We set off at 5am. Doug, Colleen and I set off first as we are slower than the others. I gently set my butt down on the saddle and was pleasantly surprised that the strapping tape Doug had put on last night made a difference. It certainly wasn't mending the damage but seemed to be aiding in preventing further damage. What a relief! It was a beautiful sunrise (as most of them have been). I kept my breathing in tact and knew that if I could make it to the end of this day then, barring any hectic events or broken bones, I would be able to make it to the finish.
Colleen, Lindsay, Doug
Craig and Derek
It was good riding - steep ups and downs and lots of single track. My technical skills have definitely improved and I managed the single track much better. There were also a few sleep-pads which I am definitely quite fond of! We did a few scrambles off the cliffs which I just loved. On this day I came to the firm and solid opinion that I am a complete and utter NUTTER!
Derek having a little snooze
My sweetie and I
Black Fountain
Black Fountain is about a 6 - 8km section of brilliant riding on single track on a ridge. We then drop down with quite a hectic scramble and stopped off at Tinana Mission for a break. It was restful and peaceful. Some cheeky goats came to see what was to nibble.
Could have stayed under this tree all day....
We set off for the infamous Vuvu Valley. We had done 36kms so far and had another 30kms or so to go but we were warned that this was going to take a long time - 6 hours or so. I have to say I wasn't too bothered. I was in a good space, the legs were turning over, the breathing was controlled and my head was strong (and of course not to mention that magic tape in my nether regions was working wonders!).
The Vuvu valley has the Tina River running through it and is really quite beautiful. I was very keen on a little swim but sufficed with wetting my feet and legs and splashing my neck and arms. There are quite a few options of tracks to take and there were a few discussions with the navigators as to which ones we were going to be on. Apparently it is quite easy to get lost and get into the wrong valley. There were lots of steep climbs and hoisting of bike on backs. I nearly took a tumble down something steep when my foot slipped on a very narrow piece of rock. As I slipped I squealed and dropped to my knees with my bike on my back. Doug threw his bike down and came rushing over to me to take the bike off my back so I could get myself up and to safety. Oooh that adrenalin. Luckily he didn't break anything on his bike. It was a long trek out of the valley and we made it into Vuvu about 5pm. Vuvu is a small village set in these mountains. We set up a base at the school. There are no shower facilities so the ladies at the school provide a basin and bucket of water and you stand in the basin and pour the water over your body. Doug and Derek ordered some beers from the shabeen and Derek had a fit of giggles coz I asked for a cider! I am not a beer drinker but that glass of beer went down an absolute treat!! Then we all went off in different directions to sleep in people's homes. We slept in this rondawel that was owned by this lovely lady and a delightful old gogo. They took such pride in showing us where the lamp was and how to use it and how to lock the door etc. It was a good night's sleep. I felt sure no matter what would happen on the last day that I had this in the bag.
I was very apprehensive when I got up for this day. The really hard day yesterday was very fresh in my mind and I was nervous of what this new day would bring. We set off in the dark with lots of discussion between our erstwhile navigators as to how to actually get out of Masakala village and how to navigate across a floodplain. This very same floodplain earned Doug the name of Shrek as he (on one of his previous forays in this area) went straight through the floodplain until the freezing water reached his manly bits - then it shocked his thinking brain into going back and trying another route!). There was no water but there were also no paths so it was really bumpy with cattle hoof-prints and short sharp grass. Anyway there were no Shrek incidents and we got onto the road heading west. Once again I was feeling strong but held back a little. I regulated my breathing so that I never got into a panting phase. Then when I did find my breathing got too irregular I would stop and take 4 deep breaths. This was the answer - I stayed at a more steady pace on the bike as well as when I was walking or carrying my bike. All the panicky feelings dissipated. I also suspect the pace slowed down anyway.
Chris photo-bombing us!
We went through a few small villages. They were so neat and orderly. Neatly fenced off properties and neat paths through the villages - I really loved them. We crossed over the Queen Mercy floodplains. This picture really does not do them justice. They were an emerald green nestled in a valley with majestic Drakensberg in the background.
Tea with Ollie outside the Queen's Mercy shop and off again. Just past this stop there were these 2 little girls on the road. They laughed so delightedly and from their bellies at the sight of my little proboscis on my helmet!
This day was heritage day and there were celebrations all around as well as horse-races. We passed lots of riders decked out on their horses travelling to Mpharane Village. We also came across this group of girls - the Ngobu dancers. They were fantastic - and loved the interaction with us. When I asked them a question they all answered in unison! They asked Doug to take a photo put them on Facebook as they wanted to be famous!
The Ngobu Dancers
Then we started to make friends with some beeeeeeeeg hills. It was amazing terrain to be on. We could see for miles around beautiful mountains and shrouded valleys. The ground was a rich red colour and made up of sandstone. We rode along these tracks called "sleep-pads". They are wide tracks that are made by a span of oxen pulling wattle trees behind them. I loved them - no skinny single tracks!
Mpharane Ridge
Doug and Derek on a sleep-pad
The ridge is about 4kms long and the track drops and climbs a few times. Eventually we came to a ridge where we carried and pushed our bikes down. I loved this part of the adventure.
Straw bakkie at Gladstone Farm
We then headed off to the Maria Zell Mission. It is a beautiful old mission which has a catholic school and boarding facilities attached.
From there it was about 5kms to Ongeluksnek - our resting place for the night. It was brilliant to get in early for the day and just spend time chilling and eating!
Vetkoek became a firm favourite of mine. Doug placed some strapping tape over the chafing as I had opened the skin up and quite frankly anytime on the bike was a form of torture! I had to laugh as the guys call this a rest day - and it really was. After all we only did 59kms and were out for 9 and 3/4 hours!
I had to take a deeeeeeeeep breath before I sat on my saddle. Oi, oi, oi - the pain! However I really loved the 1st section of this day. I felt so strong and rode hard. It was lots of single track which I could manage. There were a few sections of hike-a-bike as well which I really was fine with - slow but quite strong. Sadly Doug lost his GPS somewhere on this section. He felt quite naked!
Once we got onto the dirt road heading towards Glen Edward I sat on Doug's tail and we made good time to the soup stop. Colleen was really struggling with her knee and rode quite slowly.
The soup at Glen Edward was delicious - meaty and full of veggies and yummy! I sank my sore butt into a divine soft chair and munched away quite contentedly.
It was a long dirt road after Glen Edward. My forearms were so sore from the rocky road and the speedy down hills hanging onto the brakes. If I went too fast my eyes got too blurry then I couldn't make out the stones so I had to keep on slowing down. I was battling to even keep the rest of the guys in my sight. They would stop every now and then but when I caught up they would continue. I kept on reminding myself it was an individual ride but at the top of one of the hills as I arrived they continued. I burst into tears and was trying furiously to calm myself. Chris was there and thought I was upset coz I thought we were lost. I didn't want to say what my issue was but Doug knew. I struggled my way across a grassy plain - it was very bumpy and the single track quite hidden. I was feeling sorry for myself and feeling foolish. I kept on feeling like I wasn't good enough coz I wasn't fast enough to stay with everyone. Anyway these thought patterns kept on going through my head. I tried to swing them away and find a more positive pattern but it eluded me. I suspect my blood sugar was also dropping and I wasn't aware of it. But suddenly after catching my foot in a rut or not being able to get going or something I burst into LOUD uncontrollable sobs. Dearie me! My darling husband tried immediately to give me something to eat and wanted to know if I was carrying a goo. I couldn't remember and was simply too distraught to be sensible about anything. He told me to wait he was going to catch the others and get a goo from someone. I slowly pushed my bike and he sped ahead. He eventually came back to me and said just as he caught them they rode away. I recall this made me cry some more!! Silly girl. Anyway he tipped out my back-pack in a bid to find my goo. I got into lots of trouble for carrying too much stuff and he took most of the stuff into his bag whilst I ingested the goo into my gullet! Chris got word of my meltdown and also came speeding back with goo in hand. I gave myself a good talking to and also an option - I could, at anytime, pull out. I was not without choices but I would need to make it to where the car was next waiting for us. I reminded myself this was a choice I was making. It was not a punishment or something with dire consequences. I also reminded myself QUITTING IS FOREVER - PAIN IS PASSING.
By the time we got to Ollie at the next little rest stop (probably 30 minutes away) I knew I was not stopping. I had a restorative cup of tea and a couple of biscuits. I do believe that a cup of tea cures most things and if it doesn't work wine is sure to do the trick!
Ollie said that Masakala was not very far away and we would get in in daylight. It was about 16kms to the end. They were really long and unfriendly kms. My forearms were in such pain going down the hills, my hands were bruised from the hectic bumps, my backside was so painful to sit on, my legs were so tired that standing and peddling was also not an option. Gosh it was long. I just kept on praying for the end - which of course came along in due course. What a day!
Us novices were warned that this day was long and brutal with LOTS of climbing. You know there is no way of really knowing what this means until you have a point of reference. And quite frankly ignorance was bliss in this case!
We woke at 3am and left at 4am. I eased my sore backside onto my saddle. Even though we had done this route in the light a couple of weeks ago we still took a couple of wrong turns coming out of Allendale - it is quite tricky. I had a great bike torch and a head torch on my helmet but single track in the dark is still pretty scary for me. There are also these porcupine holes that just suddenly appear which I also found pretty alarming. I was pretty slow along this section which was for about 6 kms or so. I ended up with Derek and Chris and the other riders were with Doug. Doug went on a wrong path and ended up climbing too high. We stayed lower and Lindsay joined us. We ended up separating from the others which I found very concerning. Derek and Chris let me have my worries and concerns and then ignored me - hmph! Anyway we ended up all joining up which alleviated my worries.
I found the pace of the others very gruelling but was still trying to keep up with them. They would stop at a point and as soon as I got close to them then they would move off. This was starting to upset me as I was generally needing to catch my breath. Doug explained to me that this was an individual ride and they weren't waiting for me per se but were kind of keeping us together. We met up with Ollie (who was our guardian for days 2,3,4) for an awesome cup of tea and something to eat just after Donnybrooke.
We then went through the Nxumeni Forest. It is a protected area and has the most magnificent Yellow-Wood trees. It is a peaceful place but I couldn't really reach that part inside me then. I was really uncomfortable with the chafing as well as the pace. Once we left that part it was undulating forest roads in the Nzonzo Forest (which is all cultivated trees - from what I could make out) with some great downhills. Doug was really sharp with his navigation here and we made our way pretty easily to Centacow Mission. We got there at about 09:20 and had delicious soup. I couldn't believe it was so early - but we had been going for nearly 5 and a half hours!
I found this next section really really tough. I have just never seen inclines like these ones much less ever ridden them. I was so uncomfortable in so many ways - I huffed and puffed and rode slowly and walked even slower. It was boiling hot. My bum was sore. I kept on hitting my right calf on my pedal when I was walking which was irritating me no end. But the amazing thing was through all of this my head stayed really steady. I tapped into the mantra that I used when I was training for Comrades:
Faith
Gratitude
Abundance
I also reminded myself frequently of Fiona's words - "we will get there when we get there".
A gorgeous baby donkey at the top of an insane climb.
Doug pointed out this big mountain in front of us on our right and said we were going to be going around this mountain (keeping it on our left). I didn't believe him - I never thought we would be able to do that within a couple of hours. It looked like a 6 hour mission that one. Anyway he was right (of course!) and we went around the base of it. Once we crossed the game fence we were in the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve. It was only 5kms to the lodge but I was absolutely kaput, finished, history... if my legs even smelt a hill they stopped pedalling. The Ntsikeni Lodge was absolutely beautiful and more beautiful was Mr Ngobo who came to meet us at the gate with a HUGE smile and words of welcome. And when he offered to push my bike to the room I fell in love a little with him.
I made the error of not taking my recovery drink immediately but had tea and bread first. I suspect this may have affected my recovery for the next day.
So eventually the time arrives - all the months of preparation and hours on a bike and in the gym and talking and planning - it all comes together and culminates in the town hall clock in Pietermaritzburg chiming 6 times......
Back some moments in time.....
The bruises and injuries were in the process of healing. My pelvis was battling to stay straight and making my back sore but I suspect that whole process is going to take months to come right. I spent a small fortune the week before the start of the ride on buying snacks for each day, medical stuff, energy and recovery drinks (you need a loan on your home for these!), cycle shorts, repairs of bikes, gosh it went on and on. I painstakingly worked through all my maps and marked out the route and put the notes on and made sure I understood as much as I could. I think that map process probably took about 20 hours. I packed up the snacks into marked bags for each day for Doug and I. Then I put my maps into marked bags for each day with my drink and recovery drink for the day. This order made each day's admin a little simpler. I packed my cycle clothes into daily bags as well. There is always some level of chaos in our house and I was trying to minimise this following me into the wilderness.
Chaos before order
Yoh that is a LONG way to go! 18 maps, 1:50 000, 550 thumbs (1 thumb = 1 km)
On the morning we left Colleen got dropped off at our house. I was inside with her making coffee when I heard Doug yell "No Kayla!" I rushed outside - she had taken an allen key and stabbed it into my back tyre - wooooooosh! Yip that level of chaos I was mentioning...
Anyway we set off and dropped Kayla off in Benoni for a sleep-over with her friend. We ended up going some back roads as there had been a big accident on the N3 and there was a big delay. We got to Pietermaritzburg just after lunch and did lots of admin. Doug had issues with his fancy map board carrier but managed to make a plan to make it work for him - he is really clever that way - he puts McGyver to shame!
It was so great to see Meryl (from the race office again) and great to have lots of excited chatter with the participants.
We were at the start 10 minutes or so before 6. There were a couple of extra people who were only riding for the day. It was a very inauspicious start - the clock gonged, we sort of looked at each other and Meryl said off you go!
It seemed a long way through Maritzburg before reaching Bisley Nature Reserve. From there we were really on the adventure. It took us about 4 hours to get to Minerva along a mixture of dirt roads, forest roads and single track. I fell behind the group quite quickly and this was to be the way it was for the majority of the journey. Minerva is a farm which has a museum of old machinery. It was a soup stop and refill of camelbak with water. It was a bit hot for soup and it wasn't great but my bum was happy to be off the saddle for a while.
Old aeroplane engine
Linday and I
We then headed off towards the Umkomaas Valley towards the infamous Concrete Strips and Hella Hella. The Concrete Strips are a steeeeeeeeeep descent towards the Umko river. My brakes and I squealed the whole way down.
Concrete strips - this doesn't show how steep they are!
Colleen's brake fluid actually boiled and her wheel seized. She burnt her finger tips when she touched something really hot (and battled with this for the rest of the ride).
Ian Waddilove has done a lot of work in the valley in making a very friendly path along which to ride. Apparently this saves loads of time as before the cyclists were bundu-bashing their way through the bushes and thorn trees. It was so lovely to ride alongside the river and very tempting to have a little swim!
We had a stop just after crossing the Umko and had gorgeous cold cokes and something to eat. I was battling to eat the snacks I had packed except for the sweets. The sandwiches and nuts were just not going down! It was also the 1st of reapplying lube to my nether regions whilst hidden behind a car door!
From there is was a long climb up Hella Hella. This is a 11km climb back out of the valley which took us about 2:30 hours. I walked most of it and rode little bits of it. Doug and I had driven this a few weeks back so I know what I was in for. My head stayed strong and I just got on with it. It is always better for me to see sort of challenges I am up against - I prepare mentally better for them.
Yip it happened. I took a fall where I did not get back on my bike and was in fact driven back to my car and then driven home. And I was on an innocuous piece of road and there were no cars involved....only one big tin can. That's right folks one measly tin can.
So 3 weeks ago I went over the handle bars and it had to do with a tree, some roots and probably some rocks. I managed to intertwine myself between the handle bars and the front wheel. It was interesting trying to extricate myself.
Then the next fall (the next week) involved a downhill and loose gravel - thats all I can say. It was sore, I squeaked and squawked and then shook like a leaf (my standard reaction to shock or trauma).
The next fall (on the same ride) - I wasn't even on my bike. I was pushing, I tripped, I made my knees bleed - the end.
The point is after each of the above mishaps I got back on my bike and carried on.
Not this one. Monday afternoon ride in Midrand with Ben, Stoof, Dave, John, Mitch, Gerro, Erik and some of the others. It really was a straightforward road and we were going about 25kps. I saw the tin and presumed I would simply ride over it. Oooh eh eh! Apparently my front wheel spun out and I went side ways and my bike went the other ways. Damn it was a F#@%@!! hard landing. I swore, I sobbed, I swore some more. The guys were so fantastic. John called for his son to collect me and take me back to my car and then when he arrived with a friend they insisted that he drive me home. Doug was away in Uganda but Kayla and Lydia were fantastic. And so helpful.
I saw the doc the next morning. I was very worried that I wasn't bruising. My outer upper thigh was huge and I got swollen during the night across my hip bone into my stomach. When the doc saw me she prodded and poked a bit and was concerned about a fractured pelvis - eeeek! So off I went for x-rays. Anyway thank goodness nothing broken - some internal bleeding to be watched and a fairly painful healing process.
So hopefully I am done now for a while on the falling incidences.
Next edition (coz I a very busy and not brilliant with my blog!)
Fiona - my physio was horrified when she saw me this morning (a week after the fall). The haematoma is very big and swollen and the bruising hectic. 2 normally very stable joints have become very unstabilised due to the damage to the ligaments and tendons. So these need to be stabilised and soon otherwise there will be on-going trouble there going forward. So I am in compression pants for between 6 weeks and 6 months! Hard to tell.
I rode again last night in Midrand. I was very nervous to start but settled down (and held onto my handle bars very tightly!). It was generally fine just sore a bit on the lower back.
