In the beginning …
And so, it begins. The long process of getting ready – a series of challenges even before the race begins.We have our press invitation, permission to ride as a Times team, and, today, Andy Keys showed us his design for a cycling jersey (see below) – there is no going back, we are on our way, our journey has begun.
Part one is the preparation, and mostly, when I think about it, that is the harder part – more difficult than the race itself. This section takes six months, while the race itself takes only eight days. Only!
This part is about the training, especially during the winter months, booking flights, organising leave, getting all the right kit and, most important, making sure our bikes are right. Eight days and 960km on an uncomfortable saddle does not bear thinking about. So that takes us to the big decision: hardtail or full suspension?
Plus, all along the way, there will be the task of placating spouses who will not be accompanying us to South Africa, finding ways to make up for all the time that they will be alone, left (in Paul’s case, quite literally) holding the baby. Also, we have to make sure that we keep on working as usual, and don’t piss off our employer by taking too many liberties (if, indeed, we take any at all).
Finally, and by no means least, there is the task of keeping a record of our adventure – the training and the race – which probably more than our participation itself, is our reason for all this madness. I could say that we are undertaking this journey to explore our inner selves, to push our bodies and spirits to the limit, to travel into the great unknown. But, in short, we wouldn’t be riding the Absa Cape Epic if we weren’t writing about it, and photographing it, for The Times, for the organisers, and lastly, but no means least, for ourselves.
