Bicycle ride in Malmesbury.
We could choose between 38 or 88 kilometres. Of course I chose 88km, while Frans decided to go for 38 km. We had 45 km to Malmesbury, and we were there quite early. The scenario did actually look a bit like it would have done in Denmark, but of course there were some differences. In South Africa they have seedings, so you can always find your match. Age is of no importance. What matters is the speed.

On a gravel road leading up to the start line the organizers had put up big signs with the letters A - Z, so it was very easy to find the right group. I had not been seeded and consequently I had no group. I started last with all the others riders without seeding. Very slowly we were guided to the start line. I believe there were about 50 riders in my group, and they started the ride at a very high speed. Normally that would have been ok, but very quickly I could feel that I had not touched a road bike for several months. It was obvious that I was not in top form.
We had a little more than 20 degr. C  when we started and while we rode it grew hotter and hotter. We finished in 31 degr. C which is a lot. There were numerous hills, but none of them were extremely steep. But they are twice as long as the hills we have in Denmark. There were practically no turns on the route, which developed into a loop at the turning point.

I learned very quickly that the fastest riders in my group would kill me if I kept their speed too long, so when a small gap opened I did nothing to close that gap. In stead I looked around and saw riders dropping from the front groups and riders coming up from the groups behind us. I saw now that there were about 8-10 riders in my small group.
I hid myself in that group the rest of the ride. Not once did I lead my group. That is not a decent thing to do, but after all I can hardly believe that I will ever ride with those people again, so who cares?

What a quiet bunch, I was riding with. I had a small Danish flag on my bike, but not one of my new friends were interested in that. They did not want to know who I was or where I came from. Strange! When I tried to talk to them they just mumbled. 
Maybe they found my accent to strange? 

The speed was quite acceptable, but as we got closer to the finish line I could feel with a lot of satisfaction that most of the riders suffered much more than I did. Normally I would have left them under circumstances like these, but why should I?
I finished the ride with an average of 32 km p/h which is acceptable.

When I sat down after the ride I could feel that it had been harder than I had though. But a meal with chicken and salad and a lot of coke consumed in the shade made me feel much, much better.
We stayed until 12 o'clock where they made a draw between all the riders. But something went terribly wrong. I think it was a bungled  job. I was actually ready to go and get one of the two bikes on stake, but they never mentioned my name!

All in all I have been happy with my meeting with South African bicycling. A lot of things have been extremely different from what I am used too, but that's only natural when you are about 23.000 km from your home country.

Going home we made a detour to take a look at the towns Tulbagh and Wolseley. We passed a few very impressive passes. However, I felt a little  battered after the ride so I could not fully enjoy the beautiful views.

We had planned to watch the local rugby heroes The Stormers on TV in the evening, but Frans had  got the wrong time, so when  we opened the TV it was almost over. That was not a big problem, because at that time the Australian guests had already humiliated the home team, so there was not much excitement left in that match. 

After dinner I watched BBC News for a while, but I had lost most of my magic power, so already before 9 o'clock I retired to my room with John Grisham's "The painted house".

A dog keeps barking most of the time and this night too I woke up because of that. It's a long way from here, but I hear it clearly. I feel pity for the poor people who live near by that dog. And what about the owners?
I must say that's a big mystery to me.
How can those people live with that.

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