Argus done and dusted

Well, the Argus came and went. 35000 entries of which around 31000 actually showed up. The wind was strong but not as bad as last year (I'm told, I wasn't there). A tough race, with losts of climbing and hills and a strong headwind for more than half the course. The "hills" will remain etched in memory.. First-off Wynburg Hill, a long drawn out affair with a head wind out of the roaring 40's, Boyes Drive near Simonstown, Chapmans peak Drive and the infamous Suikerbossie (Sugar in name only). This last hill broke the back of many cyclists, and I saw quite a few on the medic's tables getting massages for cramps. I envied them as I sucked on my bright green and disgusting popsicle that a thoughful bystander handed to me. My time was a rather pedestrian 4:21, but overall performance improved compared to my 94.7 effort. The first two thirds of the race were fine as were the climbs, but the downhills were simply terrifying, with buffetting winds and mad cyclists decending like multiple Evil Kenevils.. The tight descent on Chappies meant a few went to the wall (literally) and any advantage I had at climbing through the packs were lost going back down. The last stretch after Suikerbossie, through Camps Bay and along the last stretch in Greenpoint have to be the low-points. The wind head-on and motivation levels way down.. and overall exhaustion increasing rapidly. Lessons learnt from this Argus? Train harder. Avoid Mussels before the race. Train harder. Soon some pictures..