Working Sabbatical

On Saturday I realized that I might have a wasted weekend if I don't do something exciting quickly, so I decided to take a working sabbatical to Reebok, in between Mossel Bay and George on the South Coast. There I have free accommodation, with free laundry and Internet included, as well as the best meals from the menu. The best "guesthouse" in the Southern Cape but also the best kept secret, so I won't say no more. I left Cape Town at 12.30 in the heat of the day...32 degrees Celcius. When I passed Paarl and Worcester, the mercury went up to 38 and for the rest of the journey it did not drop much. I only stopped for fuel and water, and it didn't take me long to realize that leaving at that time of the day to ride to Mossel Bay via Worcester and Robertson was not the greatest idea ever. The wind did not help much either, and when I arrived in Mossel Bay I was literally wasted. My neck was sore from the wind that was pushing and pulling my head in all different directions, I had to take painkillers for what felt like the worst whiplash ever. Definitely not one of my nicest trips so far, and very uncomfortable.

In Reebok I did not do much riding, it was a working sabbatical after all. But I did manage to sneak away from the laptop to do a little gravel road from Reebok to George, looking for a bike shop to check out if they might have biking gear. I was refered to Mossel Bay where I discovered the "biggest bike shop in the Western Cape", or so I was told by the sexy sales girl in the extra low-cut hipster. I was amazed to find a bike shop that size with so much variety of all gear you can think of. Maybe the fact that the Buffalo Rally has been hosted there for several seasons might explain, but I was told that people ride from PE and Cape Town to shop there, and I was not surprized why. There I kitted myself out with new biker pants, a new biking jacket and boots. I also threw in some chain lube for my bike and junior bike goggles for my son, or "diving goggles for motor bikes" as he calls it. Now I look like a real biker and my son closer to one.

There are the most awesome gravel roads in the Garden Route area, and if it was not for the rain that fell on Tuesday morning I might have changed my working sabbatical into a biking sabbatical. I was a bit cautious of the slippery mud in that area and decided that I will come back and do some of them in the future. I did many of them on my mountain bike years ago, but never took any pictures of the stunning vegetation and scenery. There are also quite a few gravel passes and they are definitely on my to-do list.

On my way back to Cape Town I decided after consulting the weather forcast to take the N2 via Caledon. The wind prediction was easterly and the temperatures much lower than in Worcester. It was the second best move of the weekend (the first being the enquiry that led me to the big bike shop in Mossel Bay). I left Reebok at 5.30 am and with the wind from behind and the sun too I managed to reach Riviersonderend at around 7.35. There I stopped and filled my tank and my stomach for the first time. Just before Riviersonderend I passed a dad and his son on two Vuka 110 scooters. They were away for the weekend and on their way back to Cape Town. They pulled in at Riviersonderend a few minutes after me, filled up and left before I did. I passed them again just before Caledon. I was amazed to see how little you need to create your own fun. You don't need the best and most expensive bike to have the best ever weekend. They were clearly enjoying themselves and at approximately 90km/h I am sure they saw more of the scenery than what I did at 130.

The temperature along the way ranged from 13 to 17 degrees Celcius. I always wondered why anyone would need heated grips when you are wearing gloves. After a while I was cooling down and I was amazed  at the difference heated grips can make to your body. I have since changed my opinion on heated grips and cannot wait for winter to arrive (not really!). I stopped at Sir Lowry's pass to take a picture, but when I tried to get off my bike the wind was howling and I was actually scared that my bike would blow over. It was obvious a venturi effect right there through the "gap" in the mountain. Even the tourists that stopped climbed out and some immediately jumped back into their bus when they felt the wind. From the top of the mountain to the bottom of the pass, the temperature climbed from 17 degrees to 26 degrees. A classical example of bergwind conditions and a good explanation for the warm weather in Cape Town today. I arrived at my office at 10 am, 30 minutes shorter than my trip on Sunday...and much more fun this time. I also won't be needing any painkillers today either. I am glad that my trip back was done with so much less effort, otherwise my "sabbatical" would not have been succesful. A 900km round trip, a beautiful weekend in the Garden Route and staying at the best guesthouse in the Souther Cape. It was definitely worth it.