Wed 7th July - Cape Town

It's hard to believe it, but having spent the last couple of weeks following the World Cup, crammed into a testosterone-overloaded car with mates Chris, Rick and Dave, I am now craving the fresh air, freedom and healthy feeling that comes with travelling by bicycle. Despite being subjected to all of England's woeful performances (trust me they didn't look any better live) we had a fantastic time soaking up the atmosphere at stadiums and fan parks along the way, while taking time to explore some of South Africa's beauty spots - and I'm not just referring to a birthday trip to Hooters in Joburg! Although Bafana Bafana have long since dropped out, South Africans remain united behind the 'soccer', and their enthusiam for showing travelling fans a good time certainly made for an adventure-filled road trip. With the other guys flying home on Sunday I endured a long, lonely, peppersteak pie-fuelled drive back to Cape Town, as hard as any day in the saddle, but arrived in time for last night's pulsating semi-final and was rewarded with some cracking goals. Unbelievably I've also managed to score a ticket to the final so I'll soon be on my way back to Joburg to watch the conclusion of this epic and unpredictable World Cup.
 
Special thanks as always to everyone who has donated. As a result of all your incredible generosity I have been voted as JustGiving's 'Fund-raiser of the month'!