Teresa Coetzee is a lifestyle journalist for the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld and is currently taking part in the Old Mutual joBerg2c mountain bike race. She shares her experiences with us after the second day of the event.
Photo: Kelvin Trautman
So here we are in the Free State town of Reitz, at the end of the second day of the 2014 Old Mutual JoBerg2C.
When the hustle started in the tented village at around five this morning, I thought we were going to freeze to death in the frosty conditions that greeted us.
It is at times like these that you realise that mountain biking is not just about the technical aspects, hills and distances.
Sometimes just mounting your bike can be equally as challenging – and this morning the cold was the trending topic around camp.
When we started at seven in Frankfort, my Garmin claimed it was a paltry one degree Celsius and, a few kilos later when we crossed the Vaal River, it was minus one!
The sun came to our rescue at about nine and from then on the day was great fun.
We rode some of the best single-track and the hills were not too long or steep. Sometimes the wind was a little tricky, but by this time we all knew to stick to the safety of the bunches.
It really was some of the best 91 kilometers I did in a long time – especially with the blooming Kosmos flowers around us most of the day.
We went through the most remote farms and the wolf sanctuary at the end was definitely a highlight. Lulu and I stopped to admire these incredibly beautiful animals.
As far as the waterpoints were concerned, the people of the Free State certainly outdid themselves and the first two were especially amazing. The menu included boerewors, potatoes and more koeksisters than I have ever seen in one place.
I had such a warm and fuzzy feeling when we reached the first waterpoint to the distinctive sounds of boeremusiek. I felt like grabbing the nearest guy for a dance right there in the dirt road!
My riding partner, Lulu, and I was initially a little worried about the fact that this year’s Old Mutual joBerg2c was an unmarked race, but my Garmin has not let me down yet and I’m actually finding the navigational aspect quite exciting.
I can only look back on an incredible day!
Follow Teresa Coetzee on Twitter: @teresacoetzee.
