Day 3: Saldahna to Graafwater.

I was up after a decent sleep with the numbness in my groin having gone down quite a bit. As for the ED scare, well that I’m happy to say that it was just a scare thankfully. Still, any cyclist out there reading this, have the right seat and have it set right. (wow, who could have thought something so useful and obvious could come out sounding so lame?) A little numbness is unavoidable on long stretches I agree, but if that’s mainly in your bum then that’s fine. And also stand up regularly while cycling to alleviate the pressure and help the blood flow whenever you can. Ok, enough ED talk. So I packed and got ready for day two. Said thanks to Sue and Toni for the stay and headed off. I ended up back at the cycle shop in Vredenburg where I got some spare spokes just in case. I also got my tubes replaced with sludge filled ones, and an extra layer of protection strip put between the tube and the tyre for extra puncture protection. Plus they were properly inflated too. I was now sorted and good to carry on.

I had decided yesterday to take it easy seeing as how broken I was after day one. My plan was to get to Rocherpan Nature Reserve and camp there as I was told it was quite lovely by Sue and Toni the day before. That would make it roughly a 55km ride for the day. Riding from Vredenburg to Rocherpan was quite a breeze as it was generally downhill till I hit the coast then just flat for a long stretch past Dwarskersbos which was filled with devil thorns. I ended up getting to Rocherpan quicker than I thought and feeling good about that, so I said stuff it, I’m going to ride till I get to Graafwater. I let my pal Johan know to tell his folks that I would be arriving tonight. Again as with day one I was pushing hard as I had a definite place to stay.

Dwarskersbos. Devil thorn city. Luckily I didnt get any punctures as a result.

Close to Elandsbaai I had to tackle a moerse hill which took a little while as I rested halfway up it. But on the way down I clocked my top speed for the whole trip. 71.3kms per hour! I couldn’t help but think how much I would be broken if I were to fall off my bike while I was travelling that fast. Crazy fool.

7 + 1 = 8 x 3 is 24. Boom. This primary school Maths 24 nerd still has it!

Getting to Leipoldtville proved tough as there were some additional hills where the only thing I could do was push my bike up. I was starting to think at this stage that maybe pushing it so far wasn’t such a good idea, as who knew how long these hills would take. Turns out it wasn’t that much. Once I past Leipoldtville I had a rest and had nice chat with a passing motorist who took interest in what I was doing. He was impressed with what I was hopinh to achieve and wished me well. I was happy to have spoken to him and his support gave me new strength. He also let me know that the road I was on was pretty much flat all the way to Graafwater. That was a good bit of news as the sun was now beginning to set.  
 

My constant silent companion.

The road was generally flat like he said, but what I found more amazing was the sunset and the colours in the sky. Holy hell, we have the best sunsets in the world! The sky and clouds were a mixture of soft purples, pinks and reds. I wish I could have captured those skies with a proper camera but the best way to experience it is to see them for yourself. No camera can do it justice. Truly beautiful it was, and I soaked it all in for myself as I cycled onwards. The sun had now set as I reached the Graafwater turnoff. I pulled out my red jacket as it was a little chilly now and slapped on the headlight and reflector vest for the last 10kms. After a little mix up with where exactly I was supposed to go, I eventually found Johans mom and his brother waiting for me out in the street in front of their house. It was good to be done with the day. I think I had ridden further than I had in day one but I’m glad to say I wasn’t feeling anywhere near as broken as I was back then. A sign of fitness setting it? You betcha! Plus the new seat helped. We waited till Mr. Kotzen came back from a school meeting before having supper. It was great meeting Johans family and they were very friendly and hospitable. Once again I was glad to get to sleep in a bed, for the next day it was camping time.

Distance: 140kms