RASA Day 9
Moordenaarspoort to Brosterlea. We rose at 05:00, had breakfast at 05:30 and managed to get going at 06:20.
The road out of Moodenaarspoort to Kranzkop was all good district roads with a number of climbs and we covered the 38.63 km in 2:48. The temperature got down to -1.5 and we had quite a bit of cloud cover. We stopped at Kranzkop for a early lunch of soup, coffee and "beskuit". We also checked through the narratives for the next section. Total stoppage time was 47 minutes.
The 48 km to Brosterlea had quite a bit of tricky navigation, but nothing that could cause any serious problems as long as one read the narratives carefully and followed them. No portaging was involved either. We found our way through all the tricky bits and was on the Burgersdorp road in good time. We stopped along the road for a lunch bite and were on our way again. Om the meantime a north westerly was picking up. We were riding diagonally into it, but at this point it was manageable. We got to the final turn off at the old Gouevlei siding at about 14:00 with only 18 km left. The first 3 km was a steady climb and the top we turned into the wind, which had picked up some speed by now. The road surface was also very rough, which made the going even more difficult. The net result was that it took me 2:30 to cover the 18 km. i sure was glad when I reached the Brosterlea turnoff.
In the end we once again had a shortish day with mot too much difficult riding. We both agreed that it was a good idea to divide these two days into three. Tomorrow it is 82 km to Romansfontein.
Total time 9:12:59; total distance 89.73 km; 1,421 meters of climbing
Donderdag 19 Junie 2014
Woensdag 18 Junie 2014
RASA Day 8
RASA Day 8
Day 8 starts with two difficult navigation sections in the first 20 km. We therefore decided to start at 06:30 to ensure we could see where we were going. During the previous evening our hostess warned us that it could be very cold and that it is at the coldest just after sunrise, which was due at 07:06. She even warned us that all the water pipes could be frozen and for that reason she had buckets with water for general use.
When we got up, we found that the water was not frozen, but we all dressed for the expected cold and got going at 06:33. The lowest the temperature dropped to was 5.1!
The route took us over the mountain behind the farmhouse. Most of our progress during the first 2 hours consisted of pushing or carrying our bicycles. We managed to get over the mountain and down the other side in 2 hours covering just under 10 km. This was followed by a short section on a farm road and then we tackled the next mountain. This was longer and higher and the descent on the other side was very tricky. In total it took us 5:06 to cover 20.67 km and we ascended 1,005 meters and descended 940 meters. At the highest point we were at 2,150 meters above sea level!
This was followed by some good farm tracks and district roads. The only problem with district roads are that they go over hills and down valleys, not like modern high ways where all the hills are cut through and valleys filled up. The result is lots of fast down hills and some major climbs. We reach the town of Rossouw at 14:00. With 14 km left, I started contemplating the possibility of stopping of at Moordennaarspoort rather continue through to Kranzkop, which is 38 km further down the road. George's rear tyre was also giving him problems and he had to replace the tube.
Whereas struggling with all the climbing and carrying my bike up mountains, I suddenly started feeling stronger while George was not performing as well as during previous days. I came to the conclusion that I just do not perform that well above 1,800 meters and we now were down to below that level. About 3 km from Moordenaarspoort, George called me. His rear tyre was getting flat again. I suggested that he put some air in with a CO2 bomb. We also started discussing the possibility of stopping over at Moordenaarspoort so that he can attend to that tyre.
As we arrived at Moordenaarspoort, our two riding partners, who dropped us after the final climb, just left for Kranzkop. We were welcomed by Regina Schoeman, wife of Danie Schoeman who the eighth generation of Schoemans who have been living Moordenaarspoort. We were invited in for lunch which consisted of freshly baked "mosbolletjies" and butter nuts soup. Over lunch we mentioned to Regina that we would like to stay for the night and that was that.
We had a very relaxed lunch, cleaned our bikes and converted George's rear tyre back to tubeless with two plugs. The problem is that one of these is next to the beading, so we will have to see how well it works. Currently it is holding the air.
Our strategy from here is to go to Brosterlea tomorrow and Romansfontein the day there after. Two 80 km days with today's 58 km rather than a 90 and 130 km day. In the process we loose half a day, which we hope to make up somewhere along the way.
Total time 8:50; total distance 58.1 km; total climbing 1,924 meters.
Day 8 starts with two difficult navigation sections in the first 20 km. We therefore decided to start at 06:30 to ensure we could see where we were going. During the previous evening our hostess warned us that it could be very cold and that it is at the coldest just after sunrise, which was due at 07:06. She even warned us that all the water pipes could be frozen and for that reason she had buckets with water for general use.
When we got up, we found that the water was not frozen, but we all dressed for the expected cold and got going at 06:33. The lowest the temperature dropped to was 5.1!
The route took us over the mountain behind the farmhouse. Most of our progress during the first 2 hours consisted of pushing or carrying our bicycles. We managed to get over the mountain and down the other side in 2 hours covering just under 10 km. This was followed by a short section on a farm road and then we tackled the next mountain. This was longer and higher and the descent on the other side was very tricky. In total it took us 5:06 to cover 20.67 km and we ascended 1,005 meters and descended 940 meters. At the highest point we were at 2,150 meters above sea level!
This was followed by some good farm tracks and district roads. The only problem with district roads are that they go over hills and down valleys, not like modern high ways where all the hills are cut through and valleys filled up. The result is lots of fast down hills and some major climbs. We reach the town of Rossouw at 14:00. With 14 km left, I started contemplating the possibility of stopping of at Moordennaarspoort rather continue through to Kranzkop, which is 38 km further down the road. George's rear tyre was also giving him problems and he had to replace the tube.
Whereas struggling with all the climbing and carrying my bike up mountains, I suddenly started feeling stronger while George was not performing as well as during previous days. I came to the conclusion that I just do not perform that well above 1,800 meters and we now were down to below that level. About 3 km from Moordenaarspoort, George called me. His rear tyre was getting flat again. I suggested that he put some air in with a CO2 bomb. We also started discussing the possibility of stopping over at Moordenaarspoort so that he can attend to that tyre.
As we arrived at Moordenaarspoort, our two riding partners, who dropped us after the final climb, just left for Kranzkop. We were welcomed by Regina Schoeman, wife of Danie Schoeman who the eighth generation of Schoemans who have been living Moordenaarspoort. We were invited in for lunch which consisted of freshly baked "mosbolletjies" and butter nuts soup. Over lunch we mentioned to Regina that we would like to stay for the night and that was that.
We had a very relaxed lunch, cleaned our bikes and converted George's rear tyre back to tubeless with two plugs. The problem is that one of these is next to the beading, so we will have to see how well it works. Currently it is holding the air.
Our strategy from here is to go to Brosterlea tomorrow and Romansfontein the day there after. Two 80 km days with today's 58 km rather than a 90 and 130 km day. In the process we loose half a day, which we hope to make up somewhere along the way.
Total time 8:50; total distance 58.1 km; total climbing 1,924 meters.
RASA Day 7
RASA Day 7
We decided to opt for a 06:00 start and actually hot going at 06:10. The 68 km to Chesney Wold consisted of very undulated district roads and navigation was straight forward. The temperature went down to -9.8 Celsius. At one point it improved to 1.7, but then we went through a valley and within less than 200 meters it changed to -2.7!
Con and Coen really moved and left me and George behind. George was also making better progress than me and left me behind. He did wait for me at the first turn off, but there after decided that "Oupa" is just too slow and I only saw him again at Chesney Wold.
The scenery through which we were riding was awesome. Quite a bit of the route was down valleys with high mountains on either side. There also was some beautiful rock formations.
My three companions were just about ready to leave when I arrived at Chesney Wold. George wanted to know if he should wait for me, but I declined. A while later he came back and said that he would wait for me. Something I am very grateful for.
We left Chesney Wold at 11:45 with 40 km left, but that included a difficult portage section after Kapokkraal. We took a short cut through the veld to link up with a dirt road, which took us to Kapokkraal. Once again we were riding up a valley with beautiful mountains on either side. The last section to Kapokkraal was very steep and we opted go push quite a large portion. Towards the top the road flattened and we managed to cycle to the beginning of the portage section. At this point we were over 2,000 meter above sea level. This thin air was getting me and I really struggled. It took us more than hour to cover the last 2 km. At the top we picked up an old wagon trail, which later became a jeep and then the path down to Slaapkranz. On one section with some loose gravel I decided to stop, before I managed to get off my bike I lost the front wheel and took a tumble. Fortunately there was no serious damaged and I got going again. In the meantime George was loosing air from his rear wheel. 2 km from Slaapkranz the seal broke and lost all the air. He had no option but to first repair it and we clocked in at 17:20.
Total time 11:20; total distance 102 km; 2,442 meters of climbing.
We decided to opt for a 06:00 start and actually hot going at 06:10. The 68 km to Chesney Wold consisted of very undulated district roads and navigation was straight forward. The temperature went down to -9.8 Celsius. At one point it improved to 1.7, but then we went through a valley and within less than 200 meters it changed to -2.7!
Con and Coen really moved and left me and George behind. George was also making better progress than me and left me behind. He did wait for me at the first turn off, but there after decided that "Oupa" is just too slow and I only saw him again at Chesney Wold.
The scenery through which we were riding was awesome. Quite a bit of the route was down valleys with high mountains on either side. There also was some beautiful rock formations.
My three companions were just about ready to leave when I arrived at Chesney Wold. George wanted to know if he should wait for me, but I declined. A while later he came back and said that he would wait for me. Something I am very grateful for.
We left Chesney Wold at 11:45 with 40 km left, but that included a difficult portage section after Kapokkraal. We took a short cut through the veld to link up with a dirt road, which took us to Kapokkraal. Once again we were riding up a valley with beautiful mountains on either side. The last section to Kapokkraal was very steep and we opted go push quite a large portion. Towards the top the road flattened and we managed to cycle to the beginning of the portage section. At this point we were over 2,000 meter above sea level. This thin air was getting me and I really struggled. It took us more than hour to cover the last 2 km. At the top we picked up an old wagon trail, which later became a jeep and then the path down to Slaapkranz. On one section with some loose gravel I decided to stop, before I managed to get off my bike I lost the front wheel and took a tumble. Fortunately there was no serious damaged and I got going again. In the meantime George was loosing air from his rear wheel. 2 km from Slaapkranz the seal broke and lost all the air. He had no option but to first repair it and we clocked in at 17:20.
Total time 11:20; total distance 102 km; 2,442 meters of climbing.
Maandag 16 Junie 2014
RASA Day 6
RASA Day 6
Vuvu to Rhodes is only just over 50 km and we all decided not to go for the option of pushing on to Cheswold but stay over in Rhodes and rest up a little, so we opted for a later start again and managed to get going at 06:09.
It took us 48 minutes to cover the 8 km to the beginning of the Lehana climb. The 10 km of Lehana took us 4:06! It was very tough and very tiring! In the first 1:12 we covered 2.7 km and ascended 443 meters. During the next 2:54 we cover 1.1 km and as ascended 895 meters! The weather was perfect and the views were out of this world, but this definately is the toughest physical thing I have ever done. I found this year more difficult than last year.
We stopped at Tinahead for coffee and then made our way to Rhodes, where I arrived at 14:25 with George, who was kind enough to wait for me along the way. Between Tinahead and Rhodes, a distance of 32 km there is one monster climb. The rest is mostly fantastic switchbacks and down hills. I must have lost 20 minutes on the other guys on this hill and was very grateful when I saw George waiting fir me at the top of one of the minor undulations into Rhodes.
Total time 8:13; distance 52 km; ascent 2,130 meters.
Vuvu to Rhodes is only just over 50 km and we all decided not to go for the option of pushing on to Cheswold but stay over in Rhodes and rest up a little, so we opted for a later start again and managed to get going at 06:09.
It took us 48 minutes to cover the 8 km to the beginning of the Lehana climb. The 10 km of Lehana took us 4:06! It was very tough and very tiring! In the first 1:12 we covered 2.7 km and ascended 443 meters. During the next 2:54 we cover 1.1 km and as ascended 895 meters! The weather was perfect and the views were out of this world, but this definately is the toughest physical thing I have ever done. I found this year more difficult than last year.
We stopped at Tinahead for coffee and then made our way to Rhodes, where I arrived at 14:25 with George, who was kind enough to wait for me along the way. Between Tinahead and Rhodes, a distance of 32 km there is one monster climb. The rest is mostly fantastic switchbacks and down hills. I must have lost 20 minutes on the other guys on this hill and was very grateful when I saw George waiting fir me at the top of one of the minor undulations into Rhodes.
Total time 8:13; distance 52 km; ascent 2,130 meters.
RASA Day 5
RASA Day 5
Ongeluksnek to Vuvu. It was the usual early rise for a 05:00 start. We actually got going at 05:09. Con, who started with us but went ahead, had some navigation issues two nights before and decide to lay over and wait for us. Later the evening Kevin Davie also arrived, so our group was five strong now.
We had an uneventful ride past Chaba Chita and up to Black Fountain. On the way to Tiana Mission we missed the second right turn, but fortunately realised mistake very quickly and did mot loose any time. We also found the correct path down the cliffs at Tiana mountain and stopped for a break at the abundant Mission Station at 11:00.
From here we had to make our way to the Vuvu valley. Half way there a fears head wind picked. In some areas where we normally picked up time, we were now force to push our bikes. This lasted right into the Vuvu valley where we had some protection from the high mountains around us. Going in the valley was slow as there are very few tracks to follow. We got through with about a hour of daylight to spare.
The group picked up some discord with Coen and Con wanting to take the conventional route while Kevin wanted to try the alternative. In the end Coen and Con went ahead and George and myself decided to go with Kevin. Our route was to consist of major climbing and then an easy ride in. The climb once again was a monster and we reached the top just as the daylight started to fade. Unfortunately we could not the "easy" road, but came up against a brand new fence. Fortunately we could see the lights of the Vuvu mast in the distance and headed in that direction. As we got closer we saw a light flashing and thinking that this may be our riding partners, headed in that direction. This turnout to be the school master of the Vuvu school who showed us the way home. We arrived 45 minutes after Con and Coen.
Total riding time was 13:32 to cover just over 62 km!
Ongeluksnek to Vuvu. It was the usual early rise for a 05:00 start. We actually got going at 05:09. Con, who started with us but went ahead, had some navigation issues two nights before and decide to lay over and wait for us. Later the evening Kevin Davie also arrived, so our group was five strong now.
We had an uneventful ride past Chaba Chita and up to Black Fountain. On the way to Tiana Mission we missed the second right turn, but fortunately realised mistake very quickly and did mot loose any time. We also found the correct path down the cliffs at Tiana mountain and stopped for a break at the abundant Mission Station at 11:00.
From here we had to make our way to the Vuvu valley. Half way there a fears head wind picked. In some areas where we normally picked up time, we were now force to push our bikes. This lasted right into the Vuvu valley where we had some protection from the high mountains around us. Going in the valley was slow as there are very few tracks to follow. We got through with about a hour of daylight to spare.
Total riding time was 13:32 to cover just over 62 km!
RASA Day 4
RASA Day 4
Masakala to Ongeluksnek, a total distance on 64 km and a relatively easy day. We therefore decided to only start at 06:00. In the end we got going at 06:09. We started of by missing the first turn at the school within the first 2 km! We realised our mistake very quickly and back tracked to the correct track. Initially it was not to cold, but as we moved down into the floodplain the temperature dropped to -9.2! My hands were freezing. The rest of the body was fine because of the physical effort in peddling. I even was pleased when we encountered a hill due the extra body heat generated through peddling.
Our first turnoff was at 15.5 km, but there was some "disharmony" in the group on which turnoff to take. After some consultation with dome of the locals, we took the next turn at 18.1 km. This turned out to be a dead end, but we could see the clump of wattles we were aiming for so we made our way there through the short grass. There picked the right track and made our way to Queen's Mercy. This was closed so we just took a short break. As soon as we got going, the wind picked up. We were traveling on a NW direction and the wind was NE. We stopped at the Maria Linden School to fill our water bottles.
We once again encountered some problems finding the right track up to Mprhane hill. We managed to get to the right track but not as per the narratives. Fortunately we did not loose to much time. The wind was really pumping now. The route down the mountain was marked very clearly, but the wind was a real problem until we were down far enough not to feel the wind any longer. We made our way to Gladstone farm. From there it was fairly straight forward to the Maria Zell Mission and the new route to Ongeluksnek. We clocked in just before 15:00.
Total distance 64.67 lm; 1,281 meter ascent; total time 8:45.
Masakala to Ongeluksnek, a total distance on 64 km and a relatively easy day. We therefore decided to only start at 06:00. In the end we got going at 06:09. We started of by missing the first turn at the school within the first 2 km! We realised our mistake very quickly and back tracked to the correct track. Initially it was not to cold, but as we moved down into the floodplain the temperature dropped to -9.2! My hands were freezing. The rest of the body was fine because of the physical effort in peddling. I even was pleased when we encountered a hill due the extra body heat generated through peddling.
Our first turnoff was at 15.5 km, but there was some "disharmony" in the group on which turnoff to take. After some consultation with dome of the locals, we took the next turn at 18.1 km. This turned out to be a dead end, but we could see the clump of wattles we were aiming for so we made our way there through the short grass. There picked the right track and made our way to Queen's Mercy. This was closed so we just took a short break. As soon as we got going, the wind picked up. We were traveling on a NW direction and the wind was NE. We stopped at the Maria Linden School to fill our water bottles.
We once again encountered some problems finding the right track up to Mprhane hill. We managed to get to the right track but not as per the narratives. Fortunately we did not loose to much time. The wind was really pumping now. The route down the mountain was marked very clearly, but the wind was a real problem until we were down far enough not to feel the wind any longer. We made our way to Gladstone farm. From there it was fairly straight forward to the Maria Zell Mission and the new route to Ongeluksnek. We clocked in just before 15:00.
Total distance 64.67 lm; 1,281 meter ascent; total time 8:45.
RASA Day 3
RASA Day 3
The rout out of Ntsikeni has changed slightly do we decided to leave an hour later than normal so that will do less on the dark. This turned to be a good decision and we found the right rout. This was difficult and it took us 2:30 to do the first 9.5 km. the next 10 took about 1:30 and then we were on district roads and made hood time to reach our interim stop at 11:20. We left there after 40 minutes.
After this we were mostly on district roads for the 20 km with a number of big climbs, but not as serious as yesterday. We then took a left turn through some villages and a wattle plantation down to the Little Umzimvubu River. After crossing it we had a fairly rough climb of about 3 km to another district road. We were on this road for 2 km after which we took another left turn. The next 4.6 km was over some undulated ground and through some wet lands and wattle plantations. Here after it was another little monster for the next 4 km which took us about an hour. We finally got onto Masakala at 17:50.
Total distance 93.17 km; total ascent 1,818 meters; total time 11:42
The rout out of Ntsikeni has changed slightly do we decided to leave an hour later than normal so that will do less on the dark. This turned to be a good decision and we found the right rout. This was difficult and it took us 2:30 to do the first 9.5 km. the next 10 took about 1:30 and then we were on district roads and made hood time to reach our interim stop at 11:20. We left there after 40 minutes.
After this we were mostly on district roads for the 20 km with a number of big climbs, but not as serious as yesterday. We then took a left turn through some villages and a wattle plantation down to the Little Umzimvubu River. After crossing it we had a fairly rough climb of about 3 km to another district road. We were on this road for 2 km after which we took another left turn. The next 4.6 km was over some undulated ground and through some wet lands and wattle plantations. Here after it was another little monster for the next 4 km which took us about an hour. We finally got onto Masakala at 17:50.
Total distance 93.17 km; total ascent 1,818 meters; total time 11:42
Teken in op:
Plasings (Atom)