The Hardest Ride of My Life — and What It Taught Me About The Perfumery

It was so hot, so hot. My watch said 48°C. The sun is relentless, it feels like it could melt the rock lining the road.

I pass another rider trying to hide under a tiny shadow thrown by a rocky outcrop just to get out of the heat.

I’ve been pedalling for hours. I look down at my speedo. It shows zero. Zero. My heart rate is 195 beats per minute. I literally feel like I’m riding my heart out and I’m managing zero km/h!

I’ve still got 20km to go and I’m managing around 3km/h on average. This is the hardest terrain I’ve ever had the displeasure of riding through. Loose and rocky. Brutal uphills, terrifying downhills, virtually no flats, it’s either climbing or descending. I’m out of water. My mouth is dry with dust, my throat is so dry I’m not able to swallow. I think I might actually die.

That was my hardest day on a bike. We were riding through a section of the nature reserve in the Cedarberg in mid summer. Obviously I didn’t die, but I did suffer – a lot.