This past weekend, in the garage, on my @DevelProject A01 bicycle and my indoor trainer, I conquered my longest ride on a bicycle, ever!

After Willie Smit asked me to join him for a Virtual Everesting, I was quick to say YES! and knowing that it was not a race I was not too stressed about it but, getting closer to the day my nerves started settling in and felt like I was approaching yet another UCI race!

Having been in #Lockdown for the past 6-weeks in South Africa, I’ve come quite accustomed to virtual riding on platforms like Zwift, so I knew Alpe Du Zwift would be quite a challenge. We had to go up and down this climb nine and a half times and reached 10,000m of vertical ascent. We kept it quite steady and consistent and did not go over the limit at all or, close to being in the red which was quite nice…

What made the ride allot easier was doing it with a group of friends, Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Team First Move), ProTouch Continental’s Alumni Team Captain and rider, Pieter Seyffert and Willie Smit (Burgos BH). During the thirteen and a half hours 0f riding, we had a chat to various coaches from Science2Sport, doctors from across the country and our very own SA Women’s National ITT and Road champion Ashleigh Moolman Passion – providing much insight into their lives, their teams, racing and the SupportSATalent Foundation and how the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced their lives.

Listening to some of the Pro’s and how the virtual world has helped their motivation was quite interesting to me and their thoughts on how this format of racing is here to stay here for the greater part of the rest of 2020 and beyond.

Overall it was a great experience and something I would like to try do outside in the real world one day with a couple of mates.