Blog written by Cwenga and Yonela
Morning in Wepener kicked off like a bad rom-com: we crashed at Lord Fraser’s Lodge/Guesthouse after a night of rain that sounded like the sky was auditioning for a drum solo. Woke up to a misty, cloudy gloom that had us all channelling our inner zombies. The clouds then parted like a bad magic trick, revealing a stunner of a sunny day.
Bellies rumbling, we dove into a breakfast spread courtesy of Lord Fraser’s epic staff—think fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, and coffee strong enough to wake the dead. Then Oom Willem Swanepoel, gave a token of appreciation to Tony, shouting out how they’ve backed this ride since inception. – A pure heart warmer. But leave it to Oom Willem to crank (or is it squeeze Chanelle?) the laughs as he drops savage jokes about Grey College vs. Queens College rivalries, him and Tony roasting each other like overcooked boerewors.
Just as we’re hyped to roll out, Chanelle’s tyre throws a tantrum with a puncture right outside the gate. Low of the day #1: We’re not even out of Wepener, and the Specialized’s already ghosting us.
Hitting the road, the Dirty Chains kit leads the pack, and oh boy, the faces! Worried and traumatized —especially poor Yanga, looking like he’d seen a ghost in neon spandex.
Not to be outdone, Buhle goes full sabotage mode AGAIN, grinding his gears like he’s auditioning to break that derailleur again.
We pull over at the gorgeous Egmont Dam for a breather, and Tony gave us the backstory on the “Give It Horns” trophy—how it was “discovered” in some legendary mishap that’ll live in ride lore forever. He touches on the dam’s beauty and overall scenic views too, tying it to the pure magic of the 1965 Ride for Education initiative.
But wait—Chanelle’s tire strikes back with puncture #2 at the dam.
Post Egmont Dam, the rollercoaster of fate threw us a mixed bag. Tailwinds turned us into speed demons—high flying like falcons and cheetahs over the eastern Free State plains, Zastron’s dusty horizons calling like a siren’s song. But oh, the lows: mid-ride hunger hit like a brick wall, turning tough climbs into a grueling slog where every pedal stroke felt like wrestling a stubborn mule.
Just as we got to the first big climb after the Egmont Dam, the Battery ladies swiftly overtook us as we were pushing up the 1,2km climb – as Morris so willingly shared the stats.
The sun and the never-ending climbs baked us like forgotten vetkoek, testing our group glue. The camaraderie, however, shone brighter than Sgidi’s “bling” bike (as Tony facetiously refers to it), turning sweat and moans into shared war stories as we warmed down. We rolled into Zastron triumphant, bikes caked in dust, souls buzzing from the 1965 spirit reborn. Proof life’s peloton is tougher (and funnier) together.
Dinner at mountain view was a traditional South African braai with a very interesting and delicious mphokoqo-like pap. The braai was a team effort led by braai masters Siliziwe, Manelisi and Eric. Dessert was a very thoughtful 1965Ride personalized vanilla cake which was enjoyed by all, with many going for seconds.
As short as the ride was today, so did everyone proceed to their rooms after dinner to gather some energy for Day 7… or did they? Only the road ahead will tell.
