Hi all
Yes, it’s been another month or so since my last blog, and in the meantime, I have started a part-time job, which has meant I have even less time to do things like writing blogs. But more about that in the next one. Let’s get back to SA Champs and the continuation of the cycling saga.
The day after the (wet!) time trial was Saturday and I had the day off. As I had to use the same set of clothes for the road race and I obviously only had one bike, and one pair of cycling shoes, for me the most important thing that day was getting things dry. The staff where we were staying, helped us to take my bike upstairs and put it in the sun, when it eventually came out. Mom and I then went into town and paid a visit to a superb, mostly succulent nursery before we unsuccessfully looked for an eatery she had seen in a book at the guest house. I grew tired and we decided to go back so I could rest, and mom would return later to get take-aways. The rest of the day was quite low key and we had an early night because I was racing very early the next morning.
The saying of ‘getting up at the crack of dawn’, doesn’t apply to the next morning, because by the time we arrived at the start, the crack of dawn hadn’t happened yet. I was sitting in the bakkie putting on my gloves and trying to get some nutrition into my still waking body, just hoping the sun would make its appearance before the start. It was so dark still that my friend Goldy’s mum used my rechargeable light to work on his trike.
Eventually the sun did make its appearance and the question was which layers to put on, and which to take off. Thankfully it wasn’t raining but the temperature was still quite chilly, and I was unsure what the temperature would be like during the race. Often if I am too warm during a race I am uncomfortable, but then if I am too cold my spasticity plays up and I struggle as well. I decided to keep my arm warmers on, a decision that would serve me well as we navigated our way through the lovely green farmlands.
This race would be my longest race (30km) ever, and I told my mother not to expect me back before 2:30hrs. I was a bit worried what would happen once the abled-bodied cyclists started and wanted to pass me. I definitely didn’t want to get mixed up with racers going at 60km/h or more! The organizers assured me that I would have a marshal with me at all times to assist me with other riders. As we rolled out from the start in a neutral zone, most of the other para-cyclists passed me safely before the neutral zone ended and we could start racing. One friend of mine, Palesa, had missed her starting time but she soon came flying past on the downhill and as she passed she shouted ‘hey Toni!’. I was so glad to hear her voice, because from past races, although we are not in the same class, we are the closest matched in terms of racing. She is much faster than me and is a H3 hand cyclist, and I usually use her as my mark.
The first part of the route was the road we had raced on Friday and although it was nice to ride it in dry conditions, I was very disappointed and frustrated in how I handled the cambers – just could not maintain my speeds when on a camber. The part of the route that was added was scenic but very hilly. Thus, it was either uphill or downhill with many cambers. (Trikes do not do cambers very well) It was when we got to the second half of the route that I caught up with Palesa again and we started our annual game. On the up-hills I would catch her and on the downhill she would overtake me again. This continued for the majority of the hilly part of the road. Especially because we don’t have other riders in our own classes, it is very motivating for me to have this kind of competition and breaks up the long, and at times monotonous nature of racing by myself. I usually try to build up some distance between Palesa and myself on the hills to see how long I can keep her behind me, but because I wasn’t as comfortable with the downhills and flat areas with the cambers meant that as soon as we were on any of those two, she was on my heels and passing me in no time. We would often squeak out a word of encouragement to each other if we had any spare breath in our lungs! A marshal took up his/her spot behind either Palesa or me for most of the way going out but once the abled-bodied cyclists also started, they had to split their time between many more groups on the road.
The last hill on the outward leg was quite a monstrous one and by the time I was halfway down I knew something was amiss because I hadn’t yet met my friend coming up. I eventually found her sitting (or in her case in a handcycle), lying at the start of the climb with her chain that would not go back on. As I navigated the downhill she told me the problem and I assured her I would send help back because at that crucial moment the marshal had left us. I continued with new vigour to not only race but also to find help to send to Palesa. A few kilometres later O’Ryan came in his car to see how I was doing. As he passed me and said he would turn around and follow me I tried to send him to Palesa but with me going one way and him in the opposite direction communication did not work. After he had done a U-turn and came along side me, we had a quick discussion before he did a second U-turn and went to find my racing partner. I was rewarded a few kilometres later with Palesa flying passed me on a section that played more to her strengths.
My fears of being on the road while the abled-bodied cyclists were racing were totally unfounded. Towards the end of the outward section the older ladies started to catch and pass me and because the road was wide enough we had no problems. As they passed, they would give me a bit of encouragement and off they would go! It was on my way back that the groups of younger riders were on their way out and instead of having problems, this provided me with one of the lasting memories of the championship and perhaps of cycling in general. As I approached the group, I could hear them talking amongst themselves (it is amazing what one can hear out on the road, when no cars and other noises are not around). As I got even closer someone in the group was counting (weird way of racing I thought, but then I had never raced in a group so what would I know?) Then as I passed them a cheer arose from within the moving pack. Only then did the previous few moments make sense - I realized that Cycling SA had in 7 years gone from a championship where very little was ready for para-cyclists when we arrived on the first day of the 2015 championships (which was the first integrated championships), to a place where we were not only successfully integrated administratively but also on the road in the heart and minds of the cyclists !
Returning in the last section I could see that I was over the time that I had aimed for and told my mom, but I was almost there. I was a bit nervous about meeting a big group of cyclists jostling for positions on the narrow road and my attempts to ask the marshals at the corner failed so I just had to GO! At the finish line mom and Janine were patiently waiting and watching the distant curve in the road with other people, for me to come in. They were judging from the shapes of the bikes coming around the distant corner, as to who was returning. As another figure came over the hill heads popped up and the game began. Someone asked, ‘is that a trike??’ Then somebody else shouted, ‘it’s a trike! Yes, it’s a trike! Yes it’s Toni!’ Sure enough, it was the long lost triker returning after 2h45m of racing. Once I had crossed the line, I had one aim – to get off that trike! Not trusting my legs, I asked two gentlemen to lift me off the trike so I could stretch out on the grass! Mum thought my legs had seized up!
After attending the medal ceremony, we stopped for breakfast at a picturesque outdoor restaurant above a beautiful, fast-flowing stream surrounded by leafy trees, before setting off on the road to Plett where I was going to spend a week visiting my family and close friends.
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