Hi all I would just like to give new riders some advice on starting this wonderful sport. It is the fastest growing sport in the World. It is wonderful for cardio vascular health. Builds up your legs and arms as well as general well being. Riding in the country in the fresh air is a wonderful feeling. You don't have to be a Tour winner. You will enjoy a gentle ride just bas much as a sprint. I am a 78-year old. Stopped riding when I was 16 and started again at 69. The problem is that so many think it is easy. They buy a bike and then find it is much more effort than they anticipated. DON'T GIVE UP. Start very, very slowly on flat roads if there are any in your area. Push the boundaries a little more every time you ride. After a while your fitness will have improved beyond measure. Unfortunately I lived in Monteseel at the top of Inchanga Hill in the Drummond in the 1000 Hills area of KwaZulu Natal, Durban. There weren't any flat roads near me. From the Drummond side there is a short bit of fairly steep incline. One middle-aged rider bought a new bike. He got 100m and conked out. Didn't know it was so strenuous. He was panicking. Friends were waiting to pick him up in Monteseel at the top of the hill (2.5km.) and he couldn't get near there. My friends had to take him up in a bakkie. The moral of this story is.......start very slowly and build up gently.
