Welcome to the 2nd Frodissimo times, this time checking in from Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The little student town about an hours drive outside of Cape Town has long been a favorite of mine. As an athlete it was an easy ‘get out’ of the European winter, a 12h flight from most major European cities, board at night and be in summer by the morning. Being on the same time zone has always been a plus and has a lot more diversity than any of the popular Spanish islands, especially early in the year. Which also means many more distractions, at least if training is your only prerogative…

Well it no longer is and it’s time to readjust the mix. Exercising is now mainly a tool to digest any of the incredible meals, especially since deserts have gone from a strong “no” in the past to a “sure, why not” at lunch and dinner. More than food, there’s time to actually sit and talk to friends from back in the day, continue conversations that started decades ago. Having energy to appreciate nature and the luxury of finding a big tree to give some shade while doing some work.

They say an athlete dies twice because his identity is tied so closely to his job. But I guess that means you get another chance at living a second. Less structure leaves more room for curiosity, exploring and wandering… Pretty much all the things that would have driven me crazy 10 years ago.

I remember the pool heating breaking regularly. If it wasn’t the heating but rather the pump that went and the pool got shut, a good Samaritan known as Farmer Angus would let us swim in his farm dam. It’s been 13 years since training in this most serene environment, our kids are now the same age his were. Best of all “Lucky” the adopted dog was still there, a little slower but no less interested in the leftovers at the dinner table.

Having formerly been a banker in London and now leading the charge of what farming with nature should be, I take notes. Regenerative agriculture is something he is truly passionate about. I don’t think he works less hours than he did in his old position, he just does it without a tie (or shoes for that matter) though it’s the energy and enthusiasm you only get to see when someone has found their calling.

Living out of a bag, traveling to races and training camps, South Africa has always felt like the home I could come back to if I needed. A working holiday in and around Cape Town - the thing I didn’t know I needed.

Have a great day!

Jan.

Card game…

As an athlete, the way I used to break things down is by creating fractions of the total distance (1/2 way, 7/8th done and so on). My way of breaking things down into manageable pieces I suppose. Playing cards seems to engage my inner maths nerd- only took 43 years to discover.

Gin Rummy

Not sue when last I played cards other than UNO with my kids but I’ve been addicted to this game since a friend of mine introduced it to on our boys ski trip. I’ve found this video to explain it- hope you get to give it a go.

Travel hack

If you are anything like me, the first thing when starting a trip is that all you want to do is eat, this hack may seem ludicrous, but I have found it to work wonders. Try fasting during your flight. Scott and I talked about this on the FuelIn podcast a while back and whilst the evidence is anecdotal it works super well for me, every time. A decent meal close to the actual travel time and coffee upon landing to get you on the time zone - try adding butter if you’re starving for a basic ‘bulletproof coffee’. Not sure if it’s what they put in the food to keep it ‘fresh’ or just giving your digestive system a break, it’s my jet lag hack and travel lag killer.

Book I recently enjoyed

It’s all in on South Africa this week and my favorite comedian comes to mind: Trevor Noah. Born a crime is the title and it’s a timely reminder of growing up around the fringes of Apartheid. Born to a black mother and a white father, which was deemed illegal at the time, hence the title, he takes you on the early journey of him and his mother against a system that didn’t allow them to be together.

See you next week…

Happy Easter egg hunting and enjoy having your social media flooded by hip baristas pouring flat whites into chocolate eggs. We’re off to the west coast for a few days, likely only having instant coffee at our disposal- spare us a thought… Have a great weekend,

Jan.

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