The time is flying here.  And the world cup is coming closer and closer.

But up to now I had a great time with some ups and downs.  I had some big problems with my equipment but now I have sorted everything out and I just have to push myself back on the right way. Easy to say but I have people here who are supporting me a lot. One the one side the family with whom I am staying. The Dinkelmans are just incredible. I am so welcome here. And on the other side the Morewood people, Patrick Morewood, Richard Carter, Fabien and the others are helping me a lot here and look after me as well. 

The last day I was in Durban at the Aquarium with Steff and German woman who grew up here. It was so good fun and the variety of fish was impressive. I saw all the NEMO crew including the sharks. I was also for a swim in the sea and struggled with not loosing my bikini all the time forced by the wave power. But all good I walked out covered J Yes between riding on the track and training I went out for dancing. It was Fabiens birthday and so a bunch of people went out. So I got dressed up and was ready to shake ….It was so good fun. I love to dance nearly as same as riding my bike and so I danced non stop. Nearly crashed few times because the floor got cleaned all the time so it was wet all the time. We didn’t come home late but on the other day my legs were heavy…very heavy. I was dirt jumping the next day at Tims place. There was a small line and a big line. I was keen to try the big one but hmm better not because I have not so much clue about dirt jumping. The small line was good fun.
Yesterday I was training on the 4x and I think it’s a good course but I think far too small jumps for the men. They will over jump everything.   The downhill track is getting better and better the people are working hard to make it perfect for the race. This weekend are the nationals in four cross and downhill and I think there will be a lot of good people riding.

Bye bye LENE

LAast weekend I went on a big road trip. Alex, Kelvin, Mark and I went for about 16 hours to George. A town on the south coast about 4 hours before Cape Town coming from the east. It was a long drive and but it was nice to see the country. Amazing how different it is but it still reminded me to the Pyrenees in France. Just the top shape of the mountains is looking quite similar. I saw lots of small villages with hundreds of small round huts. I don’t think the people have any electricity or water there. It’s so crazy for me to see the poor kids/teenagers walking kilometers to get to school and we were driving with the big car with fancy expensive bikes on the trailer through it. These pictures make you realizing how much better your life is and how thankful you should be for all the opportunities you have. But the other side is also that most of the people here are just wasting time with nothing and aren’t very productive or smart at all. But maybe I am wrong and they haven’t any other choice than to accept their lives and the economical and political situation in this country.
Any way we went on this road trip to compete the national champs. The track was fun but a lot to pedal. I won the race. Second was Anka Martin and third I don’t know I can’t remember her name. There were about 7 girls I think at least more than we have in our national champs. I didn’t get the national jersey of course I am not south African. But I get some price money. Not much about 50 Euros. Johann P. won the race second was the Morewood rider Jonty Neethling and third I can’t remember the name either. Especially the last bite of the track was fun, few nice burms and 2 nice doubles. I enjoyed the weekend but I wasn’t satisfied with my riding performance. I am still not used to my new bike and I am struggling around with the suspension setup.
Today as well I was training on the downhill track with Fabien (morewood engineer) and Simon DInkelman (the son of the family I am staying with) and I just couldn’t find my flow. At the pedal section I lost so much time and I couldn’t keep up with the others. I don’t know why because I am feeling fit but I just couldn’t go smooth enough above all the small roots or what ever I don’t know I have to figure out quick…. There are a lot of jumps on the track as well and I haven’t hit the all. I want to but I today was just not my day I couldn’t motivate to try them at all. I think it’s just when I can’t see the landing it’s stress me because at the finish is big triple and I don’t have any problems to clear that. I don’t know I will see how it goes tomorrow, because there is small club race on the track and I will see how it will go.
Apart from all the training I am helping Misses Dinkelman a lot with here wedding preparation work. She is a florist and more and she is organizing lots of weddings. Sometimes three at on weekend. I don’t know how she does it but she is working so hard and sometimes the whole night through just that the bride is happy. The brides are so fuzzy and they want all special things. I won’t ever want to be like them and drive my wedding planer crazy. I don’t even know if I want to marry that spectacularly. Weddings are big deal here in South Africa and lots lots young people get married here and obviously they don’t care about the money or their parents. When they want golden sprayed chairs they want them and if Kerry can’t get the things here she is shipping them in. But anyway I like to be creative and do things with my hands so I am quite happy about this work and also that I can help her. I am staying here for free and that’s at least what I can do for them to say thank you.

Today I had the chance to see the Morewood factory. The place, where all my frames were made and a riders dreams come true . I met the Patrick Morewood and Richard Carter again, and Kyle a new member of the crew and all the other workers. It was a huge hall with many machines and much metal lying around. I really liked it and was very interested to see how the frames are made. It seems like a lot of work and precision and each frame is an individual. Patrick worked on my bike or an especially on my rear shock so that it works better.  All liked also my new frame painting. My uncle painted it in BRIGHT BRIGHT NEON LIGHT RED. I normally can’t stand red but this is just so beautiful and looks so fast.  The only thing I am worried about that the painting will stay on for long because it seems to go of easily but I will see and take care a lot. So tomorrow I going to train again and pick up my DH bike in the afternoon and maybe get some runs on the DH track as well.

Bye bye LENE

Welcome to another continent I want to introduce you in a world of richness and poorness, electric fences, household ladies, hospitality, good Downhill riders, (zentralveriegelung), huge spiders, poisoning snakes, security men, permanent sunshine, the fabulous mangos, a pudding called clusted…
I am here since 3 days now. I flew in to Johannesburg or Jburg, with British Airways which I can advise. One bike is for free and if you take two it still cost you less than with Egypt air or South African airline. The time difference to Austria is just one hour so I don’t have problems with the jet lag at all. But I couldn’t sleep very well during the flight. I was arriving about 7 o clock and Alexanders’ Dad picked me up. I stayed in a wonderful house with a big garden and a swimming pool. I had my own room and bed . The family had 4 dogs and 2 cats and they were all so funny. The biggest dog, a Schäferhund called Oliver, jumped always in the swimming pool when he got excited about something and the other small one a Jack Russell Terrier tried to catch rats and spent the whole morning to get under a cupboard or climbed up trees to run on the roof of the house to reach the mouse/rat whatever. I didn’t see much of Johannesburg but what I realized from the first second everybody tries to protect his house with high electric fences. I guess it is because of the high criminal rate. The family told me not to got for a run in the neighborhoods because it is too dangerous so it comes that the parents are driving their children everywhere and they stay all the time in their secured houses. I think when you grow up with that it’s normal but I would never want to live like that. But apart from that Johannesburg is a very clean city or the neighborhood I saw was very clean compare to other countries I have been so far.
I went for a walk with Alexs father in big park and there you could ride a xc lap and walked with your dog without any fear.
Alex studies in another town and he came home on Thursday night and we went on a road trip the next day heading to Pietermaritzburg. It was a nice journey and I could see a little bit of the backcountry and black culture. The poor black people are living in small round houses made of mud in a weight spread areas. The landscape from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg is most of the time flat with massive straight mountain blocks, because of the tectonic earth movement.
We arrived in the evening and I met Patrick Morewood on the same evening to get parts for my bike from him. It was good to see the founder of the company I am riding for because before I was just in contact with Richard Carter.
And no I am staying with Dinkelman family in Pietermaritzburg. Just about 5minutes away from the World cup Downhill track. It is awesome and I am so happy about that. The family is so friendly as well. They are 4 kids. Two of them are riding downhill. The younger one (Simon 16) wants to become a professional. I haven’t seen him riding yet because he cracked his clavicular a bite again but he will be back on the bike soon I guess. The older one called Dave and Alex, Calvin, Mark and many others went for a ride on the DH course. I must be honest I didn’t feel very good. The new bike, new fork, new shock and new brake discs and the fact that I haven’t riding downhill since end of October turned the first run to big a challenge for me. The first part of the track is more technical the middle part is quite pedally and the last part is flowy. I like it. It is again much different to the tracks I have ridden before and I am sure I will find my line and rhythm soon. I also met a lots of riders and I think I can train a lot here with the locals they are all quite motivated.
So no I will get ready because we are going so again to ride on the track. BYE BYE LENE