It is during the early pre-dawn hours on #Day2 that Dudley and I time-line onto the sparse plains of the antediluvian Knersvlakte, or loosely translated, ‘The Plains of Gnashing Teeth’. It is here that the early colonising Trekboers came face to face with the full forces of nature on the Africa nontinent, and frankly, it is not much different for the Kinetic Events Africacompetitors as they slug it out with this monster trek leg during #ExpeditionAfrica.
The landscape is jaw-droppingly vast, and we only manage to locate two teams here amidst the craggy outcrops and eroded valleys. We do however find a Griekwa Oom living in a caravan atop a kopje, and for a short while we time-warp into his world, where he lives within the midst of an utter hush, with only two Siberian cats and a motley crew of canis africanis whippets for companionship. It is ethereally harsh, in a beautifully balanced sort of way.
Next up for Peter Van Kets, Kim van Kets, Misty Weyer and Dylan James Weyer of Team Grit Real Estate Income Group#GRITnyamezela is a massive #mtb climb along a gravel pass, which will allow them to crest onto the imposing inland escarpment. A quick refreshment stop await all the racers at the #Nieuwoudtville church hall, and this is where many of them will probably grab their first shut-eye in 36hrs of non-stop racing.
A 2AM start saw GRIT Nyamezela Adventure Racing Team set off on the remainder of their gargantuan 200km crank, all the way from the extraterrestrial plains of the #knersvlakte to the distant little mission village of #wupperthal, set within the rugged heart of the #Cederberg mountains. It was not an easy ride after a deluge of rain during the night, and PVK likened it to “cranking through a giant bowl of soggy Pronutro”.
The endless gravel dirt strips of the #hantam #karoo proved to be pretty much endless on the bike (and hard on the ass!), but the natural grandeur out there is boundless, too. #GRITnyamezela had their heads down, though, gutsing it out with pass upon pass upon pass, so not that much appreciation of the landscape … There were some emotional ups and downs, too, but their good humour maintained as they rolled into Wupperthal after 13 punishing hours in the saddle.
Pardon my veritable slew of monochrome landscape images, but sometimes it is good to realise how privileged we are to spend time outdoors in this incredible country of ours, and to rediscover regions like the beautiful #NamaquaWestCoast. And then, to the guys who braved that monster #BikeCarryLeg, you are heroes, one and all – I’ll make a DROPBOX available of the images for you to download.
Lastly, kudos to #gritgroup, #extremelights, #giantbikes, #DunloptyresSA, #FrontRunnerZA, #DripDropSA, #RacePace, #SpotAfrica and all the sponsors who’ve made this #ARjourney possible – it is hugely appreciated. And #NamaquaWestCoast – love you long time!
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