Race Report: Giro Stage 1

Today was the first stage of the Giro Donne 2012 over 140km from Napoli to Terracina.  To say I was nervous before the start is an understatement.  After, what seemed to be, a really hard “neutral”zone the bunch took off with crazy speed (49.7km average according to my SRM) towards the first sprint of the day at 5km.  Since there was a small break up the road that contained relatively unknown riders for the main part of the race the bunch sat up.  We raced along the ocean the last 50km or so and the not so very cool ocean breeze was still a welcome change with the average temperatures for the day being 37°C (99°F).  From what I could see with a few very quick glances to the left the oceanfront was really pretty and at times reminded me of Champman’s Peak in Cape Town, South Africa.  The bunch caught the breakaway group with about 25km to go.  At this point it was anybody’s race.  It turned out, as expected, to be a perfect day for the sprinters.  As with the first 5km of the race the last 5km of the race was also super fast.  Our team did not get a result today and I finished with the bunch.  Today was a good confidence builder and it feels nice to have returned to good form just in time after a couple of hiccups along the way.  Tomorrow we head to Rome for a 7.2km time trial.  I got to see the Colosseum through the window of the plane on the trip over to Italy and I am sure that racing on the streets of Rome will be something special.

View from the start at the Giro Donne 2012

The Road to Giro 2012

Dreams Do Come True with Team MTN Qhubeka

Since I started racing competitively in 2009 and I had an idea of what races were out there to do taking part in the Giro Donne (Giro d’Italia Femminile Internazionale) has been on the top of my list.  To actually get to compete in this event was classified in the “dream only” category in my mind together with all the other seemingly unrealistic dreams I had at the time.  Also included in that category was being a professional cyclist, driving a Porsche and being a hot shot athlete so that Oakley will custom make me some sunglasses that fits on my narrow face.  I turned out to be a professional cyclist and I am going to the Giro Donne, driving a Porsche is not important anymore (the Granny Mobile is doing the job just fine) and the Oakley sunglasses…well I am still working on becoming that hot shot athlete. 

With all the drama and unpleasantness around the Olympic selection recently this dream had been overshadowed.  Now that the dust is settling I am remembering what it was that I was dreaming about years ago.  To come from being the idiot who lined up for their first cycling race in a T-shirt and running shoes not that long ago to cleating in next to 160 of the best riders in the world is a dream come true. 

The Giro Donne is a nine day journey through Italy that is considered to be the most prestigious women’s race in the world over 965km (600 miles) starting in Naples and finishing in Bergamo.  This will be no pizza eating, wine drinking, sunbathing or olive tasting trip to Tuscany.  It is going to be gel eating and PVM Octane drinking filled days of what surely will turn out to the hardest nine days of racing that I have ever done.  As with the other European races that I have competed in this year it will be a steep (literally and figuratively) learning curve but a challenge that I am very excited about taking on.

I have waited almost four years for this opportunity and it is only thanks to Doug Ryder, Carol Austin, Anthony Fitzhenry and all others involved with Team MTN Qhubeka that it is now only four days away.

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