Tour of Durban
Now that was brilliant.
Got there early in time to see the pro’s start and then waited my turn. The turnout was fantastic, each group having a few hundred people in. I was stuck in group 6, for unlicensed entries, which seemed to have the bulk of the riders in.
Once the gun went off, it took a while for everyone to get going and I knew I had to move through the dead wood to get out and catch the faster groups up ahead, who had left 10 minutes previously.
My race plan was simple: find a fast group and stick with them no matter what. Thankfully this happened rather early, and the group was shifting it from the get go. Average speed along the first stretch was 44 km/h. I felt amazing, earning keep at setting pace.
The big climb was the M7, a long stretch of good rolling hills and I knew I had to keep up front if I wanted to survive. Thankfully, the 1000+ kilometers of training really helped and I attacked it like a mad man, my breathing was calm and I felt out of this fucking world, the legs were spinning at around 90 cadence and I was enjoying it. Hill after hill, I was enjoying the climb and happily sat up front pushing the pace.
At the top, I was thanked for a good pull by one of the seasoned guys, which was a decent gesture. From there on it was fast, the descent saw me out front hitting 80 km/h, which on skinny wheels isn’t a gentle process. Once the downhill was out of the way, it was my old training ground and here I relished. Those hills that had caused so much pain in the start were now mine, every day I had attacked them and now my legs were ready. The groups pace was amazing, we averaged 36+ on the slight inclines and on the straights it was fast.
With 20 kilometers to go, a smallish group did the deed and I decided I was going with them. A big push on the legs and we were off, racing towards the finish. Caning it around the corner into the last 100 meters, I heard this almighty snap and then the sound of metal flying off with those behind shouting “fuck”. Turns out my Mavic rear wheel had decided to loose two spokes, as I was gunning the shit out of the bike. With the line in sight, I decided to just hammer it, bike wobbling all over the place and crossed the line.
From a personal point of view, I’m over the moon with my effort. The time is faster than I expected and I kept up with a fast group.
Started: 01 May 2011 7:10:54
Ride Time: 3:07:10
Distance: 106,87 km
Average Speed: 34,26 km/h
Fastest Speed: 79,32 km/h
Ascent: 509 meters
Descent: 527 meters
Calories: 3549
Now if you’ll excuse me, my legs and nether region are in need of some relaxation time.
