Veloce Posted May 18, 2009 Share So this weekend was the GABRAN (Great Annual Bicycle Ride Across Natal) and what an event it was!! I did it on a tandem with another hubber as he had torn 2 collarbone ligaments and could not ride a bike on his ace. What a blast!! We could only do the 2 day event starting at Wagendrift dam to Midmar (90km) and then from Midmar to Hillcrest (90km) as leave was a bit of an issue for us. The official start of the 3 day event is at Little Switzerland, down Oliviershoek pass and on to Wagendift dam (120km). The whole point of this ride is to have fun and see how many beer stops you can make, especially on day 2 with quite a few pubs being on the Midlands Meander route. The best stop had to have been at the Bierfassel, we all descended upon this unsuspecting little pub and made a whole lot of noise. Every time a group of cyclists rode by (whether they were part of the GABRAN or not) the entire place erupted in a synchronised "HEEEEEEEEYYYY" ordering them to pull over and join in!! WHAT FUN it was!! And then there was the food! Every meal was prepared for you, so you just pitch and eat ala Sani2C. The quality of the meals was second to none, I am truly impressed at what the little "kitchen" team was able to achieve under difficult circumstances in order to feed a horde of hungry cyclists. The vibe on this ride was out of this world, everyone was so chilled and were joking along the way. We bumped into Adele Tait from Ride Magazine and true to her reputation she is such a friendly person!! This was 2 days (next year all 3) of cycling bliss, Thank you Dave Geoghegan for organising a successful GABRAN 2009!! Veloce2009-05-18 11:44:39 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaLoCo Posted May 18, 2009 Share Ah bugger, I had an invite from a wealthy friend, all inclusive.......idiot me, idiot me!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_mark Posted May 18, 2009 Share Veloce, thanks again for being pilot. I'm just glad to be on a bike again. Could not have done it without you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewbell Posted May 18, 2009 Share Lucky bastards. Glad that you had fun. Hey Rich, how is the arm doing? is three weeks still to short a space of time?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooterza Posted May 18, 2009 Share Yes - awesome ride and the weather played nice too! The min temp this year was about 10 degrees vs 5 or 6 in years gone by! I was just thinking of a modification to the route I might suggest to Dave - start at Clarens and day 1 would be Clarens to Spioenkop Dam. I think this distance would be manageable and would give you a ride through Golden Gate! How awesome would that be! The ISSUE would then be day 2 - already 120km. To get from Spioenkop Dam to Little Switzerland is about 20km so that would mean day 2 would be 140km. That is quite some hectic distance on a pretty rough route. But on the other hand, the extra 20k's are mostly downhill so maybe not a MAJOR issue. Then day 3 is Wagendrift to Midmar. That way you avoid riding through Pietermaritzburt which I think is pretty k&k. It is a pity that it would cut out the section through valley of a thousand hills but still, you add other lovely parts to the ride. Also safer with fewer cars as I found that as we got closer to DBN, the higher number of cars, trucks etc resulted in more "close shaves". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veloce Posted May 18, 2009 Share Yo rich mark, anytime bud. That tandem was a blast!! Scooterza - I agree with you about the traffic getting a bit heavy as you approach Durban however it won't be easy trying to get your idea past 20 odd years of tradition. Riding through Golden Gate, now that would be fantastic!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madala Posted May 19, 2009 Share Hi Dave did organise an event through Golden Gate a few years back. Might have been called the Golden Gate Getaway - can't remember all the details but think it started in Bethlehem and went through Fouriesburg and Clarens to the overnight in Golden Gate. Then on to another overnight at Rugged Glen campsite near Royal Natal at the bottom of Oliviershoek Pass. Then on to Winterton. Think it finished there. Great event but very cold when I did it. If you want another great ride try the "Grape Escape" just before the Argus. Wine farm to wine farm with some good wine tasting along the way. Think this is being run every second year now. See www.funafrica.co.za Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbie Posted May 19, 2009 Share Veloce' date=' thanks again for being pilot. I'm just glad to be on a bike again. Could not have done it without you.[/quote'] Geez, after your last cycling experience with Veloce, I am most impressed at your bravery of riding on a tandem with him...shew!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veloce Posted May 19, 2009 Share Veloce' date=' thanks again for being pilot. I'm just glad to be on a bike again. Could not have done it without you.[/quote'] Geez, after your last cycling experience with Veloce, I am most impressed at your bravery of riding on a tandem with him...shew!! Ahum, collarbone fracturing and TREE HUGGING are actions performed due to the offenders own free will to ride and have nothing to do with being accompanied by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbie Posted May 19, 2009 Share Veloce' date=' thanks again for being pilot. I'm just glad to be on a bike again. Could not have done it without you.[/quote'] Geez, after your last cycling experience with Veloce, I am most impressed at your bravery of riding on a tandem with him...shew!! Ahum, collarbone fracturing and TREE HUGGING are actions performed due to the offenders own free will to ride and have nothing to do with being accompanied by me. just peculiar that seconds before these incidents happen, you suddenly shout out something thus distracting us.... the karkloof classic is a perfect example - though the revenge was sweet...how is your knee??.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_mark Posted May 20, 2009 Share It would be nice to blame someone, but alas, it was all me. I've been saying for a while now, the next time I fall, I'm going to do it good and proper. Tandem riding is a blast. You just have to trust the oke on the front, and as I could not hold the bars for too long, guess who was stoker. < name="Generator" ="Microsoft Word 12">< name="Originator" ="Microsoft Word 12"><>Veloce as a first timer on a tandem, and as pilot, did afantastic job. There was always a small risk of falling, in which case it would have been, do not pass go, do not collect 200 rand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbie Posted May 20, 2009 Share It would be nice to blame someone' date=' but alas, it was all me. I've been saying for a while now, the next time I fall, I'm going to do it good and proper.Tandem riding is a blast. You just have to trust the oke on the front, and as I could not hold the bars for too long, guess who was stoker. < name="Generator" ="Microsoft Word 12">< name="Originator" ="Microsoft Word 12"><> Veloce as a first timer on a tandem, and as pilot, did a fantastic job. There was always a small risk of falling, in which case it would have been, do not pass go, do not collect 200 rand...[/quote'] ok ok rich-mark if you say so.. (i'll hang on to my theory though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyTre Posted August 11, 2009 Share For those of you who do the GABRAN - just to let you know, Dave Geoghegan passed away this last week-end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooterza Posted August 11, 2009 Share Hey guys! How did this happen? Dave seemed in good health! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyTre Posted August 11, 2009 Share He had a heart attack while out riding. By the time he got to a hospital the damage was done. He died a few days later at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_mark Posted August 11, 2009 Share Met Dave at GABRAN, sad to hear he has passed. My condolences to the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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