Urban Ride - The Joburg Experience

So last week Tuesday I had a little taste of cycling with a bunch, but this bunch is no ordinary bunch. They my new mates who have a passion for nature and life from a different view with a sport called Adventure Racing. Something I have always wanted to take part in, only thing is to get a team of amped mates together to train and actually get this going was tougher than I thought as most of my mates are not the active sporty kind. However they found me training couple weeks ago on my mountain bike and asked me to join as they need more girls to enter a second team. So this is right up my street. Some of my mates are jealous and others think I am mad.

So a little taste of adventure racing – not a sport for the faint hearted! Girls who love hotels and getting their nails done, this is most definitely not for them. Adventure Racing consists of  5 Star View of the world, with accommodation in “sleeping bag – on the ground style” Food and Beverage is what ever you pack in your backpack considering it has to last you three days in hot sunny conditions, and you can enjoy the tranquil view while catching a tan, only a cyclers tan… 

Adventure racing is Mountain Biking, Trail Running, Paddling, Rope Work and my favorite which Im oh so good at, Navigation. Some are one day sprints such as the Kinetic Sprint Series, which I will be getting my fist taste of in June and others are over three days with teams of 3-4 where weather and nature challenge your mind to such a degree, they call it the “Snoopy Dog” if you start seeing things…hope I don’t get to wear the “Snoopy Dog” hehe.

So to get back to last week Tuesday with my real Joburg Experience and with the above said, you can imagine the kind of guys I have now met and joined. For training they decided we were to do and Urban Night Ride – so ready at 5.30 in the evening at the school we were off through crazy traffic in Edenvale, heading through Bedfordview towards Rocky Street… Now you can imagine – One girl and 5 Guys and here were headed on our MTB towards Rocky Street…Ok, we can do this I kept telling myself.

Once we were there, it was a case of doge this taxi and that car door and careful for pedestrians crossing and watch out for this bus and pot hole here and red light jumpers there and crazy as hell, but what a different experience. So from Rocky Street we headed towards the center of Joburg going passed the mines and Anglo and headed towards the Nelson Mandela Bridge. At this stage I was in my element with I can’t believe I am cycling through Joburg at Night seeing the world from a complete different view. Amazing doesn’t even describe it.

So anyways, we started heading back, passed the Constitutional hill where we found ourselves heading through a little doge part of Joburg I never thought I would ever pass on MY BIKE – NO! Hillbrow!! High populated density area with gangsters and probably one of the most dangerous places I would think to get stuck in for a girl…but here we were cycling as a tight bunch through Hillbrow. With my mind in full alerts and heart beating so fast, I took a nice deep breath, my mind was somewhere else – I mean here we are in this part of Joburg, and I’m thinking to myself how amazing this is, and wonder how many people have cycled this exact part of Joburg at night time…Not too many that’s for sure, but I was amazed at the lifestyle and the experience I cant even explain. 24 hour markets and liquor stores and party over here and people just everywhere and you hear them shouting “Tourist” now I am no stranger to Joburg, but I did feel like a tourist – this was incredible. The City of Joburg is so beautiful and I have to say that i will always be a Joburg girl.

So heading back through Yoeville and Bruma – we stopped for a little cool off at Mc Donald’s with ice cream and then tackled the icy cold winter wind back towards Edenvale, 38km later; I survived the Urban Night Ride. Huge smile on my face, and I couldn’t stop talking about how amazing that was. I won’t recommend you go by yourself, but if you have crazy mates like I have now, it’s worth everything in life.

On Good Friday my coach and I cycled from Edenvale to Emmarentia Dam and back. The amount of cyclists on the road in the morning and at all the little coffee shops, give’s a new meaning to Breakfast Runs. So it shouldn’t be “Think Bike” – how about “Think Bike – Think Bicycle”

Tonight we ride again – this time the same route as last week Tuesday only were extending the distance to Emmarentia Dam and back – so I am looking forward to a nice 50km ride experiencing Joburg and life with an open heart from the saddle. So bring on the flood of experiences and training.

"Its a Commitment - more than expected"