Well day one is down and 43km of breathing taking coastline, unlike anything else I have ever seen. Africa is a very special place. We even had dolphins to keep us company right along the route! So as pointed out yesterday we identified the local strongmen who knew the route and from there it was a matter of horsepower to hang in there and more specifically my horsepower, given that I am the weak cog here, partnering XTerra Professional Dan Hugo. There were times today, where I wished for just 30 minutes of my 2006 triathlon biking legs or 30 seconds of Susi’s legs!

I was never one to fear laying the horsepower down from the gun and without being biased I was definitely on the most superior bike of all. My S Works Stumpjumper is one incredible piece of equipment, the brain suspension front and rear takes away the thinking and at times I found myself riding sections, which others did not. I knew when there was bumpy stuff I was glad to be onboard my stealth weapon. I can’t wait to test the next generation (2010 model) due soon!

So Dan and I were in the mix from the gun and broke away with the two other Subaru Teams. The pace was high and I was in the red zone from the word go! I pushed so hard and haven’t hurt like this for sometime! We lost contact with these two teams early on, because they were riding so aggressively. Fortunately, we always kept them insight. We could see one of the Subaru Teams breaking clear from team two, so we just worked hard to keep team two in sight, which we did. We could also see team one for most of the race. In the last 10km with Dan setting the tempo (he is strong), we lay down whatever horsepower we could and caught Subaru Team two. With the helicopter hovering right beside us, I felt like I was riding up Alp D’Huez. We could not attack cause we had no idea where to go, so we just watched and followed. On the last river crossing, which the Stumpjumper ploughed through (no sharks!!), we were right there, but on the running section 10 meters further on and 100metres from the finish my legs exploded … we finished 3rd, 11’’ off second and 3’50’’ off the leaders. Not a bad day on the racing side. I am really pleased to be honest, but more than that I am enjoying one of the greatest sporting experiences I have ever had! Dan is a gent, we are having good fun, plus there’s a big bunch of characters also here from Stellenbosch.