Day 5: At the sea

There is nothing nicer than to have a set of wheels with you when on holiday. Hop on for a long slow ride ...or a shorter one. Had to stop to watch the surfers. Mmmm, bikes, sea, wind, surfers....that's a good life.

Day 4: Re-Cycle

What do you do with your old bike? Do you keep it as a reminder of all the good rides you had, do you sell it, or do you recycle it? If you recycle your bike, what would you recycle it to? Spare parts or a work of art?

Day 3: Through the forests

Sorry to everyone who waited patiently for Day 3's picture to be loaded. It was the mischievous Blogger.com having a bit of a problem, but, here is Day 3 then.
I love riding through forests, to hear the trees sighing softly, leaves rustling. It is as if the volume button of the world is turned down a notch. Vote for Day 3 if you like it and any other day which takes your fancy.

Day 2: To the top

The nicest feeling when you get to the top of the mountain with heart pounding, lungs burning and shaky legs. Of course the downhill is exhilarating! So don't stop till you get to the top.

Day 1 of 31 odd days of cycling pictures

I always wanted a different kind of water bottle on my bike. With my wine drinking skills I think this one should suite me just fine. Vote for day 1 if you like this picture the most.....ok, ok, wait for day 2, 3 and the rest. You can also leave some interesting comment of your own or a picture to compliment this one.

It's our Birthday!

Well, in the month of April, 13 years ago, the Bullamakanka (Bulla for short) Gym was born. Here is the story, more or less. Please be reminded that I'm now 13 years older too and might have some of the facts and details a bit mixed up or muddled.

In 1998, when Spinning was still new in SA, Bullamakanka Spinning opened its doors with 4 spinning bikes and a few friends wanting to get fit. It soon proofed to be a popular exercise and 6 spinning bikes were added to the gym. At that stage it was just a double garage with a painted cement floor, which we changed the colour of a couple of times.

Believe it or not, but the music was still tapes, those funny thin plastic things with two holes and running wheels on the inside. We ended up a couple of times with frustrated instructors reeling off strange words as they were reeling off the curled and knotted ribbon tape.

As times changed the music changed and so did the instructors. My two children, Silke and Andreas, were instructors here at the opening and for a few more years. In the beginning of 2003, Celeste, my cycling buddy, became an instructor here. Zoe took over from Silke towards the end of 2004 at a fun filled night here at the gym. It was Good Byes and Welcomes all in one. Celeste left for the USA and in her place we had Paul who also left for USA, Australia or Canada, one of those far away places. A long legged blond beauty, Henrietta, with the softest heart filled Paul’s place. After Henrietta came Carna and Abrie, a wife/husband team and in the wings, always ready to help out, was Sari.

In 2004 I went for a BOSU ball course and 7 balls were added to the gym. In 2006, three more spinning bikes were added. With the balls came core strength and mats and this year we started with Boot Camp Ball Classes and weighted balls, skipping ropes and elastic bands were added to the “torture camp”.

People have come and gone but a couple have stayed. Ansa was one of our first clients and she is still attending. Francois arrived here in 2001. Debbie and Joseph almost the same time, and they are still here. Sorette, Stefan, Michelle, Andre, Kris, Mario, Amanda, Sari, Martie, Karin, Margie and Maggie have all been here for many years and are truly the core of the gym, with many new faces being added to that core. Through the help of Rodney, the gym was transformed in 2008 to the place we have today.

Now, to celebrate this great event I will post some cycling pics on the blog for the next 31 days or so. Please vote for the best pic!

Come ride with me

For those in the fortunate position to have a bicycle, here are a few exciting events taking place this year.

24h Southern Skies

Mountain biking: This is a 24h relay event of 7km, starting at 12noon on the Saturday and ending 12noon on the Sunday of 16-17 April. It is all happening at Parys in the Free State and an ideal event for beginner cyclists. Most of you spinning here should be able to do a 7km lap.

Teams can be made up of up to 7 members per team, or less. The start is a Le Mans start meaning the team member will have to run to his/her bike, jump on and start cycling…. don’t worry it is a very short run of only about 50m. After every lap the baton (timing chip) will be handed over to the next team member to do the next lap. This is also a very nice event to find out what night riding is all about.

For the more serious there is also a 24h solo event.

Entry fees R950/team or R280/solo rider. This event can be turned into a whole family affair, as camping facilities are available. So get your team together, maybe family against family, or 6am class against the 6pm class, or just one Bulla team taking on all the other teams. If you would like to take part, please put your name down so we can put teams together.

More info on http://www.ride.co.za/

Kremetart 4-stage race

Road cycling: This is a 4-stage road cycling event on Saturday 4 June at Makhado Louis Trichardt. The first stage starts in the center of town, climbing out on the Soutpansberg Mountain for about 11km. A very fast down is waiting on the other side of the mountain as well as two very dark tunnels where you would have to race through. After about 52km you arrive at the first stop where they provide breakfast.


At the start of Stage 2, everyone lines up for an exact replica of the start line-up of stage 1…see you’re scratching your head here. If you’ve started in Bunch A at Stage 1, you will start every stage in Bunch A, ok. After about 48km you will arrive at the lunch stop where you will be provided with lunch.

Stage 3 starts after lunch at around 1’o clock. After about 53km you will arrive at the tea stop where you will be given a packet with sweets and cookies and other things nice.

Stage 4 starts around 4 o’clock and after about 22km you will be racing through the town towards the end. At the end waits a fantastic potjie and ice-cold beer.

This event is fantastically organised and is called the Argus of the north. Something else special about this event is that a spectator bus is organised which follows the cyclists all the way. So if you have family who would like to watch your progress, let them hop on the bus and meet you at the end of every stage. This is not a team event, and your accumulative times after every stage will be your final time for the event.

Entry fee R350 per rider for 175km and R160 for the shorter ride of 70km.


More info on http://www.kremetartcycling.co.za/ Just a word of warning. If you are planning to go, make sure you book accommodation well in advance, as space is always limited in small towns.


Trans Baviaans Marathon

Mountain biking: 240km of absolute fantastic scenery, going through the Baviaans Kloof. This is a team event of 2/3/or4 members per team. The event takes place on Saturday 13 August starting at 10:00 in the little karoo town of Willowmore and finishing at Jeffrey’s Bay. You have 24hours to complete the event, so night riding skills will be tested. At the different support stations, cyclists will be provided with food and drinks.

Entry fees: R2400 for 2-man team


R2800 for 3/ 4-man team.

Get your teams together and start training, as this is not for the faint hearted. Book accommodation early because space is very limited. Rodney is looking for a team member to do his 5th ride with, so please let me know if you want to ride.

More info on http://www.transbaviaans.co.za/