BB2BB2 Day 33

 

After Saterday's "monster" day from Marlu to Uniondale, where I really was down and out at arrival in Uniondale, yesterday's ride from Uniondale to Knysna via Prins Alfred Pass and Kom se Pad, was a highlight and a "breeze"! Lots of climbing, monster downhills and awesome scenery! To ride through the Knysna forests really is an amasing experiance.

Last night I had supper with Mike Smit, Johan Schoeman and their wives at Drydock in Knysna. It really was a wonderful evening. What these two couples have done for me since Sue passed away is just awesome! What would life be without friends like these?

We had breakfast at 06:15 and got going at 07:37. A little tar and then right before the bridge over the Knysna lagoon along a nice gravel road to the "red bridge", which is there for a pipeline, but can be cycled over. This led us onto Phantom Pass, pass number 1 of the seven passes road. It took us 36 minutes to complete the 4 km. At the top it was a right on the tar road to Rheenendal and then pass number 2 Homtini Pass. This one is 5 km and took 30 minutes. The scenery is absolutely awesome! A great prevelious to be able to ride through this beautiful area. Mike and Johan is also in awe about our suroundings. Johan do have some issues with his e-bike, but it seems to be operating reasonsbly OK most of the time. Every now and then he gets an "error" message and loose power! Somehow, between him and Mike, then get it to run. 

At about 11:45 we stop at a roadside cafe. A weard and wonderful place. We do get a plunger of coffee and eat the sandwhiches which we made for ourselves at the breakfast table.

After about 30 minutes we are on the road again. Just before Hoekwil we take the turn-off to the next pass. Still 22 km to go to George with 3 passes left. The last two follow directly onto one another. At the top Mike and Johan take a break while they wait for me to catch up and on we go. Halfway down the next hill, Mike asks Johan  where is his backpack! He left it where they waited for me. They go back to look for it, but it is gone. Not much in it, but a loss!

We cycle through George and stop at Where Trail Meet for something to eat and good coffee and set-off for Montagu Pass. Little did we know what awaits us! We take the right turn and cycle down a good gravel road past the "Old Toll House". The road is closed, but we can get around the side and there are cycle tracks, indicating that somebody else did the same. Initially the road is quite reasonable. I go ahead, antisipating that the e-bikes will pass me shortly. The condition of the road starts to deterioate. The further I go, the worse it gets. It is  classic case of the frog in the pan. You get to a point of no return. I am so far ahead of Mike and Johan that I have lost contact with them. I aldso cannot really turnaround because I have moved too far along this rediculously and really none existing road. It is just rocks and dongas! I silently hope that Mike and Johan have decided that it is too much and turned back to take the Outeniqua Pass. It takes me nearly 3 hours to "navigate" up this distructive pass, which me and Hennie de Clercq cycled up, with very little problem except for being very stero in places, at the beginning of February. I cannot come over the distruction that had taken place on the meantime. When I evetually get to Over the Mountain, where we are staying, the Brits family tells us that they had a massive storm the previous week, recording 210 mm of rain in one night. So that is why the road is in such an attroteous condition. To make matters worse, some serious problems on the reconstruction process, which started recently, was pointed out and has came back to haunt the contractors. 

I finnally reach my detination after 10:45 to cover the 98 km. In the meantime there is no sign of Mike and Johan. I can just imagine the trouble they had "halling" those heavy e-bikes over those rocks and dongas, especially Johan's bik, which probably weigh twice as much as Mike's. Riana and Estelle, our hostess, drive to the top of the pass to look for them but return without seeing anything. We all are a bit worried, but at least it is not cold and they do have lights. There also is vey little chance of getting lost. It is just the effort to get those bikes and their bodies up the pass. Eventually they arrive at anout 18:40 after 12 hours on the road. We all are relieved that they made it. Johan goes straight to their room. He is too tired to eat. He just want to rest. Mike takes a shower and we all have supper in the company of Gerrit and Estelle Brits. 

And so ends a day, which started out so beautifully and ended as a real test to our endurance! As Mike said at the dinner table, one must always be prepared for the tests that may come across our paths. We all are just glad that we all got home safely!