Posts Tagged ‘Kelfords’
Caveman going places- Kelfords Ford Fiesta 1.6 DTCi
Kelfords Ford Fiesta TDCi 1.6 Turbo Diesel Ambiente 5 door
Things I like:
– Turbo Diesel. Poweful, economic & clean(er).
– Voice activation, USB, iPod & Bluetooth for a handsfree office and entertainment centre.
– Capless fuel system and fool proof “diesel only” nozzle.
– Good looks and small, yet roomy- thanks to seat down hatch back and Thule bike racks.
– Fuel economy: This Fiesta has done 3.9L/100km to win its class in some economy run.But with 2x XL bikes (often) on the roof, and mixed city and highway driving, I get an avs of 5.7L/100km.
Since its not my car (thanks Tristan and the crew at Kelfords Ford in Somerset West) and its not made for off roading, we parked and enjoyed the magical West Coast on foot.
In the meantime, dreaming of something more Caveman like when I grow up…
Photo Credit ~ Cherie Vale / Newsport Media
50th XTERRA win since my 1st XTERRA in 2001. By 6 minutes at that. 50 wins seems big, but yet is a small part in my career as a triathlete. I wish I had kept count of the wins. Since that first one as a 14 year old in 1988 at Ironkids in Pretoria. All those triathlons and duathlons my parents drove me to in my dads new Toyota Cressida. All those triathlons in France from 1992-1999. Some years up to 36 races a season. All those SA Champs and African Champs and Energade Series wins inbetween. All those years on the ITU circuit, racing to 2 Olympic Games. (Not too many wins those years) All those years racing non drafting short course in the USA.
How many wins would there be? 100? 200? How many races? I only started blogging (keeping track) in 2002. The days before were before internet, even cell phones. But I do have many many boxes of medals, old race numbers and newspaper clippings (thanks to my Ouma) to go through with the grandkids one day…
Winning at home is always fun, so it was great to reach the 50th XTERRA win in South Africa, where it all started.
The lead up- 10 days out:
The 10 days “toughen up” training camp in the altitude, heat, rocks and thorns in Windhoek (Namibia) came in quite handy at this tough Buffelspoort race. Heat, hills, altitude, rocks, thorns and amazing single track. Repeat.
During this training camp, I lost a fair bit of weight. Unfortunately I later realized its because of all the bleeding I did through this hard, thorny country. Qoute of the week was by Willie, (Still the Hope of Namibia): “Here in Nambia, the softest part of our bodies is our teeth…”
Racing for Burry Stander
TotalSports Challenge Terra Firma: 50km road cycle (Caveman), 14km road run (Princess Hotstuff), 25km MTB (Caveman), 9km beach run (Princess Hotstuff)
My coach Ian Rodger wanted me to ride steady TT pace “so we can look at the watts and see how we measure up with last year (at this race)” I said, actually Liezel and I are doing this race for Burry, and instead of towing everyone from Gordons Bay to Kleinmond, I want to arrive at the hand over alone- like Burry did 3 years ago. Ian thought about it, and said, “ok, you haven’t trained for that kind of riding, but hit them hard on the rolling technical section through Gordons Bay, see who’s with you, and then attack them when you’re into the wind” He finished off with: “Kick them in the nuts till no one is left standing”
Still raw from Burry’s funeral, I rode to Gordons Bay filled with emotion. Angry Battery 9 soundtrack seemingly the only suitable companion.
Althoug it was wind-still in Stellenbosch, it was howling in Gordons Bay, so I went with a training wheel in front. I rode my UCI legal SHIV TT bike, and warmed like I would for a big TT race, and got to the start simmering and ready to kick crotches. But on the start line the mood was very somber- Songo Fipaza and a number of the Songo kids were at the start line in memory of Burry. Songo made a stirring speech celebrating Burry’s extraordinary life before Songo and the kids slowly led us through the neutral zone of Gordons Bay. Obviously I had to go to plan B and attack the guys on the open road to Rooiels- a much harder task.
A tsunami warning the night before caused some pretty interesting ocean conditions- complete with “shark” “no, dolphin” “no, shark” spottings at the turn buoy.
The tsunami was predicted to hit land at 10.28pm causing a large number of athletes to evacuate, only to return to bed at 1am.
Caveman’s Ford Fiesta for sale at Kelfords
The good folks at Kelfords Ford & Mazda are selling the Demo Model Ford Fiesta I have been test driving for you:
2010 Ford Fiesta 1.4i Trend. (Thule bike racks and Specialized bikes not included)
35 000 Km
Price R135 000
This is a great little car. Liezel and I fell in love with it right away. The Fiesta handles great, feels nippy in traffic and city driving, she turns on a dime, and if you wind her up tightly, goes fast enough to widen the smile already on my dial.
The interior is a lot more spacious than you may think, considering its a smaller car. With the split rear seats down, we could fit huge amounts of sporting and camping goodies for adventurous weekends away. With the bikes and/or surfboard on the Thule Roof racks we once even packed the double bed (mattress) on top of all the other gear… Plenty of leg room, head room (I’m 6ft2) and in terms of ergonomics, I cannot think of anything I could improve on.
This car is modern. VERY modern, considering my previous ride. The small things I like: (things I dislike about some other cars who try to think FOR me as opposed to OF me)
– No unnecessary stupid beeping. This car only beeps when your (or passengers’) seat belt is not on, and when you are about to leave the lights on, and if you have less than 80km in the petrol tank. (it beeps once to notify you when on the road, and if you start the car with less than 80km left, it beeps once softly upon starting up.)
The dash shows all kinds of data, including fuel economy, distance left on fuel in tank and avs fuel economy. (rated at 5.9l/100km, but I got more like 6.7- we often had two XL bikes on the roof, and with a slight;y heavy foot, I did get a few love letters from the traffic dept.)
The technology I enjoyed the most was the Bluetooth connectivity- I could use my iPhone hands free via the cars’ impressive sounds system. Calling was so easy and the sound quality so good, I saved phone calls for drives. It also boasts Voice Activation and other fancy technology beyond the grasp of a mere Caveman.
If you’re interested, please contact Tristan at Kelfords Ford & Mazda in Somerset West.
| Tel: +21 851 3333 Fax: +21 851 3834 info@kelfords.co.za |
Kelford’s Ford & Mazda 11 Victoria Street Somerset West 7130 |
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Tristan, (currently getting ready for Ironman) and his crew are kind, warm hearted and offer exceptional service. They’re very active in the Multisport community, sponsoring Team Kelfords and Dan Hugo. And the Caveman. Thanks so much, Tristan for your support & kindness, and also “H”-ie for all the drop-offs and pick-ups at the airport.
The Fiesta is great for an active lifestyle- like motor pacing from Pringlebay to Hermanus…
Getting ready for XTERRA Grabouw course pre ride:
My previous ride: The Family Heirloom: I gave up the prized Grand Luxury Express to drive the Fiesta. My dad bought this Toyota Cressida GLE new in 1988- also the year I did my 1st triathlon- lots of sentimental value. Also great for cross training- like push starting, pumping tyres by hand etc
I know a hot stuff mobile when I see one. Check out this blog as further proof: Red Rocket and other cool cars blog.
