Southern Skies Cycle Race Remembered

After a hard day's work painstakingly building a battery website consisting of volts, amps, dimensions, part numbers, stock code numbers, and pictures, we settled down to a plate of fine chicken, rice, and vegetables.

Feeling quite full and lazy I decided, on the spur of the moment, to go for a ride on my mountain bike. As I set out on my bike I noticed that the sun was already over the horizon and a slight breeze greeted me.

I followed my usual route passing the local petrol station through a patch of trees where the rusty autumn leaves crunched under the tyres, then along the shoulder of the main road. Then a left turn between the houses where I accelerated up a slight incline.

Then a thought came to me. I have already passed my late dad's age and here I was riding like a maniac. I coasted after the burst of acceleration and considered how lucky I am. Most people in their mid-sixties already accept their age as being old while I still feel as fit as a fiddle and have the attitude of a youngster. Age is just the number of years we've been on this earth - it's not who I am.

Having reached the Afrikaans high school I pedaled up the dark road lined with eery looking trees reaching their long-leaved arms overhead blanking out most of the light from the street lamps. It looked like a haunted forest in a horror movie. Any moment the cursed ghost rider could be charging me from out of the darkness holding his head under one arm.

It reminded me of a few years ago when I cycled past the cemetery in the Southern Skies 24 Hour Race. My light went out just after that and I had to encounter the dark forest with only a meager headlamp to light my way. Here is an excerpt from my article "There Be A Bad Moon Out Tonight Part 2" which is quite a fun read.

The Southern Skies 24-Hour Race is about to take place again this year but I won't be there this time around because I have other plans. Next year should be better. I hear they have moved to another venue and built a new track for more excitement. What could be more fun than cycling past a cemetery in the dark and going through the enchanted forest with glowing leaves?

So I made it around the school in the dark and headed home. All the stress from the day had left my body and my spirit felt revived. My mind had also cleared from the ride. Cycling alone allows me to recharge and reboot my system.

All I needed to do after that was to take a hot bath and enjoy a cup of my favourite tea while typing out this blog post. When life gets too much and I need to recharge my system a bit of exercise in the open air does wonders for me. Nature is so refreshing, even in the dark.