Cry the Beloved Tandem Bike

I use this title because I'm sure our tandem must have felt a little rejected and lonely over the last 2 days after we finished the Cancer Fighting Journey as we decided to have rest days on the 25th and 26th December. We did not feel bad one bit but after eating so much turkey, gammon and Christmas Pudding, we decided that we had to get back on the beloved tandem yesterday for a short ride of 90kms. We invited our friend along, Sean Botha who kept us entertained with his chirps and good spirit! We needed some distraction as cycling on the usual routes around the Maropeng area which we've done for the last 4 years is rather boring after touring this beautiful country of ours and seeing new and exciting scenery each day.

I must admit that both of us said that our legs felt like blocks of lead and I had no energy whatsoever to ride and kept asking where the nearest garage was so that I could get a coke and a breadroll to eat! Jaco thought I was being ridiculous as we hadn't cycled nearly that far enough to warrant more intake of calories - so I was feeling a little miserable about life back on the tandem!

So many people have been asking us what the final amount was that we raised on the Cancer Fighting Journey and I'm happy (and thrilled) to announce that we contributed R35,330 to the Lize-Mari Trust through our initiative. So all the acknowlegement and thanks have to go to you guys for supporting us during this wonderful adventure!

It almost feels like a lifetime away that we were on the road everyday passing through new towns and experiencing life on the road - we are so pleased to have conquered this challenge together and it will be something that we can reminisce about with our kids one day (if they are even interested in hearing about mom and dad's crazy cycling days!). We have learnt so many things about ourselves during the Cancer Fighting Journey and would like to share some of them with you:

• Never underestimate the generosity and kindness of mankind


• Don't always focus on yourself and what you're busy with in life but look beyond that to see so many other things happening in life which you miss most of the time


• So much more can be done by working in a team and using the strengths of each individual to reach a common goal


• It's not always about your physical ability but if you prepare yourself mentally, you can accomplish anything (I really proved this to be true as my fitness levels for this cycle were much to be desired!)

Thankyou to Lorraine Ingram for this great photo of us after arriving at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.