Day 6 - Xmas Challenge

Today is Day 6 of my Xmas challenge and I am HAPPY to report that I had a really good long cycle today. This cycle was supposed to have happened on Sunday together with some mates, but in the end I did today's pedal all on my own. Set out at 5:30 hoping to avoid the trafic, but being a weekday it was full anyway, and so found some very chocked and noisy roads. Set out of town towards Matola, did the Mozal loop and then back on the old Boane road that goes towards Swaziland and South Africa where thankfully traffic thinned a bit. Once I reached Boane it started getting quiet and I could finally appreciate the scenery without having to grab my handlebars for dear life as a truck or a taxi hurtled past at F1 speed. The hills out there are nice and green this time of year and and passed a few local cyclists on their way to work or to their fields.

I must say that todays outing was almost a hit and miss affair, with my heart not really in it at the beginning. So each time I reached a junction I just pushed myself to the next one. So Facim became Toyota became Matola became Mozal became Boane became Pedreira hill.. However at the second bridge I had to turn back as Namaacha was just.. one bridge too far :-) It would have added an hour and a half to my stint.. So turned around then did the Barragem loop, cycing over the Pequenhos Libombos dam, which had both sluice gates open. Then around the back road to Boane and a Coke stop (2 plus a Snickers bar). The short stop over I was on my bike again and into a brisk headwind and into the traffic once more. The sun was also quite high and starting to make things uncomfortable.. But I was on the return leg, and just counting down the km's, which is easier once you've broken the camels back and are on your return leg.

So total of 135km and 5 hours. Would have preferred a longer run, up to Namaacha.. but we can always do that tomorrow!

Garmin data for the unbelievers