Almost time to depart

So, I had these great ideas about doing a blog post a week before I left but, time seems to have run away from me and I seem to be suffering from writers block so here is my attempt....

Why Belgium? Hmm... Well, why not. Belgium hosts the oldest of the cycling classics and is a country I have vague memories of from when I was 6 years old so it just seems right.

Why a big race instead of a touring / slow adventure? I don't have the answer. I think it had something to do with the influence of the person I am traveling with. I had never thought of doing a ride anywhere but in Africa but Andy took my sense of adventure and helped me expand on it and showing me thst food and adventure is not limited to SA and I think with my new fitness and drive, it was a good fit.

So what preparations did I have to do? Well, I had to get fit and start enjoying climbing. I now love climbing and oddly enough on Sunday Andy mentioned a climb he wanted me to do and I got a big smile on my face and got excited!! I couldn't wait. I felt like a kid on Christmas. I am perhaps not as strong or fit as I would like but... Are we ever happy with our fitness? I also had to adjust my mindset. I have become more focused and oddly it has affected my home life. I see that because I have to be more structured with my fitness, I have had to become more structured and organized at home. Personally, I feel I have grown as well. I am more positive and focused and I think I have learnt a lot about myself.

I have spent an insane amount of time over the last few months on my bike and have racked up more kms than I have done in ages. I have also met and become friends with some fantastic people.

The packing... A friend once said to me I have obsessive compulsive list disorder. It's true of this trip again. But the list saved me again because once a merry time ago, I went away and forgot my wallet at home. Think I have everything this time - and possibly a bit more. I have taken my favorite Gearup cycling bag and packed my stuff in it. It's not a big bag but it is my traveling bag so it adds a sense of comfort. Packing tip: get duplicates of shampoo, deo etc so you don't have to pack those last minute.

I also have Rex packed. Rex is my bunny who goes on all my adventures with me. A race is not an adventure without the bunny so he is with me. When the going gets tough in a race, its having Rex that can sometimes be the difference between laughing or feeling horrid. I know I am gonna rely on Rex on Saturday. Just hope I can get an extra stamp or 2 in his passport!

How about flying? I enjoy it. As a student, I loved flying in and out of George which is an insanely short runway surrounded by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other... In fact, for a 737 its the shortest distance it can land! Haven't flown in or out of Europe since I was 8 so don't know how I am gonna handle the length of the flight. Part of me thinks I am going to enjoy it since I usually settle in the second half of local flights, then part of me is worried about how well I am going to handle the long flight with not moving around a lot. This is the great unknown!

The funny or random thoughts in my brain are the best... We need to see the main cathedral in Brussels cause this is the host of 1 of 3 embarrassing stories from when I was 6 years old that I know of, so it will be cool to see this place. Then, I have these memories of what my aunt and uncles home looked like when I was there and I keep wondering just how much is spot on.

So, tomorrow Andy and I are off on this adventure... I can't wait!!!!! But, I know this would not be possible without some rocking friends who in their own small way have motivated me. I cannot forget my colleagues who are manning the fort whilst I am away. All the best guys!

Then, last but not least my family. Mom and Dad you are always there got victories and down days. I wouldn't be able to do this without you. Thank you. To Gareth and Danielle, thank you for playing driver for me. You are gonna be part of a road cycling first with my strava segments!!

Thank you to Jason and the team at Ballistic bike trading for the opportunity to ride for you guys!! I know I am racing for a winning team on an awesome bike! And in Decca kit which is made in Belgium (a factory which we fully intend on visiting)! Thanks for welcoming me into the Bryton family.

I know I have forgotten some people but I have writers block so sorry, but thank you

Next post will be from the road!

A Big Weekend in the Saddle

So this weekend was the last chance I could really test my fitness before I leave for Belgium and to be honest, I have been petrified of my fitness and lack thereof so this weekend was a good test.

Starting on Friday, I joined Graham, Francis and Daniel at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for a 1 loop ride. We ended up doing a really really nice ride around the reserve and I felt good - matching the attacks from the guys and ending the ride feeling I could have done more. Good sign. I had dinner plans so as tempting as a 2nd lap was, I needed to get in the kitchen and cook!

Saturday's ride was also a fairly short ride (80km) with the guys but the boys were feeling fresh and we did a lot of attacking so it was by no means an easy ride!! After leaving the guys, I went and found a few more hills and then enjoyed my afternoon of chilling and just being a human. Sunday, I took the day off to chill with friends and just had fun.

Then came Monday. The big test. I joined up with a friend who occasionally rides with me (Russell) and a Club Bryton USN rider from Heidelburg (Arno) and the 3 of us set off into the hills of Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for a 2 lap extravaganza of fun. The wind hit us and did not relent but we fought on like fierce warriors and we kept going on. My Ghost and I cruised up the hills and I felt strong. Arno and I did the extra loop and whilst on it we found a poor triathlete with gear issues so we stopped and assisted before continuing up the next hill and to where Russell was waiting for us. The next bit was rather uneventful with us passing a few others who had issues with their bikes (honestly think people were just hiding from that crazy wind). At the end of the loop I was feeling stronger than when I had when I started so after a bit of cold drink some chocolate and bottle refills, Arno and I set out on lap 2 whilst Russell loaded his bike and got ready to follow us for the lap. To make it fair on Arno who was on an mtb, I decided to slow myself down and ride a bit in the big chainring. Was kinda fun messing with my legs that way. We got over hill 1 successfully and a certain hill which scares me (where it was reported to me last year that someone was told to go down the climb to push me cause I was so slow) approached and I thought it could be fun to try see how far I could get riding in the big ring. So up I went, legs in a touch of pain but it felt good!! I got up quite easily, grabbed a coke from the car and waited for Arno but slowly we realized there was a problem and then came the news from others: he had chain issues. I saddled up and went down to find him to find my new friend walking with his chain in his hand. At the top we loaded his bike on the bike rack and Russ decided he would ride with me for a while so he got his bike off and got ready to ride. The next bit is kinda flat so we attacked each other a bit and had some fun. Fortunately the wind had also calmed down a bit so we were able to attack the downhills a bit more so that was awesome. Then came the climbing again and I decided to muck about again and just stay in the big ring. Russ rode with me for a fair bit and in fact past where I thought he would ride and eventually got in the car to be my support. I was alone. Me, my bike and my bunny.

Riding alone is like therapy and is actually really hard cause there is no excuse to ride slow. So... I kept on torturing myself. The one hill is a meanie and I plodded up, Russ and Arno came up in the car and blocked the wind for a while and I was able to focus on my climbing whilst they chirped me about being a monster and being insane. It was SORE!! So, I attacked. Kinda dumb considering I was the only one riding at that stage and I know my car is faster than my legs. But, it felt great to attack my legs. The last hill came kinda fast and I kept my mission of big ring up and kept riding. The top came and I felt GREAT. Legs felt like they could go on for a bit longer although they were sore.

Was happy with my ride and with my fitness. So, after a week and a bit of being grumpy about my riding I finally felt good again and think I am ready for my big race.

So what was the difference? Well, think my body needed a bit of tlc which I gave it last week and now it is running on all cylinders!! This week I am going to klap a bit of idt interval work to fine tune the engine and then do a nice fun climbing ride Saturday before slowly easing off to just spin the legs and get them ready for the big race. Race day in 19 days so 1 week left of hard work before the hardest work ever: rest.

Oh and we got the visas so its just Forex and packing. I can finally smell the trip.

"Its not about the bike" = Not true

So in my last post I mentioned my new bike, well I have now had a bit of time to bond with the bike and its WOW!! So, I thought I would do a bit of a review....

They say that its not about the bike and that its all about the rider and their training. I just learnt something over the last bit since I got the Ghost: thats rubbish!!! Its ALL about the bike.

The Bike:
Ghost Race Lector 20th

First impression:
Stunning sleek lines, awesomely light with paintwork that is simple yet striking.

The Specs:

The important bit - the ride:
1st ride out on it, I was having a bad ride and the bike made it look like a normal ride so I knew there was something special. Every pedal stroke results in direct power and a responsive reaction from the bike. The gearing is a bit of overkill for South African conditions but makes climbing hills WAY too easy!! No jokes, I am not a great climber but suddenly I can climb much more comfortably and find myself climbing more and more in the big chain ring (which puts people off a bit). On the flats, I find I can sprint a touch faster, although I find I have to increase my cadence - which is not a trainsmash cause I am riding faster and using less energy. On the downhills, I am way more comfortable! The longer top tube means I am able to stretch out a bit more which means less pain in my back and neck.

Downhill cornering is smooth and it responds when I apply breaks or turn it into a sharp corner. On uphills it is light and the gearing helps so its stupidly easy on the climbs. On attacks, it jumps when I jump so it is fun to attack friends!

Summary:
I always knew a carbon bike was nice and made a difference (you dont see Elite racers racing on Aluminium) and over the last few months I have been looking at various options and brands and at every turn I have found them to be over priced and the more affordable ones heavier than my Trek. Then one looks at the Ghost.... Pricewise, I doubt you are going to find a bike with these specs and this light and of course a bike in this price range with such quality workmanship.

I am riding a fair bit better lately and no matter what anyone says, its cause of the bike not because of my fitness!

Prepping for the race of a lifetime and a new adventure:

Last week I promised a great reveal:

I have formed a brand partnership with Ballistic Bike Trading! Ballistic Bike Trading, exclusive Importers and Distributors of Ghost Bikes, Bryton GPS, ESI Grips, HIRZL Gloves, Halo Headband, Chamois Butter, Buh Bump, Bike Medicine Ax-Lightness, Ass-Savers, Cratoni Helmets and Tyre Juice. These are all awesome products that I am sure you are going to be seeing a lot more of on my rides. (Check out my product review section for a review on the Bryton Rider gps device.)Especially since I have now acquired a Ghost road bike! Yes, Ghost have road bikes and they are amazing – in fact, if you are in the market for top range road bike at an affordable price, take a look at a Ghost! Seriously – just look at specs of the Ghost vs specs of other bikes…. I did. 

The partnership is an exciting one which I trust will be beneficial to both parties and look forward to the journey.

So a few months ago someone put a little idea in my head: go race in Europe. The initial idea was to go to France and do the Tour de France sportive since this year is the 100^th edition of the legendary race. But, when the sportive route was announced we decided it was too easy (I would only have gone if they had included one of the legendary climbs such as Alp de Huez which is a climb I have always wanted to this climb as it’s the classic Tour de France climb where Lance Armstrong gazed into the eyes of his competition and simply rode away to victory). And, the sportive stage was at the beginning of the tour whereas the pros are riding that stage on the second last day of the Tour so we would miss seeing them ride that stage. We looked at the other options like Giro di Italia and the various classics. We eventually decided on Belgium which is host to some pretty awesome races and after much back and forth, we settled on Liege Bastogne Liege and I decided to play it safe and just do the 155km vs the full 271km.

Despite the shorter distance, it still makes it significantly longer and harder than any of the South African races so it has meant I have had to get my fitness to a level above anything I have ever needed. I have been training my butt off!! Although life has been a pain and often impacted the training which is a pain but hey, life must go on and I am a load fitter than I have ever been.

With 1 month to go, I essentially have 2.5 weeks of hard work before I have to taper. Think tapering is going to kill me as I really don’t think I am ready for this. Its actually scary to think that in 1 month, we will be on a Turkish Airlines flight to Belgium.

At the moment, I have to juggle life, work (am swamped and not sure how I am going to get everything done), training, spending as much time with KD as I can, my new challenge with Ballistic Bike Trading and I have to start thinking of packing!! Am totally freaked out that I have to pack a week’s worth of stuff into a single medium sized bag and with the weather in Europe at the moment, it may prove to be interesting as to what I pack as its not just cycling kit but also off the bike stuff. And, I have to pack for the bush.

To my brother Gareth: not sure if you read my blog (doubt it) but here goes… On the day we drive to the farm, everytime I drive down to the farm and we go down the pass, I dream of riding down the escarpment into the Lowveld and would LOVE to ride it from the top (the top of the hill where mom had her accident) to Manoutsa but would accept just riding it from the tunnel to Manoutsa. I have a pretty shweet deal on the cards for either option. And a bonus offer as well. J I have no fear you are gonna stop and not request bribery – cause you are a rockstar brother.

I have done my fair share of cool adventures but this one is going to beat them all in scale as I have never had to think of suck great logistics! Fortunately for me, like all my adventures I have an awesome support team behind me. From Andy who is my adventure partner, to my folks and my family who are always there for me, my family in Belgium, to my awesome friends and last but not least my new brand partners.

I still have a lot to get sorted like getting my visa, getting new gloves (think I need new long finger ones so will be looking at Hirzl gloves since I have recently had issues with my short finger gloves in hot weather and am naturally nervous of wet weather and loosing grip). Also need to spend quality time on Casper my new Ghost to get used to it.

So, if I am quiet for a while, apologies! (Will be tweeting my heart out so find me there but promise to send news as often as I can.)

Exciting News!! (And a bit of a real blog post)

Going Somewhere Slowly has secured a brand partnership. This partner is the distributer of some leading cycling brands and we hope this will be a long lasting and fruitful partnership for both entities.

You may be wondering who the partner is but I am going to keep you in suspense for just a little longer until we have dotted the “i"s and crossed the “t”s. In the meantime, keep an eye on my Twitter feed for really obvious hints as to who it is.

You will soon be seeing an increase in activity under the product review section (1 review is actually almost ready to go up but am waiting for my thoughts after tonight’s long idt ride) and I am busy behind the scenes in the evening with  stuff for them.

In the meantime, I have a little bone to pick with companies and service…  On Saturday night I went to a well known Douglasdale restaurant and had a stunning pizza which was served by a non-existent waitress and there was no manager around or anyone asking if everything was ok. Then came the cherry on the top: being highly allergic to nuts I scoured the menu looking for a dessert I could safely eat and I settled with a rather nice sounding coffee meringue. When it came it looked amazing and I was already working out how many extra kms I would have to ride to work it off. Then I tasted it and I did not taste the decadent chocolate taste but rather the poison of almonds. I spat it all out, we called the manager who quite honestly could not have cared less if he tried. Long story short, I did not ride on Sunday but rather spent the day sick on the couch watching the Argus.

Now compare this to another interaction I had recently… my gps unit decided to give me a bit of issues and I tweeted about it’s issues and the distributer contacted me on Twitter and helped me out – even after I proved to be a fussy customer. In fact, they went above and beyond the call of customer service! So far that I cant stop yapping about how my Bryton kicks Garmin’s butt with technology and innovation. I mean, my warranty replacement unit even has a coaching function that beeps loudly when you are slacking off or are over doing it. LOVE IT!! Just think: this company could have shrugged their shoulders and just tried to fix software or whatever but they made sure I was able to ride and have my data. Thank you Jason and BrytonSA.

In a similar vein, I recently needed some training advice for my upcoming trip and well, who better to ask than someone who wins stuff so I emailed Andrew McLean of Cycle Lab. Being the owner of Cycle Lab Fourways and a celeb, he could have passed the buck and told me to google the answer or buy a book but rather he gave me solid advice and said I must come chat when I am next at the shop.

Lesson learnt by this interaction? Well, I will never set foot in Throbbing Strawberry again – even though their pizza is amazing. But, I will firmly support Ballistic Bike Trading and Bryton because they went above and beyond in service. As for cycling shops, I think I will definitely be taking the mountain bikes for their much needed service to Cycle Lab.

What can companies learn? Well: in these hard days of money being tight, its time to up the service to gain and retain customers or you are going to loose customers. And if you don’t think loosing 1 customer is too bad? Well, 1 customer tells 5 customers, those 5 tell another 5…. Then add social media and you are tickets and your competitors and those giving service will reap the rewards.

Enough blabbing for one day. Remember to keep an eye out for the upcoming brand partnership announcement!!!

Success

Success. People see it in so many different ways, they see it as different things. How do you see it? How do you attain it?

 7months ago I set out on a journey. I was seriously unfit and really wanted to get fitter than I had ever been. I was tired of feeling tired and tired of just being. I wanted to have reasons to celebrate and I think the success of my April trip really sparked something in me and I wanted to expand on it.

 Looking at it, I could have had 101 excuses not to accept my challenge but the problem is that excuses were too easy. Excuses are like giving up.

So, In June, I kind of started the journey by adjusting my eating habits to more healthier habits and and shifted my mindset.

The next step was training. This started in August with the start of the cycling season. I started training with a friend but soon I realized that my training methods were different to hers and more importantly, my attitude was different. I wanted to push, she wanted to chat. In fact, this friend got rather upset with me on a ride for pushing on the hills! But, I knew that the only way I was going to succeed at my goals was to push. My friend wanted to chat and get fit. This friend also hadn’t adjusted their mindset and sadly found a million excuses why she could not push. I could have used the exact same excuses but I chose to live instead.

So I kept pushing. Harder and harder, adding distance, pretending I liked climbing until I started loving climbs! Then I went even harder. It was insanely hard and there were days I could hardly pedal but I kept going.

94.7 came and I kept saying I wasn't going to make my goal. I made it. I succeeded and got a sub 3:30. Goal achieved. But I kept pushing. 24 -31 Dec there was a Strava 500km challenge and I pushed and did the 500km. Was so hard!! But, I succeeded.

 Then came a slightly different challenge that I set myself. I wanted to see how hard I could push myself. I put the main thrust of this in the previous blog post but my goal was to push just that bit harder. So, on Sunday I set out to attain an insane time. I didn’t tell anyone my actual goal and kept telling myself I was going to fail. For 102km I kept telling myself I was going too slow, I told myself I needed to get forward in the bunch. Then I lost the bunch and kept hammering the pedals. I pushed and pushed. I have never been so much pain!! My legs hurt and everything inside of me said stop. I kept going. Slowly but surely I caught the only other lady in front of me from my group and I kept pushing. The final turn came and I told her we need to sprint for the 1^st place in our group. She said she was too tired so I took advantage (sorry fellow rider) and upped the pace despite my own death-like feelings and I succeeded in taking 1^st place ladies in my group again. I then turned to my cellphone (my Bryton had died) and nearly cried. I had done it. I had actually gotten my sub 3!! I turned to my fellow lady rider and the guy with us and showed them we had done it. The 3 of us hugged and got quite emotional as for 3 of us, this was a 1^st. If I look at it now days later, I think that was the most emotional I have ever been after a race and I had other cyclists to share it with. I honestly and truly did not believe I would get that time and I did. Why? Am I insanely fit? No. I am just hard headed and stubborn with a hint of being a pessimist so could push myself harder than ever before.

 So, how does one get success? Well, although my successes are small in the greater scheme of things, they have taught me some lessons: firstly you need to have the right mindset and then put things in place to help you get there (in my case eating healthier and hanging around positive people), and then you have to push yourself. Once you think you are at your limits, push again and again. There are no limits.

Whatever your goal, keep pushing and you will be successful!

 Just want to thank Hammond Pole Attorneys and Cycle Nation for the beers and cold drinks after my recent races and to Lovemore from CycleLab for also always being there with an ice cold coke, water and a smile. You guys really make those last 10km of a race easier knowing that when I cross the line, I will be looked after.

Pain = Victory

Ok, so I have been tossing up what I wanted to blog about this week. I was going to write about nutrition but then I realized that nutrition is over rated. Yes, its important but there's one little thing that trumps it. You can have the best nutrition in the world and not perform. In fact, a couch potato on a diet playing Xbox could have better nutrition than you. But, they are not on the bike or running.

So what makes you different? The pain factor. Bicycling magazine recently had an article on pain and how one can push through pain. Its a great article so if you have the Jan issue, read it. If you don't then read on.. So, I read it and decided to do a teeny tiny experiment. I set off to hit the hills to see just how much pain I could inflict on myself and to see if I could switch off the pain receptors in my brain. I cruised to the base of the hill at an easy pace, then I hit the climb with everything I had and more! My legs seared with pain, my lungs ran out of air. I thought I was going to pass out and die. But, I didn't. Rather, I got a new personal best on the hill and did not die. I felt amazing. The rest of the ride was uneventful but I had proved my point - you can oush beyond what you think you can.

My next race was ok, I tried to push but did not succeed as I had hoped. Still got an awesome time and result but knew I could do better. So, my next race was the Dis-Chem Ride for Sight and this time I had a plan: I was going to rock this race. I headed out the start and was with the front guys but within 800m, I knew their pace was too insane so I sat up and waited for the bunch. (Interestingly I hold the Strava QOM for the start so I know I went all out.) I stuck to the front of F batch, helping when I felt like it but I worked on conserving energy. The bunch was going at a crazy pace!! I was really really scared that I could hang on. Someone in the batch said we covered the 1st 44km in 1hour. It was sore!!!! But, I somehow transferred the eina to energy and kept going. Then came the hills and i switched my Bryton to Heart Rate view and saw how much I could suffer. I set a goal of where I wanted my HR to be and i kept it there. I also marked a stronger climber and tried to stick on their wheel or ahead of them. Up the big Heidelberg climb, I tried to see how many people I could pass. One person commented that we were almost at the top.  In a psychopathic moment, I looked back at the hill we had just been up, looked down at my gearing and went "um, hill? I am still in my big blade!" Ja, I got chirped and told to go away... so I did I dropped a gear and cruised up the hill. The rest of the ride was the same: keep near the front of the batch. Then came the last 1km. I attacked. The bunch came with so it didn't work. I kept trying to get away to no avail. In the last 800m, I got boxed in, so dropped back and at 500m I attacked again, this time giving it all! I am not a sprinter but I went all out, and so did everyone else. It was so cool! A bunch of us in full Tour de France style sprinting mode. It was amazing and it didn't hurt. I had switched off pain and was fully focussed.

So, for 116km, I had managed to ignore pain and actually make myself suffer. Best part was that I have always worried about bonking if i went all out but I didn't. Instead, I learnt a valuable lesson: one can switch off the pain part of the brain and perform. New records, new feelings. At times I felt the pain, at other times my stats said I should be in pain but I wasn't. Weird.

Want proof I pushed harder than ever? Well, my time of 3:25 speaks for itself. Add the fact that I was 13th in my group and 1st lady in my group, I think I set a new level for, myself. I felt amazing!!

So, next time you are running or riding and you feel that feeling of pain, go harder. When the pain is intense,  up the pace, when you feel like you are going to die, just remember that those around you feel the same then keep going. Its not always the fittest who wins, its the one who can push harder and suffer longer.

Now: go out there and experiment in your own push pain to the back game!