Click on the image below for the full workout details on Sports-Tracker.com
A bit of a sprint up the R102, getting to the top just before the fog rolled in, then back out to the farmland at the foot of the Outeniqua mountains and down the winding Charles Street gravel road overlooking the old pump station and along the Great Brak River back to The Island. The sun has now burned off almost all of the fog, with just a few puffs of mist remaining - no doubt, the beginning of another spectacular day! Click on the image below for the full workout details on Sports-Tracker.com
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After two days of questionable golf at George Golf Club and Mossel Bay Golf Club, it was time to get out on the bike again. It was another beautiful morning (misty clouds hanging in the valleys, a brilliant sunrise and fantastic blue skies). Fortunately, my cycling ability is a little bit better than my golf (I don't unintentionally veer off to the right!). This morning we did the reverse of the usual route. Though it's a tough call because I am a fan of the downhill section, I think this is my favourite direction, as I prefer attacking the uphill gravel road behind the Spar (Charles Street). I added on the ride up "Heartbreak Hill" (Morrison Road up to Hersham) at the end for a bit of extra "fun". Click on the image below for the full work-out details on Sports-Tracker.com The usual Monday morning cycle with the guys - a bit later than usual. Click on the image for the full workout details on Sports-Tracker.com._
We started off dry, but then it got a bit wet by the time we got to the gravel road (Charles Street) in the farmlands off the R102 and ate quite a bit of grit on the way down the hill. But no mess, no fun, right?
Turns out we timed it well, as it's coming down in buckets now with limited visibility out there. Click on the image below for the full workout details on Sports-Tracker.com We took a new route (at least new to me) this morning while Morrison Road is under repair. Pretty easy going as the R102 is a very gentle climb - might have to head out again this afternoon to get some more serious hills in. Click on the image below for the workout details on SportsTracker. A weak attempt to capture the fantastic Outeniqua Mountains beyond the farmland after the climb up from the sea (it's a bit fuzzy because it was taken one-handed while on the washboard gravel, not that I'm much of a photographer to begin with...). Unfortunately, my photo of The Island while the sun was rising along the coast didn't take...
A glorious day today - seems I was the only one out there - maybe because it was about 28 degrees...
Rode up the gravel road behind the Spar which had just been graded and was being sprayed by the water truck to keep the dust down - fun riding through it, but it would have been even better a bit later in the ride, rather than at the beginning. :) Then out past Misty Meadows (behind the blueberry farm) and all the way along to Tramonto in George (I suppose it's actually Blanco). I looked at the clock at that point and it was 57 minutes. Then swing a left, passing by the entrance to Tramonto and kept going and going, eventually heading out to Cape Pine in Jonkersberg before heading back to the R102 and heading home. There was a strong onshore headwind all the way back from Jonkersberg - WindGuru had gusts up to 27 km/hr, and I believe it. I can usually get up to about 75-80 km/hr coming down the R102 hill, but was lucky to get to 50 km/hr. It was pretty oppressive, especially on the gravel sections (95% of the route), which is why I decided to take the easy way out at the end and stick to the R102 instead of heading down Voorbrug Road and into the village via Mossienes. I took a few photos along the way mostly to show a few points of interest (available on the Sports-Tracker site or the Mountain Biking set on Flickr) or when I was stopping to reapply sunscreen - otherwise, pretty well non-stop other than a quick drink of water in the shade at Cape Pine in Jonkersberg. The idea of stopping for a bite & a nice cold beer at the Mooi Uitsig Kombuis (just past Voorbrug Road on the R102) sure was tempting though! I'm not sure about the accuracy of the distance in the image below. I received a few phone calls in the midst of the ride (which I ignored) and this seems to have kicked Sports-Tracker into "pause" mode, so I'm not sure if the km's are correct (the overall duration is correct, but not the average speed and certainly not the maximum speed of 3144 km/hr - if it was, then I should be the national spokesperson for Jungle Oats and Baruch's Coffee!). At least the overall route is outlined for anyone that's interested - see the image below. The scenery is spectacular, whether it be the farmer's fields, the rolling hills with the Outeniqua Mountains in the background, or The Island and coastline on the way back. What a great place to live! It was a shame not to be able to hit the road with the bike on such a fantastic day as today, but it was in for a quick service. There's nothing worse than slipping gears when you're "giving it" on those uphill climbs... Thanks to the good folks at Johnnie Koen Cycles in Mossel Bay for getting it back to me this afternoon (and clean, too - I hardly recognized it...). R150 for a minor service and R240 for a major service which includes dis-assembly & re-greasing (parts extra in both cases). Early morning cycling with the guys resumes for the season. Started out as a drizzly morning but it just got better and better (and perfect temperature throughout). Up the R102, then the gravel road to the Glentana turn off and back to The Island via Outeniquastrand, Nature-on-Sea and Botha/Pienaarstrand - probably the last chance to do this stretch before the rehabilitation work begin on Morrison Road later today and which will likely last a couple of months.
Click on the image below for the full route & workout details on Sports-Tracker. Just enough time to squeeze in the "Spar" Route and a quick shower before heading off to a meeting... Click on the image below to open the Sports-Tracker webpage with the route details and a couple of photos indicating the turn at the Dwarsweg sign (unless you want to carry on further and do the "Misty Meadows Meander").
If you're looking for more ideas on what to do and see in the area, check out the pop-up info caravan on Long Street (at the edge of the sports field directly opposite the Peperboom Restaurant). They have all kinds of maps (including the various routes mentioned in the Hiking & Walking section of this website - whether it be the Art Route, the Short Walks or the Historic Route - as well as and Running & Cycling page - which includes some specific Great Brak cycling routes, and of course, the Fragrance Route (or check out the "cycling" category of this blog for more ideas, including the Attakwas). They can tell you where to take the kids - you name it. Even on the hottest days like today, you'll find the caravan manned by a helpful & enthusiastic crew of young people - way to go guys/gals!
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AuthorTheIsland@GreatBrak features the occasional blogpost in between braaiing and beach walks - stay tuned or drop me a line. Categories
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