After taking six weeks off following my race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on 13 October, my 2014 season began (once again back in South Africa) on 26 November with two days of riding in Cape Town. The Amashova, my final race, was a good one:
This season should be a good one, with a half marathon in January, the Cape Argus Classic bike race in Cape Town in March, the NYC Triathlon in August and the NYC Marathon in November. In addition, I’m doing some long multi-day bike rides in South Africa during the week before the Argus and cycling in the Big Bend in late March and early April. Then, I’ll be back in Upstate New York doing the Bon Ton Roulet in late July, just before the triathlon.
But, to start off the season I flew into Cape Town from the UNFCCC COP19 climate change negotiations that ended on 23 November. My rental bike was supposed to be all set up and delivered by Complete Cyclist in Hout Bay to the Brightwater Lodge on Saturday afternoon, but like so many things in South Africa the intention was there but there was something lacking in the follow-through. Desmond, the cycle shop owner explained to me that he had left instructions for the bike to be delivered on Saturday but the person responsible hadn’t been.. well, responsible. So, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon after a long plane trip from Warsaw through Munich to Cape Town, I had no bike to ride.
But, the next day the cycle shop organized my carbon fiber Specialized Allez and I got in the first ride of the new season:
Above is the view down into Simons Town from Red Hill Road
Chapman’s Peak road was closed due to some heavy rains two weeks before and so I had to improvise in the routing… up over the Constantia Nek, south down the valley and up over Ou Kaapsie Weg (above) and then down through Misty Cliffs, over Red Hill Road and down into Simons Town. From there up along Boyes Drive and back through Constantia and into Hout Bay.
On Tuesday morning I met up with Marc Dhalluin and Simon, two friends of Rick Taylor (who was in Rwanda and not around for a ride) for a quick spin up and over Suikerbossie and into Cape Town.
Seemed fitting to end the season in South Africa and then begin it again there six weeks later.
I’m still looking for a coach for the season… hoping to find one in the next week or so. My training schedule is so chaotic, with so much travel and so many different events this year (running, cycling and triathlon) that no cookie-cutter pre-programmed training plan works. I need someone who can tailor workouts that take into consideration all of these factors.
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