Malibu
Bachelor Dog
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
- Messages
- 11,161
- Reaction score
- 44
- Bike
- NER-A-CAR
Got this letter from Skinny, written by one of the girls... I think it's a fantastic story... she's not on a dual, but I think her spirit fits here...
Sooo, here's the deal... I ride my Kawasaki 250GPX to Cape Town in one day & then I can negotiate with Kawasaki for a new ZX6 2009 at a reduced price.
Sounds like a plan, actually sounds like a wonderful plan.
Here's some background on how the idea started...
When I learnt to ride my bike & boy was it ever entertaining between the music in my head (...or was that voices?) & the falling over repeatedly, the learning curve was slow & rather embarrassing.
So, one day I decide I need a bigger bike as there has to be more to biking than falling over repeatedly lol! Plus I needed some inspiration to get me over the fall-over stage & well, there is truly nothing like the idea of a brand new bike to cure that particular malaise! Say to ZX Max, I think I should seriously consider buying a bigger bike, he says you can have a bigger bike when you can ride to Cape Town in one day on your bike.
I think about it, wonder & ponder upon the concept & decide - you're on! This I can do, the fact that I have only ever gotten to Cape Town by aeroplane is a completely irrelevant fact. All I know is that Cape Town sits on the south-west corner of the African continent! So I reckon I should eventually get there ...or land up in the sea, but either which way I will get there!
So, in November 2008, I say to ZX, uncle you're on, we can ride to CT in one day in January 2009. He says - no way! He thinks we should rather have a race on 250's to see if I can beat him & then buy a bigger bike. I'm still considering this...
Get home, have a chat to my friend Staffie, tell him the story & laugh about the idea of racing ZX on a 250. Staffie he says, if he can arrange it with Kawasaki will I do it? I say, hell oh yeah! A few hours later Staffie calls back - you're on, & the planning begins... First the date is decided & the decision is made for the 22nd January 2009, 59 days in total to plan, prepare & ride!
So, the countdown begins!
Trumpet decides, as mad an idea as this is, he will ensure I at least get some training. Be advised I have already attended two different riding schools' training sessions, so he hooks me up with Runningbear from Bumpercars & off Runningbear & I go for some training with the uncle standing watching. Cool thanks, learnt a lot.
My favourite uncle, Stranger, also gives a helping hand, as I was pretty lousy at cornering; ask Diablo, he can attest to the fact that well... I needed help! Urgently!!! So, Stranger teaches me to corner, gives me a serious talk on what to wear, change of diet is called for as I did not eat red meat & needed to get used to eating dry wors & biltong. Must say it was not such an ordeal either... Learn to drink energy drinks that well must be good for you as they sure as hell do not taste that good.
Oh, I forgot to mention when I said yes I had only ridden 1200km in my entire life. Longest trip ever was to Potch & back!!!
Now I need to get riding fit, so my bike & I became one. We went to Potch twice, Toti once, Bloem once & then did a minimum of 500km per week. So, by the time I left to ride on the 22nd January 2009, I had travelled 7200km & had the grand total of 8400km on the clock.
Made sure that my bike was serviced about two weeks before the trip. Went back to the motorbike shop to enquired if there was anything I needed to do. Because I am quite small, there was no change in setup required... I make no impact at all on the bike!
ThnAir & I have a discussion & he kindly offers to drive all the way to CT & back with me as support vehicle - what a star!
ThnAir's driver Harry comes & collects my suitcase on the Wednesday, Pimpmysta does the new livery for my bike the morning of the Wednesday & now there is no going back...
The evening arrives & sleep departs to a very far, far away place as I cannot get sleep. So no sleep, last time any sleep was part of my life was on the Tuesday... adrenaline is a wonderful thing; as is excitement & fear!!!
Arrange with KMSA that I will be at their offices at 1am on the 22nd January. Riaan Fourie & his wife are there waiting for me, when Ruari & I arrive. Next is Smotter to arrive, then Skinny & Jimis, & then ThnAir. It is raining cats & dogs, but me brave, me can do this, also too excited not to, well either too excited or too stupid not to, jury still out on this one...
Photo's taken all round, bright orange rain suit pants fit if I do not have leathers on. With leathers on, well let's just say the pants were a bit small. Got into pants with Jimis lifting me up by the broeks (...but that is another story).
Skinny & Jimis give me a Guardian Bell as a gift & Jimis, Skinny's technical gent, attaches her (...the bell – NOT Skinny) to my bike. Do think she works coz' I arrived safely at my destination!
And then the trip starts!!!
Get ready to leave, depart at 2h30am & it is raining. Did I mention that it was raining?!? ThnAir got me to the freeway from KMSA's offices & then I was in front. Was hugely relieved that I had taken the time to ride to Bloem as knew the road was rather nice, up to the toll road just before Bloem & then there would be road works...
ThnAir & I had agreed that as we approached a toll gate, he would go ahead & pay for both of us so that I did not have to do "…the lets strip in the rain to find money scenario…".
So, travelled between about 100km & 140km/hour in the dark & in the rain to Bloem. Not too bad & the road passed quickly. Not many road users on road, so it was as if I had the road to myself which helped as concentrating on the road in the dark & the wet would have been more difficult if there had been other road users to contend with as well. Bike was excellent - no hiccups at all, smooth as a boney could be, wonderful!
My bike gets approximately 300km to every 11 to 13 litres of petrol. It has an 18 litre tank. Petrol consumption is determined by two factors I found whilst preparing for the trip. 1. The speed I was doing & 2. The time of day I was travelling. So, we stopped at a One Stop for the first fuel intake which was 300km from JHB. The total fuel required was 13 litres. At the same time I changed my wet socks for dry socks, as leather is not waterproof if there is water ingress at the nape of your neck. It was as if the rain had somehow known there was a area of weakness & it pooled (...no pun) its resources & flowed down my spine into my gloves, boots & cycling shorts. When I left home it was raining, so I took two extra pairs of gloves with me. When we left KMSA I had given ThnAir my Richa riding gloves & inners & had worn my ski gloves. Jip know, it is the wrong type of glove, but had no intention of falling & they were dry & thick. He put my gloves on the heater vents of his car, so when we stopped for fuel I was able to give him my very, very wet pair of ski gloves & he gave me back my inners & riding gloves all nice & dry. ThnAir's wife had packed in a flask of coffee & it was very welcome because where we were they had not opened yet by the time we made the first fuel stop, rain was still coming down.
Carried on to Bloem, went through Bloem & stopped for fuel when the bike had done about 250km on the second tank of fuel. Bike still going evenly, no problems what-so-ever. Ride comfortably but clothes were wet & bum started getting sore... more from the wet cycling shorts than the seat, as I had learnt to sit at an angle with my bum slightly raised off the seat & my legs more on the tank, which gave the leverage for my rear.
We then stopped at Springfontein for fuel & the wind was blowing, even the locals were complaining about the force of the blowing wind. I should have considered that a warning, but hell no not me! I can do wind... yeah right! I believed that I could deal with wind as the little board with the picture of a wind sock & the word WIND stated that there would be wind for 4 km's. I have to say, it lied - as there was wind for a very long part of the journey...
By this time the truck drivers were getting used to seeing me as we would pass each other on the road as we all appeared to be going to CT & it made life much easier as when they saw me, they would pull over into the yellow line to let me pass, I thought that was rather nice of them.
We then stopped outside Colesburg to have something to eat & drink as Springfontein only sold petrol. I got out of my bright orange rain suit. Underneath the rain suit I had been wearing a neon green tutu, with permission from my maatjie Skinny & so after the necessary photo's been taken we hit the road to get to CT.
All the way there were lots of sms's; phone calls about our progress & ThnAir giving updates to JHB & CT.
ThnAir said that my green tutu from the back looked like fairy wings, but I also think it made people aware of the fact that I was on the road as I had not worn a yellow bib at all.
The worst incidents of road users been total pratts was a bus that considered it a given that we get up close & personal; & a fool who out of sheer impatience needed to overtake a line of cars & trucks & assumed that as there was a gap in front of ThnAir's car - well that it was just that - a gap. Imagine his shock when what he found was a chick with green fairy wings on a motorbike, fool! And two trucks coming from CT deciding that they would overtake slower moving trucks on a section of road that only had one lane per direction, on a rise in the face of oncoming traffic. Suppose they thought they were Goliath & other road users would be smaller than them, more fools!
The route became more difficult from Colesburg for the following two reasons; the wind that blew incessantly but I am also so stupid, somehow it never entered my head that I would encounter wind... I rode in the rain, in thunderstorms, in hail, in the heat of the day, early in the morning, late at night - all in preparation of the trip. I read up about riding in the rain, what to wear in the heat to keep cool, but never not once even considered wind, no hope!
The other reason was road works, as there were four or five mandatory stop-and-go points. The big problem was that they were in the Karoo so there was no shade to sit in, so it became a rather hot affair in my leathers!
We were also stopped at a road block & my bike license was checked & I was reprimanded because my learners was wet. When I told the very unfriendly traffic officer type person that the reason it was wet was because it was raining in JHB & that I had left JHB at 2h30am that morning, he looked at me with a look of utter disdain & handled the piece of paper as if it was about to explode in his face. Poor man, wrong vocation for him if a wet document causes him so much distress!
So after our metro interlude we continued, until Beauford West, bike still going well by now I was beginning to get tired & I eventually understood people's comments about the Karoo.
When we first entered the Karoo I could not believe how beautiful it was. It is very different to the Natal Midlands, Western Cape & Eastern Transvaal, but it had a beauty all of its own. The further into the Karoo we went the more purple the mountains became & I could understand why the South African painter Pierneef loved the Karoo so much. As I passed the mountains they became brown & eventually I worked out that it was the foliage of a bush that grows in the Karoo that gave the mountains their beautiful colour.
But the Karoo is huge & the road was like ribbons of black liquorice except that there was no end to them & it became very tiring, arguing with the wind to try & stay upright AND on one side (...the correct side) of the road! Whilst dealing with getting hot & wishing to view something more, or at a different angle.
Eventually we arrived in Beauford West at about 14h00, filled up the bike & car with fuel & as I had not eaten since the previous day at lunch time, the decision was made that we would have lunch & here the training to eat red meat came in handy as our lunch consisted of coffee, steak & salad. Must say, I felt much better after food. Plus I was able to get out of some of the clothes I was wearing & carried on the rest of the journey wearing a cycling shirt (...Stranger's recommendation & it did do the trick) & my leather jacket. I also had some more of the energy drinks Stranger recommended. By this time I was tired & had started to relax, spoke to Skinny & gave her an update & asked her to do the necessary. Stranger called to find out how things were progressing & he & I had a short chat & then he & ThnAir conversed whilst I went in search of water.
At this point, if it had not been for ThnAir, I think I would still be sitting in Beauford West. He saw when I started to get too comfortable & told me to get back on the bike & let's get to Matjiesfontein. ThnAir drove ahead to lead us out of the town as the way to CT is through the town, not by bypassing the town. Bike still going very well - no problems what-so-ever, no overheating or anything.
On route, ThnAir overtook me as we had agreed if there was a deviation in the route he would ride ahead & I would follow him. Staffie had called to say we had to get petrol in Lydenburg – I think that was where as there was no fuel station in Matjiesfontein & the calculations were that my bike would not make it to Worcester from Beauford West without a quick slap & dash.
So we stopped in Lydenburg, did the necessary & off to Matjiesfontein.
What an experience, it was as if time had stood still... peace & civilisation as we know it, still had to introduce itself to Matjiesfontein, it is very cute & very quaint. By now I was begging the universe for a far more padded rear & damn was the universe so not listening. As my rear was hugely sore & I was tired & thirsty. So instead of having another energy drink, I had a cider... with hind sight not my brightest idea to date, but well we live & learn.
From there it was an absolutely magical experience; Bulldog, Staffie & ChucklesCT rode around me & ensured I stayed between them, with ThnAir following in his car. We left for Worcester where we were to meet up with Clock. The sun was setting & the countryside was beautiful, very different from the Karoo, but equally magnificent.
I had tried to wear sunglasses with my helmet & clear visor & managed to break three pairs of sunglasses over the period of about 50 days. Donovan from Full Throttle in Edenvale recommended that I rather buy a visor that was clear at the bottom & tinted at the top so it is like a 50/50 split. Mine is clear & blue tint on top. It removed a lot of the glare from the setting sun which helped but I think shades would have been better, as they would have removed all the glare, or perhaps a darker tint on the top would have worked as well.
We met up with Clock & Grysie, Clock was so happy to see us, it was truly magnificent to watch someone be happy for you - thank you. By now it was beginning to get dark & I was really beginning to get tired. There was still 44 km's to go & then I would be at my destination. My bike was still going strong, absolutely no problems with her at all. She was a very good girl. Skinny's gift was still safely attached as well.
The decision was that we would travel between 120 & 140km the rest of the road, except that fatigue began to set in & I started to ride slower & slower. Darkness had also descended & here my visor was absolutely brilliant... there was no problem looking through the tinted part into the night. It was clear & it removed some of the glare from the cars' lights. The final stretch of road had lots of twists & turns in it & I could not see the road clearly as the road is not lit by streetlights. Staffie noticed that I was battling & he rode in front of me with his hazards on so that I could follow him & see the road. I nearly hit the barrier twice; the first time, I left a few skid marks on my cycling shorts & was wide awake – well until the next time, by this time Chuckles & Grysie were on either side of me. I think that also gave me some assurance that I was not going over the edge.
Clock & Staffie swopped places with Clock in front of me to literally light up my path & Staffie behind me to make sure I would continue in a straight forward direction.
I remember thinking, good heavens! This is the longest 44km's of my life!!! At the last km mark Staffie came up to me & said 1 km to go, I could have kissed him!
The problem with the last part of the journey was that fatigue had set in, it was as if my bike's handlebar was cut into two... Somehow, in my brain I was unable to connect to the fact that it was one solid piece of metal. I could not remember how to pull the brake lever as I could not get my fingers over the throttle. Thankfully with Staffie behind me lighting up the way when I looked down my brain was able to put the two components together again & I was able to use the brakes.
The other thing was that it felt as if the left handle bar was a metre lower than the right handle bar & I could not for the life of me finds the gear selector. I could just not recall where on earth it was... But the brain is a cool piece of machinery, as I decided that if I kept my left foot parallel to my right foot I would find the gear selector & go figure... there it was & the problem was resolved. The guys in Cape Town were wonderful. They lined up across the road at the very last intersection a metre apart so that I could get through the intersection as I think the general consensus was that if I stopped I would not go on any further. It was nice of them!
And then I was at my destination... Renegades Kawasaki in Parow & it was wonderful!
What I learnt was – it was fun & it is amazing how strong the human spirit can be. How a little bit of determination can take you so very, very far & the rest of the journey you are carried by the people who wish you well & who believe in you against all the odds.
Would I do it again, oh yes, at the drop of a hat, as it's truly a privilege to be given such an opportunity & as for my bike... when I arrived at Renegades people wanted to buy her. The GPX is such an awesome 250, she gave me so much pleasure, entertained me no end with my stupidity & I am proud to own her.
Spirit
Sooo, here's the deal... I ride my Kawasaki 250GPX to Cape Town in one day & then I can negotiate with Kawasaki for a new ZX6 2009 at a reduced price.
Sounds like a plan, actually sounds like a wonderful plan.
Here's some background on how the idea started...
When I learnt to ride my bike & boy was it ever entertaining between the music in my head (...or was that voices?) & the falling over repeatedly, the learning curve was slow & rather embarrassing.
So, one day I decide I need a bigger bike as there has to be more to biking than falling over repeatedly lol! Plus I needed some inspiration to get me over the fall-over stage & well, there is truly nothing like the idea of a brand new bike to cure that particular malaise! Say to ZX Max, I think I should seriously consider buying a bigger bike, he says you can have a bigger bike when you can ride to Cape Town in one day on your bike.
I think about it, wonder & ponder upon the concept & decide - you're on! This I can do, the fact that I have only ever gotten to Cape Town by aeroplane is a completely irrelevant fact. All I know is that Cape Town sits on the south-west corner of the African continent! So I reckon I should eventually get there ...or land up in the sea, but either which way I will get there!
So, in November 2008, I say to ZX, uncle you're on, we can ride to CT in one day in January 2009. He says - no way! He thinks we should rather have a race on 250's to see if I can beat him & then buy a bigger bike. I'm still considering this...
Get home, have a chat to my friend Staffie, tell him the story & laugh about the idea of racing ZX on a 250. Staffie he says, if he can arrange it with Kawasaki will I do it? I say, hell oh yeah! A few hours later Staffie calls back - you're on, & the planning begins... First the date is decided & the decision is made for the 22nd January 2009, 59 days in total to plan, prepare & ride!
So, the countdown begins!
Trumpet decides, as mad an idea as this is, he will ensure I at least get some training. Be advised I have already attended two different riding schools' training sessions, so he hooks me up with Runningbear from Bumpercars & off Runningbear & I go for some training with the uncle standing watching. Cool thanks, learnt a lot.
My favourite uncle, Stranger, also gives a helping hand, as I was pretty lousy at cornering; ask Diablo, he can attest to the fact that well... I needed help! Urgently!!! So, Stranger teaches me to corner, gives me a serious talk on what to wear, change of diet is called for as I did not eat red meat & needed to get used to eating dry wors & biltong. Must say it was not such an ordeal either... Learn to drink energy drinks that well must be good for you as they sure as hell do not taste that good.
Oh, I forgot to mention when I said yes I had only ridden 1200km in my entire life. Longest trip ever was to Potch & back!!!
Now I need to get riding fit, so my bike & I became one. We went to Potch twice, Toti once, Bloem once & then did a minimum of 500km per week. So, by the time I left to ride on the 22nd January 2009, I had travelled 7200km & had the grand total of 8400km on the clock.
Made sure that my bike was serviced about two weeks before the trip. Went back to the motorbike shop to enquired if there was anything I needed to do. Because I am quite small, there was no change in setup required... I make no impact at all on the bike!
ThnAir & I have a discussion & he kindly offers to drive all the way to CT & back with me as support vehicle - what a star!
ThnAir's driver Harry comes & collects my suitcase on the Wednesday, Pimpmysta does the new livery for my bike the morning of the Wednesday & now there is no going back...
The evening arrives & sleep departs to a very far, far away place as I cannot get sleep. So no sleep, last time any sleep was part of my life was on the Tuesday... adrenaline is a wonderful thing; as is excitement & fear!!!
Arrange with KMSA that I will be at their offices at 1am on the 22nd January. Riaan Fourie & his wife are there waiting for me, when Ruari & I arrive. Next is Smotter to arrive, then Skinny & Jimis, & then ThnAir. It is raining cats & dogs, but me brave, me can do this, also too excited not to, well either too excited or too stupid not to, jury still out on this one...
Photo's taken all round, bright orange rain suit pants fit if I do not have leathers on. With leathers on, well let's just say the pants were a bit small. Got into pants with Jimis lifting me up by the broeks (...but that is another story).
Skinny & Jimis give me a Guardian Bell as a gift & Jimis, Skinny's technical gent, attaches her (...the bell – NOT Skinny) to my bike. Do think she works coz' I arrived safely at my destination!
And then the trip starts!!!
Get ready to leave, depart at 2h30am & it is raining. Did I mention that it was raining?!? ThnAir got me to the freeway from KMSA's offices & then I was in front. Was hugely relieved that I had taken the time to ride to Bloem as knew the road was rather nice, up to the toll road just before Bloem & then there would be road works...
ThnAir & I had agreed that as we approached a toll gate, he would go ahead & pay for both of us so that I did not have to do "…the lets strip in the rain to find money scenario…".
So, travelled between about 100km & 140km/hour in the dark & in the rain to Bloem. Not too bad & the road passed quickly. Not many road users on road, so it was as if I had the road to myself which helped as concentrating on the road in the dark & the wet would have been more difficult if there had been other road users to contend with as well. Bike was excellent - no hiccups at all, smooth as a boney could be, wonderful!
My bike gets approximately 300km to every 11 to 13 litres of petrol. It has an 18 litre tank. Petrol consumption is determined by two factors I found whilst preparing for the trip. 1. The speed I was doing & 2. The time of day I was travelling. So, we stopped at a One Stop for the first fuel intake which was 300km from JHB. The total fuel required was 13 litres. At the same time I changed my wet socks for dry socks, as leather is not waterproof if there is water ingress at the nape of your neck. It was as if the rain had somehow known there was a area of weakness & it pooled (...no pun) its resources & flowed down my spine into my gloves, boots & cycling shorts. When I left home it was raining, so I took two extra pairs of gloves with me. When we left KMSA I had given ThnAir my Richa riding gloves & inners & had worn my ski gloves. Jip know, it is the wrong type of glove, but had no intention of falling & they were dry & thick. He put my gloves on the heater vents of his car, so when we stopped for fuel I was able to give him my very, very wet pair of ski gloves & he gave me back my inners & riding gloves all nice & dry. ThnAir's wife had packed in a flask of coffee & it was very welcome because where we were they had not opened yet by the time we made the first fuel stop, rain was still coming down.
Carried on to Bloem, went through Bloem & stopped for fuel when the bike had done about 250km on the second tank of fuel. Bike still going evenly, no problems what-so-ever. Ride comfortably but clothes were wet & bum started getting sore... more from the wet cycling shorts than the seat, as I had learnt to sit at an angle with my bum slightly raised off the seat & my legs more on the tank, which gave the leverage for my rear.
We then stopped at Springfontein for fuel & the wind was blowing, even the locals were complaining about the force of the blowing wind. I should have considered that a warning, but hell no not me! I can do wind... yeah right! I believed that I could deal with wind as the little board with the picture of a wind sock & the word WIND stated that there would be wind for 4 km's. I have to say, it lied - as there was wind for a very long part of the journey...
By this time the truck drivers were getting used to seeing me as we would pass each other on the road as we all appeared to be going to CT & it made life much easier as when they saw me, they would pull over into the yellow line to let me pass, I thought that was rather nice of them.
We then stopped outside Colesburg to have something to eat & drink as Springfontein only sold petrol. I got out of my bright orange rain suit. Underneath the rain suit I had been wearing a neon green tutu, with permission from my maatjie Skinny & so after the necessary photo's been taken we hit the road to get to CT.
All the way there were lots of sms's; phone calls about our progress & ThnAir giving updates to JHB & CT.
ThnAir said that my green tutu from the back looked like fairy wings, but I also think it made people aware of the fact that I was on the road as I had not worn a yellow bib at all.
The worst incidents of road users been total pratts was a bus that considered it a given that we get up close & personal; & a fool who out of sheer impatience needed to overtake a line of cars & trucks & assumed that as there was a gap in front of ThnAir's car - well that it was just that - a gap. Imagine his shock when what he found was a chick with green fairy wings on a motorbike, fool! And two trucks coming from CT deciding that they would overtake slower moving trucks on a section of road that only had one lane per direction, on a rise in the face of oncoming traffic. Suppose they thought they were Goliath & other road users would be smaller than them, more fools!
The route became more difficult from Colesburg for the following two reasons; the wind that blew incessantly but I am also so stupid, somehow it never entered my head that I would encounter wind... I rode in the rain, in thunderstorms, in hail, in the heat of the day, early in the morning, late at night - all in preparation of the trip. I read up about riding in the rain, what to wear in the heat to keep cool, but never not once even considered wind, no hope!
The other reason was road works, as there were four or five mandatory stop-and-go points. The big problem was that they were in the Karoo so there was no shade to sit in, so it became a rather hot affair in my leathers!
We were also stopped at a road block & my bike license was checked & I was reprimanded because my learners was wet. When I told the very unfriendly traffic officer type person that the reason it was wet was because it was raining in JHB & that I had left JHB at 2h30am that morning, he looked at me with a look of utter disdain & handled the piece of paper as if it was about to explode in his face. Poor man, wrong vocation for him if a wet document causes him so much distress!
So after our metro interlude we continued, until Beauford West, bike still going well by now I was beginning to get tired & I eventually understood people's comments about the Karoo.
When we first entered the Karoo I could not believe how beautiful it was. It is very different to the Natal Midlands, Western Cape & Eastern Transvaal, but it had a beauty all of its own. The further into the Karoo we went the more purple the mountains became & I could understand why the South African painter Pierneef loved the Karoo so much. As I passed the mountains they became brown & eventually I worked out that it was the foliage of a bush that grows in the Karoo that gave the mountains their beautiful colour.
But the Karoo is huge & the road was like ribbons of black liquorice except that there was no end to them & it became very tiring, arguing with the wind to try & stay upright AND on one side (...the correct side) of the road! Whilst dealing with getting hot & wishing to view something more, or at a different angle.
Eventually we arrived in Beauford West at about 14h00, filled up the bike & car with fuel & as I had not eaten since the previous day at lunch time, the decision was made that we would have lunch & here the training to eat red meat came in handy as our lunch consisted of coffee, steak & salad. Must say, I felt much better after food. Plus I was able to get out of some of the clothes I was wearing & carried on the rest of the journey wearing a cycling shirt (...Stranger's recommendation & it did do the trick) & my leather jacket. I also had some more of the energy drinks Stranger recommended. By this time I was tired & had started to relax, spoke to Skinny & gave her an update & asked her to do the necessary. Stranger called to find out how things were progressing & he & I had a short chat & then he & ThnAir conversed whilst I went in search of water.
At this point, if it had not been for ThnAir, I think I would still be sitting in Beauford West. He saw when I started to get too comfortable & told me to get back on the bike & let's get to Matjiesfontein. ThnAir drove ahead to lead us out of the town as the way to CT is through the town, not by bypassing the town. Bike still going very well - no problems what-so-ever, no overheating or anything.
On route, ThnAir overtook me as we had agreed if there was a deviation in the route he would ride ahead & I would follow him. Staffie had called to say we had to get petrol in Lydenburg – I think that was where as there was no fuel station in Matjiesfontein & the calculations were that my bike would not make it to Worcester from Beauford West without a quick slap & dash.
So we stopped in Lydenburg, did the necessary & off to Matjiesfontein.
What an experience, it was as if time had stood still... peace & civilisation as we know it, still had to introduce itself to Matjiesfontein, it is very cute & very quaint. By now I was begging the universe for a far more padded rear & damn was the universe so not listening. As my rear was hugely sore & I was tired & thirsty. So instead of having another energy drink, I had a cider... with hind sight not my brightest idea to date, but well we live & learn.
From there it was an absolutely magical experience; Bulldog, Staffie & ChucklesCT rode around me & ensured I stayed between them, with ThnAir following in his car. We left for Worcester where we were to meet up with Clock. The sun was setting & the countryside was beautiful, very different from the Karoo, but equally magnificent.
I had tried to wear sunglasses with my helmet & clear visor & managed to break three pairs of sunglasses over the period of about 50 days. Donovan from Full Throttle in Edenvale recommended that I rather buy a visor that was clear at the bottom & tinted at the top so it is like a 50/50 split. Mine is clear & blue tint on top. It removed a lot of the glare from the setting sun which helped but I think shades would have been better, as they would have removed all the glare, or perhaps a darker tint on the top would have worked as well.
We met up with Clock & Grysie, Clock was so happy to see us, it was truly magnificent to watch someone be happy for you - thank you. By now it was beginning to get dark & I was really beginning to get tired. There was still 44 km's to go & then I would be at my destination. My bike was still going strong, absolutely no problems with her at all. She was a very good girl. Skinny's gift was still safely attached as well.
The decision was that we would travel between 120 & 140km the rest of the road, except that fatigue began to set in & I started to ride slower & slower. Darkness had also descended & here my visor was absolutely brilliant... there was no problem looking through the tinted part into the night. It was clear & it removed some of the glare from the cars' lights. The final stretch of road had lots of twists & turns in it & I could not see the road clearly as the road is not lit by streetlights. Staffie noticed that I was battling & he rode in front of me with his hazards on so that I could follow him & see the road. I nearly hit the barrier twice; the first time, I left a few skid marks on my cycling shorts & was wide awake – well until the next time, by this time Chuckles & Grysie were on either side of me. I think that also gave me some assurance that I was not going over the edge.
Clock & Staffie swopped places with Clock in front of me to literally light up my path & Staffie behind me to make sure I would continue in a straight forward direction.
I remember thinking, good heavens! This is the longest 44km's of my life!!! At the last km mark Staffie came up to me & said 1 km to go, I could have kissed him!
The problem with the last part of the journey was that fatigue had set in, it was as if my bike's handlebar was cut into two... Somehow, in my brain I was unable to connect to the fact that it was one solid piece of metal. I could not remember how to pull the brake lever as I could not get my fingers over the throttle. Thankfully with Staffie behind me lighting up the way when I looked down my brain was able to put the two components together again & I was able to use the brakes.
The other thing was that it felt as if the left handle bar was a metre lower than the right handle bar & I could not for the life of me finds the gear selector. I could just not recall where on earth it was... But the brain is a cool piece of machinery, as I decided that if I kept my left foot parallel to my right foot I would find the gear selector & go figure... there it was & the problem was resolved. The guys in Cape Town were wonderful. They lined up across the road at the very last intersection a metre apart so that I could get through the intersection as I think the general consensus was that if I stopped I would not go on any further. It was nice of them!
And then I was at my destination... Renegades Kawasaki in Parow & it was wonderful!
What I learnt was – it was fun & it is amazing how strong the human spirit can be. How a little bit of determination can take you so very, very far & the rest of the journey you are carried by the people who wish you well & who believe in you against all the odds.
Would I do it again, oh yes, at the drop of a hat, as it's truly a privilege to be given such an opportunity & as for my bike... when I arrived at Renegades people wanted to buy her. The GPX is such an awesome 250, she gave me so much pleasure, entertained me no end with my stupidity & I am proud to own her.
Spirit
