Cross cape on my ace??

[DJuice]

4 hours ago, copperhead said:

Aiming for hogsback. Hoping the weather will hold out.

Hogsback on my to do list!

Safe cycling, enjoy the trip!

 

[Stephan]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:11 PM, Styvie said:

Hi all I’m planning the cross cape for the end of the year. It’s something iv wanted to do for ages and I haven’t had the best two years with this darn pandemic. I’m looking to do this ride to end 2021 off on a high note and let the better times roll in 2022.

i ultimately would like to do it on my own  to allow my self to clear my mind and reboot so to say.

is this a really kaaak idea ?  I’ll have all the important items with me I plan to travel light and sleep well in some bnbs

5 to 6 days is my goal to do it in.
 

 

Lekker! I'm planning the same thing, also solo, but from Cape Town side to George. I need to be in Mosselbay for Christmas, so I've worked out a tentative route which will get me there on the 24th. 

Day 1 (Sat, 18 Dec): Stellenbosch to Greyton (I've read reports saying Franschhoek pass is very dangerous with no shoulder, so I might start this day on top of the pass)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam
Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale
Day 4: Riversdale to Calitzdorp (or maybe Rooiberg Lodge)
Day 5: Calitzdorp/Rooiberg to Oudshoorn
Day 6: Oudshoorn to George
Day 7: George to Mosselbay

Still need to do some detail planning, but this is the idea. You can download the route from Ride with GPS app and send to your Garmin or navigate on your phone. 

Comments/suggestions welcome?! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Eddy Gordo]

14 hours ago, Stephan said:

Lekker! I'm planning the same thing, also solo, but from Cape Town side to George. I need to be in Mosselbay for Christmas, so I've worked out a tentative route which will get me there on the 24th. 

Day 1 (Sat, 18 Dec): Stellenbosch to Greyton (I've read reports saying Franschhoek pass is very dangerous with no shoulder, so I might start this day on top of the pass)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam
Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale
Day 4: Riversdale to Calitzdorp (or maybe Rooiberg Lodge)
Day 5: Calitzdorp/Rooiberg to Oudshoorn
Day 6: Oudshoorn to George
Day 7: George to Mosselbay

Still need to do some detail planning, but this is the idea. You can download the route from Ride with GPS app and send to your Garmin or navigate on your phone. 

Comments/suggestions welcome?! 

 

 

 

 

 

I know lots of people ride Franschoek pass, I would not simply because that road is that narrow. I am also planning around that time, but from Gabouw side towards Elim.

Good Luck and enjoy.

[Skubarra]

17 minutes ago, Eddy Gordo said:

I know lots of people ride Franschoek pass, I would not simply because that road is that narrow. I am also planning around that time, but from Gabouw side towards Elim.

Good Luck and enjoy.

I'm one of them, never had an issue. Usually its fairly quiet, unless its a very busy day (for example because there is snow on the mountains) you should be fine. Quite a few cyclists go over there on weekends

[RaeTrewBrowne]

1 hour ago, Eddy Gordo said:

I know lots of people ride Franschoek pass, I would not simply because that road is that narrow. I am also planning around that time, but from Gabouw side towards Elim.

Good Luck and enjoy.

Grabouw is definitely my preferred starting and ending point as well! Cuts out A LOT of tar and you can ride the Rusty Gate Pass which is spectacular!

[RaeTrewBrowne]

16 hours ago, Stephan said:

Lekker! I'm planning the same thing, also solo, but from Cape Town side to George. I need to be in Mosselbay for Christmas, so I've worked out a tentative route which will get me there on the 24th. 

Day 1 (Sat, 18 Dec): Stellenbosch to Greyton (I've read reports saying Franschhoek pass is very dangerous with no shoulder, so I might start this day on top of the pass)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam
Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale
Day 4: Riversdale to Calitzdorp (or maybe Rooiberg Lodge)
Day 5: Calitzdorp/Rooiberg to Oudshoorn
Day 6: Oudshoorn to George
Day 7: George to Mosselbay

Still need to do some detail planning, but this is the idea. You can download the route from Ride with GPS app and send to your Garmin or navigate on your phone. 

Comments/suggestions welcome?! 

 

 

 

 

 

Rooiberg Lodge is definitely worth the stop, food was excellent and watching the buck at the watering hole at sunset was pretty rad! 

[Stephan]

So, I did the “reverse” Cross Cape in December, the week before Xmas, starting on a Saturday in Franschhoek and finishing the next Friday in George. Epic route. Stunning scenery. But a lot harder than what I thought it would be. Herewith some feedback for those thinking of doing it solo. Hope this is of value.

Training

What training? 😊 I didn’t train for this ride specifically, but I had done about 4000km in 2021 prior to December, which included a 3-day Cederberg Circuit and a couple multi day stage races in Q4, so I felt confident I would cope. Even with this base of riding, I got beaten up on a few days, so don’t attempt this if you are not fit and not used to spending looooooong hours in the saddle. I started wearing both my cycling shorts over each from day 4 to protect my rear end.   

Route planning

I did very little route planning. I just followed the Cross Cape route all the way. I recreated the “reverse” Cross Cape route starting in Franschhoek ending in George by redrawing it on RidewithGPS online. Then I downloaded the route file and transferred it to my Garmin Edge 500. I had no issues and navigation was very easy. I installed the RidewithGPS and Komoot apps on my phone and transferred the same route to the app as a backup. Komoot allows free download of offline maps, which I did in case I found myself in an area with no cell phone signal.

Day by Day

Day 1: Franschhoek to Greyton (75.8km / 1078m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6398916310)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam (113.5km / 1361m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6403248486)

Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale (97km /  1316m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6407468166)
Day 4: Riversdale to Rooiberg Lodge (80km / 1266m)  (https://www.strava.com/activities/6410494204)
Day 5: Rooiberg Lodge to Calitzdorp (45km / 912m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6415088576)
Day 6: Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn (80km / 1252m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6419519698)
Day 7: Oudtshoorn to George (66.7m / 866m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6422603696)

Accommodation

I didn’t book any accommodation in advance. I had my route planned and knew more or less where I wanted to stop every day, so I would arrive at my end point and then find a hotel or guest house. The only exception was Rooiberg Lodge. I checked online the night before to make sure they had space, but I didn’t book.  

Kit

On my bike I had a 14L Apidura saddle bag and a 7L Ortlieb handlebar bag. This is what went into them:

• Helmet, shoes, gloves, glasses
• 2 pairs socks
• 2 shorts/bib
• 2 shirts
• 1 base layer
• 1 sun sleeve
• 1 rain jacket
• 2 light weight sport shorts
• 2 light weight sport t-shirts
• 2 pair jocks
• 1 thermal top
• Slops
• Buff
• Travel towel
• Front and rear lights (small) + charger cord
• Spare cleat bolt, spare valve, spare tube, spare shifter cable
• 2 bombs + adapter
• 2 x 750ml Water bottles
• Chain lube
• Battery pack, 2 x two-point USB chargers and cables (for phone, watch & bike computer)
• 10 x small / medium cable ties
• 1 large adjustable yellow cable tie
• 1 roll gorilla tape, 1 roll insulation tape
• Pepper spray (fitted to top tube with industrial Velcro)  
• Coghlan's Air Horn (https://www.driftersshop.co.za/products/coghlans-air-horn) (taped to handlebar so that I can press button with my thumb whilst riding)  
• Credit card + R100 cash
• Matches
• Body wash Sea to Summit (emptied this into 50ml bottle which I got from Mambos)
• Washing powder Sea to Summit (50ml bottle from Mambos)
• Panado
• Lip ice
• Sunscreen stick

Each night I washed my cycling kit from that day and used the clean one the next day. The two sets of light shorts and t-shirts were my plain clothes in the afternoons and evenings.

Food

For the mornings I had two Futurelife Drinking Meals, which consists of a pack with two sides separated by a seal. One side is filled with a food powder and the other purified water. By squeezing and popping the internal seal, the food and water mix to create a meal that you can drink. The nice thing about this is it doesn’t need refrigeration and it doesn’t go off. I found them in every Spar, OK, PnP along the way. https://futurelife.com/products/energize

I stocked up every day in the larger towns with snacks to eat during the day. I made sure to have enough for at least two days’ supply, consisting of droëwors, energy bars, nuts.

In the evening I ate at a restaurant in the town where I was sleeping.

Safety & Tracking

I installed the Life360 app and created a group for the ride to share my location with family and friends. It worked remarkably well.

Tips and Lessons Learned

General safety: On a trip like this you are alone a lot, literally in the middle of nowhere with the closest town or house many many kilometres away. Even so, I never felt unsafe. I would easily do this trip alone again. The only time I felt unsafe and vulnerable was passing through Genadendal on day 1 where I had two odd encounters with pedestrians on the road. One guy pulled out a sharpened screwdriver and pointed it at me, and a few hundred meters later a group of five youths tried to block me in the road. I sprinted away each time. I’m not suggesting Genadendal should be avoided, just pointing out my experience.

Road safety: Over the 560 travelled I had three close encounters, each time it was a car coming from behind who passed very close. I can’t see how this risk can be mitigated further, just try to ride as far to the side as possible. One a few occasions I pulled completely off the road when I knew a car or truck was approaching from behind (you can hear them coming).

Kit: Had no issues with my kit. Having only two 750ml water bottles turned out to be my biggest mistake. I ran out of water twice, so would strongly recommend that you carry an extra bottle or even better, take a Camelbak. I would also strongly consider a LifeStraw in case you are really in the dwang.

That’s it. Happy riding.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Stephan

[tubed]

2 hours ago, Stephan said:

So, I did the “reverse” Cross Cape in December, the week before Xmas, starting on a Saturday in Franschhoek and finishing the next Friday in George. Epic route. Stunning scenery. But a lot harder than what I thought it would be. Herewith some feedback for those thinking of doing it solo. Hope this is of value.

Training

What training? 😊 I didn’t train for this ride specifically, but I had done about 4000km in 2021 prior to December, which included a 3-day Cederberg Circuit and a couple multi day stage races in Q4, so I felt confident I would cope. Even with this base of riding, I got beaten up on a few days, so don’t attempt this if you are not fit and not used to spending looooooong hours in the saddle. I started wearing both my cycling shorts over each from day 4 to protect my rear end.   

Route planning

I did very little route planning. I just followed the Cross Cape route all the way. I recreated the “reverse” Cross Cape route starting in Franschhoek ending in George by redrawing it on RidewithGPS online. Then I downloaded the route file and transferred it to my Garmin Edge 500. I had no issues and navigation was very easy. I installed the RidewithGPS and Komoot apps on my phone and transferred the same route to the app as a backup. Komoot allows free download of offline maps, which I did in case I found myself in an area with no cell phone signal.

Day by Day

Day 1: Franschhoek to Greyton (75.8km / 1078m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6398916310)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam (113.5km / 1361m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6403248486)

Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale (97km /  1316m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6407468166)
Day 4: Riversdale to Rooiberg Lodge (80km / 1266m)  (https://www.strava.com/activities/6410494204)
Day 5: Rooiberg Lodge to Calitzdorp (45km / 912m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6415088576)
Day 6: Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn (80km / 1252m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6419519698)
Day 7: Oudtshoorn to George (66.7m / 866m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6422603696)

Accommodation

I didn’t book any accommodation in advance. I had my route planned and knew more or less where I wanted to stop every day, so I would arrive at my end point and then find a hotel or guest house. The only exception was Rooiberg Lodge. I checked online the night before to make sure they had space, but I didn’t book.  

Kit

On my bike I had a 14L Apidura saddle bag and a 7L Ortlieb handlebar bag. This is what went into them:

• Helmet, shoes, gloves, glasses
• 2 pairs socks
• 2 shorts/bib
• 2 shirts
• 1 base layer
• 1 sun sleeve
• 1 rain jacket
• 2 light weight sport shorts
• 2 light weight sport t-shirts
• 2 pair jocks
• 1 thermal top
• Slops
• Buff
• Travel towel
• Front and rear lights (small) + charger cord
• Spare cleat bolt, spare valve, spare tube, spare shifter cable
• 2 bombs + adapter
• 2 x 750ml Water bottles
• Chain lube
• Battery pack, 2 x two-point USB chargers and cables (for phone, watch & bike computer)
• 10 x small / medium cable ties
• 1 large adjustable yellow cable tie
• 1 roll gorilla tape, 1 roll insulation tape
• Pepper spray (fitted to top tube with industrial Velcro)  
• Coghlan's Air Horn (https://www.driftersshop.co.za/products/coghlans-air-horn) (taped to handlebar so that I can press button with my thumb whilst riding)  
• Credit card + R100 cash
• Matches
• Body wash Sea to Summit (emptied this into 50ml bottle which I got from Mambos)
• Washing powder Sea to Summit (50ml bottle from Mambos)
• Panado
• Lip ice
• Sunscreen stick

Each night I washed my cycling kit from that day and used the clean one the next day. The two sets of light shorts and t-shirts were my plain clothes in the afternoons and evenings.

Food

For the mornings I had two Futurelife Drinking Meals, which consists of a pack with two sides separated by a seal. One side is filled with a food powder and the other purified water. By squeezing and popping the internal seal, the food and water mix to create a meal that you can drink. The nice thing about this is it doesn’t need refrigeration and it doesn’t go off. I found them in every Spar, OK, PnP along the way. https://futurelife.com/products/energize

I stocked up every day in the larger towns with snacks to eat during the day. I made sure to have enough for at least two days’ supply, consisting of droëwors, energy bars, nuts.

In the evening I ate at a restaurant in the town where I was sleeping.

Safety & Tracking

I installed the Life360 app and created a group for the ride to share my location with family and friends. It worked remarkably well.

Tips and Lessons Learned

General safety: On a trip like this you are alone a lot, literally in the middle of nowhere with the closest town or house many many kilometres away. Even so, I never felt unsafe. I would easily do this trip alone again. The only time I felt unsafe and vulnerable was passing through Genadendal on day 1 where I had two odd encounters with pedestrians on the road. One guy pulled out a sharpened screwdriver and pointed it at me, and a few hundred meters later a group of five youths tried to block me in the road. I sprinted away each time. I’m not suggesting Genadendal should be avoided, just pointing out my experience.

Road safety: Over the 560 travelled I had three close encounters, each time it was a car coming from behind who passed very close. I can’t see how this risk can be mitigated further, just try to ride as far to the side as possible. One a few occasions I pulled completely off the road when I knew a car or truck was approaching from behind (you can hear them coming).

Kit: Had no issues with my kit. Having only two 750ml water bottles turned out to be my biggest mistake. I ran out of water twice, so would strongly recommend that you carry an extra bottle or even better, take a Camelbak. I would also strongly consider a LifeStraw in case you are really in the dwang.

That’s it. Happy riding.

Great write up, plenty of info with all of the feels, makes me want to go, thanks for sharing

 

[Skubarra]

I am a little offended that Stephan made no mention that we ran into each other when he was going up Garcia pass at 7h00 the morning.. What are the odds??? 😂

Enjoyed the write-up and inspired to do something similar in the not too far future

Edited January 18, 2022 by Skubarra

[DieselnDust]

oh ace as in by my lonesome, i.e. uys or ijs or eis

Here is was thinking you want to ride CrossCape on your Ritte Ace...😜

[Stephan]

29 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

I am a little offended that Stephan made no mention that we ran into each other when he was going up Garcia pass at 7h00 the morning.. What are the odds??? 😂

Enjoyed the write-up and inspired to do something similar in the not too far future

Haha. Sorry Willie. Thanks for the company going up Garcia pass. 🙂

(and well done on Atta this past weekend!) 

[Skubarra]

5 minutes ago, Stephan said:

Haha. Sorry Willie. Thanks for the company going up Garcia pass. 🙂

(and well done on Atta this past weekend!) 

Only joking. Looking forward to see what you plan next

[Andreas_187]

What bike did you do it on, gravel or MTB. I recently bought a Trek Supercaliber for this trip (100mm Front, 60mm Rear travel) 

[Wayne pudding Mol]

7 hours ago, Andreas_187 said:

What bike did you do it on, gravel or MTB. I recently bought a Trek Supercaliber for this trip (100mm Front, 60mm Rear travel) 

For this ride a gravel bike is ideal but there is no reason your trek won’t be super comfortable 

[splat]

13 hours ago, Stephan said:

So, I did the “reverse” Cross Cape in December, the week before Xmas, starting on a Saturday in Franschhoek and finishing the next Friday in George. Epic route. Stunning scenery. But a lot harder than what I thought it would be. Herewith some feedback for those thinking of doing it solo. Hope this is of value.

Training

What training? 😊 I didn’t train for this ride specifically, but I had done about 4000km in 2021 prior to December, which included a 3-day Cederberg Circuit and a couple multi day stage races in Q4, so I felt confident I would cope. Even with this base of riding, I got beaten up on a few days, so don’t attempt this if you are not fit and not used to spending looooooong hours in the saddle. I started wearing both my cycling shorts over each from day 4 to protect my rear end.   

Route planning

I did very little route planning. I just followed the Cross Cape route all the way. I recreated the “reverse” Cross Cape route starting in Franschhoek ending in George by redrawing it on RidewithGPS online. Then I downloaded the route file and transferred it to my Garmin Edge 500. I had no issues and navigation was very easy. I installed the RidewithGPS and Komoot apps on my phone and transferred the same route to the app as a backup. Komoot allows free download of offline maps, which I did in case I found myself in an area with no cell phone signal.

Day by Day

Day 1: Franschhoek to Greyton (75.8km / 1078m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6398916310)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam (113.5km / 1361m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6403248486)

Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale (97km /  1316m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6407468166)
Day 4: Riversdale to Rooiberg Lodge (80km / 1266m)  (https://www.strava.com/activities/6410494204)
Day 5: Rooiberg Lodge to Calitzdorp (45km / 912m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6415088576)
Day 6: Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn (80km / 1252m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6419519698)
Day 7: Oudtshoorn to George (66.7m / 866m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6422603696)

Accommodation

I didn’t book any accommodation in advance. I had my route planned and knew more or less where I wanted to stop every day, so I would arrive at my end point and then find a hotel or guest house. The only exception was Rooiberg Lodge. I checked online the night before to make sure they had space, but I didn’t book.  

Kit

On my bike I had a 14L Apidura saddle bag and a 7L Ortlieb handlebar bag. This is what went into them:

• Helmet, shoes, gloves, glasses
• 2 pairs socks
• 2 shorts/bib
• 2 shirts
• 1 base layer
• 1 sun sleeve
• 1 rain jacket
• 2 light weight sport shorts
• 2 light weight sport t-shirts
• 2 pair jocks
• 1 thermal top
• Slops
• Buff
• Travel towel
• Front and rear lights (small) + charger cord
• Spare cleat bolt, spare valve, spare tube, spare shifter cable
• 2 bombs + adapter
• 2 x 750ml Water bottles
• Chain lube
• Battery pack, 2 x two-point USB chargers and cables (for phone, watch & bike computer)
• 10 x small / medium cable ties
• 1 large adjustable yellow cable tie
• 1 roll gorilla tape, 1 roll insulation tape
• Pepper spray (fitted to top tube with industrial Velcro)  
• Coghlan's Air Horn (https://www.driftersshop.co.za/products/coghlans-air-horn) (taped to handlebar so that I can press button with my thumb whilst riding)  
• Credit card + R100 cash
• Matches
• Body wash Sea to Summit (emptied this into 50ml bottle which I got from Mambos)
• Washing powder Sea to Summit (50ml bottle from Mambos)
• Panado
• Lip ice
• Sunscreen stick

Each night I washed my cycling kit from that day and used the clean one the next day. The two sets of light shorts and t-shirts were my plain clothes in the afternoons and evenings.

Food

For the mornings I had two Futurelife Drinking Meals, which consists of a pack with two sides separated by a seal. One side is filled with a food powder and the other purified water. By squeezing and popping the internal seal, the food and water mix to create a meal that you can drink. The nice thing about this is it doesn’t need refrigeration and it doesn’t go off. I found them in every Spar, OK, PnP along the way. https://futurelife.com/products/energize

I stocked up every day in the larger towns with snacks to eat during the day. I made sure to have enough for at least two days’ supply, consisting of droëwors, energy bars, nuts.

In the evening I ate at a restaurant in the town where I was sleeping.

Safety & Tracking

I installed the Life360 app and created a group for the ride to share my location with family and friends. It worked remarkably well.

Tips and Lessons Learned

General safety: On a trip like this you are alone a lot, literally in the middle of nowhere with the closest town or house many many kilometres away. Even so, I never felt unsafe. I would easily do this trip alone again. The only time I felt unsafe and vulnerable was passing through Genadendal on day 1 where I had two odd encounters with pedestrians on the road. One guy pulled out a sharpened screwdriver and pointed it at me, and a few hundred meters later a group of five youths tried to block me in the road. I sprinted away each time. I’m not suggesting Genadendal should be avoided, just pointing out my experience.

Road safety: Over the 560 travelled I had three close encounters, each time it was a car coming from behind who passed very close. I can’t see how this risk can be mitigated further, just try to ride as far to the side as possible. One a few occasions I pulled completely off the road when I knew a car or truck was approaching from behind (you can hear them coming).

Kit: Had no issues with my kit. Having only two 750ml water bottles turned out to be my biggest mistake. I ran out of water twice, so would strongly recommend that you carry an extra bottle or even better, take a Camelbak. I would also strongly consider a LifeStraw in case you are really in the dwang.

That’s it. Happy riding.

What a great experience!
Well done.

I rode solo from Oudtshoorn to St Francis just before X-Mas. My favourite sections were the foresty bits between George and Storms River. You should try and do those bits some time.

I have plans this year to do the whole Cross Cape Route, but with mates and on a gravel bike. Going solo has its perks, but it would be nice to share the experience. And my Camber was a bit of a tank. Very comfortable, but heavy and a tad cumbersome so a gravel bike his high up on my list of priorities.

[117]

14 hours ago, Stephan said:

So, I did the “reverse” Cross Cape in December, the week before Xmas, starting on a Saturday in Franschhoek and finishing the next Friday in George. Epic route. Stunning scenery. But a lot harder than what I thought it would be. Herewith some feedback for those thinking of doing it solo. Hope this is of value.

Training

What training? 😊 I didn’t train for this ride specifically, but I had done about 4000km in 2021 prior to December, which included a 3-day Cederberg Circuit and a couple multi day stage races in Q4, so I felt confident I would cope. Even with this base of riding, I got beaten up on a few days, so don’t attempt this if you are not fit and not used to spending looooooong hours in the saddle. I started wearing both my cycling shorts over each from day 4 to protect my rear end.   

Route planning

I did very little route planning. I just followed the Cross Cape route all the way. I recreated the “reverse” Cross Cape route starting in Franschhoek ending in George by redrawing it on RidewithGPS online. Then I downloaded the route file and transferred it to my Garmin Edge 500. I had no issues and navigation was very easy. I installed the RidewithGPS and Komoot apps on my phone and transferred the same route to the app as a backup. Komoot allows free download of offline maps, which I did in case I found myself in an area with no cell phone signal.

Day by Day

Day 1: Franschhoek to Greyton (75.8km / 1078m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6398916310)
Day 2: Greyton to Swellendam (113.5km / 1361m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6403248486)

Day 3: Swellendam to Riversdale (97km /  1316m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6407468166)
Day 4: Riversdale to Rooiberg Lodge (80km / 1266m)  (https://www.strava.com/activities/6410494204)
Day 5: Rooiberg Lodge to Calitzdorp (45km / 912m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6415088576)
Day 6: Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn (80km / 1252m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6419519698)
Day 7: Oudtshoorn to George (66.7m / 866m) (https://www.strava.com/activities/6422603696)

Accommodation

I didn’t book any accommodation in advance. I had my route planned and knew more or less where I wanted to stop every day, so I would arrive at my end point and then find a hotel or guest house. The only exception was Rooiberg Lodge. I checked online the night before to make sure they had space, but I didn’t book.  

Kit

On my bike I had a 14L Apidura saddle bag and a 7L Ortlieb handlebar bag. This is what went into them:

• Helmet, shoes, gloves, glasses
• 2 pairs socks
• 2 shorts/bib
• 2 shirts
• 1 base layer
• 1 sun sleeve
• 1 rain jacket
• 2 light weight sport shorts
• 2 light weight sport t-shirts
• 2 pair jocks
• 1 thermal top
• Slops
• Buff
• Travel towel
• Front and rear lights (small) + charger cord
• Spare cleat bolt, spare valve, spare tube, spare shifter cable
• 2 bombs + adapter
• 2 x 750ml Water bottles
• Chain lube
• Battery pack, 2 x two-point USB chargers and cables (for phone, watch & bike computer)
• 10 x small / medium cable ties
• 1 large adjustable yellow cable tie
• 1 roll gorilla tape, 1 roll insulation tape
• Pepper spray (fitted to top tube with industrial Velcro)  
• Coghlan's Air Horn (https://www.driftersshop.co.za/products/coghlans-air-horn) (taped to handlebar so that I can press button with my thumb whilst riding)  
• Credit card + R100 cash
• Matches
• Body wash Sea to Summit (emptied this into 50ml bottle which I got from Mambos)
• Washing powder Sea to Summit (50ml bottle from Mambos)
• Panado
• Lip ice
• Sunscreen stick

Each night I washed my cycling kit from that day and used the clean one the next day. The two sets of light shorts and t-shirts were my plain clothes in the afternoons and evenings.

Food

For the mornings I had two Futurelife Drinking Meals, which consists of a pack with two sides separated by a seal. One side is filled with a food powder and the other purified water. By squeezing and popping the internal seal, the food and water mix to create a meal that you can drink. The nice thing about this is it doesn’t need refrigeration and it doesn’t go off. I found them in every Spar, OK, PnP along the way. https://futurelife.com/products/energize

I stocked up every day in the larger towns with snacks to eat during the day. I made sure to have enough for at least two days’ supply, consisting of droëwors, energy bars, nuts.

In the evening I ate at a restaurant in the town where I was sleeping.

Safety & Tracking

I installed the Life360 app and created a group for the ride to share my location with family and friends. It worked remarkably well.

Tips and Lessons Learned

General safety: On a trip like this you are alone a lot, literally in the middle of nowhere with the closest town or house many many kilometres away. Even so, I never felt unsafe. I would easily do this trip alone again. The only time I felt unsafe and vulnerable was passing through Genadendal on day 1 where I had two odd encounters with pedestrians on the road. One guy pulled out a sharpened screwdriver and pointed it at me, and a few hundred meters later a group of five youths tried to block me in the road. I sprinted away each time. I’m not suggesting Genadendal should be avoided, just pointing out my experience.

Road safety: Over the 560 travelled I had three close encounters, each time it was a car coming from behind who passed very close. I can’t see how this risk can be mitigated further, just try to ride as far to the side as possible. One a few occasions I pulled completely off the road when I knew a car or truck was approaching from behind (you can hear them coming).

Kit: Had no issues with my kit. Having only two 750ml water bottles turned out to be my biggest mistake. I ran out of water twice, so would strongly recommend that you carry an extra bottle or even better, take a Camelbak. I would also strongly consider a LifeStraw in case you are really in the dwang.

That’s it. Happy riding.

Great ride there Stephan, was great to follow you on Strava for the route. Well done indeed!

For my own interest, why start in Franshoek and not from home? Or was it just ease of a start venue that the Mrs could see you off from?