs of the race.  Both the men’s and women’s race were won by the Americans that are staying with us here at Mas Pelegri.  No pressure for us to perform now with this company around…

Top 3 Ladies in the transition area at the ITU World Cup in Banyoles

Today I headed out for an easy ride with the US triathlon team.  Not surprisingly these triathletes made me do the pacing in the front.  We all stopped at the medieval town of Besalu for lunch.  The most significant feature of the town it the 12th-century Romanesque bridge over the Fluvia River with a gateway halfway across the bridge.  It looks like the gateway was built to keep out the enemy.  Just like in the movies.


Medieval town of Besalu with the US triathlon team

Picture Perfect

I am currently spending some time in Banyoles which is close to Girona and only about an hour from Barcelona, Spain.  It must be one of the best places to train and now I understand why there are so many professional cyclists living in and around this area.  I came here to prepare for the Giro Donne which starts at the end of the month in Italy.  Since I have been sick I have only been able to admire the beauty of the mountains and the 15km climbs, which are literally just around the corner, but this place truly is magical.  I am staying at Mas Pelegri (http://www.maspelegri.com/) which is a sports hotel that caters specifically for cyclists and triathletes.  It is built out of the ruins of a building dating back to 1770.  Currently the US triathlon team and some other triathletes from Australia and Great Britain are also staying here in preparation for the ITU World Cup in Banyoles this weekend.  Dinner table discussions are never dull with so many professional athletes around.  Cannot wait to watch them all race Sunday.



Mas Pelegri Sports Hotel

Banyoles Lake (it is so clear you can see the plants on the bottom of the lake)

We have made a trip to the city of Girona for an afternoon coffee.  Around every corner a postcard image awaits whether you are walking around in the city or whether you are riding your bike in the Spanish countryside. 



Girona



Lady and the Bike

10 Reasons to Love Being a Professional Ladies Cyclist

A couple of years ago a worldwide competition was run where the prize was the “best job in the world”.  The job description was to stroll the white sands of a tropical island in Australia.  I think my job as a professional cyclist deserves that title and you do not even need lady luck to win this job.

Here is my job description:

1.       Weekly massages are considered mandatory

2.       Most companies block social media websites but my job encourages the use of Twitter, Facebook as well as blogging

3.       You get to wear tight fitting clothes without any excuse

4.       Whether you use shopping as retail therapy or as part of your socialising routine cycling does give you the perfect excuse to shop for the best brands because they can actually make you go faster

5.       Without food you cannot perform so it is considered essential to eat a lot

6.       Coffee shop rides (ride to a coffee shop with a group of people) form part of our daily training regimen and drinking the occasional glass or two of red wine is actually a part of the cycling culture

7.       Get paid to work on your bikini body all year round

8.       Travel the world

9.       For all those single ladies out there:  The number of men racing greatly outnumbers the ladies so it is the perfect scouting ground for Mr Right and that cute view a few meters in front of you gives you just the little bit of extra motivation to go faster

10.   If you are lucky enough like me to be part of Team MTN Qhubeka which has MTN as title sponsor you even get to chat on your phone as much as you want

So get on a bike and you might just end up with the best job in the world.

P.S. remember that thanks to waterproof mascara you have no excuse not to look pretty while out cycling

Qhubeka Bike Handover - Luphisi, Mpumalanga

This past weekend teammates Charlotte, Sarah, Adrien and I had the privilege of joining Qhubeka and Wildlands Conservation Trust staff as well as MTN employees for the Qhubeka bike handover in Luphisi, Mpumalanga.

"Transportation is a fundamental element of development: Most of Africa’s rural population have no access to transport and people have to walk long distances to access opportunity, education, healthcare, shops and community services. Rural schoolchildren are particularly badly affected by lack of mobility. In South Africa, of the 16 million school going children, 12 million walk to school. Of these, 500,000 walk more than two hours each way, spending four hours getting to and back from school each day. Bicycles are the most effective and economical method of quickly addressing this problem."
http://www.qhubeka.org/qhubeka/HOME/HOME.html

This is where Qhubeka comes in. Many people are already aware of the great work that is being done by Qhubeka.  Qhubeka is an Nguni word that means "to carry on" and "to progress".  This bike handover was part of their "Trees-for-Bikes" project where children (called "Tree-preneurs") grow trees to earn bikes. 

For me the most memorable part of this experience was to hear the stories about the "Tree-preneurs".  Kids that used to spend hours walking to school can now use that time to study.  Something like a University degree that previously seemed impossible becomes possible.  Another boy was planting trees to get a bike for his little brother.  There are many more stories like these of how this project has changed the lives of children in rural communities.  With so little you can do so much.

"Tree-preneurs"patiently waiting for their new well-earned Qhubeka bikes

The trees planted by one "Tree-preneur"

Sign-in of a different kind - Maybe one day one of these kids will sign the sign-in boards at a UCI race or even the Tour de France

Teammates Sarah and Charlotte helping with the assembling of the bicycles

Getting ready to take one of the Qhubeka bikes for a test drive

Belgium Living

The unexpected and unplanned outings always seem to be the most fun in the end.  Cherise and I went to go pick An-Li up from Brussels International Airport after her visit to Spain.  Believe it or not the traffic in Belgium makes Midrand/Johannesburg traffic look good.  The traffic was so bad on the way back that we decided to be touristy instead of sitting in traffic for hours.  On a whim we decided to visit the Atomium monument in Brussels.  At 102 metres high it represents an elementary iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times and has nine interconnected spheres.  Afterwards we took to the street of Brussels to look for something to eat.  We ended up at a typical Italian pizza place.

The Atomium Monument and pizza dinner afterwards

Only in Belgium!  This is not the red light district but the "Drop & Go"at Brussels International Airport

With this weather you have to get a bit creative with your training routine.  I recently discovered what keeps Cherise on the indoor trainer…  The stories of Frikkadel, Boeboe en Worsie out of the Vetkoek Paleis (South African Afrikaans comedy show) in Nigel.  Who would have thought that this is all it takes?!  I have been caught in ice rain the past two days while out training so maybe tomorrow I will see if this works for me as well.

Cherise hooked on Vetkoek Paleis

Riding along the canal is part of our daily routine but it never gets boring.  The scary hissing geese usually provide some entertainment.  We have mastered the art of getting around these scary creatures.  You have to wait until another rider pass you before the geese section and then follow closely so that the other person scares away the geese and gives you a safe path to navigate.  Yesterday it was a cargo boat that unloaded a bit too much of its cargo which lifted it out of the water and barely made it through under the bridge.  We stared as the boat approached the bride and could see it literally back pedalling.  Much to their amusement we were cheering as they pass through under the bridge by what looked to be a centimetre or two.  I guess having a little baggage to weigh you down is not such a bad thing after all.

How is this for living on the edge?!

When in Belgium, do as the Belgians do so I decided to try some local Belgium beer.  It is no Castle!  With an 8.4% Alc content it surely is beer for the brave only.  When it comes to red wine I still say: oos, wes, tuis bes.

Beer for the Brave and a proudly South African Kanonkop Red Wine

It has been really nice to have the Team MTN Qhubeka men also here in Belgium.  No better way to catch up and listen to their race stories than a coffee shop ride from Ninove to Aalst Centrum.

Coffee shop ride with the boys to Aalst Centrum and the nice Trek bikes taking over the square

Race Report: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine World Cup

Celebrating the Minor Victories

This past Wednesday we competed in the La Fleche Wallonne Feminine World Cup in Huy, Belgium.  The race is famous for the very steep finishing ascent up the Mur de Huy.  I was expecting the race to be really hard from the start like the previous World Cup race, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, in Italy that I competed in.  It seemed like the bunch was waiting for the first climb up the Mur de Huy.  This gave me time to build some confidence in the bunch.  I even attacked once, for the first time in a UCI race, and although the small break was really short lived it was encouraging for me to be in a position to attack and respond to the racing that happens in the front of the bunch.  I got to the top of the Mur de Huy about a bike length behind the front group but with a strong cross wind over the top there was no getting back into the race even after a long chase.  For the last 30km of the race Jo and I were in the chasing bunch.  Ashleigh Moolman rode an extraordinary race and finished 5^th on the day.  A really impressive result!  Some mechanical issues with my chain dropping from the small blade on the steep climbs did not make an already tough race any easier either but I hit the last climb up the Mur de Huy with the chase group and finished 72th in the end.  From each race I gain more and more experience and although you always strive to do better achieving a small goal like being able to attack or move a bit better in the bunch build confidence for what is still to come.

After the finish we got to spend some time with the sponsors in a tent at the base of the Mur de Huy watching as the men battle the steep slopes.

Minor goal for race achieved:  Off the front after attacking and it was caught on camera :)

Me and Jo up the Mur de Huy

Team presentation in the freezing cold weather prior to the race



The men suffering up the Mur de Huy not once, not twice but three times