Daytrippers

Day 3 Friday, June 17, 2011
The day started out pretty grim with early morning cold winds howling into our faces as we left Ntsikeni’s May Lodge and then my gear cable started playing up so we spent some time replacing that which put us behind schedule somewhat. Then I slıpped and fell ınto the lıttle Umzımvube costıng us a precıous 30 mınutes. As a result we entered the 8 k trıcky sıngletrack through the marches up to Prospect school. Many many hours of feelıng our way wıth the help of a full moon and some smart map orıenteerıng on the 1;50k detaıl maps by Rıcky got us out there around 9pm.

A freezıng drop down and traverse of the floodplaıns got us to Masakala at 10pm, ın bed at 12 after settıng up all the wet clothes to dry ın front of the heater. Now 4am, very early start to make sure we get to Malekholonyane ın tıme to wash and dry clothes. More marches today. Cheers

Day 4

Heaven

Today made all the paın worthwhıle. After yesterday’s hell on earth and 4 hours sleep, thıngs could only ımprove – and they dıd ın buckets.

-4deg start before sunrıse meant we were wearıng all 5 layers of clothıng we had. Glorıous dawn colours wıth the snowy malutıs as a backdrop, wheels crunchıng through ıced peuddles. The awful wınd dıued down overnıght and by lunch we were dow to shorts & e layers, stıll chılly but no wınd makes a bıg dıff.

And then the rıdıng. Thıs ıs what mountaın bıKıng ıs all about – endless sıngle track swoopıng down, swept smooth by years of anımal traffıc.

And to crown ıt all – a “short” rıde, only 65ks, 10 hours, arrıvıng at Malekholonyane, the most beautıful place one can ımagıne wıth the sun shınıng. Beautıful local people welcomıng you wıth vetkoek, honey and peanut butter – no better recovery fOod on earth. Clothes and bıkes gettıng washed whıle we sıt on the lawn wıth cold beers starıng at snow-capped peaks.

Sun settıng now, warm shower, food, whole nıghts sleep ahead – ıt doesnt get better.

I got back from my trip across the country just in time to see Ricky and mom,Di, off on their 2300km race from Pietermaritzburg to Wellington in the winelands.
Day 1
It is always nervewracking leading up to a huge undertaking like this and it is a mixture of relief and panic that whirls around your head for the beginning of the first day on the road.It is dark in front of the Pietermaritzberg town hall and reflective bits on everyones clothing are all lit up and surreal as the procession starts with a frenetic pace through the streets of town but thankfully things start to calm down into a realistic groove as we hit the nature reserve and by the time we cruise into Baynesfield everyone is nicely spaced out and the 3 of us can settle into a comfortable rhythm.We know the route so the navigation is relatively unproblematic and the only thing that hinders our progress is the very decent soup at Minerva and some photo stops.It is never easy.Long long day, backs achıng, hungry, tıred, elated. Dreadıng tomorrow, a beeg day.

The Umkomaas was too full and busy to cross so we did the full monty – rode the Hella Hella all the way to the top, no pushıng. Maybe that ıs why our backs are all achıng.

Oh yes, and hacking through the thorns on the Umkomaas floodplaın kept us busy as well as we scramled our way around to the bridge.

Well nothıng a beer a hot meal and a good nıghts sleep cant cure. Plus a bıg bad moon rısıng and an eclıpse to cheer us.
Day2

What a balmy day.24c with a tail wind and lots of cover in the forests.Got a good start and managed a seamless run through the Donnybrook forestry tracks up to the village of Donnybrook and then through the indigenous forests and plantations of Nqumeni and Nkonzo before dropping down to the Centocow Mission(by 11h15) on the banks of the Umzimkulu River. Ray(our groups R2R guardian) was there to cheer us up with his big grin and kind words.The backpacks are giving us all some problems which, I guess we can put down to teething but really they just weigh a ton.This is what makes this race a real challenge – carrying all your gear. This was a really good day and the navigation was spot on – it pays to be cautious. What a relief to get in before dark.

We have been going for 38days now having started at Beit Bridge as planned and headed through Venda across to Mpumalanga,down to Kaapse Hoop,then to KZN and the battlefields before climbing into Lesotho using ponies to scale a mountain before mtbing down a river to Khatse Dam.Here we were unceremoniously chased out by rains that flooded out Semongkong and made traversing unchartered cattle paths impossible.We baled and resolved to fill in this gap when the snow and cold is replaced by sunshine.Bussing around we picked up the trail at the Tele Bridge border post and sloshed our way through wet New England and Wartrail into the Eastern Cape high plateaux before dropping down to Hofmeyer and then across to Nieu-Bethesda and now we are in Graaff-Reinet.The trail is taking shape nicely and is not always straight forward plotting and riding.Today we rode 30km extra at the 50km mark only to find the road shown on the map to be no longer there and had to re-route back and around to get to Graaff-Reinet.This is where the VW sponsored Amarok double cab is invaluable-otherwise we would still be out there!
David and I have plotted about 2400km and still have 2 weeks to go and a few challenging bits to figure out.It has always been fun and having had the company of a few friends for certain sections,it has helped to keep us fresh.Check out our FB on DaytrippersSA,Spineofthedragon and Davids daily blogs on www.spineofthegragon.co.za

Our vision for a national mountain bike touring route is taking shape nicely and riding is superb.The people we have met along the way are fabulous and supportive and the resultant collaboration will ensure endless touring opportunities for all mountain bikers.
ciao for now
Steve

I was very kindly offered the chance to get involved in this project by David B and it took me about 3 seconds to accept.The opportunity to create,plot,logistify(my own word!) and then DO such a ride is totally irresistable.We start in Beit Bridge, the northernest town, on the border of the country and follow roughly the mountainous spine of the country , via the Battlefields,through Lesotho and down to Cape Point.
About 3800km’s or so of continuous off road cycling.Cool neh?
I will keep you posted and hopefully find enough energy to tell my side of the story.David will be blogging and twittering as well so you will be able to follow our progress.
I hope to come home inspired with new ideas and routes for future tours that you can join Daytrippers on.
I will post more details soonest.
Ciao for now
Steve

This year was a tough Epic but hey, they all are, that’s the point. It is what makes it so appealing, not so much the course in and of itself but the intense pressure of making that cut off……every day …..for a week! Any little thing like a stomach bug, a loose rock , a slip in the shower ,a saddle sore, a broken free-wheel hub,6 punctures etc etc and it’s all undone.From Kevin Evans in the front with untimely fading brakes resulting in a disasterous fall to Kyle with a broken wheel at the very back of the field and suddenly everything changes.This is what makes it tough. I love being on the course watching the dramas unfold and feel uplifted by the way we deal with the ‘stuff’ that is hurled in our direction. It is survival instinct and steely will that see it through to the end. Then there were Kevin and Brigitte beating the cut off by a slim margin each day but never for a moment did I doubt that they would finish.I met them on out training camp in Dec when Brigitte was a complete novice mtber. She fell her way down the ‘nagmaal’ climb/descent but never once showed anything but a smile and positive attitude – and I am convinced that it was pure positivity that got her the finishers medal. The Epic crew are a great bunch and it is just brilliant working with such a dedicated enthusiastic team ,who clearly do it for the love of the event as even the Epic couldn’t afford to pay them what they are really worth. Nothing is too much to ask and it is all done with supreme professionalism.Respect.
Every year I get some ‘graduates’, who start off as trippers and then go on to do the full event the next year and then I get some riders who come back to enjoy it as a Tripper.I get a kick out of this and of course cheering the riders on with my coffee pot (Bialetti).I cannot wait for next year and the pot is still in one piece.
There was a time that I doubted the ethos of the Epic but I still love this event and long may it last and perhaps ,maby, just once more -let us have another Knysna to Cape Town.
Instead of working—- I might just decide to ride it!

My Bialetti has worked hard this year producing a fine daily brew to get me going each day.The course is set  – starting with a Prologue in Tokai forest which should be interesting.This last week has seen a slew of epic riders practicing on the course and it looks really trashed.Berms are ground down, drop offs undercut and new rocks and roots exposed not to mention the sandy bits which are now real sand traps.All in all it should be a great start to this years race. I will bang my Bialetti from the first day to the last and I wish all the competitors and workers a fantastic mountain biking feast.

It has been a crazy wild start to the year.
I got back now after a month with 4 different groups ,1 a mountain bike Epic training camp on some extraordinary trails and some very competent riders who had our crew stretched to the max. The climbs are narrow rough and technical and the descents just as bad(eh good). It is an honour to work that closely with the Epic route organizers as it stretches the boundaries of what is possible and every year opens up new routes and trails for mountain biking community.The local farmers ,thank heavens ,have some avid and talented riders among them and they are always hospitable and willing to share their secret trails (and land)with us. All us city folk have to do is ask nicely and respect the land and livestock………and close the gates. Thanks guys.
The other 3 were PE to Cape Town road bike tours with some very experienced roadies who did about 140 -160km per day over some huge mountains and steep passes. The weather was for the most part agreeable except for one or two windy days and some mist atop the mountain passes. I have been doing these groups for the past 10 years and they are virtually family – such a good bunch are they.
There are some pics here on the blog from last years activity which included the Team Daytrippers represented by the first ever mother and son team,Di and Ricky ,our world cup experiences, Steve and Di on the inaugural Joberg2C ….and a whole lot more new pics on http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevedaytripper/

Dattrippers had a jawl this last week on the Cape Epic.We cheered on the riders and did a whole lot of riding on the route as well.In fact Zoe (Barti Bucher’s missus) rode pretty much the whole thing again for the second year running.Di did the same as the first Amabubesi Epic rider to do the luxury ‘easy’ option. Never assume that the Trippers can’t ride.
The 2 day in one location really suited some of the Trippers who decided on one occasion to stay at home and go for a leisurely walk or a spa treatment.
Unfortunately I had a mechanical on day 5 and had to improvise by banging the lid of my coffee pot with the other hand and although it was not perfect it got me home.Hopefully it helped get a few of the riders home as well. Congratulations to all the finishers and to the organisers for giving us a top class event to be proud of.
Thank you to the Brazilian “Pink Ladies” for a breath of fresh air.I hope the EPIC organizers decide to sponsor their return next year as they are an asset to the event.