My goodness today was a tough day of bike riding. We had a generous 5km warm up before the climbing began. The Nuweberg was introduced very early into the day and it was fortunate that we were riding under a thick cloud cover as it made for very cool riding temperatures. There was one factor though, Hurricane Harry was visiting Grabouw and I don’t mean Tottenham’s inform striker! We were blown sideways, backwards and very rarely forwards. Every climb was into the teeth of the wind. After 40km we found ourselves riding through an enormous open fielded farm while climbing a single-track. A murderous wind was swirling with gusts that put our legs through power surges we had not planned for. One gust blew me a whole bike length sideways and off the jeep track I was riding on.
It was a day for gritting the teeth and working in tandem with your partner, each rider having to take a turn facing the wind head on. I am so grateful for Gavin’s contribution today because without his work at the front, we wouldn’t have finished in our 6:03. He was a powerhouse throughout and used his strength to combat the wind. It was a pleasing finish to an extremely tough day.
Early to bed tonight and ready for 128km to Worcester in the morning.
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