Day 7: When we woke the next morning there was snow on the mountaintops, and the temperature had dropped even further, with a strong cold westerly wind. We said goodbye to Stephanus and Elize who drove out of the valley (it is a cul de sac for cars) and we headed in the other direction for an exit from the valley via a steep donkey track. Here we had to carry our bikes up a steep rocky path for over an hour, before we could start riding again. We eventually joined the Bosluyskloof road and waited for our rendezvous with the vehicle at the entrance to the Seweweekspoort. Alas they were not there due to a miscommunication with our new team of drivers, Brett and Arno from Worcester. So after an hour’s wait by the roadside we then rode the last 40km of undulating district road alongside the Klein Swartberg, including a wonderful long downhill run of 5km with the cold wind screaming at our ears. We arrived at a beautiful farm called Rouxpos, where we were warmly welcomed by Ronelle and Gerard Roux, who were friends of Hoffie from their varsity days. We were treated to the most delicious dinner of braaied lamb chops and boerewors, together with roosterbrood, salads and waffles for pudding. Gerard farms apricots and makes the famous apricot rolls, which consist of dried apricots rolled out into flat sheets.
Quote of the day: “Al mag ons nie kan klipgooi nie, kan ons maar fietsry” (Steve to Hoffie after throwing stones and never hitting the target while waiting for Paul)
The eighth day: Started very cold again with the threat of rain and a strong wind, but it soon warmed up as we travelled by district road further westwards between the Klein Swartberge and the Elandberge. There were typical Karoo scenes of vast flat empty valleys, and only the occasional windmill or small dwelling as points of interest. Hoffie and Steve again took the road less travelled and headed off into the Anysberg wilderness for a , while Paul and Debbie stuck to the district roads. The Anysberg Nature Reserve is run by Cape Nature, and encompasses a vast area of semi-arid mountains and plains. They offer a wide range of accommodation which is quite basic but nicely done. We were put up at Tapfontein which was 6km up a bad road, but charmingly rustic, with each of us having a little hut and the whole place to ourselves. Our evening meal of an enormous amount of chicken stew was made by Meisie at the Anysberg office, who was clearly aware of the appetites of cyclists.
Quote of the day: “Hou net aan links draai so ver as God land gegee het” (Mrs Fourie who lives on her own in a house in the middle of nowhere, giving directions to Hoffie and Steve)
Day 9: By now we should have known, but the ninth day totaled 120km according to David Waddilove’s route across the Klein Karoo to Touws Rivier. Hoffie and Steve again took the long way around while Paul and Debbie stuck to the district roads. In the first 4 hours of riding the first two saw no-one or any vehicle at all. Having crossed the Touws Rivier (it was dry) lower down than the town on the N1, the surrounding countryside consisted of sand, stones and succulents. And sometimes there were no succulents, no vegetation at all. A tail wind from the south west helped a lot when the road or track went in the right direction. There was still snow on the Matroosberg as we cycled by, so it was a chilly day by Karoo standards. Finally, after some dodgy directions from farmhands, Hoffie and Steve arrived at the destination at 5.30pm having been cycling for 9 hours. The overnight stop was Karoo One, next to the N1 just near Touws River town, and it was luxurious compared to anything we had stayed in before.
Quote of the day: “A proper tailwind is one that can get you up a gradient without pedaling”
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