WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

WHAT? IT’S A NEW month already? Where is the year going to, or is it in a hurry to get to Christmas? I suppose it would make sense seeing as it’s the one time we get together around a roasting goat in shags. Perhaps 2023 is also looking – and moving forward – to catch a glimpse of the man in red who has that one characteristic laugh: ho ho ho. Lol.

Okay, before I go off on a roll and start making dad jokes, how are you? How was last week? Did you get rained on, ama you for once correctly interpreted Kenyan weather and prepared for it accordingly? For real, though, Kenyan weather is something you do not want to interpret, juu heeeeeeh!

On our end, the weekend was great! We hosted the first cycling race of the 2023/2024 Season at Kenyatta Road yesterday (Sunday), and it was pretty awesome! All those who took part managed to earn a few points, set their – for some, fastest – personal course times, and took home a few goodies along the way.

It was also pretty special because there were those who were doing the Individual Time Trial for the very first time in their lives, and boy did they ride! Others were getting back into shape after quite some time off the bike, and such was the momentum that one’s bike decided it hadn’t been properly woken up and developed a mechanical before the rider started the race. I suppose it would be wise to say that bikes also need time to wake up, idle for a bit before getting out of bed, hehe.

There were yet another pair who were recovering from the recently-concluded World Championships efforts in their respective disciplines, and still managed to clock in some fast times! Talk about love of sport. 🙂

All in all, it was a fantastic day for all the riders and marshals. For the ITT Specialists, they’ll be busy recovering and preparing for the next one scheduled for the first weekend of October. With ten months on the same course, who wouldn’t want 9 more chances to set their fastest personal time yet?

Breaking slightly from the flow of conversation, did anyone manage to make sense of why teachers would ask if one was ‘still floating’ when they couldn’t understand what was being taught? Was this to imply that sinking – aka drowning – was the preferred state of learning? (side-eye emoji)

Back on track, for those of you who are new to cycling jargon and ‘still floating’ on the meaning of ITT or the Individual Time Trial, it is an individual race against the clock over a set distance; fastest time wins.

Wait, but isn’t that just called racing? Well, yes, it’s a type of race with the unique design of riders racing solo. Competitors leave the start at pre-set intervals (usually 1 minute) and must tackle the race on their own unaided by other riders or anything that could provide a draft, for example, a car. It’s the race of truth, testing one’s ability to battle the winds and elements and drag to cover the distance in the shortest time.

To accomplish this, the riders tend to use specialised equipment that are permitted by the rules: time-trial bars, aerodynamic cycling suits, aerodynamic helmets (ever seen a helmet with a pointy tip at the back?), a time-trial bike…whatever it is that will give you the advantage while on the course. Really, it’s just amazing!

Now, in two weeks’ time, we will be hosting a running ITT – now you can decode this, right? – at Kasarani Stadium on the tarmac loop just outside Gate 11. The distance is approximately 6km (1 lap), and runners will be leaving the start at pre-set intervals. This could be hugely beneficial to joggers who prefer to train solo, because now they can set their fastest times in their element. 🙂 Oh, and the fastest times will definitely be the course records in our books!

If you would like to register for the race, simply click here to complete the registration form.

After yesterday, the KR-ITT Cycling Series General Classification standings were:

NAME	CATEGORY	POINTS
		
EDWIN MURIMI	BLACK MAMBA M	55
STEPHEN WAWERU	BLACK MAMBA M	45
KINYANJUI WICKLIFF	BLACK MAMBA M	10
		
FRANK NYANJOM	U19 M	55
		
MEGAN AMBASA	U21 F	55
MEGAN IRUNGU	U21 F	45
		
GIBSON ALWANDA	U23 M	50
MUHAMMAD MASHJARY	U23 M	45
FARAH IBRAHIM	U23 M	30
		
BERBER KRAMER	U39 F	55
ALICE MIRING’U	U39 F	45
		
AARON MASINI	U39 M	55
DELA AGBENYEGAH	U39 M	45
		
GODFREY ODHIAMBO	U49 M	55
		
SEAN CARDOVILLIS	U59 M – MASTERS	55
		
CALISTUS SHIKANGA	HIPPO M	55
HASHIM ZUZU	HIPPO M	45

Will you be taking up the challenge? Looking forward to seeing you there. All the best!

Cheers!