Argus Cape Cycle Tour #21

So pleased to finish another Argus safely. #21 – I am not sure if and why it is a milestone but it certainly brought back some previous memories.

For one of my first tours I had flown down to Cape Town and was staying in a small flat. I decided that because I was racing the thing to do was shave your legs. I thought the best was was to get some hair remover, Nair I think it was called. I looked like a plucked chicken, plugged of the loo and left and awful stench. Never to be done again!

I remember all the hassle of having to fly ones bike down. Bikes had to be at the airport the day before and fetched from this large warehouse after arrival. On one tour I rode my race, had a shower, brunch in Constantia and on the plane home around 1. I was back in Johannesburg before most finishers. Crazy or what?!

With the race on Sunday I started in batch 1D and rode solo. It was fast out of Cape Town and up Edinburgh Drive but managed to get a small bunch where I think we achieved 72 km/hr according to Strava. Hectic. We hit a southerly wind all the way to Smits which meant that bunches became larger as we overtook slower riders. I felt good on the climbs and made up many places on Smits, Chappies and Suikerbossie before emptying the tanks on the sprint home to achieve a time of 3h11. I was very pleased, felt good and grateful for a safe Argus #21.