I got to the shop, about 10 minutes south of our home, in plenty of time, and at 6:30 was on my bike and ready to go. About 60 riders had gathered, and the lead organizer proceeded to give instructions as to where the different groups would meet. They have 3 rides: Long (100 k or 60 miles); Medium (60 K or 40 miles); and Short (40 K or 25 miles). And for each ride, they had 3 groups: fast, medium, and slow.
As it was my first time, I went with the Medium/Medium group. There were 15 of us, and by 6:45 we were heading further south, along the coast through Muizenberg, to Simonstown, and ultimately to the entrance to the Cape Point National Park –the southern most tip of Africa, known as the “Cape of Good Hope.” Here are a couple photos of the scenery. The photo on the left is an aerial view of Simonstown, the one on the right is the Cape of Good Hope:
As the dawn awakened, it turned out to be a brilliantly beautiful day. Clear skies, a little wind, beautiful sun. And the ride was stunning, hugging the coast as we headed south on a road very similar to Highway 1. Right along the coast were pods of Right Whales, playing in the bay. Along 
the road there were signs saying “Don’t feed the baboons,” though I didn’t see any out on the road begging. (It turns out, baboons are a huge problem here, similar to our bear problems in the national parks. However, these animals are really bright, and it turns out that they’ve figured out how to open up car doors in search of picnic baskets! Yogi bear with a humanoid-like brain, stealing picnic baskets!)It took us about 2 ½ hours to complete the 60 Ks. It was a fabulous ride, and I hung in there beautifully with the group, as the pace was perfect for me. I even was the pace-setter on the long climb up to the entrance to Cape Point National Park: not bad for the pudgy grey-haired American with the big belly! However, there was no red polka-dot jersey waiting for me that day. I guess you only get that when you ride with the “Long/Fast” group. I think I’ll stay with my “Medium/Mediums” for a while.
After the ride, everyone gathered at the bakery next to the club for coffee and breakfast, sharing escapades and planning the next outing. South Africans, at least those of means, are incredibly active. So, for those tri-athletes and extreme runner-racers out there, this is the place to be. Amazing scenery, and races happening every weekend somewhere.I was so psyched at the end of the day, that I went back and signed-up for the “Cape Argus,” a 109K (66 mile) bike race that happens on March 8. It is the largest “timed bike race” in the world, with 35,000 people entered. It is supposedly an awesome ride, along the coasts and over the mountains, with entertainment the entire way, and a great party at the end. Sounds fabulous. Here's a map of the route for the race. Wanna ride?
So, need to go get some training time in! Watch out Lance…
Blog ya later.
Seth./.
