A Changed Man

A lot can happen in 4 days. I woke refreshed on morning 5 and decided I was going to have a better day, positive mental attitude and all that. I started with another equipment purge. It's funny, but now i have to carry everything on my back, suddenly that second pair of shoes (ie something other than cycling shoes) seems less important. I manage to shave another 3kg which i post on to the finish. My luggage is down to about 13kgs now, which is still 3 more than the weight of my bike. The comparison is important for the portages. I have carried my bike across impassable terrain before, but never with luggage as well.

I set out on morning 5 with the aim of not having a quitting moment when i wonder why i'm doing this to myself.

Direction 3 on my instruction sheet for the day reads:

"... Then you climb up the oudberg pass"

That was a little brief. It should have read something like this:

"Now you must climb the oudberg pass. Take note that this pass climbs steeply for 3kms without any flat sections on which to rest. Also bear in mind that you are now in the Kleine Karoo which means 'little dry place'. You should attempt this pass before midday when you will struggle with the complete lack of shade (since there are no trees) and 30 heat. Also, remember that this climb is a battle of the mind, this thing has more false summits than the cast of Baywatch"

The pass was a serious uphill struggle, i climbed for over an hour and went through 3 of my 5 litres of water. But i'm pleased to report that it didn't [quite] break me. After all the climbing the rest of the day was a much more relaxing rolling ride into the Anysberg nature reserve. Every time I looked up from the track i say different game; springbok, gemsbok and hartebeast. I arrived at the accomodation stop to be greeted by Annetjie and Gerrard who already seemed to know of me. We talked about mountain bike touring a lot, exchanging different ideas about luggage, bikes and nutrition (bike geek chat). I realised that they are the first (and still only) mountain bike tourers that i have spoken to since becoming one myself. And if you're reading this, did you pick up my travel towel by any chance? Because I didn't... Whoops. When the day came to an end for all of us at around 2030, I realised that this was the first day that i had not taken a moment to consider quitting, so things were looking up.

DAY 6
What an epic day. The oudberg pass now seems like a stroll in the park. Whilst day 5 was a fairly average 75km, today the pace was shifted up a notch, with a target distance of 120kms. I set out at dawn and rode hard, stopping at 1330 for lunch. The local shop owner chatted to me about the ride and told me what he knows about the terrain i was to encounter later that afternoon. I leave, with my supplies stocked and an offer to come and stay with the shop owner any weekend i like. The offer was most genuine, and I would receive 2 other similar examples of warm South African hospitality before the day was out.

I had heard a few tales about 'The Ladder', down which i must carry my bike and luggage at the end of the day. It is an old mule track into the gamkaskloof - an isolated valley steeped in history. I continue the afternoon's journey to the ladder, but as the sun starts to set i am only just looking for the final 13km farm track that leads to the top of the ladder. Spotting a farmer's pickup descending cross country,i realise that it must be on the track for which i was searching, so I made an intercept course. The farmer was half expecting me but clearly thought i had a screw loose to take the rough farm track at that time of night and then descend the ladder in the dark. "There's a couple of leopard up there too, boy" he throws in, looking extremely serious. I thought back to the last zoo i was in, searching desperately for a memory of tiny mountain leopard, perhaps like the cute fluffy snow leopard, but i quickly realise that he means a 6 foot long spotted giant cat. I should have known better than to take this seriously, leopard are extremely unlikely to attack a human, but It's easy to write that now in the safety of my ensuite guest room. I was already quite concerned about descending the ladder in the dark, but the thought of leopards set my addrenaline pumping and I hit the track flying. I must have covered the 13kms of rough overgrown downhill in 30 mins, which given the light conditions was probably quite stupid. As I flew over rocks and plants, i charted my progress not in kilometres (my cycle computer having packed up earlier in the day) but in hours that I would have to hike back on the track if i fell and damaged my bike. For the second time since leaving cape town i felt glad that i have an emergency blanket and cover sheet. I glance back along the track at one point half expecting to see a pair of green eyes, 8 inches apart, staring back into my head torch; but instead i saw the most spectacular sunset I've seen this year. I stopped for a few seconds to take it in but didn't dare stay long enough to take my camera out. Whilst stationary i picked up a rock and put it in my pocket in case i needed to get all Tarzan with the local wildlife. I remember Ben Swanepoel mentioning during his talk of how wonderful it was to come across fresh leopard spoor. I am glad that I can't tell leopard's spoor from a baboon's. If I had come across fresh leopard's spoor that night i think i may have left some spoor of my own.

I made it to the top of the ladder just as the sun set completely. I have developed a new found respect for mules. The mule track was steep, narrow and made up of medium sized loose boulders. It would be a moderately technical hike in the daylight without carrying a cumbersome mountain bike. I emptied my remaining full water bottle and hoisted the bike onto my shoulder to begin the descent. About halfway down, i stopped for a rest and took stock of the day. It looked as though i would be able to complete the ladder in the dark, my head torch saving the day once again (Thanks Joan!), and i was no longer concerned about leopard, being off the field. The full moon had just risen over the mountains opposite, there were no lights anywhere, and the only thing I could hear was a frog chorus from a pond somewhere below me. It was in this moment that i realised things had changed. I might have felt alone or afraid about making it down the rest of the ladder, but instead i had a huge grin on my face. I had been pushing my body hard for 12 hours, this being the 6th consecutive day, and my muscles were shaking with exhaustion. But after 6 months of cursing my body's refusal to work properly, finally I didn't just feel well, I felt significantly fitter than I had for a long time. The day was epic, but I enjoyed every minute of it. There was still much to come. I was also shown fantastic hospitality by 2 different groups of people before i was allowed to finally collapse into bed, but this post has gone on long enough.

Thanks again to everyone that mailed and left comments (which i it turns out I am able to read from the road). They really helped with the mental preparation. My body has now adapted to the task in hand too, and I have had 4 sensational and memorable days in succession, and I can't wait to get back on the bike tomorrow.

If anyone is bored at work, you could always send a text to my South African mobile number +27733482029. Don't expect immediate responses though, I only get reception about once every 3 days!