Happy New Year from Africa

January 10, 2007

Exercising together with monkeys and lions isn't exactly what we're used to. We're only four days into the New Year and we're enjoying some quiet days of exercise in the high South African mountains, where the sunshine has already worked wonders on our white winter skin.

Christmas Eve was celebrated at the cabin at Forsand together with my mother and father, and Kenneth's parents, plus his youngest siblings, Line-Therese, Henriette and Nicolas. It was an unforgettable evening with lots of good food, great presents, and lots of fun and laughter. We closed the evening with a game of charades that really took off! I think our collective competitive natures got the better of us, as everyone gave everything they had in order to win the game, it was so much fun. An important little detail in this context was that I was on the winning team.

Boxing Day, the second day of Christmas, was spent the day with our four-legged children, Isak and Petruss, at Tjensvoll. The day passed with some exercise, massage and relaxation, plus a whole lot of packing. It takes its time to pack enough for four weeks, and one sort-of gets a bit out of synch when two months have passed since our last travel for training. The restlessness was very obvious before leaving, so it felt good to be on the move again.

Now we're situated in a small village by the name of Dullstroom, a good 2000 meters above sea level, two and a half hours drive from Johannesburg. We were fetched at the airport by our Merida dealer here in South Africa, Derek, along with his family. The first two days we lived with them at a camp site, three to four hours from here, and we got to experience some real thrills. Amongst other things, we went on a safari the first evening and got to see giraffes, lions, buffalo, rhinoceros and hippopotamus. The following morning we were woken up by a baboon which had managed to sneak into the kitchen and had eaten all our bananas and taken the cake tin out onto the veranda.

Early the next morning, New Year's Eve, we drove up here to Dullstroom, which is a small village where runners and athletes, especially from Scandinavia, come to visit every year. There is only one main street with a variety of shops, plus many exciting restaurants. The authorities in the village have obviously focused on keeping the place small and friendly. They've taken good care of culture and old houses, and all new buildings are built in the old style. This area is probably best known for its great trout fishing, and the place is very popular as a holiday resort for people from large surrounding cities.

We've already settled nicely in here at Dullstroom, thanks to good help from our Merida family, which is living also in Dullstroom this week. We're living in a great apartment and have had some utterly fantastic long distance trips on our bikes. Next week we'll be joined by Lene Byberg, plus our Swiss team-mate, Ralph Näf, and a pal of his. They'll be living in the neighbouring house from next week and onwards.

Norwegian cross-country mountain bike racer Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå made an impressive comeback last year after sitting out much of the previous season due to illness. In 2008, she won the Madrid, Spain, round of the UCI World Cup and the UCI Marathon World Championships and finished 12th in the World Cup final standings.

Dahle Flesjå will take on a new challenge in 2009 when she gives birth to her first child, expected in late March. With the support of her husband Kenneth Flesjå and her family, she aims to return to competition within a few months after becoming a mother.

Don't count her out for the late season World Cups and World Championships races. She was World Champion in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006, plus Olympic champion in 2004. In 2003 to 2006, she dominated the sport, winning the World Cup overall.

Follow her exploits in 2009 on Cyclingnews as she takes on a new, joint role as mother and elite racer. Or, for more Gunn-Rita, see her personal website: www.gunnrita.com