Minxy
Race Dog
It's Wednesday the 30th of April, Thursday the 1st of May is a holiday. Mmmm, lets take Friday off and go somewhere last minute with the bikes? Hell yes!!! :ricky:
Accommodation being the least of our worries, we pack our bags and get everything ready.
We pick an interesting route consisting of some dirt roads going through Cullinan where we'll have breakfast and then shoot through to ride Lood se Pad. After that we'll head on through to Nylstroom taking on some dirt highways all the way to Vaalwater. After Vaalwater the real fun starts as we do the Dorset and of course the Witkop roads going to Lephalale.
Thursday morning we wake up bright and early, kit up and pack our bikes. Excitement really starts to kick in as we leave the front gate.
On the way we meet our friend Franna (Anorexia) who wants to do a section of the trip with us. We hit our first bit of dirt going out towards Cullinan. Some nice relaxing little twisty dirt roads.
HSK posing infront of the Wimpy where we have breakfast.
After munching down some omlettes minus the toast (trying out this Tim Noakes diet)... We head in the direction of Lood se Pad going past some interesting landmarks on the way.
Myself and Franna at the abondoned house next to the road.
Me and HSK
I put the camera on as we got to Lood se Pad. Put a nice video together with some of the more interesting footage. This piece of road is simply stunning, it's got a bit of everything to offer. Rocks, sand and water crossings. Even a lil hill climb. Lots of fun! The one sandy corner I went through too fast though, not so fun though haha! I have my first fall for the trip, laugh it off and get going again. Little did I know this would only be the first time the Minx cat rolls in the sand...
Video of Lood se Pad, with crash footage included. The video is best viewed fullscreen on good quality though. I forgot to turn the camera's lens the other way so the angle is a bit weird.
[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/yU96CQ0iZD4[/flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU96CQ0iZD4
Upon completion of Lood se Pad, we take some random dirt roads heading past a couple of townships in the Marble Hall area I believe. Eventually we reach a bridge over the N1 Highway. We say our goodbye's to Franna and he heads on home. We continue straight to Nylstroom. Still a lot of riding left for the day!
Stopping quickly for biltong in Nylstroom.
From Nylstroom to Vaalwater we took a nice scenic dirt road running mostly next to the R33. Some beautiful farmland in this area.
Arriving in Vaalwater we stop for lunch at the Big 5 Restaurant.
We are ravenous at this stage and decide it won't hurt if we cheat on the diet just this once *cough*. We get ourselves some yummy cheese burgers mmm...
Sweaty, tired and hungry!
After lunch we head down the new road towards Lephalale. All the recent flood damage has really taken it's toll on these roads. We take the Dorset turnoff and see a "road closed" sign. We decide to try it anyway, can always turn around if it gets too bad. The road is pretty damaged, but easily manageable with the bikes. Lots of pipes lying around, plenty construction going on. Lots of sand near the end.
Anyway, we get back onto the main road, and a short while later we reach the Witkop road heading off to the left. Now this is where things got very exciting. It started off looking like a normal dirt road. Not bad at all, but then all the ruts, rocks and sand came in. There was still water flowing down from the heavy rains from earlier in the season, and there was a bit of mud here and there as well. I fall again, in a sandy / muddy patch. Bike just slides out under me. Guess I didn't go through there with enough speed, dunno. All is fine and HSK helps me pick up the bike and we get going again. Here the steep rocky downhills start. Big step ups and big rocks. I'm so happy the SE has such amazing ground clearance or I'm sure I would have knocked the bash plate for sure. Challenging as it may be the road was stunningly beautiful as well, it really takes you through the heart of the mountains in the bushveld. Right near the end of the worst sand section, HSK stops as he nearly goes over a pipe dangerously sticking out of the sand. I come to a stop, and try pulling away in first gear through the thick sand. Bad idea... And I plonk down again! Getting really good at rolling around in the sand here.
And so we leave the mountains and ride into the sunset next to the Mogol River on some very sandy roads right into Lephalale.
I took some nice video footage of the Witkop with my drift cam. More crash footage!
Again, it's best viewed fullscreen.
[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/6vxaUh4QqO0[/flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vxaUh4QqO0
In Lephalale we visit my father and do the usual family get together braai. Relax and kuier. We only do one little dirt road going round the back of the town while we are staying there just for fun.
We decide it's best we head back on Saturday so we have time on Sunday to do the usual after trip things, such as unpacking and washing the bikes. We greet the family, pack up and get ready to set off for an eventful road back via Steenbokpan, Diamant, Thabazimbi, Rankins and then down some dirt roads towards Warmbaths.
All set for an adventure!
HSK all smiles and ready to go.
We head off towards Steenbokpan and find that most of the dirt roads there have been tarred! Poo! We take a random right turn and end up next to the coal mines railway tracks and find a service road heading in the right direction near Medupi. Goodie! This is a lot of fun, nice lil twee spoor that looks like it never sees use. Plenty of thorn trees hanging over the road to dodge, lots of twists and turns and a few sand traps along the way. Thank the Pope we never got any punctures...
We stop to admire the view next to an old bridge leading to nowhere. There's a fenced off overgrown road on the other side. Maybe these roads saw more use during better times.
We see a stray young Kudu bull running down the road trying to jump over the fence. We stop and open, close gates.
Eventually we pop out on another tar road and meet an interesting farm lady riding around on her quad bike. She warns us against the bad condition the road up ahead is in. The roads haven't been graded in ages and one ends up knee deep in some serious sand. There's no time to warm up and we hit thick sand immediately after setting off. I try to keep the speed at a constant 80km or so, but I lose focus and the wheel pops out of the sand track and goes over the middle. When in doubt throttle out right? I try save it, but alas go down again. Eish I'm getting tired of rolling in the sand. At least it made for a soft landing even at that speed. I get up and feel I'm a bit sore. It's ok, will just have to man up right? My right hand had an operation recently, and of course I go and fall on that one. It starts swelling like crazy and I take two Myprodols which I had stashed in my backpack. The painkillers help quite a lot, but at this stage I am starting to feel a bit depressed about all the sand. We still have over 50km of stupidly thick sand to go.
This is where I got to a literal cross road physically and emotionally regarding my bike and my riding. If we turn right, we head back down to Steenbokpan where I can rest and go home to Pretoria on tar. If we turn left and go towards Thabazimbi, there will be much more sand and difficult roads.
I put my gloves back on over my aching hand and tell HSK, "lets turn left". I can do this. I knew that if I chickened out, I would never want to brave riding sand again.
And so we set off. I pinch the bike between my legs and keep to a constant 100km/ph. It was going well and after about 15km HSK flagged me down to ask me if I'm alright. I didn't want to stop, I nearly cried in my helmet when he stopped me. I told him I need to do this, I need to finish this now or never. We set off again and didn't stop untill we got to the tar road heading towards Thabazimbi. I can honestly not even remember the scenery on that road, the focus was all about picking the perfect line every time. I think this was one of the most challenging roads I have ever done.
After this hectic section I thought things would get easier. I was wrong. The Diamant road was merciless regarding sand as well. We had some people in a 4x4 drive past and look at us like we crazy for being on that road. I gain more and more confidence and ride through the sand just fine. We don't stop for pictures and try to get through all the sand as quickly as we can.
Eventually we reach some easier dirt roads and I decide I've had enough I need to stop for a breather. We sit next to the road under a tree and have a little picnic.
We ride some awesome dirt roads on the way to Thabazimbi. They are much more relaxing and most importantly less sandy.
Kransberg and a random little shop / bottle store in the middle of nowhere? Sweet lets have a beer.
As we sitting in the shade resting a bit, this interesting guy with his farm bike pitches up to buy bread. He says he fixed up this bike so he can ride to the shop to help his mum. He's very proud of it! Covered it in duct tape so his oversized jacket doesn't scratch the tank. Shame I look at this guy and can't help but feel sorry, but also happy for him at the same time. He shares the same passion for biking just as we do after all.
Off we go again till we reach our lunch stop at Koekepan! We have another beer and chow some yummy food. This place is a real gem. It's an awesome little bar / restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
And now for the last stretch. We head down route D772 towards Swartboom and then go all along the D1660 next to the Pienaars River towards Warmbaths. Lovely roads going through some of the townships, nothing too technical but still tons of fun.
We eventually get home. Tired after a long days ride. Shjoe what a trip!
Here's a few of my bruises and scratches from rolling around in the sand
Can't wait to go back and do those roads again, this time with a newly gained confidence
Bonus video footage of Dorset road:
[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/7AxkNhUuFio[/flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AxkNhUuFio
Accommodation being the least of our worries, we pack our bags and get everything ready.
We pick an interesting route consisting of some dirt roads going through Cullinan where we'll have breakfast and then shoot through to ride Lood se Pad. After that we'll head on through to Nylstroom taking on some dirt highways all the way to Vaalwater. After Vaalwater the real fun starts as we do the Dorset and of course the Witkop roads going to Lephalale.
Thursday morning we wake up bright and early, kit up and pack our bikes. Excitement really starts to kick in as we leave the front gate.
On the way we meet our friend Franna (Anorexia) who wants to do a section of the trip with us. We hit our first bit of dirt going out towards Cullinan. Some nice relaxing little twisty dirt roads.
HSK posing infront of the Wimpy where we have breakfast.
After munching down some omlettes minus the toast (trying out this Tim Noakes diet)... We head in the direction of Lood se Pad going past some interesting landmarks on the way.
Myself and Franna at the abondoned house next to the road.
Me and HSK
I put the camera on as we got to Lood se Pad. Put a nice video together with some of the more interesting footage. This piece of road is simply stunning, it's got a bit of everything to offer. Rocks, sand and water crossings. Even a lil hill climb. Lots of fun! The one sandy corner I went through too fast though, not so fun though haha! I have my first fall for the trip, laugh it off and get going again. Little did I know this would only be the first time the Minx cat rolls in the sand...
Video of Lood se Pad, with crash footage included. The video is best viewed fullscreen on good quality though. I forgot to turn the camera's lens the other way so the angle is a bit weird.
[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/yU96CQ0iZD4[/flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU96CQ0iZD4
Upon completion of Lood se Pad, we take some random dirt roads heading past a couple of townships in the Marble Hall area I believe. Eventually we reach a bridge over the N1 Highway. We say our goodbye's to Franna and he heads on home. We continue straight to Nylstroom. Still a lot of riding left for the day!
Stopping quickly for biltong in Nylstroom.
From Nylstroom to Vaalwater we took a nice scenic dirt road running mostly next to the R33. Some beautiful farmland in this area.
Arriving in Vaalwater we stop for lunch at the Big 5 Restaurant.
We are ravenous at this stage and decide it won't hurt if we cheat on the diet just this once *cough*. We get ourselves some yummy cheese burgers mmm...
Sweaty, tired and hungry!
After lunch we head down the new road towards Lephalale. All the recent flood damage has really taken it's toll on these roads. We take the Dorset turnoff and see a "road closed" sign. We decide to try it anyway, can always turn around if it gets too bad. The road is pretty damaged, but easily manageable with the bikes. Lots of pipes lying around, plenty construction going on. Lots of sand near the end.
Anyway, we get back onto the main road, and a short while later we reach the Witkop road heading off to the left. Now this is where things got very exciting. It started off looking like a normal dirt road. Not bad at all, but then all the ruts, rocks and sand came in. There was still water flowing down from the heavy rains from earlier in the season, and there was a bit of mud here and there as well. I fall again, in a sandy / muddy patch. Bike just slides out under me. Guess I didn't go through there with enough speed, dunno. All is fine and HSK helps me pick up the bike and we get going again. Here the steep rocky downhills start. Big step ups and big rocks. I'm so happy the SE has such amazing ground clearance or I'm sure I would have knocked the bash plate for sure. Challenging as it may be the road was stunningly beautiful as well, it really takes you through the heart of the mountains in the bushveld. Right near the end of the worst sand section, HSK stops as he nearly goes over a pipe dangerously sticking out of the sand. I come to a stop, and try pulling away in first gear through the thick sand. Bad idea... And I plonk down again! Getting really good at rolling around in the sand here.
And so we leave the mountains and ride into the sunset next to the Mogol River on some very sandy roads right into Lephalale.
I took some nice video footage of the Witkop with my drift cam. More crash footage!
Again, it's best viewed fullscreen.
[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/6vxaUh4QqO0[/flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vxaUh4QqO0
In Lephalale we visit my father and do the usual family get together braai. Relax and kuier. We only do one little dirt road going round the back of the town while we are staying there just for fun.
We decide it's best we head back on Saturday so we have time on Sunday to do the usual after trip things, such as unpacking and washing the bikes. We greet the family, pack up and get ready to set off for an eventful road back via Steenbokpan, Diamant, Thabazimbi, Rankins and then down some dirt roads towards Warmbaths.
All set for an adventure!
HSK all smiles and ready to go.
We head off towards Steenbokpan and find that most of the dirt roads there have been tarred! Poo! We take a random right turn and end up next to the coal mines railway tracks and find a service road heading in the right direction near Medupi. Goodie! This is a lot of fun, nice lil twee spoor that looks like it never sees use. Plenty of thorn trees hanging over the road to dodge, lots of twists and turns and a few sand traps along the way. Thank the Pope we never got any punctures...
We stop to admire the view next to an old bridge leading to nowhere. There's a fenced off overgrown road on the other side. Maybe these roads saw more use during better times.
We see a stray young Kudu bull running down the road trying to jump over the fence. We stop and open, close gates.
Eventually we pop out on another tar road and meet an interesting farm lady riding around on her quad bike. She warns us against the bad condition the road up ahead is in. The roads haven't been graded in ages and one ends up knee deep in some serious sand. There's no time to warm up and we hit thick sand immediately after setting off. I try to keep the speed at a constant 80km or so, but I lose focus and the wheel pops out of the sand track and goes over the middle. When in doubt throttle out right? I try save it, but alas go down again. Eish I'm getting tired of rolling in the sand. At least it made for a soft landing even at that speed. I get up and feel I'm a bit sore. It's ok, will just have to man up right? My right hand had an operation recently, and of course I go and fall on that one. It starts swelling like crazy and I take two Myprodols which I had stashed in my backpack. The painkillers help quite a lot, but at this stage I am starting to feel a bit depressed about all the sand. We still have over 50km of stupidly thick sand to go.
This is where I got to a literal cross road physically and emotionally regarding my bike and my riding. If we turn right, we head back down to Steenbokpan where I can rest and go home to Pretoria on tar. If we turn left and go towards Thabazimbi, there will be much more sand and difficult roads.
I put my gloves back on over my aching hand and tell HSK, "lets turn left". I can do this. I knew that if I chickened out, I would never want to brave riding sand again.
And so we set off. I pinch the bike between my legs and keep to a constant 100km/ph. It was going well and after about 15km HSK flagged me down to ask me if I'm alright. I didn't want to stop, I nearly cried in my helmet when he stopped me. I told him I need to do this, I need to finish this now or never. We set off again and didn't stop untill we got to the tar road heading towards Thabazimbi. I can honestly not even remember the scenery on that road, the focus was all about picking the perfect line every time. I think this was one of the most challenging roads I have ever done.
After this hectic section I thought things would get easier. I was wrong. The Diamant road was merciless regarding sand as well. We had some people in a 4x4 drive past and look at us like we crazy for being on that road. I gain more and more confidence and ride through the sand just fine. We don't stop for pictures and try to get through all the sand as quickly as we can.
Eventually we reach some easier dirt roads and I decide I've had enough I need to stop for a breather. We sit next to the road under a tree and have a little picnic.
We ride some awesome dirt roads on the way to Thabazimbi. They are much more relaxing and most importantly less sandy.
Kransberg and a random little shop / bottle store in the middle of nowhere? Sweet lets have a beer.
As we sitting in the shade resting a bit, this interesting guy with his farm bike pitches up to buy bread. He says he fixed up this bike so he can ride to the shop to help his mum. He's very proud of it! Covered it in duct tape so his oversized jacket doesn't scratch the tank. Shame I look at this guy and can't help but feel sorry, but also happy for him at the same time. He shares the same passion for biking just as we do after all.
Off we go again till we reach our lunch stop at Koekepan! We have another beer and chow some yummy food. This place is a real gem. It's an awesome little bar / restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
And now for the last stretch. We head down route D772 towards Swartboom and then go all along the D1660 next to the Pienaars River towards Warmbaths. Lovely roads going through some of the townships, nothing too technical but still tons of fun.
We eventually get home. Tired after a long days ride. Shjoe what a trip!
Here's a few of my bruises and scratches from rolling around in the sand
Can't wait to go back and do those roads again, this time with a newly gained confidence
Bonus video footage of Dorset road:
[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/7AxkNhUuFio[/flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AxkNhUuFio
