2007 Racing to the end

And so it is that we are racing to the end of 2007, and what an excellent way in doing that by taking part in the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. We saw best times ever, excellent times and first times. With weather reports forecasting stormy weather and rain, we were all relieved to see a beautiful day dawning. After making sure that the new gazebo got delivered on time at the hospitality area and that our hostess Amanda was on her merry way to wait for the first arrivals and to sign off the food platters and most importantly the drinks and ice, the riders set off to the start of the race.

First in was Christo, of course, in 2:46. He didn't mind waiting for the next rider to come in, and so the welcoming committee grew as the day progressed and as the riders came in.

We hardly had time to sit down to a beer and listen to the brave story when we all had to get up again and welcome in the next member.

No...........they were not part of the "three blind mice" musical. Of course the welcoming committee got merrier and merrier as the day progressed.

We ate and drank and talked and repeated these tasks with a vigour. It was time for our friend Mario -or as he is known in the gym " Mr M" - to come in. Everyone was speculating about his time, being his first ever cycle race, and his ability to complete such a strenuous ride and a lot of toasts were made in his absence. At last the hero was spotted and the welcoming committee once again rose to the occasion

He was welcomed like a lost son. We overheard his phone call to his wife telling her: "These people don't stop hugging me". Of course that called for more beers and brave stories. To all the other first timers; Janine and Cheryl, well done!

To all the Bulla members who proudly worn their Bulla cycling shirt on the big day, I say Thank You! It was wonderful seeing you coming in with smiles on your faces. It was also easy spotting you in the crowd. To the anonymous sponsor who sponsored part of the day, a big thank you, we were like a big family, one in spirit, all going for gold. To Amanda who offered her services just to be part of the event Thanks Girl! Afterwards I sent her a sms thanking her again for her time. Her reply was: it's a great pleasure, but I won't do it again next year. I will be riding myself, I was so inspired by Mario.
What more can I say..............

Keep Riding

When I said we are having a year-end function, it didn't mean at all that the gym will now be closed, not at all. Gym times will be running as normal through December up to the 15th. From Tuesday 18 December only the 6am classes will still be open . Of course from Christmas to New Year even us will be closed.

So while we are all waiting for time to pass until Santa is emptying his sack on our lounge floor, let's keep riding.
You have till Monday 19 November to enter for the Cradle to cave MTB Challenge. It is all happening at the Nedcor Olwazini Training Centre at Kromdraai- I've heard that name before! Only 45km or only 25km in beautiful surroundings and a well organised ride. The race takes place on Sunday 25 November and starts at 7:30.
See you out there with your mountain bike, getting dirty!

Year-End Function!

18 November: 94.7 !
And so, this is all that is now remaining of our training programme…the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. We trained hard and I’m sure you will see the results of your training. It was really great not to have to train on my own and thanks to everyone who has joined in with the hill training, time trials and races. Remember we will be waiting at the Bulla hospitality area after the race, and yes, we will be waiting till all is in. Come and join us for drinks and eats and share your experience with us.

Year-End Function
This is what everyone was waiting for, our year-end function. All I can say from previous year-ends, they are getting better and better. So grab your diary and don’t miss out on THE event of the year. As always there will be surprises and NO, Amanda will not win the raffle this year.
It will take place on Friday 30 November @ 18:30 for 19:00 at Cocos, Castle Walk. Lets face it, they know us so well by know and are very tolerant to all our party moods. I hope to see many, if not all of you there. I need to make the final booking by Tuesday 27 November. RSVP!

Money Money Money
Unfortunately the spinning card price will go up for next year and will cost R250 for 11 classes (R22.70 a class) not bad at all! The good news is, that you can buy as many spinning cards as you like now, at this year’s price of R220 and use them in the New Year. A single class will cost R35.00

New!
We have started at the gym with one on one ball classes, meaning you can have your own personal instructor to help you with the ball classes but not only that, we would also like to extend that to the spinning. So if you would rather like to train on your own, book your times and classes now. Times are Mon-Thurs from 14:00-17:00. Classes will be 50min long and costs will be R100 per class. 10 class packages are available (R1000) and will be booked in advance. Please speak to Gerda.

16:30 Classes
All 16:30 classes will fall away from next year. These classes will be turned into personal trainer classes.

17:30 Classes
All 17:30 classes will from next year be spinning classes and will be presented by Zoë.

Evening ball classes
Mondays and Wednesdays at 18:30 will be ball classes from next year.

Double Classes
And from next year there will be a double spinning class available every week. It will be every Tuesday 18:30-20:00 (90 min in all). So if you would really like a bit of a longer workout or if you are training for a specific event, be there on Tuesdays. You will be allowed to leave early if you had enough but will not be allowed to join halfway through a class.

Many new things at the gym! Keep training!
See you at the party!

The Bulla Team

Trick or Treat

It is Trick or Treat day today, 31st October, and what a pleasant surprise we had at the gym........

Made me think....am I tricking myself when I'm training, or am I treating myself when I'm training.

Good news is that I finally got rid of Telkom internet and am using iburst and hopefully more news and pics will be forthcoming.

A reminder of Sunday's hill training starting at the gym at 7am. Only 4km and only for an hour. Hope to see you on Sunday. As always, coffee and muffins afterwards.

Results of the time trials will be on the blog within days, as well as other news.

Keep blogging in.

94.7 Hospitality

WONDERFUL NEWS!

We have booked a hospitality area for the 94.7 Cycle Challenge, thanks to an anonymous sponsor. This means we will have our very own Bulla area at the end with shade, tables and chairs. To make things even better, we will order food platters and a selection of beers and soft drinks for the Bulla riders at a cost of R50 per person.
If you would like to take part in the eating and drinking afterwards, please put your name on the list at the gym and pay your R50 before 26 October.
If you would rather do your own food and drink, you are still very welcome to join us at the hospitality area. Just a point to ponder: all food and drinks consumed in the hospitality area must be from the food stalls at the event. We are unfortunately not allowed to bring our own cooler boxes with food and drinks.
All family and friends who would like to welcome you back after the ride are also welcome to join us at the Bulla area. Just pay R50 per person for family and friends to also take part in the food and drinks afterwards. All must be paid before 26 October.

Summer Season
The summer season is here and with that a full gym again. Please make sure about your bookings so we can ensure a bike for you at your class. If you have to cancel a class, please cancel 6 hours before your class so we can give your bike to someone else if you can’t make it. Classes not canceled in time will be charged for.

Short October Break
The gym will be closed for one week only: 8-12 October. All classes will run normally from15 October.

Training programme

30 September: Time Trial

14 October: Vodacom Classic Race

21 October: Time Trial

27 October: Telkom Race

28 October: Hill training

4 November: Hill training

11 November: Bakwena Race

18 November: 94.7 !

September Racing

The racing season has really started with a bang. For many of us it is of course training rides for the 94.7 and Argus.

The Dome 2 Dome race of last week was a real tester of 116km and many a cyclist called it "Valley of a 1000 hills". The overall climb was 1240m. Hills, hills and more hills and throw in a howling wind, especially the last 20km when we had to turn into the wind, made every one's time take a dip. A lot of effort has gone into planning a new route, taking us past and through the Kromdraai area near Krugersdorp. Quite scenic and most of the cyclists I spoke to afterwards did indeed see the two rhino grazing on one of the game farms. Also the partial road closure of the busier intersections made it a worthwhile ride.

Dischem Vitathion 97 km ride with an overall climb of 1160m was tough with quite a strong wind blowing.What really made this ride a hair raiser was the continuous climb of over 400m over the last 40km. Looking at the results, it showed about 40 DNF riders. We had a glorious time afterwards, sharing our stories of how tough it really was out there, having our beers and Boerie rolls and by the time we said our good byes everyone was in a chirpier mood and will ride again.

Sunday 30 September brings us to our time trial out on the Boschkop road. We will be starting at 8am. We have a professional time keeper so come out in force. The route is fairly flat with a hill or two. We will be set off a minute apart and no drafting will be allowed. Slower riders starting first and the faster riders last so we all can have breakfast together at Kitty Hawk. RSVP by Friday so we can organise breakfast, ok.

Have fun! See you in the gym or out on the road!

The First Hill Training

So we started with the training programme, bright and early..............

I mean at 8 o'clock. Lovely cool air, not too hot.

I interviewed some of the riders before the hill and I think their facial expressions said it all. Not too sure, I dunno, will have to see, this is serious stuff, my legs are gonna feel it, I'm already tired......

We swung round the corner, pumped up the short hill, lungs burning, little bit of a breather, another short hill, not too serious, flying downhill, another corner, climbing at a steady pace, Phew, at the top, easy going, downhill and back at the gym, 4.7km in all! Some did 4 laps, some 5 and some 6 in one hour. It was enjoyable, not too tough, good training, will do it again were some of the comments afterwards.

And then the coffee and muffins and juice and the talk. How we will do it next time, harder and more. We had fun! Hope to see you next time.

PS. Remember to ask Janine about her legs.........