Monday, September 27, 2010

We're here to Share

A lot of people can't believe it when I tell them that Kim join me on my long bike sessions but not on the bike but driving behind me.

After my experience Saturday and seeing the newspaper headline this morning about another cyclist that got killed over the weekend I am so glad and thankful for having a wife that's prepared to do it.


I guess this debate or rage between motorist and cyclist sharing the road will never end and even if you do whatever possible and obey the rules there will always be someone ignoring the rules.

During Saturday's ride I decided to train on a road I never used before, the road between the towns of Ogies and Witbank as they resurfaced the road recently and I thought it will be OK to train on.

How wrong was I, first of all the road surface was left rough and they didn't finish the tar to be smooth. My bike was shaking so badly that the one "bomb" rattled out of the holder on the rear of the bike and Secondly the drivers was just reckless, especially the truck drivers.


Even with Kim driving behind me they showed no respect and that was with her driving in the yellow lane section and with two wheels off the tar. One disadvantage of living in a city surrounded my coal mines, lot of trucks on the road.

This picture is one of the few truck that gave us some space but when another truck pushed Kim of the road, we called it a day. I didn't know this at that moment but it was weired when the truck drove by so close to me as Kim was driving behind me as this could not have been possible.


I decided to stop and the first words that came from Kim mouth was: "I am really scared, this is a sh!t road" and that's when we decided to load the bike in the car and we drove to another section I am familiar with, where I finished my bike session.


My brick run session was then done as I finished my bike session close to the Steel factory. I must say running at 1pm while being out there with just the Steel factory in the distance it reminded me of running at the Energy Lab in Kona, hot and lonely!



Apart from the truck incidents I had a great session, averaging 35.9km/h on the bike and 4:21min/km on the run.


Sunday I had an 1 hour run and this also went great averaging 4:42min/km.

Today was a rest day before I have another three days of hard training and then it will be an easy Friday and Saturday before Sunday's race.

Below is some pictures of us having a BBQ on Friday as it was a public holiday, Heritage Day but also know as BBQ day to welcome Summer.


DJ is also attending a week long Dance training camp during this week long school holiday which started last week Friday on the public holiday. Her knees are blue from all the dancing but she's enjoying it and don't mention the word "stop" to her.

5 comments:

  1. Holy cow! Your daughter's knees look worse than any running injury I have ever had! Small price to pay I guess?

    That is really awesome that you have your wife as a team-mate like that. We hate riding our bikes with the idiot drivers around us. Stay safe out there!

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  2. J, what a great person Kim is. True love and partnership. Too bad the roads and drivers are so bad. The upside is everyone must think you're a pro with your entourage following you. Great run time.

    B

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  3. Matty O
    Yes DJ is really dtermined to become a great dancer, and won't stop before she achieve that.
    Thanks Kim is really awesome and I appreciate it.

    B
    Really bad roads but I guess every person has their own roadblocks during training. Ah never thought of that, looking like a Pro, haha

    J

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  4. I love that Kim will drive behind you, that is one good wife. DJ's knees!! oh my gosh!

    I know you are happy that summer is coming there but I'm sad that winter is on it's way here. Hopefully we have lots of good fall weather before the snow starts.

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  5. Dude you are so lucky to have Kim to be with you on your long training rides!! i cant even get the fam to come watch me run the marathon which passes within 3 miles from our house!

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