Bringing The Fire

There wasn’t going to be fireworks this race, it was going to be a patient burn. The relatively short 104km course left a lot to be desired with nothing more than a few roughly surfaced uphill drags and undulations to test the peloton. I wanted a hard race so, even though I was happy it wasn’t another 38°C day like TT champs, I knew the parcours weren’t enough to make the race. 

My strategy became more about patience rather than power. In the past, I probably would have attacked a lot, tried to liven up the race and risked the win in favour of good racing; but with experience comes composure. We ticked over the majority of the race but, finally, with 12km to go, I turned up the heat and attacked. Carla Oberholzer came with me and, although we were working well together, we were brought back by the bunch with 5km to go. The composure I had maintained the whole race was wearing thin.

Just then, however, we rolled over a section of really rough rumble strips and suddenly, my gears were frozen. Luckily, I was stuck in the middle of the cassette but then, of course, someone attacked on the downhill. With some furious cadence I was able to stay with the bunch and thankfully no one seemed to noticed. I couldn’t believe it. I had kept it together the whole race and now, with the national title being decided in a matter of kilometres, I only had two gears. 

Image: Cyclenation

This was really the moment for composure. But it was also the moment for fire. I wanted the win badly and, two gears or no gears, I had to keep it together and wait for the right moment. I took a calming breath, I got into position, and at the exact spot I had planned, I laid it down. I had the lead but the entire bunch reacted and I could feel the heat of the chase. By less than a second, I crossed the line first and took the title.

The rush of winning is always special but, unlike most races, the national champs win is something you get to be proud of every time you pull on the jersey. I’m really proud of the way I raced; even when it was time to bring the fire, I kept my cool from start to finish. Especially in an Olympic year, I’ll be proud to wear the South African colours for the 2020 European season. 

The Next Chapter

You can just imagine the family working where we’ve started to dig out the new pool. Originally the vegetable garden, you can still see the built-in benches in the remains of the stone walls where they would rest. We’re definitely keeping those benches.

The position of the pool moved several times during planning and was discussed at length over months, as are all the renovation plans; but, ultimately, the house always reveals what is best and we’ve learned to trust that. There is always an initial idea of what we want but when you live on a property like this one, you get to know it. All the quirks, how it functions and how people flow through the spaces, the scars of wear and tear, the layers of modernization—it isn’t a blank slate. Respecting what is here always presents challenges but working with what we have allows us to refurbish and reinvent instead of replace and erase.

For the recent updates to the Germa building, we especially wanted to reinstate the doors opening onto the courtyard. The action is always in the courtyard and it’s probably been that way since the house was built. We wanted to re-establish that connection, not just for the building, but so our guests can feel that connection too. It’s easy to think of Can Campolier as historical, and it is, but it’s also still a functioning property so it’s not just about highlighting what it used to be, it’s also about showcasing what it still is. 

There is so much history on this land and, as we modernise and bring the Rocacorba Cycling vision to life, there is a hope that this will become another chapter in the long story of Can Campolier. The truth is the house has 300 years of history before us and hopefully, with our help, 300 years of history after us. It’s a significant part of our lives but we are merely custodians of Can Campolier, hoping to leave it better for the future.