Well, last Sunday was Race 2 of the MiWay MTB series - the Eshowe Elephant Classic. As promised, William and I got on the bandwagon and joined in the fun too! The Eshowe race is known as the most difficult in the series due to its location in the hills.
I've managed to pick myself up a new treadly - Giant Talon 29er for those who have any interest in bikes. Great little machine which I even managed to stay on for the whole race (although given the average speed we managed over the 10km, this is unsurprising). William pulled out a great race, especially given he was without effective brakes - a problem we discovered when we got home. Oooops. No harm done, he only fell off once, but I guess it explains the difficulty he had with some of the downhill sections....
Eshowe is the oldest town in KwaZulu Natal and another beautiful little spot less than an hours drive from Richards Bay. We didn't get time to look around the place but have a few day trips scheduled as it is full of Zulu history, beautiful forest walks and other interesting spots.
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| Family Terry pre-race with Simon looking quite the professional in our club colours! |
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| And William with some of his school buddies who also did the 10km race - Anke, Kyle and Carla. |
And here's why professional photographers get paid - some great shots that capture the scenery and the action on the day!
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| Here we are about the 4km mark! |
 
Simon managed another great effort on the 25km track - lots of hills, including one called the Three Tears on which many people shed a few! One of the downhills had two options - the chicken or the bull, with most opting for the chicken.
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| Sugar cane is one of the main crops around here and it makes for a beautiful backdrop. |
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| Around the dam before heading into the bush track. |
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| The track also went through the local village for a little encouragement! |
And so...
... we've got only a few short weeks to train for Race 3, the Hluhluwe Rhino Charge! I've just picked up William's bike from Zululand Cycles where they have given it a thorough going over, and am happy to report that the brakes are now functioning! Bring it on!
