Post 45 Build it Journey

Blog Post 45

Today was a challenge. I had very high hopes and great excitement as I packed my panniers carefully, selected what I had to take and took great care in what was coming with me and what was not. I hoped to cycle non-stop from sore to store for at least two weeks before the long drive up to Springbok when all the southern Cape Build It’s had been done. I spent the weekend planning my route and packing and unpacking panniers and feeling very excited about things.

The sun was shining and it was a brilliant day. I had just had a lovely weekend in Somerset West with my great friends the Walkers and I was feeling refreshed and happy. I started my cycle just after eight with the plan of the morning rush hour having abated by then. I was in my wonderful Build It kit, had sun cream on from head to toe and my muscles were twitching in excitement at the thought of some exercise.

But alas even the best-laid plans fall foul to mechanical failures and just plain bad luck. After 500 meters my right pannier literally fell off my bike with a great thud. This rendered my bike about 10 kilograms heavier on the left side and sent me veering left at great speed. I put the pannier back on with much head scratching and wondering what had caused it to fall off. Seven hundred meters later my back rack came unhinged causing the panniers to pull the rack don on the back wheel which locked the wheel up bringing me to a screeching halt. On top of this somehow my front brakes had completely gone and were making a screeching sound of metal on metal. I tried my best to do roadside repairs and a kind man even came over and tried to help me fix things. It was not a task we could perform.

I sat on the curb for a while blinking in frustration and then it came over me that if ever there were some signs of what to do and not to do maybe they were presenting themselves to me this morning. Three major things gone wrong in 1,2 kms and 20 mins of riding. And the bike literally not going anywhere. I called my gracious and ever smiling and kind hostess and she came and picked me up. It was about 10 am and that is how long it took with all the trying to fix and fiddling about with broken racks or faulty racks and panniers falling off and whatever else. What a trying morning.

Anyway that is a long story and I should get on with things. I packed my car with all my things, washed and changed. Got the bike onto the back of the car and eventually set off, under petrol and not pedal power and with great disappointment in my heart. But some things must just happen for a reason and I just have to accept that. I found a bike shop in Stellenbosch and dropped it off for repairs. It has been there the whole day and I can only pick it up tomorrow such is the seriousness of its ‘injuries’. I don’t totally get it as I have been riding the bike a lot but just when I try to ride it on a multi day ride it fails me. Such is life – c’est la vie. That’s my bike story.

I did get to visit Ziyaad Osman at the Stellenbosch Build It for a good meeting and then onto Franschoek to meet with owner Jonathan Peach at the Franschoek Build It. Jonathan was extremely busy but still found time to meet with me which was greatly appreciated.

So I felt pretty good about myself that even on this ‘calamitous and frustrating’ day I still managed to see two Build It’s. I might be delayed today though waiting for my bike as don’t want to drive too far and then have to drive a long way back to collect.

I know the story above is very long and maybe my kind and wonderful business partner may edit it but I just wanted to finish off that I am not ridiculously sad as I truly do believe that things happen for a reason. Not sure what this reason is but I must just be positive and think that I was in some way being looked after and must accept being back in my car with good grace. Hopefully when my bike is fixed I can go on daily rides again – sans panniers.

Happy days everyone – thanks for listening to my long stories