Die Burger Done!

It's true - I did it!

And I did it WELL! My best race ever - 98km in 4hours 28 - at least according to my time, I'm interested to see what the official time is for my race.

Me limping to get some coke (the legs were cramping by now!
And I got a medal - woo hoo!

Braveheart thought this was the finish - I'm in the back...
little did he know it was two km back! We just had to
collect medals now.

This whole weekend has seemed...what's the word I'm looking for? Idyllic. Perfect. In stark contrast to the season we've been in.

It started with Braveheart finding us somewhere to stay for the night so that I wouldn't have to ride half awake. (I love it when my husband thinks of me and loves me practically like this - I'm challenged though - do I too take the effort to love him practically?) He phoned Stellenbosch Toursism office, told them what we were after - something self catering, within a certain budget, close to the race, and then they did all the work! They phoned around and came back to us with two options which we chose from. Where we stayed was within walking distance to the start and finish - just awesome!

Stellenbosch - sigh, I am in love! We've always been told Franschoek is the place to go for romantic weekends and good food, and having been there a few times, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about, and the food is just way out of my league. I don't like paying an exorbitant amount for something that doesn't fill me up, no matter how many awards the chef has won! For me, Stellenbosch ranks as number one. The town itself is so beautiful - we walked the old part on Saturday afternoon - and my heart sang. Old buildings, oak lined avenues, the odd jacaranda tree, sidewalk cafes and restaurants. It was magical. And the best part? Having Braveheart all to myself...just me and him. It felt like we were newlyweds all over again!

I drove the route whilst Braveheart watched rugby on Saturday afternoon - I just had to visualize it in my head! And again, just blown away by the beauty of the vineyards and farmlands. The hills scared me a bit if I'm honest, but at least knowing what I would face helped me somewhat. Also, I didn't really pay attention to the scenery in the race - head on the bike ahead!

This mountain and I bonded!

The race itself. Bliss. Truly. By 0918 I had cycled 63km, my fastest speed ever. (Did you know Stellenbosch is actually only 63km away from my door? And I rode 98km - I am proud!). I rode alongside some great people and chatted with a number of cyclists I had never met - got to love this sport. The traffic police were on the ball, the marshalls superb. My chain played up splendidly, causing me to lose my pack and momentum fairly often, but hey! I did it! (and yes, I'm now going to send it in for a service!). Braveheart was waiting for me at the finish line, which promptly made me sob - think it was the sheer exhaustion!

And now dear folk, I'm off to bed!