New Dimensions

Silverback is a strange way to start a blog article. It's the name of a mountain bike which I recently purchased. In just over a week from now I will be on my way to ride in the next Mapa 24 hours Southern Skies MTB Challenge in Parys. The new bicycle was procured for the very reason of riding in the challenge. Why did I go to all the trouble and expense of getting yet another mountain bike? Well, when you go to a cycle dealer you are overwhelmed by the variety of choices you are confronted by. Then the sales person helping you could be trying to sell you something that suits him and not you. Quite often I have looked at bikes and was told that a medium would suit me, but that was incorrect. I had made up my mind to buy a Momsen this time, but again I was steered by the salesman in another direction and I ended up buying a Silverback. Nevertheless I insisted that I wanted a small. That was the best decision I ever made because, as it turned out, it was the correct size for ...

Southern Skies 2015 24 Hour Race was great. This year the weather was sunny with a slight chill in the air. We arrived in Parys on Friday afternoon and found the perfect spot to camp. A little while later Sean, Janine and kids arrived and we pitched our tents and unpacked our gear. The new additions to our team were Wouter and Mundy. Maggie and I visited the registration counter and also bought some new riding gear. When they announced that the course was open for a test run I was all for it and went for the ride to see what they had created. After climbing and climbing over various sections I finally came across the most awesome downhill stretch. Throwing caution to the wind I allowed my bike to build up speed and I literally flew down the single track as my full suspension mountain bike glided effortlessly over uneven patches. I was tempted to look down at the bike computer on the handlebars to see how fast I was going, but decided that all my attention was needed to remain in...

Three years after our last   Southern Skies 24 Hour Race in Parys and another invitation to compete this year again. If we enter, what lies ahead for us? Are we still up to the challenge? At this moment I don't know who will be in our team, but this is a picture of our members in 2012. My wife and I are on the far left and my son-in-law and daughter are on the far right.  In terms of preparation my wife, Maggie, and I would have to start practising daily to get ourselves back into shape again. We also need to have our mountain bikes serviced. Besides that we also need to make sure that our camping gear and equipment are all ready. We would have to get some powerful LED lights for riding at night. Maybe I should consider taking a voice recorder along so that I don't miss out on recording events as they are happening - better for blogging about our experiences afterwards. Keeping a record of experiences like these are great for when I'm older and don't feel like ...