We've done it!

We've done it! I mean the gym has done it! I mean Abri and Kie did it!

What??!!

They came 1st in the tandem race on the 35km lap race around the Union Buildings. Congratulations! To all of you who doesn't know, Abri is one of the spinning instructors here at the gym.

Talking about winning, or almost winning......so close for Robbie Hunter at the last stage of the Tour de France. He still came second in the sprinters jersey. To all the fans, Robbie Hunter will be at Cyclelab on 2nd August from about 9:00 to autograph a 1000 shirts at R100 a shirt. The money will go to a cycling development programme which will be run by Robbie Hunter.

The 9th of August is a public holiday, so no spinning classes because everyone I know is cycling the Carousel. You have entered, of course?

The Baviaans Mountain bike marathon is getting closer and the gym is sending a delegation down to be part of this news worthy event. Christo has strike it big in that he has been sponsored by a company to be part of their team. The other team is Bulla Team, Rodney, Gerda and Renzo with Elzet and Maggie as support. The gym will therefore be closed on 16 and 17 August as well as 20 and 21 August. We will however make up for the loss of classes by giving you a full report of the event as well as loads of pictures to drool over.

The weather is getting more favourable, meaning Spring is almost here. If you haven't done anything in the gym during the winter time it is now a perfect time to start training for the 94.7 or just to get fit and to live healthy.

Lots of news!

Lots of news with what is happening with Barlowworld team at the tour de France, our own ride at The Cradle and more news from the market place.

Firstly, isn't it just amazing to see Robbie Hunter and team managing podium finishes?! Wonderful to say the least.

To go back to our wonderful ride at The Cradle of Mankind, a wonderful ride with about 18 participants. Also a well deserved lunch at the end at The Teaspoon and Tankard. The weather was mild and we all set off at not too hectic a pace as we had to wait for a flat to be fixed at the start. And off we went, uphill! A clear break came between the roadies and mountain bikers. As hard as the mountain bikers peddled, the roadies still pulled away.

There were lots of hills to deal with, out of breath hills, not so long hills and koppies. We managed them all. Here Anthon and Ivin are dealing with the "out of breath" koppie

Janine doing the "smiling uphill"

And the beautiful winding, open road.

The support vehicle was an absolute blessing as we were helped with punctures, cramp pills, something to eat and just moral support all the way. We all agreed that the next ride is not to be missed.

A very interesting website has been brought under my attention by Silke. http://www.escapecycletours.com/. Would you like to go on a biking holiday? They have a really great holiday selection to choose from. 6 Days mountain biking from Knysna to Gordon's Bay. I liked the mountain biking on a Karoo farm, but to extend the holiday and go further to the coast at Port Elizabeth. Another amazing tour is a 3Night/4Day Baobab tour at Mapungubwe. Go to the new poll and tell us what you think, would you like to go on a cycling holiday. We might just organise something like that.

Now if you thought that the Baviaans Mountain bike Marathon is a challenge, go to http://www.freedomchallenge.org.za/ and see what that is all about. Just a short peep tells you about 2300km from Pietermaritzburg to Cape Town in 26 days. You have to carry all your stuff on your back. You only get a map to navigate, and you have to peddle, carry your bike, peddle, peddle and peddle. Go read the full story on http://www.cyclelab.co.za/ "Freedom Challenge Report" of Hannele Steyn Kotze who came 3rd overall in the race. Her story is about endurance, about a mind, about finding your deeper soul. Really amazing stuff. By the way, the Baviaans mountain bike route forms part of the freedom challenge route. Incredible! Go read it.

Next weekend is the Tshwane lap race around the Union Buildings. Hope you've entered!

In the Market Place

In my surfing on the Internet, I've found some weird and wonderful sites and thought it might be something different to share with you. Go see, go shop and tell me what you think. Maybe you have also sites that you think might be interesting to share.

Try this one if you would like to do a different kind of ride. "Ride the tide" they say, in other words, ride fast enough to be home and dry before the tide comes in. Go see http://www.wildride.co.za/. It is all happening on the Wild Coast-Transkei.

Illovo stands for sugar, but also for it seems like, looks like, a beautiful country ride. It is among the sugar plantations at the Eston Club in KZN. About 20min from Pietermaritzburg,just off the N3. It is all happening on the 5th Aug and not too late to enter. Remember the weather in KZN in August is marvelous, not cold. Looks like great fun, go try it or go look http://www.illovo.co.za/ Click on Mountain bike challenge.

How about this one:
http://www.nationalindoorrowingchallenge.com/ Wow! A mouth full. It is all happening on the 23 September and it looks like a mighty good event. If you don't want to participate, to just go and have a peep. If rowing is your other sport, the challenge is on!

I found the most amazingly little sunscreen wipes the other day at Bruce Reyneke Cycles. Absolutely handy little sachet. Tear it open and viola! your little sunscreen Factor 30 wipe inside. Wipe your face and all other sun-exposed parts. No more creams, oils or messy half used sunscreen bottles. Oh!Zone is the product name and it is from the Wellbeing Company. The website is http://www.zonerange.com/ but seems to be out of range.

A whole new range of sports wear has come onto the market and it really looks superb. It is smart designing, combined with technical fabrics which will definitely improve your performance. It is not a brand for all sports but concentrates on swim wear, cycling and triathlon wear. Good bye to the baggy cycling shirts and not so nicely fitting shorts. Go try, go see, go shop at http://www.slick.co.za/.

An Internet sport site just for girls. The site was developed by Kass Naidoo and her husband Ryk Meiring. Kass, Kass, Kass, I hear you saying. Yes, Kass the woman cricket commentator, awards handing overer, man of the match announcer. Aaah, that Kass. Go woman, go sport, go http://www.gsport.co.za/. The site will be one year old in September with their first sport's woman of the year award, I think coming up in August.

Well that is it for now. Let me know of any other, site sport wise or otherwise you think is worth looking into.

Central Gauteng Cycling

Just to go back a few paces-For the last race we entered (The Winter Challenge), we all had to pay in an extra R30 for a temporary licence so we could participate in the cycle race. Now we all know that is the way it works when you're a runner. But, we are not runners and therefore it came as a nasty shock to us all to have to pay up, when we thought we have paid up!

It didn't come as a pre-warning, no, just slam bang, pay or no ride!

So I have done some homework and this is what I've found:

"To monitor and manage cyclists in Gauteng all cyclists need to be licensed to participate in all sanctioned events, such as the Pick n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge as from January 2007. The following licences are valid for entry into any sanctioned events and are available as stated.

Temporary Licenses will be issued to cyclists by Central Gauteng Cycling who wish to participate on an ad hoc basis in sanctioned events. A Temporary Licence holder may be seeded in the event based on their seeding index. Only TWO Temporary Licenses will be issued to any cyclist during the course of the year. The cost of a temporary license is R. 30.00 and once again please contact Gail Heuvel at 011 707-2734."

Download a full copy of the letter here.

It looks like we will have to pay up and I think pay up before the race would be the better option, otherwise we will have to stand in queues at race registration and fill in forms and pay up then. As they do mention the 94.7, pay up now. By the way, the end of 94.7 will be again at the Equestrian Estate, meaning we will end with an uphill again and race registration is again at Sandton Convention centre. OOHH NOOO! You do remember last year when everyone quickly left the office to go register, just to find them hours later still on the escalators leading into the registration hall. Maybe they will still change it, but check the latest on www.highveld.co.za

Gauteng North Cycling is yet to say anything or something. Try not to go to their website as I think the last entry has been made in 2005. Let sleeping dogs lie.

The Middle of Winter Ride

I think one can say that the 15th July is the middle of Winter. One and a half months before, brings one to the 1st June and one and half months after, brings one to end of August. How's that for shortening winter for you.

To shorten it even more and to bring a little spring into your step, we're organising a fun ride again. It is going to happen on Sunday 15th July, and you can decide how much riding you would like to do, about 30km or about 70km. The route is a very safe route with a broad yellow line to cycle in, and yellow bicycles painted on the road so as to warn motorists to keep out of our lane. To make it even safer we are having a sweeper vehicle traveling with us, to keep in touch with everyone and if you do, for some or other reason struggle a bit, the vehicle will be there for you to get on, or to get help from.

Where: At the Kromdraai area. We will park our cars at the entrance of the road leading to the Glenburn Lodge.

Time: We will be leaving at 8:30. If you're not sure how to get there, be at the gym by 7:30 and follow us.

Here is the map of the area. The cycling route is marked in orange.

We will be starting at nr C12on the map, which is the entrance of the road leading to Glenburn Lodge. We will then go in the direction of C11 and turn left at the T-junction. Follow this road all the way to the next T-junction, turn left again. Just past the Lion and Rhino park we will turn left again. You will now get to a circle. At the circle you can opt to do a longer route and turn right, or the shorter route and go straight on till you get to where you have parked your car.

The longer route will now go through Mulders Drift, under the N14 Highway bridge until you get to the M5 road. Turn left onto the M5 and keep on straight doing a second lap of the first part of the route. Here you have once again a choice of doing a shorter route by turning left at the Kromdraai turn off. For the die hards, keep going, you are now doing your second lap. Just after the Lion and Rhino park we will turn left and then at the circle go straight ahead to where we have parked the cars.

Sounds just like cycling and nothing else? Never, not when you go with Bulla. The best part is still to come. Nr C11 on the map is Pete-Z-Area restaurant where we will have a fantastic lunch and beers and lots of talks. Here you will be able to build your own pizza with a big enough selection of toppings to add and in whichever quantities you would like to add. They will bake it in their wood ovens and wheelbarrowed it to your table. Sounds good, doesn't it. Well it is definitely going to happen. I will have to make reservations at the restaurant for us so I will need to know by Friday 6th July if you are going or not. Don't think about it, just do it. It's going to be fun.

OK, so your family would like to join you for lunch but would like to skip the exercise part. Our cycling route forms part of the Crocodile Ramble in the Cradle of Humankind and there are tons to go to and see, from tea gardens, plant parks, crafts and art. So they can ramble around while you cycle and meet up with you for lunch. Sounds like a mighty good idea. http://www.theramble.co.za/ is the site to go to and check it all out.

It Was Tough!

The Winter Challenge

And so, once again, Bulla was out in full force to conquer the mighty Winter Challenge. And what a tough challenge it was.

The alarm went off at 5:45............damn, it was suppose to go off at 4:45. We were suppose to be on the road at 5:45, bikes packed and stacked on the trailer. So after running around like nuts, we left in record time. Because this was to be an unique event of 70km tar and 30km dirt, we had to get our Mountain bikes in the change over area before the start of the race. Decisions, decisions, long gloves, another pair of arm warmers, leg warmers, bare legs.... and we were off!

The course was hilly; rolling hills, long climbing hills, lung breakers and there were two laps of it. We made it, still feeling fairly strong, getting to the change over as quickly as possible. And there the other challenge started. Which way Douglas Green? No, no, walk over the lawn pushing your bike. You're not allowed to ride it yet. OK Mam, you've been ticked off our list, now please follow the others. Which others, where? I did manage to sort of find the start just to find myself later on a very narrow hiking trail going up a steep mountain with a vertical drop of a few hundred metres just to my right. No wonder they planted the first aid guys with stretchers and equipment there. Beautiful view but no time for the view because I forgot to pack my hiking boots and my mountain bike was definitely not made for walking, because it kept on shoving its pedals against my calf muscles. More climbing and dragging my bike, up and up.
The down was almost as bad and I decided to save myself from a good possibility of a fall and to rather walk the steep down as well, except my bike decided he would like to go for a gallop and I had to use every arm muscle to reel him in and keep him from flying downhill without me.
At last there came the time for getting on my bike and start cycling again. Except this time it was against the electric fence. One too many a stone and you might end up in a shocking state. At last we hit the tar road again, but is that where I wanted to be?
Confusion at the gate. Between waving marshals and cars leaving and spectators welcoming in there loved ones, I miraculously did find the start of the second lap. Yes, a second lap. Nobody told us, but here I was again dragging my bike up the mountain.
I did find the end, it was there where the timing mat was, and my medal and my friends waiting for me with cold beers, soft juicy lamb on a bread roll listening to their story of their race.
It was tough. I'm sure the organisers will sort out the mountain bike part. In all we had fun.

Some other news

• The Bulla shirts have been ordered and hopefully we will have them soon. Will keep you posted.
• The cheaper price on the 16:30 class is falling away from 1st July. You will still get your classes at a very good price. R220 for 11 classes.
• There is still time to enter for the Tshwane lap race around the Union Buildings.
• Remember your next booking is just a sms away.
• A new poll all about music. What is it that you listen to? Let us know, bring some Cd's and we will try to programme them into a class.
• Watch this space for news on an organised ride on Sunday 15 July. With sweep vehicle, beer and sandwiches.

The middlest day of the year

The middlest day of the year? Well almost! It happened so quickly. We were still talking about the Argus, and now we are already talking about the first preparations for the 94.7. In the meantime there are quite a few other things we could do during the bbbbbrrrrrr months to help keep our fitness at top levels.

For those who wanted to .... and was still thinking of ...... and was still wondering if, ......... you should enter for the Winter Challenge. Well, sad to say it is too late. By the time you read this, entries have closed. The Winter challenge is a brand new race combining road and dirt, either as an individual entry or as a team entry. I will put you in the picture after the event to tell you all about it, what it was like and if it is a worthwhile entry for next year. All happening on Sunday the 24th June. Ok, so you have missed out on one event, please don't let it happen again!

You only have one week left to enter for the 702 Walk the Talk! Go to http://www.702.co.za/ click on the Walk the Talk logo and enter. We were 11 people last year from the gym walking the 21km. Really good healthy fun we had throwing in a couple of beers afterwards, licking our wounds. There are different distances to enter for, so log on, enter and we'll see you there, on Sunday 22 July. In the 5 and 8km event you are allowed to take your dog along. At registration you will get a free dog collar, and lead and a sample of dog food, all sponsored by Royal Canin. So if you don't want to walk the long distance, but would rather have your dog doing the healthy bit, please enter now!

Is there anyone that would like to take Ruby for a walk?



Still more to do in July.

For those interested in Mountain biking, there is the Medscheme Walkerville event taking place on the 15th July. 70km only. They are talking of the "mother of all hills" and of "carrying your bike down". But then, I can tell you things like that, because we have no faint hearted people here in the gym. So log onto http://www.cyclelab.co.za/ and enter.

Then on the 29th July, the Tshwane -Outsurance lap race around the Union buildings is taking place. 35km for the shorter route and 77km for the longer event. What really makes this a stunning event is that the pros keep on passing you on the laps and you can have a glimpse of their power, speed and ability. Now that is so close at home, it is basically on your doorstep, and if you don't enter for that, I gather you are hibernating and not planning to do anything until Spring shows itself and a few extra rolls around the hips!
See you out there, if it is running, cycling or just walking. Just do it!

To all the Comrades in the gym, may it go well on D-Day!

Tip of the month: Just do it!