The wheel still goes round....

So long time no blog. Still riding though, at least 4-5 times a week. Summer is on its way and it is warmer and lighter every day. Rough Riders morning rides have changed to summer times for the mid week rides - meeting at 04:40 in the dip. I have had some great weekend rides over the past 2 months - we have had a few rides out to the Big Red Barn by Irene and back (breakfast stop at the Barn), Heidelberg, Suikerbosrand and other great rides out to Sentrarand or sticking with the roadies (Apricot Tree 94,7 group training rides).

I also managed to get my wife back on her bike (which has tubeless tyres due the expertise of Sean Brown). We did a race a few weeks ago - 10km  but it is at least a start. We also went to Wattle Spring Trails MTB track and Linda had her first experience on riding over a floating bridge (she also got 3 QOM crowns on Strava :-) followed by Big Red Barn track the next weekend.

Linda coming out the forest

New floating bridge at Wattle Spring Trails

Heidleberg ride - Telkom Tower, Wimpy and headwind home 

Best breakfast in town at Have Java after a Sentrarand ride

Apricot Tree 94,7 training ride - Wayne, me and his outlaws

Start of the 10km TVL Galvanizers race

New bike and other stuff

I was incredibly lucky in the month of August to get my new frame which was a replacement for the one that broke on Sani 2 Sea stage race, earlier this year. Dragon Sports are really awesome and honoured the 5 year warranty on my Giant Anthem frame. After spraying my handlebars, crank and seat post, Paul at Procycles assembled the bike and it looked like a brand new bike. Awesomeness!!!!

2017 Giant Anthem X Advanced :-)

Taking my new bike for it's first ride (with a coffee and a sunrise) 

Last weekend I did the Transvaal Galvanisers MTB race. It was an incredible race -  really awesome flat and fast route. This meant that it was flat out the whole time and you don't have much time to rest.   Much better then last year which was an absolute mud fest. I did the 51km race in a time of 02:15 which I was pretty happy with as I am still in the winter coffee ride slumber. 

Before the race with Sean, Brian and Becky (photo taker) 

They made a few ramps for the race :-)

Near the end of the race riding with Darren

So after last weekend's race I decided that it was a great route and to go and do our weekend ride there. As most of the Benoni Rough Rider crew are out of town, I thought it would be almost a solo ride but I was joined by Von, Ian, Jeff, Mark and Juan. This turned out to be an awesome ride - it is so great to do new tracks with some incredible people and do a bit of adventuring thrown in. We managed to do over 70km and stopped for the compulsory coffee on the way home. I think this will be one of our new routes.  

Von, Ian and Jeff (Mark and Juan taking a leak in the background)

Jeff fixing a puncture (yes people still ride with tubes)

M&B at Carnival City Mall (first time for everything)

Racing against time.......

There are 2 meanings to the heading of this post: Firstly I am running out of time before my Berg & Bush stage race next month (need to up the training intensity) and secondly I have been riding with a younger version of me (my son Caiden). It has been a very diffferent month of riding as I have managed to spark some interest in my 13 year old son to ride with me on the weekends. We would ride out to the Benoni plots and stop for a coffee and a muffin before returning home (28km round trip). Awesome bonding time to spend with my son (with having 4 children it is sometimes difficult to spend individual time with one sibling). He even did a couple of races - the first was a 15km race which he did with his friend - whilst I did the 44km race (I came 22nd out of 90 riders) and the second was a 20km race which we did together. The latter was an awesome experience, we did the Witpoort Primary School MTB race out in the miellie fields near Bapsfontein. Really awesome to share the great outdoor experience with my son. Also it was an interesting start as it had to be delayed by 10 minutes so a herd of cows could pass down the road (and we had to pass the herd twice in the race). 

Caiden on our coffee ride

Caiden and his mate at the finish of the 15km race. 

The herd of cows obstacle that we encountered in our 20km race

Tired young man but still smiling

The idea was to then do a 35km race with my son but unfortunately we had our first summer rains and the route was extremely muddy so I did the race alone - Transvaal Galvanisers MTB race. It was a great race despite the conditions and it even had a floating bridge. I managed a respectable 23rd out of 85 entrants for the 50km race which was shortened to 37km because some of the route was unrideable. Few more weeks until my stage race experience in the Berg so time to bite the bullet and do some longer, harder and more technical rides. 

So there was water as well as mud...

As luck would have it...

I has been an exciting few weeks, I won a fabulous prize from Schwalbe (‏@SchwalbeZA) of 2 MTB tyres just by following them on Twitter and to be the lucky one to be picked as the winner!!!! The arrival of these tyres could not have come at a better time as the next ride after they arrived I slashed my tyre on some glass on our morning ride. Fortunately Wayne had a tube for me so I could put in a gator and the tube and finish the ride in one piece. My bike went in for a well deserved service and I had the components changed and front and rear shocks serviced. This cost more then my car service in the same week, but please don't tell my wife :-) 

My awesome winnings 

I have had a few great rides with my son and he is starting to love this sport and is always eager to go and ride on the weekends. I have entered him in for a 35km Transvaal Galvanisers MTB race in September so we have a goal to work towards to. 

Caiden at the Country Club riding under a peacock

Last weekend we join the Cycle Lab group for a fantastic ride out in south of Boksburg and doing part of the route for the race mentioned above in September. It was really awesome doing a new route for a change after slogging through our normal routes North East of Benoni for many years. There was a floating bridge that added a bit of adrenalin in the middle of the route also. Unfortunately Marco broke his rear derailer during the ride and we could not convert his bike to a single speed as the chain was twisted. We were about 15km away from home and took turns pushing/pulling him (Mark doing the majority of the work). Click here are the Strava stats of the ride... and click here for the Youtube video of the ride curtesy of Hanise. 

Hansie flying over the bridge

Sean breaking Marco's chain in an attempt to make it a single speed...

Marco walking through the ice cold water as his single speed was not working...