Last ride of 2012

Yes we went out with a bang, with a tough last ride for 2012. This consisted of a +90km ride from Benoni to the TV mast at Heidelberg and back. We started off at a staggering pace averaging around 26km/h for the first 40km (yes it was pretty flat). Then we hit the hills at Heidelberg and had a slow spin up the hill to the TV mast. Coming back to Benoni was a different story as there was a strong headwind, severe heat (high of 35 degrees) and of course tired legs. We stumbled home with an average speed of  22km/h for the total ride. Garmin stats can be found by clicking on this link.

 

Awesome to be at the top - the view is amazing

 

Riding through the mine dumps in the heat...



Greg trying his best to sort out the creak in his seat post



South Africa is a beautiful country

So that is it for 2012 it has been a fantastic year, I have met so many new people, completed my first stage race (Sani2C) and have had some incredible experiences that will be cherished forever.

Here are my stats for 2012:

Distance: 7,578.48 km

Time: 361:17:05 h:m:s

Elevation Gain: 60,089 m

Avg Speed: 21.0 km/h

Avg HR: 141 bpm

Calories: 249,230 C

Bring on 2013 and many more happy kms in the saddle....

Muddy Modders

Great ride yesterday at Moderfontein Trails Mountain Bike Park with Greg and Adam - except for one section that was very muddy. Riding through thick black mud really perturbed me, as this was my first ride with new components on my bike. I just spent a small fortune on replacing my cassette and chain (wear and tear) and my big chain ring (one of the teeth was bent after hitting a rock on a ride last week). 'Modders' is always good to ride at, it is my favourite bike park, there were lots of new sections that I have not ridden before and it is a good work out. Adam was strong as ever and Greg is flying on his new bike. I bought a piece of land when going down one of the drop offs and I panicked and hit the brakes, this resulted in me going over the handle bars, landing really hard and winding myself proper.  



Greg dunking his bike to remove the mud



Adam with a cleaner bike after a quick rinse in the river



Today Greg and me went for a quick ride past the Sandpan, Dunblane and Serengeti Golf Estate. Great to be outdoors on this wonderful day. We saw lots on animals on this ride, a couple of spring rabbits, Guinea fowl and this lovely bullfrog pictured below. 

Staycation 2012

Firstly I would like to wish everyone reading this blog a fantastic Christmas and prosperous New Year!!

Well its that time of the year when I can take some time off work and spend some time with the family (yes my bikes are included in the collective of family). This year we are not going away on holiday but instead we are staying at home for a few weeks. It has been a great few days already and I have managed to go for a few rides on my staycation - 300km this week so far. 

My first few rides were on my road bike as we have been having so much rain and I really wanted to avoid the mud. I was fortunate enough to join Clint and the CycleLink group of road bikers for 2 awesome days riding. The first one was from Benoni to Heidelberg and back, this was a brisk 95km route that was really enjoyable. The second road ride was a different story, the plan was to ride from Benoni to Cresta but after blowing up on the first big hills I told Clint that I could make it to Cresta but was not sure I would make it back home. Clint being the awesome bloke he is, said we would turn around at ZooLake and he would ride back with me whilst the other 10 odd riders would carry on to Cresta. This was a hard ride, the hills really sapped what little energy I had and I finished the 83km with (851m ascent) at quite a slow average speed.

Today Marco and me went for a incredible mountain bike ride out in the farm lands. We avoided most of the mud and completed a nice 75km outride . The views were magnificent and the terrain was not too hard on us, so the pace was pretty good. Here's hoping for a few more rides like this one during the next 2 weeks.

Marco

Yours truly

Nothing better then a pit stop for an ice cold Coke

 

I can see clearly now....

There is another transition (pun intended) in  my cycling life with the purchase of my new awesome Rudy Project dark glasses. Yes I know they don't look very dark but they have prescription transition lenses that go darker in direct sunlight.

So today was my first ride with my new glasses and it was incredible, everything looked so crystal clear and the glasses do not mist up at all when you stop. Greg, Justin and me went for a ride out in the plots of Benoni - Sandpan, Railway track and then back via the side of Serengeti - here are the Garmin stats for the ride.  We did 70km, a little longer than what Justin wanted but he is strong and easily kept up with the 29ers. So that is almost 7000km riding for the year so far, I will be on leave soon so hopefully I will be able to sneak in a few more longer rides before the new year.