Zambia and pre-race (1 Zambia MTB 2018 training)

So I am still here in Zambia.  Wow what a great place to ride and have fun.

                               


I am here fixing bicycles, riding with friends and training for the upcoming stage race: 1Zambia.

My back yard.  What more can one ask for.

                         Crossing the river.





I have seen some of the country and ridden in awesome game reserves and having a really nice time.  Zambia has gotten under my skin.  I love it here, so green, so beautiful and the people are really friendly and hospitable.

So Thursday dawns and we head for the airport to Lusaka to join up with all the other riders who are competing and racing in the ultimate 1 Zambia, a 3 day mountain bike stage race that I have been waiting for with great excitement.

We arrive, register and find our tent in the race village and get all settled in for the morning, stage 1.  Bring it on.

The penny has dropped

I seem to be having a good cycling month!

Managed a top podium at the Eastern Cape provincial XCO # 3, then a win at the My Spar 2018 looks like everything is beginning to fall into place at long last and after a few years of cycling experience,  thinking I knew what to do and not listening to others, telling me what I should be doing.  The penny has dropped.  I decided to take someone's advice and do exactly what they said.

So armed with a new training programme, new diet and nutrition, I now have a new lease on my cycling, I am feeling positive and really strong.

This weekend I flew up to Zambia after being asked to compete in the Kansanshi Mine to Mine road race again.  This is such an awesome race and I was absolutely stoked to be invited back to race.

Met up with some of the other cyclists at the airport and flew into Zambia for the 140km gruelling road race which was being held on Sunday 20th May.  I was defending champion (no pressure 😉). 

I managed to take the win.  https://web.facebook.com/zambiaraces/

So it's now a rest day today for me, before more training and getting ready for the next race, 01 June - 03 June 2018, 1Zambia MTB, (a 3 day stage race with 250km of scenic terrain.   https://1zambiamtb.com/.  I cannot wait.

Our transport to Zambia

Morning coffee with friends

And we are off.