After convincing me to buy a bike this year, The_Wes and I decided to do a short two night trip to the Cederberg, which as it turns out was just what I needed after a really hectic year. We set out at about 10 am (last Wednesday morning) and after filling up rode to Ceres via Bainskloof pass. In Ceres we filled up, just in case, and went to buy some meat for the evening, a nice big steak, which the friendly lady at the Pick â??n Pay vacuum packed for us. After Ceres it was over Gydo Pass.
At Op-Die-Berg we had some lunch at the restaurant and filled up, again. Riding is such hard workâ?¦
Soon after setting off we hit the dirt.
We stopped at the Cederberg Oasis for a cold beer before proceeding to Sanddrif for the night, arriving just before 5pm in time to buy some wood. After setting up camp for the evening I convinced The_Wes to walk to the Maalgat (a huge mountain pool) for a swim, the walking thing was a foreign concept to The_Wes.
On returning to camp it was time for steak and sleep.
The next morning The_Wes was up early, eagerly anticipating the dayâ??s ride. I wasnâ??t so sure. Still very much being a noob I feared that I would be out of my depth, as we (not so much me) had decided to tackle the road to Wupperthal. After breakfast and convincing The_Wes to leave our camp set up, we set out for the dayâ??s outride (bout 8am). We backtracked to Matjiesrivier and then started the road I feared.
The start of the road had lots of loose rocks made worse by some steep sections. The throttle soon became my friend as I started to grow in confidence and also to really enjoy myself. I really recommend this road.
We negotiated one or two water crossings along the way. The second one appeared while I was in front and it didnâ??t look too bad, so I just went for it. Only after I came out the other side with water in my boot did I realize how deep it was.
There were one or two sandy patches just before Eselbank, but thanks to Jacoâ??s Top Bike article I was ready for them. Soon afterwards the steep descent into Wupperthal began. Not long after, we arrived in Wupperthal, me with a great sense on achievement, The_Wes with a question: â??Where is the next fuel stop?â? â??Ummm, Clanwilliam, accordind to Cloudgazers ride report Wuppertalâ??s pump is brokenâ?, â??Oh, how far is that, I am not sure I will make it!â?. So began our quest for petrol. Sure enough the pump was broken, but we were instructed to find â??die Duminyâ?? who could maybe help. After finding him he helped us siphon petrol from my bike to The_Wesâ??s, bout 2.5 litres we thought. We should both make it then.
We took Koeberg pass and Hoek se Berg, heading in the direction of Clanwilliam stopping every now and again to rest as it was well over 30 degrees.
My hands showing the signs of the long days ride (and the fact that I am a noob)
Heading up Pakhuis pass my bike started to splutter. I had to stop and change to reserve, which was a little worrying as I had no idea how big my reserve is! Then we carried on and a while later I noticed that The_Wes wasnâ??t coming around the corner. Thinking that he ran out of petrol I pulled over. Then it happened. My side stand didnâ??t take and my bike went over. First and only time on the trip so it wasnâ??t bad, as I had expected to maybe come off on the road to Wupperthalâ?¦As it turns out The_Wes had just stopped to take pics....
A little while later, my bike hit the 60 000 km mark :thumleft:
Cautiously we carried on to Clanwilliam, free-wheeling where we could. Thankfully we both made it, then came the supprise. The_Wesâ??s bike only took about 5 litres! Turns out he could have made it without stealing my gas. Seems riding with me is good for his petrol consumption
After some lunch in Clanwilliam we rode past the dam and carried on to Algeria. From Algeria it was over Uitkyk pass, where the views are spectacular.
Then after a short stop it was back to Sanddrif just before 5pm.
I couldnâ??t convince The_Wes to walk to the Maalgat again, so we settled for a swim in the river just behind the camp site. After supper, some worse be bought at the office, we called it a night. The last morning it was an early start, after breakfast and packing up we rode back down to Op-Die-Berg where we filled up, then it was home via Ceres and Wellington. We were home just after 1pm. All in all it was a great trip and a good learning experience for me. Thanks to The_Wes for all his patience, letâ??s do it again sometime :biggrin:
At Op-Die-Berg we had some lunch at the restaurant and filled up, again. Riding is such hard workâ?¦
Soon after setting off we hit the dirt.
We stopped at the Cederberg Oasis for a cold beer before proceeding to Sanddrif for the night, arriving just before 5pm in time to buy some wood. After setting up camp for the evening I convinced The_Wes to walk to the Maalgat (a huge mountain pool) for a swim, the walking thing was a foreign concept to The_Wes.
On returning to camp it was time for steak and sleep.
The next morning The_Wes was up early, eagerly anticipating the dayâ??s ride. I wasnâ??t so sure. Still very much being a noob I feared that I would be out of my depth, as we (not so much me) had decided to tackle the road to Wupperthal. After breakfast and convincing The_Wes to leave our camp set up, we set out for the dayâ??s outride (bout 8am). We backtracked to Matjiesrivier and then started the road I feared.
The start of the road had lots of loose rocks made worse by some steep sections. The throttle soon became my friend as I started to grow in confidence and also to really enjoy myself. I really recommend this road.
We negotiated one or two water crossings along the way. The second one appeared while I was in front and it didnâ??t look too bad, so I just went for it. Only after I came out the other side with water in my boot did I realize how deep it was.
There were one or two sandy patches just before Eselbank, but thanks to Jacoâ??s Top Bike article I was ready for them. Soon afterwards the steep descent into Wupperthal began. Not long after, we arrived in Wupperthal, me with a great sense on achievement, The_Wes with a question: â??Where is the next fuel stop?â? â??Ummm, Clanwilliam, accordind to Cloudgazers ride report Wuppertalâ??s pump is brokenâ?, â??Oh, how far is that, I am not sure I will make it!â?. So began our quest for petrol. Sure enough the pump was broken, but we were instructed to find â??die Duminyâ?? who could maybe help. After finding him he helped us siphon petrol from my bike to The_Wesâ??s, bout 2.5 litres we thought. We should both make it then.
We took Koeberg pass and Hoek se Berg, heading in the direction of Clanwilliam stopping every now and again to rest as it was well over 30 degrees.
My hands showing the signs of the long days ride (and the fact that I am a noob)
Heading up Pakhuis pass my bike started to splutter. I had to stop and change to reserve, which was a little worrying as I had no idea how big my reserve is! Then we carried on and a while later I noticed that The_Wes wasnâ??t coming around the corner. Thinking that he ran out of petrol I pulled over. Then it happened. My side stand didnâ??t take and my bike went over. First and only time on the trip so it wasnâ??t bad, as I had expected to maybe come off on the road to Wupperthalâ?¦As it turns out The_Wes had just stopped to take pics....
A little while later, my bike hit the 60 000 km mark :thumleft:
Cautiously we carried on to Clanwilliam, free-wheeling where we could. Thankfully we both made it, then came the supprise. The_Wesâ??s bike only took about 5 litres! Turns out he could have made it without stealing my gas. Seems riding with me is good for his petrol consumption
After some lunch in Clanwilliam we rode past the dam and carried on to Algeria. From Algeria it was over Uitkyk pass, where the views are spectacular.
Then after a short stop it was back to Sanddrif just before 5pm.
I couldnâ??t convince The_Wes to walk to the Maalgat again, so we settled for a swim in the river just behind the camp site. After supper, some worse be bought at the office, we called it a night. The last morning it was an early start, after breakfast and packing up we rode back down to Op-Die-Berg where we filled up, then it was home via Ceres and Wellington. We were home just after 1pm. All in all it was a great trip and a good learning experience for me. Thanks to The_Wes for all his patience, letâ??s do it again sometime :biggrin:
