At some point over the last month or so, I got it in my head that I wanted to cycle to Bathurst.
Ah yes, I remember, it was after I rode Edgy's XR there for a milkshake.
I figured it is mostly downhill, and if I left Grahamstown early enough, I would avoid the traffic. The road doesn't have a shoulder and isn't very cyclist-friendly.
But then I thought "Well, if I am going that far, I may as well cycle to the sea." And so the plan began to form. I initially thought of heading to Port Alfred, but I had already seen a bit of the town by car. Kenton-on-Sea, however...
So with that in mind, I started looking for a day that would work with work. Because I do work. Sometimes.
On Sunday my scheme started coming together. I messaged a gentleman I met through a hike, who knows the area well, and pitched my plan. And by plan I mean I said "Hi R, do you want to cycle to Kenton with me on Wednesday?"
He asked about the route, and if I had checked the weather.
"As little tar as possible, and no".
He checked the weather. Wednesday was looking windy and not suitable for a ride to the coast. So he came up with an alternative.
I was happy with that, but said that my goal is to cycle to the sea before the end of the year.
We kept an eye on the weather, and on Tuesday the forecast had improved so we committed to the Kenton ride.
We met at 06:00 this morning and set off for the Southwell road just outside of Grahamstown. I learnt the location of a handy little road heading out of town that avoided a steep climb. Phew!
We had our first animal sighting right there- a small herd of zebra. Beautiful!
Then wheeeeeeee! Down we went on the winding tar road. About 3km of downhill awesomeness.
But, what goes down... we had a bit of a climb. We had gone the opposite way on a recent cycle, and I was dreading the climb having done 60km/h down that hill, but it wasn't too bad.
We fell into an easy rhythm. By easy I mean I set a nice, slow pace. We were in our own little worlds. I focused on the quiet morning. Twittering birds, lycra-clad legs swishing past gear on the bikes, legs pumping furiously to crank the pedals, bicycles creaking and squeaking, the odd huff or puff. And as we crested the hill, the clicking of derailleurs and chains as we sped up on the flat.
The tar transitioned to gravel. Bliss. I love the sound of wheels crunching over gravel.
I can't remember much, but there were a fair number of downhills and at one point I started to feel a little disappointed: I knew we were heading down to the sea, but I still wanted to pedal. I had to earn my lunch after all!
Fortunately we were soon presented with a mix of flat sections, short, steep climbs, and short downhills. A perfect mix to keep up a sustainable pace.
We were making good time too! Before I knew it we were almost 30km in.
Some other animal sightings include a female kudu, impala, monkeys, a loerie, and what could have been a bat-eared fox.
Whenever we stopped the rush of wind noise stopped and the world was filled with "silence"- the birds were always twittering. A different world, it was like being back in the Botswana bush. Peaceful and with no worries.
The gravel road was in fairly good condition, with only a few sections of corrugations. Not nearly as bad as the Highlands road from my "hikling" adventure. Those roads had my arm-skin flapping so badly I almost got airborne!
These roads did, however, have some very uneven sections and I almost got thrown off the bike once or twice. But, I didn't!
Traffic was also fairly quiet, and we only had a few idiots pass without slowing down, covering us in dust. As part of your driver's licence you should be made to cycle on a dirt road with traffic speeding by, and walk on the sidewalk in the rain as cars splash through puddles.
There had been very little wind, the temperature was just right, and it was overcast, but clearing up the nearer we got to the sea. Every now and then farmland was bathed in the most beautiful light.
We reached the tar road into Kenton about 3.5hrs after we had left Grahamstown. Awesome! I had mentally prepared for a 5 hour slog.
I donned a hi-vis vest and R put his bicycle light on and we set off on the tar into Kenton. I have only ever passed by on my way to Kasouga, so I was quite happy to explore.
By now the wind had picked up a little, and the temperature had dropped.
We crossed the Kariega river, and the water was the most beautiful blue, almost like those photos of glacial lakes and rivers.
We set off towards the beach (Kariega beach I think), and I soaked in the view.
The plan had been to have brunch, but the place only opened at 11:00, and we were well-ahead of schedule. So we cycled into town in search of coffee. It was delicious and good to sit down on a chair rather than a narrow seat. R and I chatted a while, and I discovered that I was a little off with my estimate of his age- I figured late 50ies, early 60ies. From what I could piece together, 70ies is more realistic.
Wow! He has been doing big multi-day cycling and hiking trips for the last 10 years. Really inspirational.
I was reminded of how important it is to surround oneself with people who push you to get out and challenge yourself, and support you along the way. I am so grateful that I have met people like that.
It was getting really chilly and nearer 11:00, so we left the coffee shop and headed to our brunch spot. My legs were shutting down and the last hill was a bit of a challenge, coupled with the wind and the building clouds spitting a few drops at us. As we arrived at Bushman's Bar and Grill the rain started. What timing!
R said the seafood was good, and we settled on a platter for two.
Wow. Quite possibly the best calamari I have ever had. And the mussels were fantastic too! The prawns freaked me out, but I managed to ignore the eyes staring at me, and all the little legs, and once I managed to get to the meat discovered it was deliciously tender. I know there is a trick to eating prawns, but I have yet to learn it.
We chatted some more, and watched the rain. How lucky is that. Perfect conditions for the duration of our ride. We really couldn't have asked for more.
R's wife came to fetch us, and we packed the bikes in the car and drove back to Grahamstown.
All in all, a 60km cycle in 4.5 hours (including stops), and we still had the whole afternoon to do as we pleased. Now that is my idea of a morning well-spent!
Topic: My African Dream (Read 224612 times)
