Blog written by Tarryn Evenwel & David Jackson:
The pink and purple hues filled the skies with the fluffiest clouds scattered above Aliwal North; Setting the tone for an epic day and the Penhoek pass being the biggest challenge ahead of us.
The Umtali staff came in early to make us breakfast and packed lunches. Sustenance that we would need for fuel for the hard ride ahead. Breakfast was hearty with the eggs done just right for Chanelle and David – harder than hard, I am sure I heard Chanelle say “they must bounce!”
The daily blog antics with Zipho and Mricoh definitely boosted morale before we all came to terms with the fact that we need to get on the road. It was an early start but there was still loads to do, including checking bikes, packing the van and the traditional photo shoot before we leave. The ‘model shoot’, men only, stance, pose, forwards, backwards….Morris had us all performing to ensure the Konecranes branding was on point.
Eventually, we had wheels rolling, but alas another false start, something we are becoming accustomed to – due to Yonela’s gears not behaving…Sigqibo, always super keen to get on the move, already whipped that bike onto the trailer, Yonela wasn’t having any of that, he got Willie Bosch is on a support call, fixed, tested and got it working – and we were off in no time at all.
Trekkie moto – “But never fear with a Trek” Words of wisdom from Tony the Wise – Water must have been causing electrical issues!
The first 13km out if Aliwal North was a solid slog, apparently a toughie on the road to Komani. Another puncture – this time a Trek – Sorry, I meant to say another Trek – and the reprobates aka Tarryn, David and Yanga, feeling the upcoming pressure of Penhoek Pass – saw an opportunity to get ahead of the pack and headed slowly up the first 13km hill in single file, not safest but “Jinne” it gave us some breathing space.
Tapping into the ethos of 1965Ride, as we travelled through the impoverished town of James Town, we handed out the extra food – Umtali definitely weren’t skint in prepping the lunches). With wheels rolling and the guys wanting to lighten the mood, music was a given, well that wasn’t executed the best as poor Buhle ended up loosing balance, falling, David went over him with a hop, skip and jump. Only his pride, and the cycling shorts that Buhle is planning to frame after the tour, sustained damage. Don’t shed any tears Buhle, I gives them extra character.
But that wasn’t the only incident – Tarryn being pushed by Sili’s “Hand of God” and Newtons law of gravity, accidentally tapped Morris’ wheel. Luckily it was at the start of the hill and no sustained injuries.
The next leg was like the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week. Jackets on, Jackets off, with the imminent weather darkening the skies above. And when did Jen and Chanelle remove the plastic shoes inners??
The kilometers that followed were scattered with an array of “wildlife” and “wild dancing” with Mricoh spotting a wild boar through the beautiful poplars, although nobody else saw them so we are completely going on Eric’s word.
As the miles went on, Carmen and Anelisisa finally caught up to us with ice cold drinks and an injection of energy. With renewed energy and a boost of sugar, Penhoek was staring down on us like a titan in the arena. Peddle by peddle we pushed up the pass, climbing up to over 1844 meters (according to Ta’More, our in house statistician).
We paused for a quick candid photo shoot and the Queenstown Old Boys alerted us to the skies opening up – And they were right!!! We had worked hard to reach the summit and after a quick check of our axels and brakes, we were given permission to proceed “at our own risk”. Wheels set rolling, we were off to see if any further records could be broken as we headed down the pass to Hazelmere.
Sir Bongs showed us who was boss, not even the seasoned Uncle Tony could get dips on that. Grateful to say no injuries were sustained even though Lord Dunga was on standby.
Regrouping at the bottom of the pass, with the most euphoric vibes, we headed off to Hazelmere. Group size meant we had a slight geographic split, but what is a little distance between an epic crew.
We closed out the evening recognising the most phenomenal individuals from support to riders just showing up, and every essence of what 1965Ride stands for.
Tony, was seen for what he has achieved through his legacy of sweat and kilometers, he has taught us how the hardest climbs make the best stories. Thank you Tony for being an anchor!
