With the very welcome winter rainfall has come the seasonal chill, cold, dark mornings, and a noticeable decrease in riding time.
To shake ourselves out of hibernation we headed to the southernmost tip of Africa: the Cape L’Agulhas for a gravel Gran Fondo (which I think might be code for a lot of coffee stops and good banter).
When your day starts like this things can only get better
The day got off to a shaky start: rain and high winds, and about four punctures before we even left the house. We got on the road a good two hours later than originally planned. Revved on coffee and armed with three gravel bikes, and a road bike with seriously beefy tyres, we headed off from the lighthouse to our first coffee stop in Bredasdorp.
En route we rescued a feral cat with it’s head stuck in a foil chip packet (don’t ask), dealt with another puncture, and absorbed ourselves in being a bit damp.
The sun was out by the time we pulled into the picturesque Bredasdorp Square for our first coffee, giving us a chance to thaw out, and raising our spirits before the next leg of the journey.
Coffee stops were the order of the day
Seamus had planned a route that would have taken us in a loop to Protem and then back to Bredasdorp, but our late start meant a change in plans, and instead we headed into unknown farmlands for a shorter loop.
Getting onto the gravel farm roads was a relief after the busy, narrow tar road between Agulhas and Bredasdorp. It was a pleasure to roll through green fields, watched over by windmills, and race the bikes down the rockier parts of the road. The Overberg in winter is an experience best had on the back of bicycle.
Photo credit: Seamus Allardice
Photo credit: Seamus Allardice
After being chased by a very angry farmer, we figured that maybe we had gone wrong somewhere, and had to retreat, finding our way back to Bredasdorp in time for a leisurely lunch.
The next leg took us from Bredasdorp to Arniston via the tar. This was pleasant easy mileage, with the wind at our back: perfect riding for after lunch.
Photo credit: Seamus Allardice
Riding through the fishing village at Arniston was a highlight: having never been there I was intrigued by the picturesque white fisherman’s cottages, and colourful fishing boats.
A quick stop at the beachfront to admire the view, and top up bottles: thanks to our amazing support driver Pierre, and we were back on the road.
Photo credit: Seamus Allardice
Photo credit: Seamus Allardice
Windmills, green fields and endless gravel characterise riding in the Overberg
Our route back to the lighthouse at L’Agulhas took us via gravel backroads, where we were kept company by a few startled buck, and herds of sheep. The corrugations, paired with a hefty headwind meant we worked off our lunch here, before we popped out onto the tar back to Struisbaai.
A visit to the harbour for fish & chips is an important part of exploring a coastal town. Photo credit: Seamus Allardice
As the light and temperature plummeted we raced the last few kilometres to the lighthouse, ready to end the day with a hot shower, followed by a cold Fraser’s Folly and fresh fish and chips at the harbour.
The original route planned, courtesy of Seamus. I don’t want to link to our Strava file from the day in case we accidentally trespassed while we were lost.
