Awesome Well Done and thanks for the report back!!!! So how loong does it take the oaks to do the whole freedom challenge thingy?... you know run, cycle paddle?
2009/6/23 Carine R <[email protected]> > dirty, you can do the whole ride, there's nothing you can't do! (heck, > you've done desert dash solo!!!!) > next year will be a leave issue for you, though, 'cos you might have to use > up 3 weeks' worth of leave cycling to everest basecamp to go cheer for > powergirl when she's climbing that other little mountain. but if you can > afford another 3 weeks, then go for it - i'll cheer you on all the way, but > PLEASE just update your blog daily, it's really frustrating to not know > where you are ... it must be an incredible experience to cycle all the way! > > we had perfect weather while we were out there, but it is not playing > nicely any more. it is scary to read on the website about all the people who > are pulling out - i have cycled with some of them, and trained with some > other, and know how strong they are :( > > > > 2009/6/23 <[email protected]> > > >> Sound like I should do this first before attempting the Freedom ride ? >> >> >> > wow, what a ride ... 60-+ hours in the saddle (including interpreting >> the >> > maps, crossing rivers and climbing mountains) to cycle 509.4 kilometers >> to >> > rhodes. >> > >> > a magical ride, some of the BEST (and toughest) riding i've done. >> > >> > day 1: pmb - minerva - hella-hella - mackenzie; about 11 hours with 2616 >> m >> > vertical ascent >> > Cycle to the townhall, some fodies, wait for the clock to strike 6, and >> > off >> > you go. >> > Mild distric road, chatting, bantering, mild cycle, first turn-off, a >> > loong >> > climb on forest tracks and later singletrack into minerva, rewarded with >> > soup and bread, yum. in a tracktor and farm-implement-musuem :) >> > >> > Then a steep downhill, more downhill, a rivercrossing or 2, map >> > interpretations and more map interpretations, a very steep climb up >> > hella-hella, followed by the BEST toasted sarmies and carrotcake EVER in >> > the >> > mackenzie country club. Hot showers, great food (lots of it) and >> chocolate >> > eclairs :) >> > >> > day 2: mackenzie - centacow - ntsikeni; just under 12 hours; 2658 m >> > vertical >> > ascent >> > Starting in the dark, lots of map-interpretations and discussions, >> totally >> > wrong route, arriving in Donnybrook via a huge detour, them a stunning >> bit >> > of forest-cycling (inlcuding some very nice downhills) into centacow. >> more >> > stunning cycling along distric road and then offroad on cattletracks - >> the >> > last bit of uphill cycling on cattletracks to ntsikeni in the dark, with >> a >> > rivercrossing to get the feet wet right at the end. A huge logfire in >> the >> > most beautiful cottage in the mountain, with bright bright stars and hot >> > water for the showers. Soup, bread, supper, clean white linen, and no >> > snoring (the snorers were in the other cottage) >> > >> > day 3: ntsikeni - masekala in just over 12 hours with 1756 m vertical >> > ascent >> > A rude awakening over grass and wetlands, took us 3 hours to do the >> first >> > 13 >> > kays. There were some rewarding downhills, though, a few kays on a >> > district >> > road with a headwind, some excellent soup, rolls and bananas in a >> > farmhouse, >> > and then a long climb over a ridge, with an apple-stop at the top. A >> > downhill to match, more downhill, and finally some navigation in the >> dark >> > to >> > get to Masekala where there was no running water :( >> > >> > day 4: masekala - queens mercy - malekonyane in 9 hours with 1016 of >> > vertical ascent >> > The prettiest day of all ... into a massive plain and then downwards on >> > whatever tracks you could find. Lettuce sandwiches at queen's mercy >> > (supplemented with 2 cm of peanut butter and filtercoffee), then a >> > stunning >> > climb through villages, and up, up, up, and then lots more >> > map-interpreting, >> > some investigation down a valley, but back up, and finally DOWN to a >> > farmhouse on an exhilirating downhill, and onwards to malekonyane, with >> a >> > sharp steep climb, hot showers, vetkoek, a visit to the mission station. >> > >> > day 5: malekonyane, tinana, vuvu in over 12 hours; 1976 of vertical >> ascent >> > starting in the dark with muddy singletrack, then district road, a >> climb, >> > some downs, then off into the mountains for more singletrack, up to >> black >> > fountain on cattle tracks, and then ... it looks like a bikepark up >> there >> > ... wide playgorounds where cattle dragged wood ... lots of >> > map-interpretation ansd searching for bicyclce-tracks, a very technical >> > downhille (which the trance loved) and then onwards to tinana mission >> for >> > a >> > snack-attack of note: cheese-and-peanut-sandwiches, doughnuts, coke. >> > followed by a climb on district road, and then 20-something of >> cobblestone >> > winding up-down never-ending district road. arriving in the dark, was >> glad >> > to see the school! interesting shower-thingy, and then sleeping in huts. >> > >> > *day 6*: vuvu-lehana-rhodes in just over 9 hours (including about 2 >> hours >> > of >> > stops, but it was the last day, we had to make the most of it) 1546 m >> > vertical ascent >> > starting in the dark, a downhill from vuvu, with the most stunning view >> of >> > bicycle silhouettes against a red sky ... then up into lehana, lots of >> it >> > ridable ... a few picnics on the way up - then more upwards around the >> > corner, and downhill to the tenahead lodge for some tea and sarmies. >> > onwards >> > down to the top of naudes neck, ehtn down, and a loooong climb before >> > finally a long sweet downhill, and then rolling hills into rhodes, with >> > hot >> > showers, food and clean white linen. >> > >> > the rasa-guys cleaned their bikes and washed their clothes while the >> > r2r-ers >> > spent the time in the pub :) >> > woke up at 4 to see the rasa-people off, and then promptly back to bed, >> to >> > wake up to a late breakfast. will be back next year! >> > >> > > >> > >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------- >> South Africas premier free email service - www.webmail.co.za >> ------------------------------------------------------------------ >> For super low premiums, click here http://home.webmail.co.za/dd.pwm >> >> >> >> > > > -- > > http://cyclingwith.blogspot.com > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DarkAndDirty" group. 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