BB2BB Day 14

My hosts at Owl and Elephant were up early and I had breakfast at 05:00. Their hospitality and generosity was overwhelming. The lunch pack was excellent. I got going at 05:31.

My track took me south of Weenen on a good gravel road. The undulations was quite severe and I had difficulty maintaining any good momentum. After two and a half hours my average speed was 10.3 kph. I stopped on a hill overlooking the country side to have a bite. The surroundings were beautiful and I sat opposite the entrance to a farm owned by the Robertson's. While eating somebody took some horses for a trot! It was a scene if tranquility!

I was just past halfway and my host for the evening, Gavin Ryan, who was due to pick me up at Nottingham Road as he lived in Howick, was monitoring my progress informing me that there was a nice down hill coming followed by a 16 km climb. The climb was not that bad as the incline was such that I could maintain a steady 10 kph with odd steeper section here and there. I reached the R103 after 3:46.

I had a nice easy ride into Mooi River, where the track which I plotted took me the long way around on a gravel road with very little traffic. It was not the road Gavin thought I would use, but he did find me in the end. This road had its challenges with multiple blind tops, but I got to Nottingham Road after 6:42:56 covering 85.32 km and climbing 1,527 meters.

We immediately took my bike to the bike shop where the rear wheel bearings, pivot bearings, chain and brake rotor were replaced. I am very thankful to Callen Deacon for being willing to move me up the que to endure my bike is in tip top condition fir the rest of the journey. I also had an impromptu interview with a lady of the local paper.

Con Malherbe popped in to bring me my new Garmin as well as some batteries for my rear light, some wristbands for the sweat and some all purpose oil.

Tomorrow some local riders will be joining me for the first part of the journey and tomorrow night I will stay with Bruce in Underberg.