Archangel
Race Dog
Cape Town to PE in a day - A short story about a short ride.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! My alarm clock goes off. With a pure reflex reaction I hit the snooze button, but immediately I realize my mistake. It’s 4am and there’s no time to be wasted. With sleepy eyes, I get my lazy ass out of bed and check what the conditions are like outside. It’s (obviously) still dark, I can barely see clouds in the sky but the lack of stars convinces me that it’s overcast. Cold, but not too cold.
On goes the riding gear. My routine has changed since I’ve added a neck brace to mix, but without much effort I’m ready to go. The tank bag and top box was packed and strapped on last night. Tools, tubes, pump and everything else I might need to complete my solo mission to PE. 800km of adventure was lying ahead of me and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.
Micheala doesn’t like the cold mornings, she coughs and backfires a couple of times, waking the neighbour’s dogs. I let her warm up while I take the time to put my helmet and gloves on. The first part of the plan is to hit the N1 towards Worcester, then Robertson, Ashton and Montague. Off we go…
My first stop was earlier than planned. I stopped at the Engen garage on the N7 close to the Philadelphia turn-off to put my rain jacket and warmer gloves on. Not for the rain, but to keep more wind out and to keep me warm. If I was gonna be on the bike the whole day, I best start looking after myself.
Second stop was at Worcester, as planned. It’s still pitch dark outside, but I’m happy. It’s only Micheala and I. I’ve been longing to spend some quality time with her, just the two of us, but life happens. I count myself lucky that I had this opportunity to get away.
Micheala, thirsty as she is, won’t drink a whole tank in a mere 120kms so she’s still good. I park her at the entrance of the shop so that I can keep an eye on her (and enjoy admirers who pass her by) while I grab a quick coffee to warm the hands and get my caffeine injection for the morning. Everything in check, good to go. Next stop, Montague.
For the first time now, I can see something that vaguely resembles the horizon as the sky starts to turn from black to dark blue. I also notice some stars in the sky. That’s a good sign as it means that I probably won’t see rain.
Ashton comes and goes. I miss my usual turn off towards the N2 (which I would use on most surf trips) and continue on the R60 towards Montague. It’s getting colder and colder as I get higher up into the mountains. It’s also known that the coldest time of the day is just before sunrise. At this stage I’m contemplating the value of heated grips, which I don’t have. Luckily the scenery is beautiful and by this time there’s enough light to see the mountains and valleys. This keeps my mind of the fact that I have little to no feeling left in my hands.
I arrive in Montague just in time to stop my hand from permanently taking on the shape of a 950 throttle. A much needed bathroom stop and juice for the lady in orange. I enquire about the conditions of the Ouberg pass and the locals ensure me that many travellers use that road to get to Ladismith. That settles it. Without much adieu I’m off again, but this with renewed zeal as I’m about to hit the gravel. New passes, new valleys, new roads, new adventures!
Sunrise over Ouberg Pass:
Micheala posing for a pic or two:
About an hour’s ride in I get to this T-junction and decide to stop for a quick bite and a pic:
PS. Please excuse the quality of the pics, they're all cellphone photos.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! My alarm clock goes off. With a pure reflex reaction I hit the snooze button, but immediately I realize my mistake. It’s 4am and there’s no time to be wasted. With sleepy eyes, I get my lazy ass out of bed and check what the conditions are like outside. It’s (obviously) still dark, I can barely see clouds in the sky but the lack of stars convinces me that it’s overcast. Cold, but not too cold.
On goes the riding gear. My routine has changed since I’ve added a neck brace to mix, but without much effort I’m ready to go. The tank bag and top box was packed and strapped on last night. Tools, tubes, pump and everything else I might need to complete my solo mission to PE. 800km of adventure was lying ahead of me and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way.
Micheala doesn’t like the cold mornings, she coughs and backfires a couple of times, waking the neighbour’s dogs. I let her warm up while I take the time to put my helmet and gloves on. The first part of the plan is to hit the N1 towards Worcester, then Robertson, Ashton and Montague. Off we go…
My first stop was earlier than planned. I stopped at the Engen garage on the N7 close to the Philadelphia turn-off to put my rain jacket and warmer gloves on. Not for the rain, but to keep more wind out and to keep me warm. If I was gonna be on the bike the whole day, I best start looking after myself.
Second stop was at Worcester, as planned. It’s still pitch dark outside, but I’m happy. It’s only Micheala and I. I’ve been longing to spend some quality time with her, just the two of us, but life happens. I count myself lucky that I had this opportunity to get away.
Micheala, thirsty as she is, won’t drink a whole tank in a mere 120kms so she’s still good. I park her at the entrance of the shop so that I can keep an eye on her (and enjoy admirers who pass her by) while I grab a quick coffee to warm the hands and get my caffeine injection for the morning. Everything in check, good to go. Next stop, Montague.
For the first time now, I can see something that vaguely resembles the horizon as the sky starts to turn from black to dark blue. I also notice some stars in the sky. That’s a good sign as it means that I probably won’t see rain.
Ashton comes and goes. I miss my usual turn off towards the N2 (which I would use on most surf trips) and continue on the R60 towards Montague. It’s getting colder and colder as I get higher up into the mountains. It’s also known that the coldest time of the day is just before sunrise. At this stage I’m contemplating the value of heated grips, which I don’t have. Luckily the scenery is beautiful and by this time there’s enough light to see the mountains and valleys. This keeps my mind of the fact that I have little to no feeling left in my hands.
I arrive in Montague just in time to stop my hand from permanently taking on the shape of a 950 throttle. A much needed bathroom stop and juice for the lady in orange. I enquire about the conditions of the Ouberg pass and the locals ensure me that many travellers use that road to get to Ladismith. That settles it. Without much adieu I’m off again, but this with renewed zeal as I’m about to hit the gravel. New passes, new valleys, new roads, new adventures!
Sunrise over Ouberg Pass:
Micheala posing for a pic or two:
About an hour’s ride in I get to this T-junction and decide to stop for a quick bite and a pic:
PS. Please excuse the quality of the pics, they're all cellphone photos.
