New Dimensions

As we mounted our mountain bikes early this morning to set a positive tone for the day I spied a man with a makeshift trolley down one road to my right. A few seconds later I decided to make a u-turn and head in his direction. I stopped next to him and saw the worried look on his face – he probably thought I was going to complain about what he was doing. Setting his mind at rest I boldly said that I wanted to photograph him and then I asked him about his work. Stoney is a collector of plastics and other recyclable waste materials and hails from the other side of Esselen Park near Tembisa. From this I deduced that he dwells in a squatter village next to the railway line. I enquired how much he earns for his load of plastic materials and he told me that it usually is twenty rand. Can you imagine trying to live off R 20.00 a day? That’s like $2. What a humbling experience it was talking to this man. Here is someone doing an excellent job of helping recycle the world, scraping toget

With all the excitement of yesterday we were really looking forward to another wonderful, sunny day, but it never happened because a chill came along carried by the wings of the wind turning our efforts into a struggle against the elements. We took the good with the bad and accepted the challenge. After all that's what cycling is all about. We've experienced a lot worse during our 24 hour race in Parys where I endured a power failure on the LED headlight I had borrowed from Sean, my son-in-law whilst riding in a thick forest of trees in the pitch dark with the pale moon hidden behind clouds of rain - sounds scary, hey? I could just about visualize the gremlins ready to pounce on this lonesome rider and almost saw their beady little eyes sizing me up from those dark corners. That was after I made my way past the gloomy graveyard where the lights played tricks with my mind and I almost landed in an open tomb. Most of the time you ride alone in the wet, dark night all shiverin

I reset my saddle, rinsed off my bike, pumped the rear tyre a bit harder and away we went on a glorious Spring afternoon into a feast of scents from the neighbourhood gardens, smiling all the way. We enjoyed a leisurely ride winding under arching trees on our familiar course - not too far for a first ride, but enough to get some freshness into our our long dormant limbs. A majestic sunset greeted us as we returned in the fading light, the tiny LED's alerting oncoming traffic of our presence. Four courteous drivers slowed down to make way for us. As we parked our bikes in the shed we determined to repeat this enjoyable process early tomorrow morning again, so we added some extra LED's to Maggie's bike. Everyone has their passion. Some lift weights to mould their bodies into glorious sculptures while others dance over swords for enjoyment - the list goes on. We cycle to de-stress and unwind with the added benefit of healthier bodies that won't end up developing into

As the sun kisses the distant rooftops we set out on our bicycles to experience the freedom and release from the day's stress that comes from cycling. At the first corner of the field two tiny chihuahuas attack me and I just pick up speed and they worry me no more. When I told Maggie (my wife) that I was going to ride to get some fresh air she switched her computer off and started getting her riding gear on - she needs no invitation. At the next corner we entered the shade and felt the temperature drop considerably - Maggie calls it the cold road. Next followed the slight downhill and we accelerated a bit. Another corner and we enter the sunny patch again as we pass Java jealously viewing us from our yard. Ahead we have those pesky little chihuahuas again. This time the skinny little fellow has a go at my ankles and I kick at it but she is too careful not to get too close. In the end I just decide to pump harder on the pedals and that gets me away from the little pest. At