A long day

January 23, 2021

Near Storms River to Jeffreys Bay

This morning Leigh was still pretty tired from the previous days' rides. I had cooked her a big linguini arabiatta last night but I suspect her glycogen levels were still down. So we started off slowly in calm, beautiful weather this morning knowing that it would be a long day. The forecast was for a south-westerly wind to pick up as the day wore on so we could rely on that to help us.

We could have chosen to to ride the R102, the old main road, instead of sticking to the N2. Our host had suggested that it was best avoided due to it lacking a shoulder and the driving habit of the locals and farmers who use it. So we stuck to the N2 for the first fifty five kilometers. Large sections of the N2 were under maintenance and traffic restricted to the use of a single lane by stop-go controls. This meant we had the use of most of the road to ourselves for much of the way.

Windfarms are a feature of this area, for a good reason.

The last of the stop-go controls, at start of climb out of the Krom River.

Then we decided to cut over to the R102 for the last thirty five kilometers. It might not have been the best decision. It was rough, narrow and the drivers drove too fast for the conditions. It was also a constant roller coaster and we were soon cursing the hills.

By the time we got to Humansdorp Leigh was feeling pretty knackered. I think that she is avoiding any sugary due to her dodgy tooth is also a factor. Humansdorp has always been a rather ugly agricultural town. It seems to have got more grubby and down at heel since we were last here. A search for a place to stop for a rest and a bit of lunch yielded nothing better than the Wimpey at a petrol station. So we stupidly tried our luck at the Wimpey.

Slightly shattered, in the Wimpey in Humansdorp.

After the worst toasted sandwich I can recall eating for years we were pleased to find the wind had arrived and was blowing strongly in our favour. The last sixteen kilometers to Jeffreys Bay didn't take much effort. That is, until we missed the turn to our digs and had to struggle back up the hill and into the wind. This was tempered by the fact that our accommodation was upgraded when we arrived at our digs for the night. So we have a really nice apartment for the night and will hopefully have a good night's rest before the last leg to Port Elizabeth tomorrow.

Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles)
Total: 2,249 km (1,397 miles)

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