Tour de Worcester

Here's a pic from the tour de Worcester that was held
on Saturday. The course was almost completely flat and there was very
little wind so it ended in a big bunch sprint. The only tricky section
was a 1.8km gravel section, which was really fun! This weekend coming I
am heading to Durbs for the Amashova. I am riding with the Pro's so it
is going to be a real tough one.

Selati

Neil, Pierre, and me

The last stretch (Solo)

So, writing a complete account of the Selati Tour has taken a lot longer than what it took to do the event, but eventually I am onto the final stage.

 

Waking up for the 7^th day was made slightly harder due to the late night thanks to the rugby.  As I write this the Boks are in the Semi final about to take on Argentina.  Lets hope they play the same way they did against the poms!

 

Ok back to the race… The day was off to a disappointing start with Neil having to abandon so close to the finish, but with an entire racing season ahead it was the wise move not to risk it.

 

The route was a superb one, with an easy start and then some biggish rolling hills towards the end.  It is amazing how ones body reacts to a hard week of riding.  On this the final day my legs felt completely fresh and better than they did all tour and it was nice to be apart of the racing.  Only the top 2 in the GC managed to get away just after the KOM.  I even found myself pushing the pace on the hills towards the end to get rid of some of the other riders. 

 

The finish was a hectic one as the last 300m were on a brick surface through the botanical gardens.  I managed to finish about 4^th in the sprint so ended up being 6^th overall for the stage.

 

I must say it was a relief to be finished but disappointing to think that 2 days after the finish and I would be back in the office!!

 

But what a tour, it was a great week and I must really thank Cape Storm for the opportunity, and Neil for making up the other half of Team Cape Storm.

 

I should be getting a cd of pics from Pierre this week so will post some of those soon.

Stage 6

Only 2 stages to go!

Well after the 35 degree heat that we experienced in the first 5 days the weather on stage 6 came as quite a shock. It was overcast and very chilly.

Getting to breakfast was made easy by hitching a lift from Andrew Maclean in his Porsche Cayenne, a very nice vehicle!

The stage for the penultimate day was just under 90km long with a nice drag back up to Graskop via the climb to God’s Window. I believe that the view from God’s Window is spectacular, I will have to take other peoples word because when we got there the mist was so thick that it was impossible to see further that 10m ahead.

Stupidly we thought, after the previous days, that the day was bound to warm so we didn’t take the prototype Stratos Jacket with us. What a mistake. Climbing God’s Window the temperature had dropped to only 12 degrees. Worst of all when Pierre came past in the car and we asked for the jackets he said he had given them to Tony Rominger and his buddy, the Astana manager, already!! Neil and I had worn these jackets at the start and played around with the “revolutionary new (REGISTERED) design that allows you to quickly unzip (one handed) and stow away your jacket sleeves whilst still riding - leaving you with a well fitted wind vest for warmer days” and must admit they are really cool jackets. It is just a pity we couldn’t test them on the way down God’s window ;-) Pierre did save us in the end and gave us the jackets he was wearing!

Unfortunately Neil was really struggling with his Achilles and was in a lot of pain and with the weather, making it to the finish was the day’s only goal.

Luckily the ride from Graskop was predominantly downhill and with the company of some of the vets and ladies (no we didn’t pace them, so stop shouting at us) we got to Sabie with an average speed just on 30km/h.

Once again we went for a massage. Neil booked a double session to see if he could get his Achilles right for the final day.

For the second time of the tour we were staying at a school. This time however the organisation was great and very comfortable.

Because most of the riders were scheduled to head back home soon after the final stage the main presentation was held at the supper after stage 6. Once again supper was awesome. After eating we moved towards the bar to watch SA take on England. A few beers were also allowed seeing there was only 1 stage left!

Only 1 stage to go! The final hurdle.

Cape Storm Sale

Sorry for the delay since the last entry, lucky the Selati trip was such a memorable one that I will be able to finish the entries for the last 2 stages with no problem!

But first……

Between now and when I wrote the last entry was the legendary Cape Storm Sale. What an event. As soon as news of the sale hits my inbox, my calendar gets a great big red mark on it. Myra and I were both super keen for the trip down to CS’s Wynberg store and not even a very late night of wine and sushi at a friend’s house was going to make us late for this one! We got there at 7:30am for the 8am opening and there was already a queue.

On entering you get given a huge plastic bag and the madness begins. Due to there being a limited quantity of each line the stategy I adopted the stategy of stuffing anything that I thought I might want into the bag and then try it on later. Well let me tell you by the end of the sale I was needing a second bag!! Prized items include a Spitfire jacket, that I am actually wearing now because summer still hasn’t reached Cape Town, and a pair of XA Pro 3D Salomon’s. Tim I hope you are jeleous.