Villa Grand our lodging for the night. There is a major water shortage here so we asked to keep our showers to 2 minutes. As for the toilet “if it is yellow let it mellow if it is brown flush it down”.
Back on the bike for our last 3 days of cycling. We started the day with a 100km drive to the edge of a man made lake so we could enjoy the ride through the passes, a short visit in Franschhoek and another winery visit. The ride was 63km with 2700ft of climbing on mostly tarmac, but the best part was the tail wind. The pass was 13km altogether with a 6.5km climb at an average grade of about 5% with a few spots a bit steeper. It was a lovely climb and the descent was even better. There was a short stop in Franschhoek a town that was created by French Huguenots who escaped from France because of religious persecution, they were protestants in a catholic country. As a result many of the shops, B&Bs and wineries have French names. Shortly after Franschhoek we stopped for lunch at the Boschendal winery (dates back to 1688) where Tim and I had a tasting with some cheese and a scone. Our favourite was the champagne so we bought a bottle to enjoy after the ride. After lunch we had a smaller 3.5km climb up the Helshoogte ( Hell’s hill). It was named this not because of the difficulty but because in the days of horse and buggy it was a risky journey because of the leopards other assorted wide creatures that would eat you. Once over the top we went straight into Stellenbosch where we are spending the night in the Grand Villa guest house. Dinner last night was a carnivores delight at a local restaurant.
Today’s ride. The profile is opposite to the route ergo the big climb is Franschhoek Pass.
Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles) Total: 465 km (289 miles)
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Gail JohnsonThis looks like a very lovely and enjoyable day. Love the Bike Africa jersey! Too bad about the water issue as the hotel looks wonderful.
I am going to leave the carnivore dinner to you...ugh!
Lovely views along the way. Reply to this comment 5 years ago
