Up and coming

This month Richard Laizer went off to ride for MTN Team Qhuebeka feeder team in South Africa, South American , and Europe as a pro.

Here he is in 2006

and earlier this year in South Africa criterium.

NB:  I could beat him hands down in 2006.  Now when my heart rate is 85% he is at 60%



These are two young riders in the club  who just got better bikes, second hand .


Rashidi has finished in top 20 in Congo race at 18 years old.

I cant keep with him anymore unless he is pushing me.


Kelvin is maybe 13

I have a few months to go of whipping this guy.

Surprises on a routine ride.

I was reminded the club was riding saturday, but I knew they would drop me at the first interval,  then  I would ride alone until I met them on the return  and they would drop me again shortly after.  I didnt see a reason to meet up with a group and ride alone.

So I did the loop from my house to the forest, the medium one.  It was great riding up familiar tracks and I did 2 minute intervals. 

There is one section the track contours the mountain  and drops to another road.  As i approached that road something was different.  Instead of a single lane 4wd track it was wide enough for 3 cars, graded,packed, and all the trees lining the road were cut down!  It was quite a shock.  There have been rumours in the press that some sort of bypass road would be made up the mountain.

I turned off that and rode up to sambasha hill so I could zoom down through this forest.  Just like pacific northwest  USA.

Then i found these guys sawing boards. I stopped becuase I could not recognize the cornor as the trees were gone and road straight and wide.  So I talked about their work.  then I coasted contentedly home on a wide road.  Not before I missed another turn off the new road.  but that meant talking to a guy on the side of the road, who turns out works for Selian AIDS project.  I worked with some of his fellow workers.

What turns me on.

Whoa now, settle down folks.  That subject is an attempt to get a few more hits on this blog. 

But let me talk about it.  Earlier this week I had to drop something in Njiro area on my way home.  It is the opposite direction and slightly lower elevation.  On my way back i figure I might as well make it a work out and so i push it climbing Back out of Njiro area.  I see two groups of two bicyclists heading up the hill and blow by the first two.  The next group splits and I can't catch the guy in red.  I figure when the road levels out maybe I can catch, but he must be a regular rider as I don't see him anywhere at the big Kijenge roundabout.  I keep a good pace on the Great North road and into Sakina.  I see a red jacket up ahead and he is going around a school bus and yelling at the driver.

I pull up and for a split second he is still seeing red from his dialogue with the bus driver. 

He confirms he was coming from Njiro.  We ride together through Sakina and talk commuting.  He rides the 13km one way  daily to work and back.

That chance encounter turns me on.  Meeting a normal bloke like myself who commutes and doesn't think much of it.

I was explaining how cool that was to someone and how cycle commuting allows you to interact more with others.  Like i mentioned in another post, even stopping at a light can be a positive event.