It is really nice to be back in South Africa!! Sometimes I feel that I have memory like a gold fish forgetting things so quickly... It took some time to get used to the cold evenings and mornings INDOORS... And at the race I had forgotten how long it takes to cover short distances here, in Sweden the races are so much faster due to easier terrain. 

I was excited to do my first race back in SA on Saturday and to do a race at Hemel en Aarde, I have heard so much about the area but just never gotten around to go there, so this was the time! I went there on Friday to stay over and not having to drive in the dark for the early start. It was raining during the night and the wind was hauling on the Hermanus side in the morning. It was a cold start but we were lucky and only got a few drops during the race. Us ladies set off 5 minutes behind the A batch and I started off hard to see what form the other girls were in on the day. After a few kilometers I was on my own and was passing guys one by one. I had a good day on the bike and lots of fun on all the beautiful and sometimes tricky single tracks! I had expected the 64km route to take between 2,5 and 3h, as it would have done in Sweden, so towards the end of my 3h 26min ride I got a bit tired, especially riding with only one small bottle;)

It was a good start to the SA season and I am now looking forward to Cape Pioneer together with Robyn on Sunday! We have not raced together since Epic so it is about time:-)