I am back in South Africa now, it feels great to be ”home” again! Already the first day I got a nice surprise! I am renting a flat that I had not seen, only said yes to renting over the internet, and it was even nicer then expected, very species and great hosts (thanks Hennie and Marie) and a nice garden with a pool for the warmer days! Unfortunately the weather has not been the greatest, this time of year is usually summer and hot, but now it is “only” 20-25 degrees and sometimes a few clouds and yesterday was even a whole day of rain. Today is cloudy but not raining. This is not how it usually is, I never needed to check the weather forecast since it was always sunny, but things has changed… 

The training has started well, I am on my new program and it feels really good. It is nice to ride on the well-known roads again, and it is funny how nothing changes around here, the same groups are still training at the same times, so just to get back in the pack:-) 

On Tuesday I got a bit frightened though, I was in a group but let them go when we started climbing, I did not want to do threshold training, so I was on my own when I heard a bang and felt something hit my arm, it took me half a second to realise that I had been hit by the mirror on a car. Luckily I was not in a high speed at that moment but if he had been a centimetre closer I would have fallen! Also lucky that they drive on the left here, he hit my good arm, I think it would have been worse if he had hit the other one… 

On Saturday it is time for the first race, it is the 203km Double Century, I have done the race twice before and last year my team won, so we have something to defend. I don’t feel as fit this time and racing for 6-7hours feels far away, but we just have to hope for the best!