Everyone has felt the pressure of the last minute pack job. It doesn't matter how much spare time you leave to pack, it always comes down to the wire getting spare parts organized and bikes taped up in their boxes. We are leaving tomorrow morning for the 15 hour trip from Sydney to Durban, RSA. Got all day:), so I figured, plenty of time to write a blog:)

I rarely ever unpack all the way, furniture is a luxury that I haven't adjusted to. Think my stuff feels more at ease going from the bag to the washing machine and back to the bag with it's friends. Life as a gypsy. Luckily no one is coming to collect my tears, but kind of a parallel with the gate agents always collecting money for excess baggage. There is a little twinkle in their eyes when they see us roll up with 3-4 massive bike boxes, huge gear bags, helmet bags, pillows, and backpacks. Maybe that twinkle is just $$ signs in their eyes as they cash in, but either way, bikes and airlines are not friends.

I'll give you some info that is worth $1,600 , if you play it right. Don't fly Quntas if you have a bunch of gear. At $50/kg over 23kg, I was tempted to buy a seat for my beloved Dh rig, and have it fly first class with some extra leg room and a cocktail, but didn't want to set the expectations too high at the first race of the year:) . It might get some peanuts and a nice polish if it plays nice when we arrive:).


Anyway, got a special pack job going right now. Important to have a good system:) Bryn is the best bike packer maybe in the world, so he is on it, with the electrical tape and cardboard. Our lovely new Norco Aurums are ready to live up to their names (means gold in latin). All the boxes have been ticked except 1. The most important box- the Win box:) . After 64 Gym sessions since October, and nearly equal that in cardio HR training and riding, it'll be nice to be prepared and enjoy the ride:) WIth a strong body, awesome bike, and a solid mental game, all we gotta do now is get there. See you in Africa... Jill