Bullet point list of wins and fails...fails first:
Too much gear...first timer on long gravel trip, didn't have any idea of my daily capacity/endurance but knew I had to get from one spot to another and I really wanted to camp it...but weather was so bad and cold on the first 2 nights, I was lucky to get a cabin...after the temps climbed, the rest of the time in a tent was awesome! Definitely will tent it again.
Too much food..I wasn't sure where to get food, turns out limited stock available at Algeria (they would make a killing if they ran a burger joint), nice supply at Sanddrif and awesome restaurant Oasis (best bacon and egg toastie ever, thanks Gabriel!) and at Mount Cedar, nothing at Houdenbek, so next time, less food.
Those 2 things weighed me down on ascents so quite a bit of walking and pushing!
The First Ascent Aero 5.5 Lightweight mattress! It did the job of insulating me from the ground BUT it was too narrow, I kept rolling off the damn thing...so it packs down small, is easy to inflate but damn, it was, for me just no good!
Wolfberg Arch overnight...I was ready for this and took a compact backpack with...permit was denied cause you need a minimum of 3 people to go up and the weather that night was horrendous so...back pack used to carry Cederberg wine and Mount Cedar olive oil home so win there!!!
Wins:
No 1 was definitely the Garmin InReach Mini 2! Most of the route from Algeria is out of cell phone range and there is only wifi near receptions of camps...Sanddrif reception is a distance away from the camp! Being able to have comms with the InReach was a huge plus and comfort factor for concerned partner back home
No 2: if you going to camp, find space for a lightweight camping chair...the Natural Instinct Ultralight was an absolute win! Compact and light and tucks under bar, no problem
No 3: Colemans Biker sleeping bag, only goes to -2 but a great very compact unit and opens up down to feet (I'm not a mummy bag person at all so opened it was...no problems with good sleep gear)
No 4: Bridgedale mohair socks...I think I washed them once and they never smelled!
No 5: Rapha Explore shoes...was contemplating taking a spare set to walk around after riding but didn't....these were all round wins on and off the bike
No 6: The bike...Pardus Uragano, bought new in Dubai, been riding it for a while, 11-speed mechanical GRX groupset...could have done with a bigger dinner plate on the rear! Zero issues, shod with Panaracer SK 50mm which never lost a single millibar!
No 7: Redshift Shockstop system, a stem with elastomers and the Pro Endurance Suspension seatpost which has 2 coils and elastomers in the post that can be tuned for sag...both did a great job of taking the edge of the worst of the gravel
No 7: The entire area...what a dramatic scenic place, surreal geology, awesome vistas and the snow on the valleys peaks from Uitkyk Pass to Sanddrif was UNREAL! Really stunning.
N0 8. Timing..although the weather on the first day was HORRIFIC and I nearly gave up about 20 times climbing Niewoudt's Pass, the rest of the 4 days were fantastic, crisp evenings and mornings and comfortable midday temps with a light breeze, the earlier rain in the area had compacted the roads and there was plenty of hero dirt to revel on! They are gravel though so the usual bumps, rocks, pebbles and potholes but all in all fantastic..except for Ceres side of Middleberg pass which was seriously trashed in places and the other side running down towards Citrusdal is covered in a layer of marbles!
No 9: The people..it was midweek so not much traffic, but everyone either hooted or waved as they went past (probably laughing at the fool on his bike), some even stopped and chatted!
No 10...I forgot to add...I fashioned a collapsible aluminium pole from spare tent poles with a bracket on the end as a bike stand that hooked under the stem! Such a bonus not having to lay your bike down when stopped
All in all, a fantastic experience and well recommended to anyone capable of pedalling a bicycle!
First video is up....
