For more information please go the the TOUR DIVIDE website
See you soon!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tour Divide
Hi there - currently back in Roswell, GA - having a rest and getting ready for the Tour Divide which starts in Banff, Canada June 10 2011. Its a one stage self supported race along the continental divide to Antelope Wells, New Mexico - approx 2,700 miles. Latest news in is that the snow is so bad this year some of the passes are impassable so they are going to have to re-route!! Nothing is ever straightforward is it?
For more information please go the the TOUR DIVIDE website
See you soon!
For more information please go the the TOUR DIVIDE website
See you soon!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Happy Birthday Tori
Well - here I am in Cape Town. It's great to be finished but a shame that it's all over! Thank you all very much for your great support along the way. I am very pleased with the way things turned out - despite that little bug bite!! Winning the last section was great and meant a lot to me along with the last three mando days. Somehow also managed to survive the journey with zero crashes and zero flats out on the road. Always a bonus. My bike was incredible - thanks again to Roswell Bikes!
Still have the final blogs, photos and videos to upload - so check in now and then for updates. Also look forward to entertaining you all more with the next adventure - the Tour Divide!
See here for more info
There were two reasons for this last tour - 1) for the experience, which has simply been incredible 2) to raise money for charity! Still accepting donations .......
If you have any questions I am more than happy to talk ....... Looking forward to boring some of you in person over the next few months!
Just off now to join Tori for her birthday ride to the Cape point - 160 km round trip - hope we don't get lost without the flagging tape! More soon, Paul.
Still have the final blogs, photos and videos to upload - so check in now and then for updates. Also look forward to entertaining you all more with the next adventure - the Tour Divide!
See here for more info
There were two reasons for this last tour - 1) for the experience, which has simply been incredible 2) to raise money for charity! Still accepting donations .......
If you have any questions I am more than happy to talk ....... Looking forward to boring some of you in person over the next few months!
Just off now to join Tori for her birthday ride to the Cape point - 160 km round trip - hope we don't get lost without the flagging tape! More soon, Paul.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Cape Town
Just to say Paul was cheered over the Finish line at the Eco Park in Cape Town yesterday and the celebrations began! Jan, Matthew and Will rented bicycles and surprised Paul about 10 km out on the final bike path and rode in with him to the park! It was all very emotional! Paul is looking really well and was pleased with his win of the final section and overall 6th place! We are all now just a few miles down the coast in Camps Bay. A group of riders plan to ride down to the Cape tomorrow - well, what else would you expect??
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Fight to the Finish - May 7
Dennis and I set the alarm early for this morning to make sure we were ready to go on the last mando day. We were not sure how the day would pan out. We woke at 5 am, packed all our gear and were ready waiting for breakfast at camp by 6am. I wasn’t too sure what to wear – although it was cold at the moment it was likely to warm up later. I opted for shorts and T shirt and would leave my jacket with Kendra in the truck when it was time to leave. Porridge for breakfast – finally! We haven’t had it for ages!! Then we were ready to leave – we were all together – nobody seemed too bothered about being the first to make a move! I guess it was strange to think this was the last time we would be doing this! Our last real race day! Finally we headed off together – as soon as we got on the road – Adam decided to drop off. The 5 of us rode really well together – not too fast – just enjoying the ride. My heart rate was unusually low and I was well stocked up with my remaining energy gels/bars etc – all ready for a mad day – but it was all surprisingly calm. Amazing scenery once again – rolling hills to start with and then a great dirt road – no cars on it – some corrugation – lots of river crossings – but nothing too bad! Scott was riding really well and we were climbing quite a good pass – amazing mountains. We passed Bastiaan at about 60 km. Just before the top at about 70 k Scott’s rear cassette breaks and so he couldn’t ride. However Bastiaan gave him his bike and we were able to continue together. Immediately Scott took off at full speed. So I followed and the others caught up after a while. We crested the hill at 75 km emerging into the Canyon – we could see maybe 50 – perhaps 100 km across – incredible! There was a great downhill and we coasted all the way to lunch at 90 km. We sat around and had a good lunch together – everybody still waiting for someone else to make a move – it is nice to relax. Just as we were leaving Adam and Steve turned up putting paid to an earlier theory about Adam possibly trying to play a trick with badging out!! He was content not to hurry off with us today! About 2 km out of lunch and Scott suddenly stopped – he decided he should return Bastiaan’s bike to him – that he did not need to race with us. He would find another bike to borrow. It made sense – he was really just racing to help me for the day and there was no reason he should do that! He wasn’t bothered in trying to win the day for himself. So then we climbed up and continued along the valley of the Canyon – rolling and into a strong headwind. The track was amazing – very faint – as if it would disappear completely if the wind kicked up! A barely visible 4 wheel drive track through the base of the canyon – once again with the most incredible views. We just carried on – the 4 of us – no one attacking. Paul hadn’t really done much to help all day and so I had the feeling he was biding his time and was really going to sprint for the win. I couldn’t believe he wouldn’t really want to win the last mando if at all possible. So I was getting a bit annoyed that he hadn’t worked with us at all – and then suddenly he finally took a turn. The 4 of us were now taking 2 km each at the front – it was quite hard for your turn because of the headwind and then of course a lot easier when you dropped back. We rolled through to 120 km where we found Sharita at a rest stop. We had enough water and she didn’t have any fruit so we weren’t too bothered until she said “But I do have coke!!” So we had a little coke stop and still no one was in a hurry to make the first move! Back on the road and another 10 km and we hit the river – a wide green belt at the bottom of the valley. Then we rode through a shanty town – I am sure Kristian will be taking loads of photos there – it was pretty amazing to see. Then there were green fields, orchards, a vineyard – an incredible contrast – with sand dunes just on the other side!! Just incredible scenery. Then we hit the road – great – 45 km on this and we will be done! Maybe an hour 20 or so. But of course the wind now picked up and got stronger and stronger – so that now we were only going at about 18kmph!! Recalculation! I was pretty tired – we had now been riding for over 5 hours – and had another couple of hours ahead! So we were struggling – the next 10 km was pretty slow – still taking our turns at the front. Then suddenly with 30 km to go Paul takes the front and just speeds up – I kind of missed the move and hesitated a little before I realized what was happening. Jorg shouted to let him go – but I was pretty sure he could do that distance on his own to win the stage if I let him. So I closed him quickly and sat with him. Dennis went too! It was very difficult at the front – and hard enough behind him! Eventually he pulled over and Dennis and I were able to slow it a little at the front. Then he would go really fast again – this continued for 20 km. At 10 km out the wind died down a little and the road was more rolling rather than the continuous uphill from earlier – a few downs to give us a break! I know now that Paul really wants this win. Dennis has already indicated he will help me if necessary – there is some pressure in knowing the others all wanted me to win the day but Paul was not going to just give it to me – I’ve never really had to sprint against Paul before – looks like I was going to today! So we will see what happens!! I was just trying to get in the right position – I really wanted to be behind him but he wouldn’t let me – if I slowed, he slowed. In fact Dennis was about 50 m in front at one stage and I thought “You might as well go for the win while Paul is messing around with me” But I sprinted ahead to catch him and Paul followed and we sat behind him for a while. Dennis did a few surges just to see what happened. Paul stayed in place. Getting really close now – just a couple of k – looking for the flag and I end up at the front. I can see Paul’s shadow in the road – eventually we see the flag in the distance – probably about 2 km away. I am riding and waiting and waiting. We get round the corner and see there is a pretty steep down followed by a steep uphill – the flag is at the top! As soon as we get to the top Paul takes off and I am a bit slow to react – at the bottom of the hill I am a bike length behind – but I am definitely stronger going up and closed him down all the way – just pressing like mad – I remember my bike going from side to side as I used as much pressure as I could. And I just got him on the line by about 6 inches!! It was so good!! Awesome fun! I ended up another 100 m further on before I could stop and return! And so out of breath! But that was awesome. Dennis was great – he was happy too – and had been cheering me on from just behind! I must admit it felt good to deny Paul the win – especially since he had sat on our wheels all morning !! I won. Awesome! I won the last stage and hopefully the last section. Feels so good!!
Dennis's Naked Mile - May 6
Turned out to be really nice in the hotel up on the top floor! We had already arranged and paid for breakfast this morning at 6am – as had quite a few other people! It had been a clear night and so the road had dried a little. We see Adam and Jorg set off and then Scott leaves also. Paul says he is not so bothered about racing to day so for me and Dennis to leave when we wanted. We wanted to catch Adam and Jorg – or at least not let them get too much time on us! I am currently in the lead for this section by 45 minutes (not including my mando bonus – so really by 1 hr 15) – but I still wanted to catch them to make sure. So I ride fairly fast keeping my heart rate at exactly 150 – with Dennis following and Paul nowhere in sight. The road is wet and sticky with some corrugation and lots of river crossings. I got stuck in the first one – more like a flowing river passing – and then got through the next one just as Patrick came flying through on his full suspension mountain bike and soaked me!! Kristian was taking photos so should be some good ones!
We rode really well for about 15 km – having to be fairly careful in picking the right lines – the scenery is really cool! Large spread out canyons – reminds me of Flagstaff, Arizona and the Grand Canyon of course!! We caught up with Adam and Jorg and slowed up to ride behind them for a while! Then surprisingly at 25 km we see the lunch truck – they had warned us the night before we might see it early depending on conditions!! Just after there was a river that we would not be able to cross – they had had to open the dam further upstream (very unusual as that is considered a great waste!!) So that was the end of today’s race!! We spent some time there eating cheese and apples – before taking the detour. A 500 m hike through the bush to some train tracks and over the railway bridge and another 500 m hike the other side back to the road where we could continue on our way!! So this is where Dennis decides he wants to do his “Naked Mile” (a TdA tradition!!) So – on the other side he strips down and then rides back to the river to wave at everybody at lunch before taking off! He disappears into the distance!! Pretty hilarious!! Scott and I rode together although his bike is still not right – his chain keeps sticking! In the end we stopped to clean and lube it – and it did seem a little better. We had a really great ride – chatting with people as we passed. Then finally we find Dennis again and he puts his clothes back on (that was way more than a mile!!)… The views are great and the road improving all the time as it dries out. Not much wind – we just enjoyed each other’s company, enjoyed the views and enjoyed not racing! Made it to a really nice camp – an Overlander and checked in. Then we proceeded to eat tons as usual – cheese and ham sandwich, schnitzel and fries, pasta carbonara, cheesecake and beers. Am now just getting organized for tomorrow – our last race day – a big mando day!! 172 km off road – its going to be interesting!!
We rode really well for about 15 km – having to be fairly careful in picking the right lines – the scenery is really cool! Large spread out canyons – reminds me of Flagstaff, Arizona and the Grand Canyon of course!! We caught up with Adam and Jorg and slowed up to ride behind them for a while! Then surprisingly at 25 km we see the lunch truck – they had warned us the night before we might see it early depending on conditions!! Just after there was a river that we would not be able to cross – they had had to open the dam further upstream (very unusual as that is considered a great waste!!) So that was the end of today’s race!! We spent some time there eating cheese and apples – before taking the detour. A 500 m hike through the bush to some train tracks and over the railway bridge and another 500 m hike the other side back to the road where we could continue on our way!! So this is where Dennis decides he wants to do his “Naked Mile” (a TdA tradition!!) So – on the other side he strips down and then rides back to the river to wave at everybody at lunch before taking off! He disappears into the distance!! Pretty hilarious!! Scott and I rode together although his bike is still not right – his chain keeps sticking! In the end we stopped to clean and lube it – and it did seem a little better. We had a really great ride – chatting with people as we passed. Then finally we find Dennis again and he puts his clothes back on (that was way more than a mile!!)… The views are great and the road improving all the time as it dries out. Not much wind – we just enjoyed each other’s company, enjoyed the views and enjoyed not racing! Made it to a really nice camp – an Overlander and checked in. Then we proceeded to eat tons as usual – cheese and ham sandwich, schnitzel and fries, pasta carbonara, cheesecake and beers. Am now just getting organized for tomorrow – our last race day – a big mando day!! 172 km off road – its going to be interesting!!
TdA on the Coast
The riders have their first view of the ocean after all this time - today's long ride of 162 km brings them to a beach camp in Strandfontein. Looks like Paul set off quite early this morning - so maybe he was keen to get there and go for a swim??
Fun? in the Mud - May 5
Last night we were able to camp inside a “shed” at the campsite which was just as well as this morning it was pouring with rain and very cold!! I wasn’t too sure what to wear so tried to put on a few layers of different clothes! Everyone was looking really miserable at breakfast – it was just raining so hard! Ended up with my long pants and big rain jacket which is more waterproof. Badge out and head down to the road! All the racers are together. The road is just terrible – super soft, sandy, sloppy mud – everyone was just sliding all over the place. It was a lot of work and effort to go at even 10/12 kmph – and there is 30 km of it and it is still raining hard!
We are riding as a group but not trying to draft – every now and then someone will cross and you get sprayed. Of course I actually really enjoyed it – I thought it was hilarious! A lot hated it though and I could see why! A few tried it and then had to give up – many didn’t even try when they saw the conditions. We slipped and slid and I had a great time! Adam had a flat early on and disappeared. Don’t know how Paul coped with his skinny tyres! I just pressed on. Scott caught us and he was really flying and I was pleased as that meant he would be with us for the ride later! 1 km later and he snapped his chain. (I didn’t realize this till later so was still expecting him to catch us but of course he never showed) There was about 10 km when it did get slightly better and we nearly made it to 20 kmph – but then it got worse again! Jorg was now with us – so we were a group of 4. Then Jorg really sped up but I didn’t want to leave Dennis behind as he is good to have with you on the 90 km of road coming up later! Back on the road we reached a village with deep puddles for us to go splashing through to clean our bikes. I was really warm by now. Managed to bump the speed up despite the headwind and caught up with Jorg again – so the 4 of us back together. Jorg and Dennis are keen to press on and try to make up some time on Adam – and of course I too want a good time today and Paul – well Paul is just there!! The three of us rotate at the front a few times and I am just about to tell Paul he had to do his part as well when he went to the front. It was just about at the time when the wind really picked up and he realized he needed to be in the group with us. We were riding quickly – mainly because we wanted to get finished as quickly as possible. It was horrible! We hung out at lunch for about 20/30 minutes – it was really strange as there was all the food laid out and only the 4 of u sthere!! We ate pretty well – but soon got cold and so decided to set off again. I was now pleased that I had my long pants and jacket!! Dennis left first – he was going to “ride slow” – but it still seemed hard work catching him. But we did! After about 80 km we started to climb – a wicked hill – very steep – and now I am far too hot with all my gear on! I managed to pull off my jacket at the top – and then we stopped for a pee break so I could remove my long trousers!! Then we had a long descent into the canyon – but we could see the road ahead climbing up and out again! Quite daunting! It was a very tiring day – there was not much chatting going on! Getting close to the distance now and we crossed over a big bridge and saw a piece of flagging tape so take a right – but we are not totally convinced as there is usually more tape! But we zig zag along the dirt road and someone asks the question “Who wants this win?” Well I do and Dennis says he is not even going to challenge as I did more work today. But we are all tired. However none of us are really sure of this road. Then we get to a massive puddle and I can only see one set of truck tracks – so really not sure this is right! I am just about to turn round about half way through when Dennis shouts to keep going as he has seen a sign with the name of the town – Seeheim and sure enough we eventually see the Finish flag!! What a day!!
After putting our bikes away we went up some steps to the bar area – already full of riders who had come in on the truck!! I filled myself with coke, beer and burgers as a reward!! Len had got us a room – for myself and Dennis – which was great. The only problem is it was up a load of stairs – almost like a turret in a castle. Room was great though. It was still raining hard so we arranged for Steve and Adam to use up the floor space in the room – worked out well. After a shower and change of clothes we were just sitting and waiting for everyone to come in when we saw the cruiser come in with both Scott’s and Tori’s bikes on top! “Oh no!” We all know they are EFI with every chance now of making it to the Finish. But we find out that both bikes are broken – but that Steve had lent his to Scott and Tori had borrowed Christine’s. At least they are both still riding – although Scott had to take Steve’s shoes as well at several sizes too small!! And we were hoping the seat post was high enough!! Steve said he was in good spirits and great they are both still riding!!
There were a lot of people picked up in the mud this morning before even hitting the road! It was probably an hour after us that anyone else arrived – but then they slowly drifted in – everyone exhausted. Scott and Tori both arrived safely – and then had to set to to mend their bikes for tomorrow. Scott’s was a bit of a nightmare and Tori had to improvise a little as well. But they are ready to ride again tomorrow which is good – everyone is sharing parts and really helping each other out! A great spirit!!
We are riding as a group but not trying to draft – every now and then someone will cross and you get sprayed. Of course I actually really enjoyed it – I thought it was hilarious! A lot hated it though and I could see why! A few tried it and then had to give up – many didn’t even try when they saw the conditions. We slipped and slid and I had a great time! Adam had a flat early on and disappeared. Don’t know how Paul coped with his skinny tyres! I just pressed on. Scott caught us and he was really flying and I was pleased as that meant he would be with us for the ride later! 1 km later and he snapped his chain. (I didn’t realize this till later so was still expecting him to catch us but of course he never showed) There was about 10 km when it did get slightly better and we nearly made it to 20 kmph – but then it got worse again! Jorg was now with us – so we were a group of 4. Then Jorg really sped up but I didn’t want to leave Dennis behind as he is good to have with you on the 90 km of road coming up later! Back on the road we reached a village with deep puddles for us to go splashing through to clean our bikes. I was really warm by now. Managed to bump the speed up despite the headwind and caught up with Jorg again – so the 4 of us back together. Jorg and Dennis are keen to press on and try to make up some time on Adam – and of course I too want a good time today and Paul – well Paul is just there!! The three of us rotate at the front a few times and I am just about to tell Paul he had to do his part as well when he went to the front. It was just about at the time when the wind really picked up and he realized he needed to be in the group with us. We were riding quickly – mainly because we wanted to get finished as quickly as possible. It was horrible! We hung out at lunch for about 20/30 minutes – it was really strange as there was all the food laid out and only the 4 of u sthere!! We ate pretty well – but soon got cold and so decided to set off again. I was now pleased that I had my long pants and jacket!! Dennis left first – he was going to “ride slow” – but it still seemed hard work catching him. But we did! After about 80 km we started to climb – a wicked hill – very steep – and now I am far too hot with all my gear on! I managed to pull off my jacket at the top – and then we stopped for a pee break so I could remove my long trousers!! Then we had a long descent into the canyon – but we could see the road ahead climbing up and out again! Quite daunting! It was a very tiring day – there was not much chatting going on! Getting close to the distance now and we crossed over a big bridge and saw a piece of flagging tape so take a right – but we are not totally convinced as there is usually more tape! But we zig zag along the dirt road and someone asks the question “Who wants this win?” Well I do and Dennis says he is not even going to challenge as I did more work today. But we are all tired. However none of us are really sure of this road. Then we get to a massive puddle and I can only see one set of truck tracks – so really not sure this is right! I am just about to turn round about half way through when Dennis shouts to keep going as he has seen a sign with the name of the town – Seeheim and sure enough we eventually see the Finish flag!! What a day!!
After putting our bikes away we went up some steps to the bar area – already full of riders who had come in on the truck!! I filled myself with coke, beer and burgers as a reward!! Len had got us a room – for myself and Dennis – which was great. The only problem is it was up a load of stairs – almost like a turret in a castle. Room was great though. It was still raining hard so we arranged for Steve and Adam to use up the floor space in the room – worked out well. After a shower and change of clothes we were just sitting and waiting for everyone to come in when we saw the cruiser come in with both Scott’s and Tori’s bikes on top! “Oh no!” We all know they are EFI with every chance now of making it to the Finish. But we find out that both bikes are broken – but that Steve had lent his to Scott and Tori had borrowed Christine’s. At least they are both still riding – although Scott had to take Steve’s shoes as well at several sizes too small!! And we were hoping the seat post was high enough!! Steve said he was in good spirits and great they are both still riding!!
There were a lot of people picked up in the mud this morning before even hitting the road! It was probably an hour after us that anyone else arrived – but then they slowly drifted in – everyone exhausted. Scott and Tori both arrived safely – and then had to set to to mend their bikes for tomorrow. Scott’s was a bit of a nightmare and Tori had to improvise a little as well. But they are ready to ride again tomorrow which is good – everyone is sharing parts and really helping each other out! A great spirit!!
Another Mando Win - May 4
Just before going to bed last night we heard that Adam was planning to leave early this morning, so after some discussion we decided we would all do the same and go with him. When I went to the bathroom at 5 am Dennis already had his tent down – he’s usually the slowest so I was shocked. Everyone seemed ready and just waiting to go when Kendra said “You do realize Adam left at least 5 minutes ago? ….” He had snuck off quietly!!! So Jorg, Dennis, paul and myself quickly grabbed our bikes and also set off. I was feeling good – and looking forward to today’s ride – basically about 100 miles mainly off road. It was unusual for us to leave so early – and meant we only had a few people to pass. We began to climb with Paul sitting behind and leaving all the work to us! We want to stay together if possible because at the end there is about 50 km of flat and you don’t want to be doing that on your own at the end of the day. But we are also chasing Adam. We knew he would ride hard and he is very good at going alone. What we didn’t know was exactly how far ahead of us he had left. Even so I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to start with and I slowed to chat with Bastiaan for a while and then had to chase down the others. Jorg was pushing hard at the front and I too was feeling good all through the hills – however I didn’t want to lose Dennis so didn’t go as fast as I could have. The views were amazing again – with mountains on either side with the road snaking through the countryside.I was afraid we might be too early for lunch at this rate but we saw the truck pass us at about 30 km so that was good!! We still hadn’t seen Adam – even in the distance – which was amzing. Kendra said he was about 3 minutes ahead of us – so I stocked up with water and drank loads there – determined not to get dehydrated today – had a quick sandwich and we headed off. Jorg had already said he was leaving us at lunch so now it was just me and Dennis with Paul following. We were confident that we would be able to catch Adam. There was a bit of a headwind now and it was hilly and we were chasing hard – and so it was beginning to get painful. Getting closer to 100 km which always makes you feel better – even though we still had another 60 km after that. With about 45 km to go we turned right through a little village – a lot of riders had stopped here. As it was such a long day quite a few had taken the truck to lunch and then cycled in the afternoon. There seemed to be bikes parked up everywhere – I was so jealous – really wanted to stop!! But no – not today!! We hit some tarmac and Dennis immediately sped off so I went with him. We were still working together – not really racing against each other – just trying to catch Adam – that was our goal!! I had thought that most of the riders from lunch would have stopped at the village so there would not be many in front of us apart from Adam. The road was a lot better and we were going quicker – and my legs hurt!! We were really pushing. Then we saw someone in the distance and were excited to think it must be Adam – but over the next rise we realized we were gaining too quickly so it couldn’t be him. A little bit later the same thing happened again – but finally we passed the last rider from the earlier group and knew if we saw anyone else ahead it would be Adam. Dennis was tired and taking shorter turns at the front – which meant longer ones for me. It was a case of gritting your teeth and getting through it. The miles were ticking away quite quickly at about 35/40 kmph – but it was a lot of effort. We knew we weren’t going to catch him now but would our times be faster? I was going through things in my head as I rode “If Adam wins this mando that means I will have to make up an extra half hour for this section. That means I definitely have to win the last mando ………..” We really pressed on and finally finished the day in 5 ½ hours. Nick told us that Adam had arrived about 10 minutes before us – so it didn’t look as if we had gained any ground on him!
We went off to get some drinks and quickly grab a room. Sat at the bar and had about 5 sodas – whatever they had – orange, apple, fanta …… Just drank and drank!! Following a quick shower both Dennis and I practically passed out and had a good nap!! I really can’t believe that Adam managed to ride on his own like that for 5 ½ hours – no way could I do that – to hold that speed on your own through headwinds and corrugation! We could see from his tracks that he was zig zagging – which means he was standing up and really going for it! Unfortunately for him my time was actually about 5 minutes faster than his in the end and so I did win the mando day!!
Finally we woke and had more drinks! Just relaxing now ready for dinner – then off to bed as I am still exhausted! We have three more days this week and then we have pretty much agreed that that’s the end of the race. We do not intend to race each other in the last week of the tour! We will just check in and out at the same time each day. So – 3 more days and the last one is a mando. Be great if I could win that one as well! I just need to make sure I still get this section if we do end the race early – that was my goal!!
We went off to get some drinks and quickly grab a room. Sat at the bar and had about 5 sodas – whatever they had – orange, apple, fanta …… Just drank and drank!! Following a quick shower both Dennis and I practically passed out and had a good nap!! I really can’t believe that Adam managed to ride on his own like that for 5 ½ hours – no way could I do that – to hold that speed on your own through headwinds and corrugation! We could see from his tracks that he was zig zagging – which means he was standing up and really going for it! Unfortunately for him my time was actually about 5 minutes faster than his in the end and so I did win the mando day!!
Finally we woke and had more drinks! Just relaxing now ready for dinner – then off to bed as I am still exhausted! We have three more days this week and then we have pretty much agreed that that’s the end of the race. We do not intend to race each other in the last week of the tour! We will just check in and out at the same time each day. So – 3 more days and the last one is a mando. Be great if I could win that one as well! I just need to make sure I still get this section if we do end the race early – that was my goal!!
The Beauty of Nothing - May 3
Had to get up extra early this morning because the shuttle trucks from the Lodge were going off for some maintenance work – but they did give us a “packed lunch” so that was good!! So we were back at camp at about 5.30 am while it was still dark. Jorg and Adam left and I was waiting for Dennis and Paul was waiting for me – we were also kind of waiting for Scott, but he then helped Bastiaan who had a problem with his bike. So in the end I left with Paul and Dennis. We had a fairly long day ahead of us – 139 km. We rode together over bumpy, sandy, corrugated roads for the morning. I stopped to take some photos of a lodge we passed that looked like a castle and so then I had to chase them down to catch up. Then we were lucky with a tailwind after the earlier headwind. All this time we are riding through the most beautiful valley – I can’t believe how deadly quiet it is – there is nothing! We might ride for 50 km and then see a sign for a guest house or farm – and then ride another 50 km before seeing another one!! No stops along the way today. Suddenly I seem to be on my own having dropped Paul and Dennis. There are sandy gulleys in the road where wet soft sand collects and they can really bog you down. I decide to speed up to try to catch Jorg and Adam. I found myself a really good track just off to the side of the toad through the trees – more protection and so less of the soft sand over there! I was looking around as I rode – just enjoying the scenery – saw some springbok out in the field. A whole lot of nothing – but still quite amazing to look at – you can get lost in yourself looking at nothing!! Big fields, big plains, big mountains!! Caught up with Jorg and Adam about 10 km from lunch – and Paul had done one of his usual magic trips about that time as well – suddenly appearing at my side!! He then decides to go out in front – pretty damn quick – he turns and asks me if the pace is fast enough!!! We climbed a short hill into lunch – the 4 of us now. Adam bought Jorg a beer for his birthday and we sat and enjoyed a good lunch together. Adam left first saying he wanted to ride easy for a while – I have given up on these guys when they say that – if I say it I mean I will go about 5kmph until the others catch me – you never know when they say it!!! When Paul, Jorg and I leave Adam seems to be getting further and further away – so I speed up and Jorg decides to drop off. As soon as we reach Adam he really takes off and we are travelling really fast over corrugation and sand with a fair headwind as well. Finally about 30 km out we reach a rest stop and Adam realizes he has a slow leak – he sorted it and then went off fast again only to have to stop a little later to sort it again!! Paul and I were happy to slow down as well although we did eventually lose him. Just the 2 of u snow and the miles were dragging on and hurting even though we weren’t really pushing now. In the distance we could see 2 water towers and we knew that must be where camp was – it was the only sign of life – there was nothing else around!! In fact camp actually came 2 km earlier than expected – great!!
I was able to pitch my tent under the shelter of a car port like structure and then went off to the shop to stock up on drinks and ice cream – I was feeling slightly dehydrated today. I spent all my money so went back to camp to borrow some and then returned to the shop for more snacks and a toastie – much to the amusement of the woman there! After a lie down in the shade it was time for cheeseburgers – and we were treated to yet another amazing sun set – the colours through the clouds are incredibly stunning. Then we had a drink to celebrate Jorg’s birthday and off to bed. I wanted to get a good night’s rest to be ready for tomorrow’s mando day!!
I was able to pitch my tent under the shelter of a car port like structure and then went off to the shop to stock up on drinks and ice cream – I was feeling slightly dehydrated today. I spent all my money so went back to camp to borrow some and then returned to the shop for more snacks and a toastie – much to the amusement of the woman there! After a lie down in the shade it was time for cheeseburgers – and we were treated to yet another amazing sun set – the colours through the clouds are incredibly stunning. Then we had a drink to celebrate Jorg’s birthday and off to bed. I wanted to get a good night’s rest to be ready for tomorrow’s mando day!!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sossusvlei Sand Dunes - May 2
Scott woke to leave at 4.30 – I guess I probably could have joined in then – but there was also some confusion over the cost – the hotel seemed to be charging twice as much at $500 than if you had booked through TdA earlier – it seemed a lot of money. When I eventually got up I had a great breakfast sitting out on the balcony admiring the view – the stillness!! There’s nothing – just the wind gentling waving the long grass and red sand dunes off in the distance – with hills surrounding the scene. I then met up with James who had also managed to miss out on the morning trip and we decided to maybe do the evening one instead. $100 was still a lot to pay but cheaper than the morning’s outing. It seemed as though it would be good – especially as with all the recent rain these are once in a lifetime conditions!
Lunch was pretty good but we had to persuade them to give us a second round of food – think they were a bit shocked at how much we could eat! At 2.30 we set off for the dunes – it was a great drive through amazing countryside – quite unbelievable – we saw ostrich, baboons, gemsbok, springbok, kudu and the most amazing sand dunes!! The first few we reached had grass growing and then further down the valley just sand. Sand dune after sand dune after sand dune!! After about an hour we went off road and went right down onto the river bed – where there was a lake at the end. Pretty amazing. We drove along the river bed and then stopped and headed off towards the Dead Vlei – basically dead trees that have been there hundreds of years because they don’t rot. Very eerie! Walked up over a sand dune – which was not easy –this is probably the most we have walked the last few months – so using a few muscles we don’t use on our bikes! There was a big clay flat lake and then all these dead tress – apparently they are much photographed and have appeared in lots of movies – must have looked especially forbidding in the morning mist!! We then went back to the truck and drove over to the other side right by the lake – which was surrounded by sand dunes. We walked up one – a couple of hundred metres – hard work – much more fun running down it again!! Then we climbed up on top of the truck and enjoyed a couple of beers and some snacks as we watched the sun set!!
Back in the truck I was half asleep for the drive home – we were there just in time for dinner. They seemed to have learned that we would want plenty of food as there were loads of sides to go with a great game steak following bacon soup! I also ended up having 4 puddings – so was feeling good!! And ready for bed!!
Lunch was pretty good but we had to persuade them to give us a second round of food – think they were a bit shocked at how much we could eat! At 2.30 we set off for the dunes – it was a great drive through amazing countryside – quite unbelievable – we saw ostrich, baboons, gemsbok, springbok, kudu and the most amazing sand dunes!! The first few we reached had grass growing and then further down the valley just sand. Sand dune after sand dune after sand dune!! After about an hour we went off road and went right down onto the river bed – where there was a lake at the end. Pretty amazing. We drove along the river bed and then stopped and headed off towards the Dead Vlei – basically dead trees that have been there hundreds of years because they don’t rot. Very eerie! Walked up over a sand dune – which was not easy –this is probably the most we have walked the last few months – so using a few muscles we don’t use on our bikes! There was a big clay flat lake and then all these dead tress – apparently they are much photographed and have appeared in lots of movies – must have looked especially forbidding in the morning mist!! We then went back to the truck and drove over to the other side right by the lake – which was surrounded by sand dunes. We walked up one – a couple of hundred metres – hard work – much more fun running down it again!! Then we climbed up on top of the truck and enjoyed a couple of beers and some snacks as we watched the sun set!!
Back in the truck I was half asleep for the drive home – we were there just in time for dinner. They seemed to have learned that we would want plenty of food as there were loads of sides to go with a great game steak following bacon soup! I also ended up having 4 puddings – so was feeling good!! And ready for bed!!
Thunderstorms and Time Trials - May 1
There was one hell of a thunderstorm last night! I pitched my tent next to a building for some shade but of course there was no gutter so all the water from the roof landed on top of my tent!! Did actually realize this before going to bed but couldn’t be bothered moving!! Woke up in the middle of the night to the storm and could feel about an inch of water on the right hand side of my tent – but it wasn’t coming through so I went back to sleep! Woke again later and there was even more water under my tent. So I packed up all my loose stuff into a bag – so there was only my mat, bag and myself in the tent – just in case! I could feel loads of water all round the tent and it is really raining hard out there – but I am dry. Should I get out and peg out my tent better? But then I would get very wet. So I left it and went back to sleep again! When I did get up everything was still totally dry inside – though the outside was covered in mud as well as being soaking wet – but the inside perfectly dry – I am really impressed with this tent!!
Today we have the 30 km time trial. There is a 15 km warm up to the start then lunch and then the rest of the day is not timed. We had start times – mine was 7.50 so I had plenty of time. We ended up returning to the bakery for more apple pie and coffee for breakfast. Really good. Out on the road we are treated to a beautiful sun rise. Amazing scenery – the mountains and plains are breathtaking – and full of long grass – they have had the most rain here for 70 years – so this place doesn’t normally look so green. All in all pretty amazing – most people have never seen it like this so we are really lucky – though it would be good to come back and compare! It is just so unspoiled and there Is nothing here to spoil it – no buildings, no no people – just a few animals!!
Anyway – we rode the 15 km nice and easy – Scott, Bastiaan and myself. Bastiaan made us do some sprints to warm up and get our heart rate up – so we did! At the start I rode around a little more until it was my turn. Tori was ahead of me so she shouted “See you at 10km” I hadn’t really thought about how long it would take to catch up! I decided I was going to go flat out and so I stood up on my pedals and went for it all the way up the hill – my heart rate was at 180 – but I was feeling good – not sure if I can last 30 km like this but we will see. I catch Tori after 4 km which means I have already made up 2 minutes which feels good. I can see the next person ahead – as it climbs we turn a corner into some headwind. I am still riding really well – just going as fast as possible. Having such a good time – riding well, passing people. There are a few river crossings. Then after about 15 km I hit a rock which bounced my chain off and I must have shifted at about the same time – something happened and one of my chain loops got caught in a tooth and caused the chain to bend out at the side - so I had to stop to try to fix it! I could see it was bent and dint know what to do. In the end I decided to carry on riding till it snapped – but ride a lot slower. It was shame as I was doing so well. Anyway I pedaled a lot softer – just trying to spin the pedals without applying too much pressure so it wouldn’t snap. Just hoping it would survive. This time trial counts and I didn’t want to lose 10 minutes plus trying to fix the chain. So I carried on just hoping it would be OK – at least I could recover!! I got my breath back – I had finished!! And Scott didn’t quite catch me – although he came in 30 seconds after which means he was 90 seconds faster! I hope Scott won – it looks like he did – with me, Dennis and Adam all close for 2nd, 3rd, 4th – so at least it wasn’t a complete disaster!! The order doesn’t really matter! I should still be first or second for the section so far! Things are looking good! And if I hadn’t broken my chain I would definitely have been closer to Scott’s time!!
Then we had lunch with only another 35 km to ride! Again the views are just incredible. We seem to be getting further and further away from anything – in the middle of big, open plains surrounded by hills – and its all so green as well! We are trying to look out for animals but not much luck there. We rode fairly slowly all afternoon – there was a good steady climb and we gradually turned to the left putting us more into the headwind. The wind was really really strong and we had to shout at each other to talk!! Eventually we see a right hand turn with 10 km to go – immediately it is quiet and we are being pushed along by the wind!! Awesome!! We were still on a great dirt road – everything is looking good! We happily rode the last 10km into Sossusvlei.
There were no rooms left at the lodge down the road – although there was a very confusing list with some names showing rooms booked. I tried at the lodge nearer camp but they were also full – and the price was twice as much at $300 a night anyway! We walked about 1 km to a garage to use the internet – there really is nothing much else here! Just the camp, the lodge next door and another one 4 km down the road!! We went to the bar and restaurant – everything I tried to order they seemed to be out of!! How were they going to cope with the whole tour today and tomorrow? Feeling a bit fed up now so went for a shower and then washed my tent of all the mud and put it up to dry. Scott is still trying to work us out a room at the lodge down the road but I have pretty much given up and am concentrating on sorting out my tent. Suddenly he comes running over saying he had got us a room – 150 a night including all meals!! I was able to persuade one of the other riders to take my tent down when it was dry and put it away – and off we went to the lodge. A truck drove us into the park and on the left hand side we could see wooden chalets built into the side of the hill – and we realized this is where we would be staying!! We had to walk along an elevated walk way to our room – the most incredible, amazing views. Fantastic!! We go off for some food and then just lay out by the pool!!
There is a trip to the dunes being planned for the morning at 4.30 am but initially I do not want to go – as I wasn’t keen on getting up so early so I declined thinking others would as well. But – no it turned out that nearly everyone wanted to do it – however it was a bit late for me to change my mind even though it did sound as though it would be fun! So I kept quiet – it was my fault!! Never mind! Anyway I went off to bed and looked forward to my lie in instead!
Today we have the 30 km time trial. There is a 15 km warm up to the start then lunch and then the rest of the day is not timed. We had start times – mine was 7.50 so I had plenty of time. We ended up returning to the bakery for more apple pie and coffee for breakfast. Really good. Out on the road we are treated to a beautiful sun rise. Amazing scenery – the mountains and plains are breathtaking – and full of long grass – they have had the most rain here for 70 years – so this place doesn’t normally look so green. All in all pretty amazing – most people have never seen it like this so we are really lucky – though it would be good to come back and compare! It is just so unspoiled and there Is nothing here to spoil it – no buildings, no no people – just a few animals!!
Anyway – we rode the 15 km nice and easy – Scott, Bastiaan and myself. Bastiaan made us do some sprints to warm up and get our heart rate up – so we did! At the start I rode around a little more until it was my turn. Tori was ahead of me so she shouted “See you at 10km” I hadn’t really thought about how long it would take to catch up! I decided I was going to go flat out and so I stood up on my pedals and went for it all the way up the hill – my heart rate was at 180 – but I was feeling good – not sure if I can last 30 km like this but we will see. I catch Tori after 4 km which means I have already made up 2 minutes which feels good. I can see the next person ahead – as it climbs we turn a corner into some headwind. I am still riding really well – just going as fast as possible. Having such a good time – riding well, passing people. There are a few river crossings. Then after about 15 km I hit a rock which bounced my chain off and I must have shifted at about the same time – something happened and one of my chain loops got caught in a tooth and caused the chain to bend out at the side - so I had to stop to try to fix it! I could see it was bent and dint know what to do. In the end I decided to carry on riding till it snapped – but ride a lot slower. It was shame as I was doing so well. Anyway I pedaled a lot softer – just trying to spin the pedals without applying too much pressure so it wouldn’t snap. Just hoping it would survive. This time trial counts and I didn’t want to lose 10 minutes plus trying to fix the chain. So I carried on just hoping it would be OK – at least I could recover!! I got my breath back – I had finished!! And Scott didn’t quite catch me – although he came in 30 seconds after which means he was 90 seconds faster! I hope Scott won – it looks like he did – with me, Dennis and Adam all close for 2nd, 3rd, 4th – so at least it wasn’t a complete disaster!! The order doesn’t really matter! I should still be first or second for the section so far! Things are looking good! And if I hadn’t broken my chain I would definitely have been closer to Scott’s time!!
Then we had lunch with only another 35 km to ride! Again the views are just incredible. We seem to be getting further and further away from anything – in the middle of big, open plains surrounded by hills – and its all so green as well! We are trying to look out for animals but not much luck there. We rode fairly slowly all afternoon – there was a good steady climb and we gradually turned to the left putting us more into the headwind. The wind was really really strong and we had to shout at each other to talk!! Eventually we see a right hand turn with 10 km to go – immediately it is quiet and we are being pushed along by the wind!! Awesome!! We were still on a great dirt road – everything is looking good! We happily rode the last 10km into Sossusvlei.
There were no rooms left at the lodge down the road – although there was a very confusing list with some names showing rooms booked. I tried at the lodge nearer camp but they were also full – and the price was twice as much at $300 a night anyway! We walked about 1 km to a garage to use the internet – there really is nothing much else here! Just the camp, the lodge next door and another one 4 km down the road!! We went to the bar and restaurant – everything I tried to order they seemed to be out of!! How were they going to cope with the whole tour today and tomorrow? Feeling a bit fed up now so went for a shower and then washed my tent of all the mud and put it up to dry. Scott is still trying to work us out a room at the lodge down the road but I have pretty much given up and am concentrating on sorting out my tent. Suddenly he comes running over saying he had got us a room – 150 a night including all meals!! I was able to persuade one of the other riders to take my tent down when it was dry and put it away – and off we went to the lodge. A truck drove us into the park and on the left hand side we could see wooden chalets built into the side of the hill – and we realized this is where we would be staying!! We had to walk along an elevated walk way to our room – the most incredible, amazing views. Fantastic!! We go off for some food and then just lay out by the pool!!
There is a trip to the dunes being planned for the morning at 4.30 am but initially I do not want to go – as I wasn’t keen on getting up so early so I declined thinking others would as well. But – no it turned out that nearly everyone wanted to do it – however it was a bit late for me to change my mind even though it did sound as though it would be fun! So I kept quiet – it was my fault!! Never mind! Anyway I went off to bed and looked forward to my lie in instead!
Garies
Looks like Paul took his time on today's 117 km ride - must have involved lots of coke stops! The racers have reached a gentleman's agreement to end the race a few days early so they can make the most of their last few days and enjoy the scenery and each other's company!!
Great Ride into Solitaire - April 30
Slept really well last night – in fact I woke to Andre saying: “Paul, are you in there? Wake up!!” Breakfast had already started and most of the tents packed away so I was now in a bit of a hurry!! Then Paul came over with a plan for today – it involved him and Adam going off first and me riding with Dennis but dropping him on the climb.
Dennis, Scott and I left together – we had to back track out of camp for about 8 km along a very wet and sandy track – it was difficult to find a line and I was hurting a little bit. I didn’t feel great and Dennis was powering along. I was wondering how it would all play out today! Supposedly there was a climb and then a really steep descent. As soon as we made the turn we got more of a tail wind and started speeding up. I was pushing quite hard up the hills and also trying to wear him out by having him ride at the front. Things were going quite well – then we caught Jorg , who seemed to want to do all the pulling – nice but a shame as we were trying to get Dennis to do that! We sped up and then dropped Scott which was not the idea. So I slowed everything down and Scott rejoined. His chain had fallen off. But then I think Scott got bored and so dropped back – I rode with him for a while but Dennis and Jorg were getting further and further ahead so eventually I sped off to catch up with them. We starting to do lots of river crossings as the road zig zagged the river. Some were ridable but others were really muddy and messy and you had to get off and run through them! So we got stuck in a few of these. Then there were lots of climbs and steep downs – but all the downs ended in a muddy puddle so you couldn’t take them too fast! It was still pretty cool though and we could see the mountains off in the distance – that’s obviously where we are headed!! We are slowly climbing the whole time – but still rolling up and down. Great scenery! Mountainous with great flat plains between.
We found the lunch truck stuck in a ditch at about 70 km – we ha to walk through the ditch ourselves and lunch was kind of half set up on the other side. Kendra gave me a cheese sandwich, I filled my water bottle and grabbed a couple of apples and then got back on my bike! Didn’t really want the bread so rolled the cheese into a ball and ate that and carried on going. I haven’t really eaten much today – breakfast was mashed potatoes – well not really but that’s what the mealie stuff looks like – and I just don’t like it!! So instead I’d had 2 bananas and 2 protein shakes along with a protein bar while riding! But I feel pretty good and am riding well! After lunch we are back to the river crossings which seem to be getting worse and worse! We lose Dennis in one of them and then my pedal seized up and came off – I don’t know what is wrong with it but it I sall seized up! I take it off and play with it, put it back on, ride a bit more and it comes off again! Oh no! The pedal is not rotating on itself and I don’t know what to do. Maybe go back 5 km to the lunch stop – but nobody there will have any pedals to help me – so I decide I will have to carry on – and just have to screw it back in every time it comes out! But – fortunately – a couple of km later it fixes itself back into place. Now Jorg is ahead – so I set off to chase him down and lose Dennis as we go splashing through the water. We are still climbing. Beautiful, beautiful views. The road is mainly smooth gravel with some corrugation and some really bad potholes. I catch Jorg and we do the rest of the climb together. Incredible views as we reach the top of the climb. I took some video of Jorg and the view and then we set off down the hill – only about 4km but very steep! I was absolutely flying – going way too fast – I slammed into a couple of rocks so hard my tyres didnt like it – I was afraid I had popped my front wheel, bent my rim or broken a spoke!! I was trying to slow down but to be honest it was really way too much fun!! The sharper corners were paved with small brick pavers – they felt a bit slippery and it was more difficult to control your bike on them. But that was all cool! I had lost Jorg by now and really started riding hard expecting to catch up with Paul and Adam which I did after about 10km. Adam immediately went out front – we were doing about 45kmph on the dirt – absolutely flying – then Paul did the same! It is pretty scary following at that speed on the dirt – doesn’t give you much room to maneuver. If you are not in that car wheel track its normally sandy on either side so if somebody crashes in front of you you will likely pull out onto the soft sand and fall yourself!! Anyway we got through that and then Adam dropped off and it was just me and Paul again. We were now riding through the most amazing valley – not sure where we are going exactly – but no turns in sight. It was quite a wide road and we did see a couple of 4 wheel drives at this point on the road. We knew there was a turn coming up and didn’t want to miss it – then the staff truck passed us which was reassuring. Not long later we arrived at a T- junction and there was a sign so it was fairly obvious in the end – the staff are there flagging it and Brian takes a photo as I come round the corner (could be a good one).
Just before that Paul had eased up a little and I was out on my own which was fun but I was really feeling the fact I hadn’t eaten enough today. There was 11 km left. But we had now lost our tailwind when we turned and there was more of a crosswind – which made it harder to go as fast – although we were still going at 40 kmph – so I was thinking “We’ll be there in 20 minutes” p then we slowed to 30 kmph ”OK – I’ll be there in 30 minutes!” But I am pressing as hard as I can – but really feeling my legs. Then about 5km out and Paul turns up behind me – its amazing how he does that – he seems to take a little break, recover quickly and gets back up again!! I was then kind of hoping he would take the front and do the last pull – but no such luck – he sat behind!! So I did struggle a little bit on that last section – but we took a right turn and the truck was there flagging again and another 100 yards down the road we saw a petrol station – which we’d been told was where camp would be. We weren’t too sure as we seemed a couple of km short – but we knew there wouldn’t be another station so close and so we pulled in thinking this must be it. Then the truck came and confirmed we were there! The end of the day and I had won it!! A hard day but great fun!!
We had arrived at 11.30 – so a 4 hour ride. I put my tent up straight away – and seem to have quite a lot of energy for some reason today. There was a really good bakery nearby so went off to have some apple pie, followed by noodles, followed by a nap and then back for a game burger (no idea what the meat was!), followed by cake and more apple pie!! We are at Solitaire camp – the one with the excellent bakery!! I am just doing my blogs, then off for dinner and an early night!! Tomorrow should be a good day – there is to be a 30 km time trial – the rest is non race – about 83km in total to Sesriem.
Dennis, Scott and I left together – we had to back track out of camp for about 8 km along a very wet and sandy track – it was difficult to find a line and I was hurting a little bit. I didn’t feel great and Dennis was powering along. I was wondering how it would all play out today! Supposedly there was a climb and then a really steep descent. As soon as we made the turn we got more of a tail wind and started speeding up. I was pushing quite hard up the hills and also trying to wear him out by having him ride at the front. Things were going quite well – then we caught Jorg , who seemed to want to do all the pulling – nice but a shame as we were trying to get Dennis to do that! We sped up and then dropped Scott which was not the idea. So I slowed everything down and Scott rejoined. His chain had fallen off. But then I think Scott got bored and so dropped back – I rode with him for a while but Dennis and Jorg were getting further and further ahead so eventually I sped off to catch up with them. We starting to do lots of river crossings as the road zig zagged the river. Some were ridable but others were really muddy and messy and you had to get off and run through them! So we got stuck in a few of these. Then there were lots of climbs and steep downs – but all the downs ended in a muddy puddle so you couldn’t take them too fast! It was still pretty cool though and we could see the mountains off in the distance – that’s obviously where we are headed!! We are slowly climbing the whole time – but still rolling up and down. Great scenery! Mountainous with great flat plains between.
We found the lunch truck stuck in a ditch at about 70 km – we ha to walk through the ditch ourselves and lunch was kind of half set up on the other side. Kendra gave me a cheese sandwich, I filled my water bottle and grabbed a couple of apples and then got back on my bike! Didn’t really want the bread so rolled the cheese into a ball and ate that and carried on going. I haven’t really eaten much today – breakfast was mashed potatoes – well not really but that’s what the mealie stuff looks like – and I just don’t like it!! So instead I’d had 2 bananas and 2 protein shakes along with a protein bar while riding! But I feel pretty good and am riding well! After lunch we are back to the river crossings which seem to be getting worse and worse! We lose Dennis in one of them and then my pedal seized up and came off – I don’t know what is wrong with it but it I sall seized up! I take it off and play with it, put it back on, ride a bit more and it comes off again! Oh no! The pedal is not rotating on itself and I don’t know what to do. Maybe go back 5 km to the lunch stop – but nobody there will have any pedals to help me – so I decide I will have to carry on – and just have to screw it back in every time it comes out! But – fortunately – a couple of km later it fixes itself back into place. Now Jorg is ahead – so I set off to chase him down and lose Dennis as we go splashing through the water. We are still climbing. Beautiful, beautiful views. The road is mainly smooth gravel with some corrugation and some really bad potholes. I catch Jorg and we do the rest of the climb together. Incredible views as we reach the top of the climb. I took some video of Jorg and the view and then we set off down the hill – only about 4km but very steep! I was absolutely flying – going way too fast – I slammed into a couple of rocks so hard my tyres didnt like it – I was afraid I had popped my front wheel, bent my rim or broken a spoke!! I was trying to slow down but to be honest it was really way too much fun!! The sharper corners were paved with small brick pavers – they felt a bit slippery and it was more difficult to control your bike on them. But that was all cool! I had lost Jorg by now and really started riding hard expecting to catch up with Paul and Adam which I did after about 10km. Adam immediately went out front – we were doing about 45kmph on the dirt – absolutely flying – then Paul did the same! It is pretty scary following at that speed on the dirt – doesn’t give you much room to maneuver. If you are not in that car wheel track its normally sandy on either side so if somebody crashes in front of you you will likely pull out onto the soft sand and fall yourself!! Anyway we got through that and then Adam dropped off and it was just me and Paul again. We were now riding through the most amazing valley – not sure where we are going exactly – but no turns in sight. It was quite a wide road and we did see a couple of 4 wheel drives at this point on the road. We knew there was a turn coming up and didn’t want to miss it – then the staff truck passed us which was reassuring. Not long later we arrived at a T- junction and there was a sign so it was fairly obvious in the end – the staff are there flagging it and Brian takes a photo as I come round the corner (could be a good one).
Just before that Paul had eased up a little and I was out on my own which was fun but I was really feeling the fact I hadn’t eaten enough today. There was 11 km left. But we had now lost our tailwind when we turned and there was more of a crosswind – which made it harder to go as fast – although we were still going at 40 kmph – so I was thinking “We’ll be there in 20 minutes” p then we slowed to 30 kmph ”OK – I’ll be there in 30 minutes!” But I am pressing as hard as I can – but really feeling my legs. Then about 5km out and Paul turns up behind me – its amazing how he does that – he seems to take a little break, recover quickly and gets back up again!! I was then kind of hoping he would take the front and do the last pull – but no such luck – he sat behind!! So I did struggle a little bit on that last section – but we took a right turn and the truck was there flagging again and another 100 yards down the road we saw a petrol station – which we’d been told was where camp would be. We weren’t too sure as we seemed a couple of km short – but we knew there wouldn’t be another station so close and so we pulled in thinking this must be it. Then the truck came and confirmed we were there! The end of the day and I had won it!! A hard day but great fun!!
We had arrived at 11.30 – so a 4 hour ride. I put my tent up straight away – and seem to have quite a lot of energy for some reason today. There was a really good bakery nearby so went off to have some apple pie, followed by noodles, followed by a nap and then back for a game burger (no idea what the meat was!), followed by cake and more apple pie!! We are at Solitaire camp – the one with the excellent bakery!! I am just doing my blogs, then off for dinner and an early night!! Tomorrow should be a good day – there is to be a 30 km time trial – the rest is non race – about 83km in total to Sesriem.
Racers' Breakfast - April 29
Just before we left for bed last night Paul Wolfe had suggested we do breakfast together this morning – a Racer’s breakfast – which I thought was a really good idea! This morning everyone agreed except Adam who has already had breakfast – but he does agree to wait for us at lunch and we will all go from there! Had a really good breakfast – could have stayed longer – but after Scott and I had consumed cereal, omelette, fried eggs and toast we could see that Paul and the others were getting very anxious and wanted to leave!! So off we went!
We rode the first 11 km out of town on a paved road – actually we had problems remembering which way to go as none of us had read the board this morning – fortunately we saw some guys up ahead – as soon as we took the turn the pavement abruptly ends and the dirt road ahead just looks so nice!! So we then proceed on to an amazing dirt road – fairly smooth – it must have been graded fairly recently. The wind wasn’t too bad – the conditions were quite wet and quite hilly!! But there were the most amazing views!! It was a bit like in Tanzania – a climb with lots of switchbacks till we get to the top and then ride from hill top to hill top on really nice rolling hills! We were actually speeding up these hills pretty quickly – which I didn’t really mind – but after about 10 km somebody shouted “What are we doing? Slowdown!!” So we do!! Except for Dennis that is – he keeps going! Jorg also goes with him – but it turns out he stops to talk to Kendra for a while and then joins us again later!! So Scott, Paul and myself are now riding together – and we are wondering what is going to happen – are they going to wait for us at lunch as agreed?
We had a few amazing descents – was doing about 50kmph down one even on a gravel road – it was a really nice ride! Of course when we get to lunch Dennis and Adam have gone!! So we grab a quick sandwich and then ride off after them. Jorg decided he didn’t want to join us after all. Eventually we caught up with Luke and Scott decided to continue the ride with that group. So it was just Paul and myself riding together – not really expecting to catch up with Dennis and Adam but not wanting them to get too much time on us! The road was really good – the views were incredible! There was some corrugation and some good downs. A turn towards the end put us into a cross, headwind for about 8 km but all in all it was an easy day of about 114 km. I pitched my tent, had a few snacks and went for a lie down. I was pretty tired!
The concert was really good last night but meant I didn’t get to bed till nearly midnight and of course we were up at 5 am. After my nap we had a really good dinner – BBQ lamb steak. Then didn’t do much else before going to bed!! It was a good day!!
We rode the first 11 km out of town on a paved road – actually we had problems remembering which way to go as none of us had read the board this morning – fortunately we saw some guys up ahead – as soon as we took the turn the pavement abruptly ends and the dirt road ahead just looks so nice!! So we then proceed on to an amazing dirt road – fairly smooth – it must have been graded fairly recently. The wind wasn’t too bad – the conditions were quite wet and quite hilly!! But there were the most amazing views!! It was a bit like in Tanzania – a climb with lots of switchbacks till we get to the top and then ride from hill top to hill top on really nice rolling hills! We were actually speeding up these hills pretty quickly – which I didn’t really mind – but after about 10 km somebody shouted “What are we doing? Slowdown!!” So we do!! Except for Dennis that is – he keeps going! Jorg also goes with him – but it turns out he stops to talk to Kendra for a while and then joins us again later!! So Scott, Paul and myself are now riding together – and we are wondering what is going to happen – are they going to wait for us at lunch as agreed?
We had a few amazing descents – was doing about 50kmph down one even on a gravel road – it was a really nice ride! Of course when we get to lunch Dennis and Adam have gone!! So we grab a quick sandwich and then ride off after them. Jorg decided he didn’t want to join us after all. Eventually we caught up with Luke and Scott decided to continue the ride with that group. So it was just Paul and myself riding together – not really expecting to catch up with Dennis and Adam but not wanting them to get too much time on us! The road was really good – the views were incredible! There was some corrugation and some good downs. A turn towards the end put us into a cross, headwind for about 8 km but all in all it was an easy day of about 114 km. I pitched my tent, had a few snacks and went for a lie down. I was pretty tired!
The concert was really good last night but meant I didn’t get to bed till nearly midnight and of course we were up at 5 am. After my nap we had a really good dinner – BBQ lamb steak. Then didn’t do much else before going to bed!! It was a good day!!
Lazy Rest Day in Windhoek - April 28
We did try to find some touristy stuff today but there didn’t seem to be anything in particular and anyway I really need a rest!! We have ridden over 500 miles this week, not forgetting the long mando day – me legs were hurting!! I am sure a lot of others are as well! So we just hung out and had a lazy day! Went shopping and I bought an ostrich wallet – pretty cool! Went to a camping shop and picked up a few other bits and pieces. The plan is to maybe see a movie this afternoon, then return to last night’s restaurant for some meat and then this evening we are going to a concert given by our truck driver, Steve. Not sure this is really the best way to prepare for tomorrow but sounds like it should be fun!!
Dancing in Windhoek - April 27
Used my own cereal again for breakfast this morning! It was so cold I had to go into my locker to find my jacket – couldn’t find my arm warmers anywhere!! I was going to ride with Kari today as it is her last day of riding before she leaves us! Her group headed out before me as I still had a few things to do – I would catch them later! The racers were all still hanging around – not sure if they are annoyed or amused by me! Dennis says “I cant believe you raced the mando and then take two days off!!!” Oh well! I really intended to take it very easy today after yesterdays’s final 50 km sprint!! My legs feel like jelly!
I quickly caught up with Alice and Angela and rode with them for a while – I thought I could see Kari’s group up ahead, but it turned out not to be! Then the racers came up behind so I hopped on the back of them for a while – just to use them to get to my group. Scott had come along earlier on his own at about 5km in – I had given him a water bottle as he didn’t have one. He had then taken off really quickly before I had a chance to speak – today is a short race just till lunch – so I thought he was maybe going for a solo race and win. He is really good on his own and I sable to go flat out for about 70 km quite easily! I felt bad that I should have helped him but he took off so quickly. So what I did was try to slow the racers down when I was riding with them earlier, by taking a longer turn at the front and slowing the pace. I hoped that would buy Scott a little extra time – a little cushion if he was out front!!
Finally we caught up with my group and I let the racers go. We had a coke stop at about 44km – I really enjoyed it thinking it would be my last one for a while as I intended to race next week. Then lunch at 75 km. There was not a lot to see on the ride today – rolling hills with quite a few large potholes! After lunch we decided to head for the airport – Kari needed to change her flight and we had heard there was some good food to be had! As we approached the airport we could see hills in the distance. We ended up in a nice café and enjoyed some cake, coffee, beer and chicken pasta! We were there for quite a while before we decided to set off! It was 1 km back to our route – as soon as we hit the right road we also hit a really strong headwind. It was a miserable, miserable ride! We had expected a fairly easy 50 km taking about 2 hours – but we were struggling to go at even 22kmph – it was going to take nearer 3 hours!! It was also getting more and more hilly! We now noticed more much better quality cars on the road and at about 10 km out it really is looking a lot like southern California – with big mansions on either side of the road – big fancy houses built into the side of the hills – the only difference was they were protected by barbed wire!!
We were finally sheltered more from the elements as we rode through a city. The day really dragged though – it was quite tough! Another long day of 100 miles – so it was good to be done and reach our camp at Windhoek!
Fortunately Kendra had booked us some rooms at the Youth Hostel the day before. We changed our tyres as we will be back off road in the next section, cleaned our bikes and sorted out a few other things. Quite a few of the Sectional riders are leaving today so we all went down to the Hostel and hung out there together, before heading off to an Italian restaurant for a really good meal – pasta, pizza and cake!! Then we all went to a bar which ended up being packed with the majority of TdA’ers there to see the 10 Sectional riders off! We were on a really fun table – chatting away and yes even did a few shots!! We also discovered this restaurant served a really good game menu – kudu, zebra, onyx etc etc and so planned to return tomorrow night!
I was pretty tired by now and was thinking of going off to bed – however outside I managed to get pushed into a taxi with a load of people going off to a Club!! There were about 18 of us in the shuttle taxi and I still though they could just drop me off at the Youth Hostel . We ended up driving round town for ages – there was a lot of singing going on – it was quite fun. And yes there was dancing involved for a couple more hours before I managed to leave to go to bed!!
I quickly caught up with Alice and Angela and rode with them for a while – I thought I could see Kari’s group up ahead, but it turned out not to be! Then the racers came up behind so I hopped on the back of them for a while – just to use them to get to my group. Scott had come along earlier on his own at about 5km in – I had given him a water bottle as he didn’t have one. He had then taken off really quickly before I had a chance to speak – today is a short race just till lunch – so I thought he was maybe going for a solo race and win. He is really good on his own and I sable to go flat out for about 70 km quite easily! I felt bad that I should have helped him but he took off so quickly. So what I did was try to slow the racers down when I was riding with them earlier, by taking a longer turn at the front and slowing the pace. I hoped that would buy Scott a little extra time – a little cushion if he was out front!!
Finally we caught up with my group and I let the racers go. We had a coke stop at about 44km – I really enjoyed it thinking it would be my last one for a while as I intended to race next week. Then lunch at 75 km. There was not a lot to see on the ride today – rolling hills with quite a few large potholes! After lunch we decided to head for the airport – Kari needed to change her flight and we had heard there was some good food to be had! As we approached the airport we could see hills in the distance. We ended up in a nice café and enjoyed some cake, coffee, beer and chicken pasta! We were there for quite a while before we decided to set off! It was 1 km back to our route – as soon as we hit the right road we also hit a really strong headwind. It was a miserable, miserable ride! We had expected a fairly easy 50 km taking about 2 hours – but we were struggling to go at even 22kmph – it was going to take nearer 3 hours!! It was also getting more and more hilly! We now noticed more much better quality cars on the road and at about 10 km out it really is looking a lot like southern California – with big mansions on either side of the road – big fancy houses built into the side of the hills – the only difference was they were protected by barbed wire!!
We were finally sheltered more from the elements as we rode through a city. The day really dragged though – it was quite tough! Another long day of 100 miles – so it was good to be done and reach our camp at Windhoek!
Fortunately Kendra had booked us some rooms at the Youth Hostel the day before. We changed our tyres as we will be back off road in the next section, cleaned our bikes and sorted out a few other things. Quite a few of the Sectional riders are leaving today so we all went down to the Hostel and hung out there together, before heading off to an Italian restaurant for a really good meal – pasta, pizza and cake!! Then we all went to a bar which ended up being packed with the majority of TdA’ers there to see the 10 Sectional riders off! We were on a really fun table – chatting away and yes even did a few shots!! We also discovered this restaurant served a really good game menu – kudu, zebra, onyx etc etc and so planned to return tomorrow night!
I was pretty tired by now and was thinking of going off to bed – however outside I managed to get pushed into a taxi with a load of people going off to a Club!! There were about 18 of us in the shuttle taxi and I still though they could just drop me off at the Youth Hostel . We ended up driving round town for ages – there was a lot of singing going on – it was quite fun. And yes there was dancing involved for a couple more hours before I managed to leave to go to bed!!
Not the Easy Day Planned - April 26
After staying in the chalet went to breakfast with Bastiaan and Liam this morning – surprised the server as always by the amount we ordered! We probably had at least 8 slices of toast each – I had a full breakfast followed by fried eggs and toast along with a couple of coffees! On our bikes and straight into a headwind – not much to see although we did have some kudus running alongside the road with us for a while! Liam’s back was hurting so we eased off a bit – and just rode easily into lunch. Here Liam decided he needed to take the truck – initially we were going to miss out on lunch and go straight to the village with a recommended bakery – but that was when we thought it was only another 20 km on – when we found out it was another 40 km we decided to stop for some lunch after all – left over chicken – pretty good!
Still riding in a headwind we rode side by side chatting away – Bastiaan is amazing like that – you chat away to him without even realizing what you are doing! Then suddenly we saw lots of people standing in a barn on the right hand side of the road – of course Bastiaan wanted to stop – which was fine by me!
It was a charcoal packing factory – there were tents full of charcoal and briquettes drying out – and then they were sealed and packed ready to be sold. Really cool! A very nice lady showed us round. What was really interesting was that they were talking in that clicking language (khoisan) – very interesting to hear them. Also it seemed like they were getting paid in products – there was a book with all their names. When a name was called out that person would say what they would like = bag of flour, sugar, some meat etc – and they were immediately handing out the goods!! All very interesting!
About 5 km on we could see a large dark rain cloud ahead on the road. We did think about trying to wait I tout to avoid it – but in the end I put on my jacket and we just rode straight into it – we got soaked! So we rode about 10 km through the rain into a village where the streets were now flooded – quite amazing to see in itself! We eventually made it to the bakery we had been told about – and were freezing cold from our soaking! Of course it was now sold out of all the baked products – with us being the last of the riders to come through! But we had a chicken burger, a cheese burger and a couple of good cappuccinos. Then we went for a walk in the village, found somewhere to use the internet so I was able to send mum her birthday message! Then we went shopping and I bought some batteries for my SPOT. As it was about to rain again we returned to the café for another cappuccino and we sat chatting to Nick – the TdA Tour Director and the sweep for the day. We were the last ones out on the road today. We knew we needed to leave by 3.20 to give ourselves 2 hours to ride to camp. Of course we managed to forget about the time as we sat there chatting and suddenly realized it was 10 to 4 – “Oh No” So we grabbed our stuff and got ready to leave – but we didn’t really know what to do with Nick – we felt it was our fault holding him up!! But then he disappeared off to the bathroom and spent ages buying water and getting himself ready – we really needed to leave!!
So to get to camp in time (before sun set according to TdA rules) we needed to go more than 34kmph – we had 50 km left to go and only an hour and a half! So we started to ride quickly – but there was a hill and Nick was struggling to keep up with us – we slowed down for him! He was trying to take his turns at the front but we told him he didn’t need to – to just sit on the back! After a while though he started dropping off, really struggling – so we apologised that we had to leave to get to camp on time! Which was fine with him! We knew we were now likely to be late so we started flying – needing to average 36/38kmph. There was still a cross wind but at least not a full on headwind. We both had our tri bars on so we got down into our tucks and started pedaling like mad! About 34/35 kmph at the beginning – when the wind picked up it was really hard and I was hurting. Not really what I expected today after yesterday’s ride – it was supposed to be an easy day!! Bastiaan was sweating like crazy – so much that I first thought it was rain hitting me from his slipstream!! My heart rate was about 170bpm!! We rode really well together though – 2km each out front at first – then we dropped it to 1 km turns. About 10 km out and the sun is beginning to set – the most amazing view! So we slowed up to take some photos – our silhouettes in the setting sun – should be some good ones! Then we had to really fly over the last 10 km – averaging 38 – 44 + - there were a few small hills. My legs were killing but at least I had worked off the stitch I had earlier – we were really really pushing hard. ½ km each at the front now, switching quickly!! Bastiaan does not have a speedo so I was calling it “ OK – 1/ 2 k …., , OK – 1 /2 k ….” It was kind of fun and exciting! We finally see the Finish Flag and arrived just 3 minutes after sun down – which was fine!! Nobody was going to bother us for a few minutes!!
Actually we then decided we wanted a beer with dinner so I popped back on my bike to buy some ½ km down the road!! The meal was super spicy tonight so I didn’t each much – but I was so exhausted I was glad to get my tent up and crawl into bed!! 162 km today to Witvlei, Namibia!
Still riding in a headwind we rode side by side chatting away – Bastiaan is amazing like that – you chat away to him without even realizing what you are doing! Then suddenly we saw lots of people standing in a barn on the right hand side of the road – of course Bastiaan wanted to stop – which was fine by me!
It was a charcoal packing factory – there were tents full of charcoal and briquettes drying out – and then they were sealed and packed ready to be sold. Really cool! A very nice lady showed us round. What was really interesting was that they were talking in that clicking language (khoisan) – very interesting to hear them. Also it seemed like they were getting paid in products – there was a book with all their names. When a name was called out that person would say what they would like = bag of flour, sugar, some meat etc – and they were immediately handing out the goods!! All very interesting!
About 5 km on we could see a large dark rain cloud ahead on the road. We did think about trying to wait I tout to avoid it – but in the end I put on my jacket and we just rode straight into it – we got soaked! So we rode about 10 km through the rain into a village where the streets were now flooded – quite amazing to see in itself! We eventually made it to the bakery we had been told about – and were freezing cold from our soaking! Of course it was now sold out of all the baked products – with us being the last of the riders to come through! But we had a chicken burger, a cheese burger and a couple of good cappuccinos. Then we went for a walk in the village, found somewhere to use the internet so I was able to send mum her birthday message! Then we went shopping and I bought some batteries for my SPOT. As it was about to rain again we returned to the café for another cappuccino and we sat chatting to Nick – the TdA Tour Director and the sweep for the day. We were the last ones out on the road today. We knew we needed to leave by 3.20 to give ourselves 2 hours to ride to camp. Of course we managed to forget about the time as we sat there chatting and suddenly realized it was 10 to 4 – “Oh No” So we grabbed our stuff and got ready to leave – but we didn’t really know what to do with Nick – we felt it was our fault holding him up!! But then he disappeared off to the bathroom and spent ages buying water and getting himself ready – we really needed to leave!!
So to get to camp in time (before sun set according to TdA rules) we needed to go more than 34kmph – we had 50 km left to go and only an hour and a half! So we started to ride quickly – but there was a hill and Nick was struggling to keep up with us – we slowed down for him! He was trying to take his turns at the front but we told him he didn’t need to – to just sit on the back! After a while though he started dropping off, really struggling – so we apologised that we had to leave to get to camp on time! Which was fine with him! We knew we were now likely to be late so we started flying – needing to average 36/38kmph. There was still a cross wind but at least not a full on headwind. We both had our tri bars on so we got down into our tucks and started pedaling like mad! About 34/35 kmph at the beginning – when the wind picked up it was really hard and I was hurting. Not really what I expected today after yesterday’s ride – it was supposed to be an easy day!! Bastiaan was sweating like crazy – so much that I first thought it was rain hitting me from his slipstream!! My heart rate was about 170bpm!! We rode really well together though – 2km each out front at first – then we dropped it to 1 km turns. About 10 km out and the sun is beginning to set – the most amazing view! So we slowed up to take some photos – our silhouettes in the setting sun – should be some good ones! Then we had to really fly over the last 10 km – averaging 38 – 44 + - there were a few small hills. My legs were killing but at least I had worked off the stitch I had earlier – we were really really pushing hard. ½ km each at the front now, switching quickly!! Bastiaan does not have a speedo so I was calling it “ OK – 1/ 2 k …., , OK – 1 /2 k ….” It was kind of fun and exciting! We finally see the Finish Flag and arrived just 3 minutes after sun down – which was fine!! Nobody was going to bother us for a few minutes!!
Actually we then decided we wanted a beer with dinner so I popped back on my bike to buy some ½ km down the road!! The meal was super spicy tonight so I didn’t each much – but I was so exhausted I was glad to get my tent up and crawl into bed!! 162 km today to Witvlei, Namibia!
Monday, May 9, 2011
207km Mando Day and a Kick Start from Scott - April 25
Woke up with the alarm – that’s definitely one of the best things about having a room – not being woken by the other campers!! Only problem this morning was that the hotel breakfast and laundry areas were not yet open (I needed to pay for my laundry) So I had myself a couple of protein shakes and a bowl of TdA porridge – then I was basically ready to go. There were a lot of people up and ready to leave early in anticipation of such a long day – a load had left just at sunrise (not that you could really tell through the clouds!) I then tried again at the hotel to pay for my laundry but as I am waiting I am getting worried that the group would leave without me! So in the end after waiting and waiting at Reception finally some girls arrive and I left them with some money to pay my bill – I hope it was enough!! As it turned out I was OK timewise – everyone was still standing around! I wanted to make sure I was the last person to clock out – finally we all agreed to go and I did clock out last. We got to the road and almost immediately it started to rain – it was a very flat road with swirling cross winds. Paul, Adam, Jorg, Scott, Dennis and myself all riding fairly well in the group. They slowly started to speed it up and Scott says he will help me as much as I need! He took the front and brought the speed down to 33kmph and just sat there – he did the best, mammoth pull for about 20/30 km keeping the speed at exactly 33 kmph. It was just what I needed – the perfect warm up. Got my legs going and I felt really good – I just sat right behind him!! Thanks Scott!! We got very wet but then the sun did come out for a while – and we caught up with the group in front which had just joined up with another group – so for a while we were riding with a large group of about 30 riders – it was really nice – just sat there and chatted to Bastiaan, Liam and the Brams for a while! Then I moved to the back of the group trying to get some info. I know the racers have been missing lunch recently but today is a long day to miss out on lunch entirely so I was trying to find out their thoughts and intentions!! Jorg and Scott both said they would be stopping but Dennis said it depended on Paul and Adam – Adam said not really and Paul was not too sure! We were with such a massive group I was worried that I would get caught in a long line at lunch. So I announced that I wanted my lunch and so was going to go on to get ahead of the queue. I moved forward and went off from the front, planning to have a quick lunch and still be able to catch up with those others not stopping! Only trouble was they followed!! Ended up with myself and Dennis off the front together and quickly chased down by Paul, Adam and Jorg. “So what are we doing Guys – are we having lunch or not? Why don’t we all decide to stop and eat lunch? If one of us isn’t going to then we will all skip….” I was back and forth trying to get them to decide! In the end I had enough and sped off at the front – just hoping that if I stopped they would as well! I felt pretty good so took off down the road – I thought lunch was at 75 km when it was actually at 80 km so I had left the main group a little too early. But it really didn’t matter! At lunch the group kind of half stopped – Paul was hovering over his bike – finally Adam and I put our bikes down followed by Dennis and Jorg – reluctantly Paul did as well! Though he continued to hover near it, making sure nobody left! I had a very quick bathroom break and made myself a tuna sandwich and filled my water bottles – then I also went back and stood next to my bike to eat my sandwich! Finally Paul hops on his bike and sets off immediately followed by Adam! He should just let him go as we all know Paul will leave and then ride slowly for a while if noone follows straight away – he’s done it plenty of times before! But Adam went after him which meant we all had to! Scott arrived at this time which was a shame as it would have been nice to ride with him as well – but I think he had already decided to ride in the big group for the rest of the day!
So there were just the 5 of us. The pace picked up after lunch though generally I would try to bring it down a little on my turns at the front – the wind was still swirling in our faces making it hard going. Then at about 100 km it started to rain – and I mean REALLY started to rain. There we are with over 100 km still to ride and the rain is so hard it is hurting my hands as it falls! I am also freezing cold and really shivering in the rain!
Adam appeared to be suffering a little now and so I did try to take advantage by trying to speed up a little at the front when he dropped behind – that always hurts if you are feeling tired. Dennis was doing the same to me as I was just behind him – Horst joined us at about this stage which was good as when he took the front it gave me a little bit of a rest! So at least I knew that after my turn it would be fast for the next go then slow down a little – it all counts!! But it was fine – I didn’t feel I was in any trouble – my heart rate was fine and my legs felt good – just still shivering in the rain – and then the wind would whip round right into our faces! The speed at this point dropped to about 22 kmph. At our earlier speeds I thought at least we should be finished in about 6 hours – at this rate now I was thinking it might take 81/2 /9 hours!!
We still had 80 km to go. We battled through about 30/40 km of really nasty weather. It finally started to clear up and the wind turned to the side allowing us to pick up our speed again which was good! I was really trying to be sensible about snacking on my bike as well – I had stocked up with a protein gel for 60 km out and a Red Bull to keep me going with 30 km to go!! The road was not too bad – bumpy tarmac but no potholes – the scenery the same as before so a boring ride in that sense! We did see some horses running alongside the road as well as a donkey! No people, no trucks – just us and the road! Just riding hard! I am feeling a lot more confident now – I am still with the group and happy with the speed. When I take the front I am able to go at a good speed – its just Paul who still picks it up there! Suddenly after my turn I drop back and Adam has gone – Paul tells me he has a flat. He had seemed tired earlier as well. All this time I had been chatting away – probably much to the annoyance of the others as I wasn’t getting much response (Paul had done this to me in the past and it can be really annoying I know!!). They all seemed pretty miserable though Dennis and I did have a few giggles along the way! I was actually quite enjoying myself! Anyway as we are getting closer and closer I am expecting Dennis to go at any minute and am wondering if and when Paul is going to. At 197 km I am really wondering what is going to happen. At 200 km Horst says “Thanks” and rolls off the back – he is not bothered about a win as he isn’t racing! Dennis has got a huge attack so I am just waiting for it – we are still doing our 1 km turns at the front. At 5 km to go Dennis attacked and I immediately went with him – in fact I had ended up pulling most of that last section – at a steady speed – just waiting for them to come past me so I could follow. Eventually Dennis pulls up next to me and we see the flag ahead “ Is that the Flag?” I say “Looks like it” replies Dennis. “OK” I say “Then lets go!!” So we both changed gears – you could hear the “clonk, clonk” of our bikes and then accelerated!! Dennis didn’t quite have it and I hear him shout out “Oh, nooo…” and I sprint the last 100 m to win by about 20 m or so!! And I am happy!! My first day back racing and I won – it was a great feeling!! I felt pretty damn good! Nice to have another mando win – everyone wanted it – it definitely wasn’t a gift and so I felt pleased!!
About 5 – 10 km before the end it had started raining again and was getting steadily harder again. We finished at the border and so Sharita was there with the truck with our passports. We were soaked and getting wetter by the minute. We left Botswana behind us and crossed the border into Namibia. Camp was about another km down the road – in fact down a big muddy mess of a track – there is mud everywhere in camp and everything is wet! But there were some cheap rooms available and I was happy to grab one. Although I was really tired I didn’t feel too bad - I actually had enough energy to sort myself out before going off to the restaurant – I was starving!! It is amazing that we can now actually ride so hard on relatively little food (Ok – I know we eventually make it up) – just a few protein shakes, some porridge and a tuna sandwich would not have seen me through a day like this in the past!! But now I needed food! One chicken sandwich, hot dog, pork schnitzel and fries plus another protein shake later and I feel better. After a lie down I will have the TdA dinner and then to bed for a good night’s sleep!!
I am still feeling good! For the first time since being sick I have enjoyed the whole day’s riding. And I am looking forward to the next two days (both about 100 miles) – although I intend to take them easy – not to race – I want to recover properly. Today’s win means a lot to me – but in the next section I am really going to try my hardest to win every day. I know I cannot improve my standings overall – but I would really like to win another section – the final section. In fact it would be great if Scott wins a few days as well (for his rhinos) – but I would really like to do well. Might seem a bit cheeky but that’s my plan! I am going to use the next couple of days to recover and the enjoy our rest day at Windhoek.
So there were just the 5 of us. The pace picked up after lunch though generally I would try to bring it down a little on my turns at the front – the wind was still swirling in our faces making it hard going. Then at about 100 km it started to rain – and I mean REALLY started to rain. There we are with over 100 km still to ride and the rain is so hard it is hurting my hands as it falls! I am also freezing cold and really shivering in the rain!
Adam appeared to be suffering a little now and so I did try to take advantage by trying to speed up a little at the front when he dropped behind – that always hurts if you are feeling tired. Dennis was doing the same to me as I was just behind him – Horst joined us at about this stage which was good as when he took the front it gave me a little bit of a rest! So at least I knew that after my turn it would be fast for the next go then slow down a little – it all counts!! But it was fine – I didn’t feel I was in any trouble – my heart rate was fine and my legs felt good – just still shivering in the rain – and then the wind would whip round right into our faces! The speed at this point dropped to about 22 kmph. At our earlier speeds I thought at least we should be finished in about 6 hours – at this rate now I was thinking it might take 81/2 /9 hours!!
We still had 80 km to go. We battled through about 30/40 km of really nasty weather. It finally started to clear up and the wind turned to the side allowing us to pick up our speed again which was good! I was really trying to be sensible about snacking on my bike as well – I had stocked up with a protein gel for 60 km out and a Red Bull to keep me going with 30 km to go!! The road was not too bad – bumpy tarmac but no potholes – the scenery the same as before so a boring ride in that sense! We did see some horses running alongside the road as well as a donkey! No people, no trucks – just us and the road! Just riding hard! I am feeling a lot more confident now – I am still with the group and happy with the speed. When I take the front I am able to go at a good speed – its just Paul who still picks it up there! Suddenly after my turn I drop back and Adam has gone – Paul tells me he has a flat. He had seemed tired earlier as well. All this time I had been chatting away – probably much to the annoyance of the others as I wasn’t getting much response (Paul had done this to me in the past and it can be really annoying I know!!). They all seemed pretty miserable though Dennis and I did have a few giggles along the way! I was actually quite enjoying myself! Anyway as we are getting closer and closer I am expecting Dennis to go at any minute and am wondering if and when Paul is going to. At 197 km I am really wondering what is going to happen. At 200 km Horst says “Thanks” and rolls off the back – he is not bothered about a win as he isn’t racing! Dennis has got a huge attack so I am just waiting for it – we are still doing our 1 km turns at the front. At 5 km to go Dennis attacked and I immediately went with him – in fact I had ended up pulling most of that last section – at a steady speed – just waiting for them to come past me so I could follow. Eventually Dennis pulls up next to me and we see the flag ahead “ Is that the Flag?” I say “Looks like it” replies Dennis. “OK” I say “Then lets go!!” So we both changed gears – you could hear the “clonk, clonk” of our bikes and then accelerated!! Dennis didn’t quite have it and I hear him shout out “Oh, nooo…” and I sprint the last 100 m to win by about 20 m or so!! And I am happy!! My first day back racing and I won – it was a great feeling!! I felt pretty damn good! Nice to have another mando win – everyone wanted it – it definitely wasn’t a gift and so I felt pleased!!
About 5 – 10 km before the end it had started raining again and was getting steadily harder again. We finished at the border and so Sharita was there with the truck with our passports. We were soaked and getting wetter by the minute. We left Botswana behind us and crossed the border into Namibia. Camp was about another km down the road – in fact down a big muddy mess of a track – there is mud everywhere in camp and everything is wet! But there were some cheap rooms available and I was happy to grab one. Although I was really tired I didn’t feel too bad - I actually had enough energy to sort myself out before going off to the restaurant – I was starving!! It is amazing that we can now actually ride so hard on relatively little food (Ok – I know we eventually make it up) – just a few protein shakes, some porridge and a tuna sandwich would not have seen me through a day like this in the past!! But now I needed food! One chicken sandwich, hot dog, pork schnitzel and fries plus another protein shake later and I feel better. After a lie down I will have the TdA dinner and then to bed for a good night’s sleep!!
I am still feeling good! For the first time since being sick I have enjoyed the whole day’s riding. And I am looking forward to the next two days (both about 100 miles) – although I intend to take them easy – not to race – I want to recover properly. Today’s win means a lot to me – but in the next section I am really going to try my hardest to win every day. I know I cannot improve my standings overall – but I would really like to win another section – the final section. In fact it would be great if Scott wins a few days as well (for his rhinos) – but I would really like to do well. Might seem a bit cheeky but that’s my plan! I am going to use the next couple of days to recover and the enjoy our rest day at Windhoek.
Team England - April 24
I didn’t have my cover on my tent last night and was woken at about 4am this morning by a few drops of rain. I quickly hurried out to put my cover on but as I got back in my tent I heard someone say ”I might as well get up now” soon joined by other people and the noise of them packing away their tents!! So although I tried to go back to sleep – no chance! Very annoying!! So I pretty much got up at 4 this morning – not good!! Anyway I packed my tent away and was ready to leave. Today was a non race day but there was going to be a fun country team trial for anyone interested. I had pretty much decided against it as I wanted my legs to be fresh for tomorrow – but then the girls approached me and asked me to join them in Team England – Ruth, Alice and Angela – it sounded like fun so I agreed! I could ride hard but without hurting myself! On the way to the start I had to help them with a flat tyre and then a little further along the way we came across Liam also with a flat – so I helped him – and then a little further on again the girls had another flat!! After fixing three flats we finally made it to the start. There were meant to be 4 in a team but we had picked up Liam also from the UK and so we decided to go with 5!! The girls did really well especially as they really weren’t on the best bikes for it – and we did the 40 km in about 1 hour 15 minutes – about 32 kmph. Not bad going and it was good fun!! We then rode together to lunch where there was a huge group of riders. The scenery was still as boring – we rode about 20 km with Liam and myself in front chatting pulling the girls just behind – to a coke stop at about 100km with about 10 riders already there. I took my time here having fun and chatting to all the riders. Then I realized that if I wanted a room that night I should get a move on as there were a lot of people in front of me. So I left the coke stop on my own and decided I would catch up with Liam who had left earlier – I caught up with Alice who told me Liam was about 5 minutes ahead so I headed off to catch him – probably faster than I should have. Then we rode together and caught up with Angela – she was actually going faster than us into the headwind for the last 10 km. The road was zig zagging with wide curves to the left then right – and we were seeing a lot more cattle – healthy looking cows along with donkeys. The last 20 km was really hard but I was fine and managed to secure a room in the Overlander Camp at Ghanki. I then put my TT bars on my bike ready for the tour’s longest day at 207 km – tomorrow’s mando day! My plan is to ride with the racers tomorrow and to try to hang on - maybe even sneakily win if I can manage to hang on until the end. I think I can still outsprint them if it gets to that point! It just depends on how much they hurt me in getting to the end – and they will hurt me I know!! So – we’ll see how that goes! Am going to try to get a good dinner followed by a good night’s sleep!!
The Final Section
Felix Unite, Namibia to CAPE TOWN, South Africa 692 Km
Mon May 9 Stage 89 Felix Unite to Springbok -133 Km
Tue May 10 Stage 90 Springbok to Garies -117 Km
Wed May 11 Garies to Strandfontein -162 Km
Thu May 12 Strandfontein to Elands Bay -74 Km Tuff Dirt
Fri May 13 Elands Bay to Yerzerfontein -146 Km
Sat May 14 RIDE INTO CAPE TOWN -60 Km -and- Awards Ceremony and Dinner Celebration
Mon May 9 Stage 89 Felix Unite to Springbok -133 Km
Tue May 10 Stage 90 Springbok to Garies -117 Km
Wed May 11 Garies to Strandfontein -162 Km
Thu May 12 Strandfontein to Elands Bay -74 Km Tuff Dirt
Fri May 13 Elands Bay to Yerzerfontein -146 Km
Sat May 14 RIDE INTO CAPE TOWN -60 Km -and- Awards Ceremony and Dinner Celebration
Sunday, May 8, 2011
100 Miles in a Morning - April 23
Went to bed last night knowing that I had a flat on my bike – but couldn’t get into my locker as driver Steve had already gone to bed and we are not allowed access then! So this morning I had to repair it – had to dig through my bags to find my inner tube and then after I had fixed it there was a line for the pump – I had other things to do but every time I returned to check the line there seemed to be more people in it! Then some people were talking about breakfast in the hotel before we set off – sounded like a good idea! After about ½ hour I finally pumped up my tyre and everybody seemed to have left. But I ran over to breakfast and there were still people there. I had a good breakfast by pretending I was in the room with Bastiaan!! Then I headed out with the 2 Brams, Bastiaan and a few other guys. Bastiaan and I were ready first so we set off slowly down the road and Bastiaan stopped off at some shops looking for sunglasses to buy. Then the 2 Brams turned up and the four of us decided to set off together as we were ready! We slowly got faster and faster with the help of a tailwind. It was a smooth, flat, straight road with little change of scenery. We soon got going – 30, 35, 40, 45 and even 48 kmph at times! We were just flying! I felt pretty good even though I hadn’t expected to be going so fast today. My heart rate got up to 170 a few times when it was my turn out front. The 4 of us were just whizzing along and working really well together. At lunch our average speed was 35kmph and that included the slow 9 km start and Bastiaan browsing the shops!! It was more like an average of 42/43 kmph at least!! It was so exciting though – really cool! There were a lot of riders at lunch. We rode fairly quickly out of lunch to a coke stop – again there were a lot of riders in there. Bram however was not feeling too well and so didn’t want to ride fast any more – so Bastiaan and I set off together and soon wound it up to about 42/43 kmph again. I was hurting but I really wanted to push myself and see how much I could take. I also knew that I only had to shout “Slow down” at any time and Bastiaan would immediately do so! So that was nice. After 20 km riding fast we then slowed down and chatted more for the next 10k. But we then decided to sprint the last 20 km as fast as we could – though we no longer had the morning’s tailwind to help. So again we arrived at camp pretty early had another great day. 100 miles in less than 5 hours – in fact about 4 hours 20 minutes of riding time – pretty amazing!!
Flight Over the Okavango Delta April 22
Could only get a hotel room for 1 night though which is a bit of a pain as it will mean moving to camp and putting my tent up later! After breakfast I hung out in my room – still no luck with my laptop screen – though I did manage to connect it to another screen and at least download a few blogs onto a memory stick – which I was then able to send off from the computer in town! I had to hurry to be ready for our flight over the Delta. It was great – we saw elephants, rhinos, giraffe and crocodiles and it was really cool to be in a little 6 seater plane – never done anything like that before! After the flight we went out to a restaurant and then back to camp. I am just organizing my tent etc then going to get some more food before off for an early night ready for tomorrow’s ride. I have decided to treat this section like a training session – as I try to build up my muscles again. Then hopefully I will be able to ride well again in the final section of the tour. Tomorrow I intend to set off with the racers and then evaluate at lunch time when I will probably drop off. Good night!
BBQ Steak with Good Friends - April 21
Decided I was going to ride with the racers this morning. Yesterday and the day before the last 30 km or so did hurt (bum and leg muscles along with lower back) – but am definitely feeling a little bit stronger each day. Anyway I thought I thought I would probably go with the racers till lunch. So we go out at a fairly easy pace with quite a big group. Then suddenly Adam gets a flat and drops off and then a little later Paul also gets a flat and drops back. Scott decides they are both hurting from yesterday’s ride and suggests that we go for it – so Yes, why not? A bit cheeky? Maybe!! So we speed up and then the Brams and Dennis get involved and off we go – we are flying – 44kmph/ 46 even. Just flying along! It is really fun and I am having a great time. Yes it hurting but I only intend to race till lunch anyway! So yes – absolutely flying along – for my turns out front I went from 44 to 42 to 38 kmph and then for the last one struggled for 36kmph – so I still don’t have that top speed ability. But the rest of the group are fine and seem happy that I am there. We get to lunch at 75 km and it’s sausages for lunch! Great!! The rest of the group carry on but I stay at lunch longer and have a great time. There was a sign saying “Only 3 sausages per person!” Then a big group of riders arrive but I saw Adam and Paul ride straight through without stopping. I immediately announced, “I am eating Adam and Paul’s sausages – they have just missed lunch!” Everyone laughed! Then I headed out with the second group on the road. We rode really well together this afternoon and had a great ride. Still a fairly flat road – I was starting to hurt a little on the last section of the ride. At about 10 km out there was a petrol station so Steven and I stopped to stock up on drinks, chocolate and crisps. Then there were just the two of us for the final 10 km ride. I felt I should continue my “training” so rode pretty hard for that final 10 km to camp with Steve following me in. Pretty nice to be at camp by midday for a half day’s rest. It was a really nice ride! Ended up we put our tents up and then went into town did some shopping and ate some pizza! Truck driver Steve said he would set up the BBQ tonight if we all bought some meat – so we bought steaks – about 20 of us – plus some wine and beer! That evening we all sat round the fire grilling our steaks – they were pretty good and cheap too! I had so much fun at the BBQ – feel these people are such good friends now – we have been through a lot together and had some great experiences. It was so cool to sit around eating and drinking – a couple of people had guitars and so there was some singing as well! It was a really fun night – I really enjoyed it! Off to bed at 10 pm though!!
Paul Finishes Strong and Wins the Final 3 Mando Days
Latest results are up. Paul has worked really hard to win the last three Mando days as well as 6 of the last 8 race days and is leading this final section. It was not easy for him to come back from illness and finish so strongly! The racers have made a Gentleman's agreement not to race for the final few riding days - this means they will take the same start and finish times and allow them all to enjoy the ride! Way to finish, Paul!!
Up close with an Elephant - April 20
A long day of 186 km ahead of us. We had already decided to go to the Wimpy for breakfast – however when we woke it was pouring with rain – and people kept changing their minds as to what to do – Yes, Wimpy – No, Wimpy!! I too was undecided – maybe have breakfast at the hotel if it was included in the price – it wasn’t and so I decided on the Wimpy! I had already told Steve anyway! So Dennis and I rode to the Wimpy together – but then he carried on. The Wimpy was packed – so many riders there! I stood in one line for coffee – but they ran out so I had to join the other one to order breakfast as well. Finally Kari and I managed to order. The trucks were also there – quite a few riders had decided to ride the trucks today because of the rain and the distance involved – and finally the place began to empty. Then Bastiaan and Liam turned up – they had overslept!! Anyway – they too ordered breakfast. It was such a mad mess in there – our receipts had some how got lost – someone had cleared them away – and so we had no proof we had even ordered – and had to argue that! Finally we got our order and some coffee and Bastiaan and Liam eventually got their’s too. By the time we had eaten the 4 of us were nearly three hours behind the riders with 175 km or so ahead of us!! Even the sweep was in front of us! But the 4 of us rode really well together and I was really beginning to feel a lot better. At about 50 km we stopped and had some juices in a cool little village. It was very flat – and the scenery would alternate between trees and barren areas with long grass. We were constantly looking out for animals but not seeing anything. Finally at 85 km we made I tto lunch. They were really nice to us but trying to pack away so we were as quick as possible and soon continued on. Elvis is the afternoon sweep so he rode with us – he has some great stories to tell!! The 5 of us were going pretty good. We had been told about a really nice place to stop at 106 km – with swimming pool and snacks. So we pulled over and hung out there for a while – we ordered chicken sandwiches and milk shakes – Bastiaan and Kari went for a swim in the pool. Another 2 km detour for our longest day on the road – but all good fun! As we finally set off again I calculated that we had still had 80 km to go and it would be dark in about 3 hours. We needed to pick up the pace! Of course the wind picked up as well – a headwind now and really blowing! We are actually riding pretty well though – trying to get the miles done – trying not to hurt Kari too much – she is riding really well but doesn’t like to go quite as fast as Bastiaan and Liam – neither do I at the moment! Elvis as the sweep is happy to sit behind! Then suddenly Elvis shouts “Elephants” – and finally we see some elephants! 3 big males – off down a dirt road – so not too close! Then we carry on and one of the trucks drives back to tell us to hurry up and at the next rest stop – 30 km out of camp – they shout “Come on – you’re late!!” So we didn’t stop – just rode straight through! Elvis got on the truck here and so the truck followed us instead as the sweep!! Then the truck was in front slowing us down – as there was another big group of elephants on the right hand side – again safely quite far away! However another 10 km down the road and the truck stops us and sits itself in the middle of the road. There is a big bull elephant – just off to the side of the road in the trees – we were less than 50 m away from him! Really cool!! The truck drove past very slowly and sheltered us as we ride alongside. Very exciting!!
Just to round it all off a little further along we saw some warthogs and were then treated to an amazing sunset as we rode into camp at 5 minutes to 6 (official sun set was at 5 minutes past – so we only just made it!!) What an incredible day!!!
Here is Kari's version of events:
Kari's blog
Just to round it all off a little further along we saw some warthogs and were then treated to an amazing sunset as we rode into camp at 5 minutes to 6 (official sun set was at 5 minutes past – so we only just made it!!) What an incredible day!!!
Here is Kari's version of events:
Kari's blog
Group Riding - April 19
Set off from camp back down a sandy road and on to the main road. We quickly became a pretty good group of 6, then 8, then 10 – people joining us from behind, picking up people in front. Soon get to the point where we are a group of 20. Even the racers caught us up from behind and stayed with us. Today is now only 140 something km because of the extra 12 we had to do yesterday!! The road started to get worse and worse – they are building a new one here but we couldn’t decide whether they had just laid it down quickly or what – it was tarmaced but with lots of patched potholes – in a dreadful state! It was quite hard to ride especially in that big a group. The pace was good though – about 30kmph. Every now and then somebody would pick it up a bit – which did hurt me – but generally it was fairly good. It was great to have so many riding together. We rode most of the day like that – even after lunch. About 40 km from the end Dennis and Adam took off and rode off the front – nobody else seemed to care though! About 8 km from the end was a village where we stopped to sort out money and even went on the internet. There was also a Wimpy – we sat there talking about how nice it is that although Scott, myself and Jorg are racing each other we are quite happy to stop together at a Wimpy like this. Jorg is third in the race, Scott 5th and I am now 6th – Tori just behind in 7th . We had chicken sandwiches and milkshakes and planned to return in the morning. At camp there were hotel rooms and I just couldn’t resist. We actually went to look at their “luxury” tents – which seemed really nice – however in the end we opted for the wooden chalet rooms with air conditioning and a great bathroom!! It was very cool!!
Elephant Highway - April 18
This morning I managed to get my tent away in decent time and had decided I wanted to ride with the racers today. We head off back the way we came before taking a right turn. It was a fairly good pace to start but almost immediately we turned the pace began to pick up. On the turn I saw a warthog which was pretty cool – we are hoping to see plenty of animals now we have started the Elephant Highway! But to be honest I wasn’t looking at much but the wheel in front of me as the speed started to build. This was the first time I had ridden with the racers for quite a while since being ill!! It was a pretty good group – and we were travelling at about 35 – 40 kmph. I just kept thinking to myself” Hang on a little longer ….hang on a little longer …..hang on a little longer…” Well I managed to hang on for about 50 km. Today is pretty long – about 160 km in all. I then dropped off though and really slowed down. There was a bit of a headwind and the road was harsh gravel – big chunky tarmac – no hills though! Eventually Horst and Daniel caught me and I asked if I could sit on behind for a while – they said “Fine” and so that was really good for the next 15km into lunch!! Still struggling with lunch – sandwiches are all a bit much so I grabbed some pears and bananas and waited there for a bigger group to turn up to ride the afternoon section with. Eventually we had a group of 8 and rode well together – now on the look out for elephants. There was a strong cross wind – but we rode well chatting as we went along. At 110 km there was a coke stop. Then Sharita turned up in the truck and told us that she has had to move today’s camp – apparently she had not only seen lion footprints but had also spotted a large python at the planned site – so thought it best to move – it means we have an extra 12 km to cycle today. So I suggested she might want to buy us a coke – to which she agreed which was very nice of her!! Back on our bikes and the road was full of patched potholes – quite bumpy – the guys just wanted to get to camp now so really picked up the pace again. But no – this was really hurting me now – I didn’t want to do it anymore – so I dropped off and rode the last 15 km on my own! I was really aching – my bum and my lower back! It was so good to finally get to camp – which was set up in a construction area – reminded us of being back in Sudan. I pitched my tent as close to the truck as possible and I was so tired that as soon as dinner was over I went to bed. Not bad really for only my second day back on the bike!
First Day Back on the Bike - April 17
Had decided the night before that we wanted to have a good breakfast this morning – the Royal Livingstone Hotel is back down the Highway – the wrong direction for us, back towards Victoria Falls – but they have a really, really good breakfast so we decided it was worth the extra ride. So we told the staff our plans and hopped on our bikes to ride the 9k in the opposite direction! We enjoyed an amazing buffet breakfast – fairly expensive but I think we got our money’s worth! We were at the top of the Falls, at the widest part of the river – great views – very cool! There was a good group of us – 9 in total. It took 2 ½ hours in total and then we were ready to leave for the day’s ride! It was a group of strong riders but as a non race day didn’t really matter. We rode well together straight through to lunch. It was a lovely sunny day and the road conditions good – we kept the speed fairly low – about 30ish kmp – and spent some of the time messing around seeing how fast we could spin our pedals in the easiest gear and going downhill – just good fun! We were the last ones in to lunch and grilled cheese sandwiches – however we were still so full from breakfast it was hard to do them justice! I forced myself to eat a few! Then we had a nice casual bike ride all the way to camp (and into Botswana). I never pushed myself today although I did hurt a little and had to slow down a few times to recover. In general though I found it fairly easy for my first day back on the bike!
Happy birthday dad!!
Happy birthday dad!!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The Spencer Family is on the Move
Marie and Will have arrived in South Africa! They plan to drive the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town, ready to meet Paul next Saturday for the celebrations!!
The tracker is working today and shows Paul's progress towards Felix Unite on the last Mando day. Rest day tomorrow!
The tracker is working today and shows Paul's progress towards Felix Unite on the last Mando day. Rest day tomorrow!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Just Another Day's Adventure
This blog was posted by Brian on the TDA website with news from today's lunch stop! After yesterday's exhausting grind through the mud today's ride involved a detour because of an impassable river crossing! Hope they made it to the Fish River Canyon OK!
Read about it here:
Rain, Rain Go Away
Read about it here:
Rain, Rain Go Away
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Another Mando Win
See Paul's latest message in the blog below. Seems he has once again fought against the weather to win today's stage and yesterday's Mando day! Should be interesting reading his blogs when he finally gets access to his computer. Thanks to Dennis for getting his message through!
One Hell of a Day
Hey
At Camp we just had One hell of a Day it was meant to Be 30 km of very
good smooth Dirt but we had a Lot of Rain last Night and the Road was
a mess. It was hard to go 15 km. There were a Lot of broken Bikes and
People giving up and getting on the Truck. On Mando Day yesterday I
won . When we made it to the Road we all went splashing through
puddles to clean our Bikes and then had a very hard Ride into Head Wind
and Rain. Eventually made it to Lunch and we Sat for Ages Until we got Cold then
struggled through the Head Wind all afternoon but another Win for me!
I am on Dennis's i Pad and the keys are different and it Keeps changing
words to German!!
I cant get the Voice Files off my iPod - you have to do it via my Computer so
will try do it at the next Rest day!!
At Camp we just had One hell of a Day it was meant to Be 30 km of very
good smooth Dirt but we had a Lot of Rain last Night and the Road was
a mess. It was hard to go 15 km. There were a Lot of broken Bikes and
People giving up and getting on the Truck. On Mando Day yesterday I
won . When we made it to the Road we all went splashing through
puddles to clean our Bikes and then had a very hard Ride into Head Wind
and Rain. Eventually made it to Lunch and we Sat for Ages Until we got Cold then
struggled through the Head Wind all afternoon but another Win for me!
I am on Dennis's i Pad and the keys are different and it Keeps changing
words to German!!
I cant get the Voice Files off my iPod - you have to do it via my Computer so
will try do it at the next Rest day!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Goodbye Kari - April 27
Kari has left the tour at the end of the last section (to return to work!!) and I am sure she will be missed by all. Here is her blog from her last day's riding - some of which she shared with Paul:
Kari's blog
Kari's blog
No News!!
153 km Mando race day today and the tracker isn't working!! No tweets through yet either!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Windhoek, Namibia to South Africa Border -916 KM
Fri Apr 29 Stage 81 Windhoek to Weissenfel Campground 114 Km Dirt
Sat Apr 30 Stage 82 Weissenfel to Solitaire campground 124 Km Dirt
Sun May 1 Stage 83 Solitare to Sesriem campground 83 Km Dirt
Mon May 2 REST DAY
Tue May 3 Stage 84 Sesriem to Bette 139 Km dirt
Wed May 4 Stage 85 Bette to Konkeep Lapa MANDO RACE DAY 153 Km Dirt
Thu May 5 Stage 86 Konkeep Lapa to Seeheim 126 Km -last 95 paved
Fri May 6 Stage 87 Seeheim to Hobas Camp, Fish River Canyon 108 Km Dirt
Sat May 7 State 88 Hobas Camp to Felix Unite MANDO RACE DAY 159 Km -last 45 paved
Sun May 8 REST DAY
Sat Apr 30 Stage 82 Weissenfel to Solitaire campground 124 Km Dirt
Sun May 1 Stage 83 Solitare to Sesriem campground 83 Km Dirt
Mon May 2 REST DAY
Tue May 3 Stage 84 Sesriem to Bette 139 Km dirt
Wed May 4 Stage 85 Bette to Konkeep Lapa MANDO RACE DAY 153 Km Dirt
Thu May 5 Stage 86 Konkeep Lapa to Seeheim 126 Km -last 95 paved
Fri May 6 Stage 87 Seeheim to Hobas Camp, Fish River Canyon 108 Km Dirt
Sat May 7 State 88 Hobas Camp to Felix Unite MANDO RACE DAY 159 Km -last 45 paved
Sun May 8 REST DAY
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sand Dunes at Sossusvlei
Todays rest day gave the riders a chance to visit the sand dunes!
Some great photos coming through:
Some great photos coming through:
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Rest Day Tomorrow
Received an email from Paul earlier saying all is well - he won yesterday's stage and was on with a good chance of winning today's 40 km time trial when his chain broke! The joys of cycling - he said he was still pleased with his time!! He also told me the magnificent scenery is very green for the desert - as they are experiencing the heaviest rainfall for 70 years. Makes the going tough!! Some amazing sun rises/sunsets are being photographed!! Might have to rely on other riders as his laptop is broken and internet access in the desert is surprisingly not very good!! He tells me he is feeling well!!
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