A typical day of a life of a cyclist!

In my previous blog I was updating on the African Cross Country (XC) Continental Champs down at the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve just outside Stellenbosch but as I was mostly writing on the racing, I clearly forgot to explain the part where 3 people was trying to lie down on a picnic mat but as Ryan was unfolding it, we saw it was actually in fact not a picnic mat but a beach for mat that was made for one person. Surprisingly we all manage to share it that includes me, Ryan Ellis and Hilton Frost aka Frosty. I'm talking here from "Behind the scenes of the African Champs) Now as we all know this area I'm living in is known as the "Little Karoo" so you might expect some dry areas as I mean there absolutely nothing but thanks to some vineyards etc, the place looks quite nice during the harvest times with all the green leaves etc but one thing is for sure, this place can be hot at times not even to mention over the weekend of racing at Jonkershoek. Now for those who have never been to Stellenbosch or Jonkershoek itself, you'll be surprised to see how dry it is. The forest makes this place looks nice but when you see the typical roads of a forest, you'll probably wet your pants when you see the rocky/technical sections.

For a person who never passed on bottles for a rider at a big event such as this one, it was definitely a new experience for me to be honest I had to stay focused for nearly than two hours and with the UCI watching you with every possible move, you were surely scared at times! With me walking up a mountain with a set of 29er wheels, a backpack and a cool bag with 7 water bottles, I had to think back to our practice run between me and Ryan to pass on the water bottles and to keep in mind lots of other things. Thanks to Evan van der Spuy another Team Jeep rider who was kind enough to keep me company for a few minutes and Team Contego's people was also kind enough to give me something to drink while I was waiting for Ryan to arrive.

Now for us sitting in front of the tv watch all these big international events, it does seem quite easy for us but then you see in the reality that the who's who of cycling is also in pain but they keep on turning those legs. In Ryan's case, he crashed two times but it didn't make him withdraw from the race, he was in so much pain but he kept on going and I was supporting him at the Feed/Technical Zone while my parents was cheering him on at the Start/Finish line.

This was my kit on race day.

Ryan's race number was 60 and if you saw someone coming out of the single track, I can surely spot Ryan easily!

Ryan is certainly very focused at this point!

 Ryan concentrating on the rocky single track!

Remember to check out Ryan Ellis,Brendon David, Evans van der Spuy and new rider Travis Walker on Team Jeeps website or follow them on twitter and facebook!

Hope you guys enjoy this!

Till next time!

Cheers
Yolande