Not an Australian car park 
 
Traveling internationally for a competitive event is a whole new game; in summary; it is pretty challenging!! Recently a friend of mine was assessed as to her fit as a pro cyclist and I suddenly understood why a large part of the process was testing for “resilience” (waking them up at 2am; throwing constant curve balls at them; seeing how they coped with unexpected and unplanned disorder etc).

Competing in the Sani2C three day stage event pales into insignificance compared with the demands on a pro cyclist; however there were many parallels! There was enough pressure leading up to the event just in finding the time to do “the right” training with the demands of a full-time job.

Then there was the fact that airline weight restrictions are massive; a 30kg allowance when my bike and bag weigh nearly 20kg’s combined!! Packing with such a “minimalist” mind-set was a new experience and I now cannot wait to wear a different pair of jeans and t-shirt!!

The pre-planning logistical arrangements are significant and arriving at the South African airport after a long flight from Sydney to find the hire car too small to take my bike was another of those unexpected curve balls! Add major jetlag (and I need sleep; lots of it!!) to my first experience of load-shedding (where a city’s electricity is turned off for a few hours) to mega traffic congestion (when it takes 2 hours to travel just 3km’s!!) plus the Johannesburg hijack-fear; to the extreme difficulty of finding a safe place to “turn the legs” pre-race plus a broken bike ……. Eish!!! … I began to lose it!!!!

Larri finds a large bike box – with wheels 
 There are plenty of other anxieties playing on your mind leading up to the event. For instance, not getting sick is a major!! There were a few strange looks as I put my bird-flu mask on the train traveling to work. (At least it meant no-one sat next to me and I had the seat to myself! Ha Ha!!)

Another major factor to consider is your ride partner as “compatibility” (on all levels – physical, mental, emotional etc) can make or break the event. And in my/our case, Derek and I didn’t know each other; we met at registration the day before the race!!!! In a brief conversation over the phone I believe we both adjusted our expectations to be flexible; to “just enjoy the journey” (or should I say ride) regardless. However it didn’t take long for Derek’s sense of humour to come to the fore and I realized we just might make a successful partnership!

The three days of racing flew by; the event organizers had everything arranged like clockwork allowing the participants to just focus on the race itself and be in the moment!! It was quite amazing – there was food and drink available at any time of day in the camp-hub with social tent-lounges spread with cushions and the benefits of massage, bike cleaning and mechanical services on-tap with WiFi connection (we were in the middle of nowhere!!)

What will I especially recall from this event?

It will be the comradeship; the connections you make with others during the event; the laughter as the day’s events were recalled over a social meal; the humour that always seems to come with such experiences; the beautiful scenery; the smell of Africa – the rural community tracks; African bird calls (just for starters)

Africa up close 
 

And I cannot complete this without mentioning my sincere and genuine appreciation for “getting it right” as far as ride partner went. It was a “make or break” risk which, if it went wrong, could have destroyed all that significant race-investment. Someone was looking after me as I found a complete gem in Derek! He is a true leader and that was one massive “Difference-Maker”. Thanks Universe!!

In the last few years I have realized that if you don’t LIVE life (consciously), it passes you by and hence this event was a Bucket-List item for me; a Big Thing!! I will treasure and value the experience and its memories forever; I have definitely lived!!

Larri Wallbridge
Sydney Australia