In his last blog before his 2015 Old Mutual joBerg2c adventure begins, Alistair Schorn contemplates the meaning of this mountain bike journey across South Africa. You can follow his quest on Confessions of a Weekend Warrior on In the Bunch.
Two days to go! By the time you read this, it will be less than 48 hours until it’s time to get on your bike.
I’ve had a rough few days of chasing clients and deadlines before I leave the office. It’s all part of the sacrifice to be able to do things like joBerg2c though, so I’m definitely not complaining.
Alistair Schorn contemplates the last-minute rush that goes hand in hand with a multiday stage race like the Old Mutual joBerg2c.
Rushing around the way I have been means that up to a day or so ago, I haven’t had much time to think about what lies ahead of us. Now however, as I’m moving towards finalising my packing and preparation, I’m starting to get really excited.
One of the things I’m most looking forward to is the opportunity to have a grown-up road trip holiday with my wife – without the kids. (That’s right, I confess, this time around I’ve chosen the easy option. My wife Jodie is driving the camper van for us).
Back in 2010, when I did the first joBerg2c, Jodie was pregnant with our son Ethan. She said to me that once he was born I needed to realise that stage races would be off the table for a few years.
She also said that if I agreed, when the kids were old enough, she would come along with me on a long stage race and drive a camper van for us. So now, five years later, I’m holding her to her word.
I hope she knows what she’s letting herself in for – being a non-cyclist living in mountain biking world for nine days straight . . .
On a more serious note though, I’ve also been thinking that we don’t always fully comprehend what a privilege it is to ride through such a huge swathe of our beautiful country (whatever the problems are that we face as a nation), and to experience things that the majority of our families, friends and acquaintances never get to see.
This week I’ve had the opportunity to find out a lot more about the impact that the event has on the communities along the route, including through the More Than Yourself initiative that has become such a feature of the joBerg2c.
Over the years, the race has made very tangible changes to the lives of a surprisingly large number of people, which is something that the organisers, sponsors and all the participants can be very proud of.
Apart from the three official causes supported by the joBerg2c (for more on these, check out the More Than Yourself page on the race website), there are any number of charities, projects and causes that people are riding in support of.
To my mind, it’s another very real privilege to be able to raise funds for causes that are close to our hearts by doing something that we love, in the form of riding our bikes for nine days.
See you on the start line on Friday . . .
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