Friday, April 30, 2010

Friday 30th- Riviersonderend

Today we would like to re-name "Riviersonderend" as "Heuwel-sonderend"! The day of a thousand hills! The youngest amongst us, in a moment of weakness, even mentioned that it could be merely a 2 hour drive back to Cape Town instead of a 2 day ride. We need to re-name Paul too- Paul "I got my legs back" Roux - very impressive performance! The thick mist presented some challenges although also a lovely cool day- perfect for cycling. The Team covered 117 hard earned km over this difficult and undulating section of the route. Thank you so much to Monica and Jinja at the Sleeping Beauty Guest Lodge who looked after us so well last night in Riversdale and sent us off with an amazing breakfast this morning. And thanks to Klara and Gehardt Sohlms for kindly accomodating us in their idyllic Restore Mountain Cottage near Riviersonderend. They have also generously extended their gift of hospitality in warmly welcoming us into their home where we are currently enjoying watching the Stormers perform! All in all a great day to remember. PS - Thanks to all of you who have posted comments on this blog- it is a great encouragement to us all!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thursday 29th- Riversdale

The team bravely set off in the cold wind and rain this morning. Thank you to Malcolm Westmore for the best coffee ever - it has been much appreciated, especially on a chilly day like today. Paul's performance was phenomenal today as he kept up an incredible rhythm- at one stage maintaining a consistant 38km/hr for a distance of 20km! He also succumbed to a burst of energy as he and Dave set a new tour speed record of 77km/hr (without even trying - or so they claim!) The cold wind turned out to be a great blessing as it was a tail wind assisting our riders along the 135km that they cycled today.
A great big THANK YOU for the donations, sponsorships, and pledges that have been received so far that continue to make all this so worthwhile! If you are interested, donations towards this cause can be made to:The Kidzpositive Family Fund, Nedbank, Salt River, Branch code:102-109, Universal Code: 198-765, Account number: 1021 275 743 Reference: “Peddie”.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wed 28th- George

Another 96km down and we are half way (yellow ribbon on map depicts distance completed so far). It has been a day of challenging passes such as Keimanns and others! Paul:"So this is what it means to 'be on one's last legs!'".
Dave broke his speed record by managing 69km/hr.
Paul's spoke broke and so both Paul and Glenda's bikes needed repairs along the way.
Many many thanks to our hosts over the last few nights who have ensured that we are well rested and fed and who have treated us so extremely well. Dave and Colleen of Fountain Vineyard church, Helen Veitch (Jeffry's Bay), Sandy and Trevor Davis (Knysna), and Sandy and Richard Moir (George). A huge thank you to Rose for the delicious crunchies and chocolate brownies which continue to provide much needed energy at each comfort break!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tuesday to Knysna

The beautiful map embroidered by Nozeti of the Keiskamma Trust depicts the route we are following from Hamburg in the Eastern Cape to Cape Town. An early start gave us an advantage today and despite a slight headwind, the team managed to accomplish an amazing 160km to arrive in Knysna by 4pm! These kinds of distances highlight certain emerging characteristics of our riders:
Glenda-"Over the hill"-Doller: "on this ride, over the hill is where you definately wanna be!"
Paul- "Bat outa hell(meatloaf)" Roux: setting a demanding pace as he sped up near Plett after the first 135km of the day.
Steve-"Red Bull"- Bonaconsa: who literally flew along aided by (angels'?) wings!!
David- "Cannon ball"- Lovric: bulleting down the hill into Knysna at 62km/hr.
The "Zog the Frog" trophy was awarded to Glenda today for managing to cycle 75km with a broken spoke and a buckled wheel dragging on the brake!
Well done to the team for their incredible effort and remarkable achievement today!

Monday, April 26, 2010

As we head off...

The team enjoyed a very energetic community send-off on Sunday morning from Hamburg: vuvuzelas blowing, flags flying and arms waving. Dr Carol Baker of the Keiskamma Trust and other members of the Hamburg community joined us on their bikes as we set off on the first leg of the cycle tour from Hamburg. The team covered 85km on this first day despite a total of 5 punctures! Many thanks to Dave and Colleen of the Fountain Vineyard Church who kindly hosted us in their home and their church on Sunday evening. Well rested on Monday, we set of from Port Elizabeth with very favourable weather conditions. Despite many challenging hills, the team were able to cycle 110km which was 30km more than the planned distance for the day. We then headed back for a refreshing swim in Jeffrey's Bay.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Hamburg and Keiskamma

We awoke to a spectacular day in Hamburg- sparkling river, long white beaches, rolling waves, fish eagle overhead!

It was a real privilege to visit the projects established in the area- the Gogo chicken hut and vegetable garden, the creche and after care centre, and the Keiskamma Art project. It is evident that their phenomenal success is partly attributed to the fact that the assistance is in support of the kinds of things that the locals really need. Help has come recognising their real needs and is not imposed "from the top".
In particular, The Keiskamma Art project is remarkable with beautiful, original and creative design and embroidery.

The indomitable David Lovric is the proud recipient of our "Zog the Frog" trophy today. This was awarded him by Paul Roux for getting the first puncture of the trip on today's test ride before the actual cycling of the tour began! He managed this despite having frog-green sludge in his self- sealing tubes. He also needed to borrow pedals from the locals due to shoe clip incompatibility with his borrowed bike- Go Dave!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Hamburg and Keiskamma

We drove the entire 1000km without incident- only to end up in a donga in the dark on the way to the Heritage Centre in Hamburg!
Our spirits lifted as we were welcomed warmly, and enthusiastically entertained by the community and the Keiskamma music academy with dancing and singing.
Nozeti , on behalf of the Keiskamma Trust, presented us with a beautiful embroidered tapestry- Watch this space for a photo of this spectacular work of art.
We were also gifted with handcrafted T-shirts from the Keiskamma Art project.
A big thank you to all those involved in making this an evening to remember!

Our Cycle tour trophy-for-the-day, "Zog the Frog", was awarded to Paul Roux for driving us all safely to Hamburg.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Introducing the Team and the Route

We are about to set off on our journey!
See The Team in photo on Right - Ready- Set -Go!

The Route
Friday 23rd April- Team drives up to Hamburg
Saturday 24th April- Visit Keiskamma, HIV/AIDS awareness and outreach
Sunday 25th April-Cycle to Port Elizabeth
Monday 26th April-Cycle to Jeffries Bay
Tuesday 27th April- Cycle to Knysna
Wednesday 28th April- Cycle to Gearge
Thursday 29th April- Cycle to Riversdale
Friday 30th April-Cycle to Riviersonderend
Saturday 01 May- Cycle to Betty's Bay
Sunday 02 May- Cycle to Cape Town- Groote Schuur Hospital

Monday, April 19, 2010

Cycle Tour Count Down...

On the 23rd April the cyclists will be driving from Cape Town to Hamberg to start the cycle tour. Watch this space for more information, daily photos and blog javascript:void(0)updates.