So I had a work thing on at a place called Doornkop close to Machadodorp, this was from Tuesday to Friday. I managed to convince my boss to let me go on the bike. My plans was to head out from Doornkop on Friday and make my way to Kawasefi in Vryheid, then have a short ride out on Saturday around Vryheid, and then head back to Gauteng early Sunday morning.
I made my way from the office in Kempton Park to Doornkop in the WORST side-wind I have ever felt on a bike, it was a blerrie nightmare! BUT a bad day on the bike still beats a good day in the office, so I was chuffed to be riding my bike whilst on the clock!
Well work is work, and I could not wait to get this over and done with so that I can ride my bike!! So finally Friday came and I hit the road at about 10am heading for Carolina on some lekker dirt and then onto Chrissiesmeer. After Chrissiermeer I took some more dirt through all the hundreds of little dams and lakes in the area, there are plenty of them!
Dirt outside Chrissiesmeer
I then went onto the small town of Amsterdam, looking for some more dirt. Man there is some awesome roads in this area!
Just outside Amsterdam
Then I went on this “white” road. Man it was bright, I was not wearing sunglasses and this road was hurting my eyes from the glare. The road was also extremely “busy” with the bike snaking quite a bit and the rear wheel struggling for traction all the time. I thought I must have a flat rear wheel so I stopped to check it out. Nope rear wheel’s cool, but I found the cause of all the snaking! With all the glare you cannot really see the surface all that well, turns out it was filled with small pebbles and loose stones, almost like fine river-sand..................eish.........
After Amsterdam, I saw a sign through a plantation road that read “Morgenstond Dam” So I went to have a look at it. Such a clean place I was amazed and how clean this place was – awesome!
This is what the dam wall looks like
Then some more plantation roads towards the Heyshope Dam near Piet Retief
This is Heyshope Dam in the background
Then onto Dirkiesdorp – what a kak little dorp this is, the only thing it is good for is that it leads to the awesome road between Dirkiesdorp and Wakkerstroom. Now, if you have ever done the road between Clarens and Fouriesburg past Surrender Hill, this road between Dirkiesdorp and Wakkerstroom is that road, but on steroids. It is flippen awesome!!!!
I finally arrived in Wakkerstroom for some lunch, Cheeseburger and Chips with Captain and Coke!
With a full tummy I took the dirt road from Wakkerstroom to Paulpietersburg. This is such a lekker ride, stunning with a good road surface, but please be warned, you go very nice and fast on this road, and if your “high-speed-braking-for-a-corner-technique” is not up to scratch you will come short on this road. There are plenty blind rises, with a sharp turn on the other side! So please beware!!!
Some pics of the Wakkerstroom – Paulpietersburg road
I then arrived in Vryheid and settled in for a good old kuier with my mate, Kawasefi. Later that night we decide to sommer ride to the coast on Saturday for a kuier in Sodwana – a Captain and Coke decision very late in a dodgy bar!
I will post the rest tomorrow.......
I made my way from the office in Kempton Park to Doornkop in the WORST side-wind I have ever felt on a bike, it was a blerrie nightmare! BUT a bad day on the bike still beats a good day in the office, so I was chuffed to be riding my bike whilst on the clock!
Well work is work, and I could not wait to get this over and done with so that I can ride my bike!! So finally Friday came and I hit the road at about 10am heading for Carolina on some lekker dirt and then onto Chrissiesmeer. After Chrissiermeer I took some more dirt through all the hundreds of little dams and lakes in the area, there are plenty of them!
Dirt outside Chrissiesmeer
I then went onto the small town of Amsterdam, looking for some more dirt. Man there is some awesome roads in this area!
Just outside Amsterdam
Then I went on this “white” road. Man it was bright, I was not wearing sunglasses and this road was hurting my eyes from the glare. The road was also extremely “busy” with the bike snaking quite a bit and the rear wheel struggling for traction all the time. I thought I must have a flat rear wheel so I stopped to check it out. Nope rear wheel’s cool, but I found the cause of all the snaking! With all the glare you cannot really see the surface all that well, turns out it was filled with small pebbles and loose stones, almost like fine river-sand..................eish.........
After Amsterdam, I saw a sign through a plantation road that read “Morgenstond Dam” So I went to have a look at it. Such a clean place I was amazed and how clean this place was – awesome!
This is what the dam wall looks like
Then some more plantation roads towards the Heyshope Dam near Piet Retief
This is Heyshope Dam in the background
Then onto Dirkiesdorp – what a kak little dorp this is, the only thing it is good for is that it leads to the awesome road between Dirkiesdorp and Wakkerstroom. Now, if you have ever done the road between Clarens and Fouriesburg past Surrender Hill, this road between Dirkiesdorp and Wakkerstroom is that road, but on steroids. It is flippen awesome!!!!
I finally arrived in Wakkerstroom for some lunch, Cheeseburger and Chips with Captain and Coke!
With a full tummy I took the dirt road from Wakkerstroom to Paulpietersburg. This is such a lekker ride, stunning with a good road surface, but please be warned, you go very nice and fast on this road, and if your “high-speed-braking-for-a-corner-technique” is not up to scratch you will come short on this road. There are plenty blind rises, with a sharp turn on the other side! So please beware!!!
Some pics of the Wakkerstroom – Paulpietersburg road
I then arrived in Vryheid and settled in for a good old kuier with my mate, Kawasefi. Later that night we decide to sommer ride to the coast on Saturday for a kuier in Sodwana – a Captain and Coke decision very late in a dodgy bar!
I will post the rest tomorrow.......
