My biking friends in Colorado will be happy to know that I entered a bike race and actually finished. And not only that, but I was the 2nd woman to cross the finish line!
The Luwawa Lodge has put on a mountain bike race every year for the past 3 years. The course goes through the beautiful Luwawa Forest Reserve and is 42km/26 miles in length. This forest is actually a tree plantation and the views were beautiful as I was sloooowly cycled up many hills. I was not so certain I would finish this race as I had not been biking that much. So to get my legs in biking shape and ready for the race I had started biking to and from work for a whole 2 weeks prior to the race. The only problem is that I live about 15-20 min. from work – and this is not the most intensive training program for a 26 mile ride.
But the weekend was fun and I enjoyed meeting a lot of interesting folks. There was a bicycle club from Blantyre that placed 4 of the top 5, a few expats, and then there was Jerome, from Venezuela, who was cycling across Africa – from Cape Town to Cairo. He ended up staying here in Malawi for about 3 weeks, as he was enjoying the country and the lake so much that he was having a hard time motivating himself to leave.
So my biking friends - It took me coming all the way to Malawi to enter a bike race, but I did it and I finished! Btw – there were only two women in the race
The Finish Line – YEA!
