Cry the Beloved Tandem Bike

I use this title because I'm sure our tandem must have felt a little rejected and lonely over the last 2 days after we finished the Cancer Fighting Journey as we decided to have rest days on the 25th and 26th December. We did not feel bad one bit but after eating so much turkey, gammon and Christmas Pudding, we decided that we had to get back on the beloved tandem yesterday for a short ride of 90kms. We invited our friend along, Sean Botha who kept us entertained with his chirps and good spirit! We needed some distraction as cycling on the usual routes around the Maropeng area which we've done for the last 4 years is rather boring after touring this beautiful country of ours and seeing new and exciting scenery each day.

I must admit that both of us said that our legs felt like blocks of lead and I had no energy whatsoever to ride and kept asking where the nearest garage was so that I could get a coke and a breadroll to eat! Jaco thought I was being ridiculous as we hadn't cycled nearly that far enough to warrant more intake of calories - so I was feeling a little miserable about life back on the tandem!

So many people have been asking us what the final amount was that we raised on the Cancer Fighting Journey and I'm happy (and thrilled) to announce that we contributed R35,330 to the Lize-Mari Trust through our initiative. So all the acknowlegement and thanks have to go to you guys for supporting us during this wonderful adventure!

It almost feels like a lifetime away that we were on the road everyday passing through new towns and experiencing life on the road - we are so pleased to have conquered this challenge together and it will be something that we can reminisce about with our kids one day (if they are even interested in hearing about mom and dad's crazy cycling days!). We have learnt so many things about ourselves during the Cancer Fighting Journey and would like to share some of them with you:

• Never underestimate the generosity and kindness of mankind


• Don't always focus on yourself and what you're busy with in life but look beyond that to see so many other things happening in life which you miss most of the time


• So much more can be done by working in a team and using the strengths of each individual to reach a common goal


• It's not always about your physical ability but if you prepare yourself mentally, you can accomplish anything (I really proved this to be true as my fitness levels for this cycle were much to be desired!)

Thankyou to Lorraine Ingram for this great photo of us after arriving at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.

Day 12: The Last Leg (thankfully I have two!)

I could hardly sleep last night thinking about the fact that it was our last day - it almost felt like the last stage of the Tour de France where the winner has already been determined and all the cyclists enter the Champs Elysees for one last episode of prancing around and then its all over. Since today's 'stage' of the Cancer Fighting Journey was only 95kms long, we felt like it was already over. So we left Gavin Devereux's family home at 6am and headed out to the R59 to start our slow and easy ride 'home' to Sandton Square.


We arranged to meet up with Alan, one of Linda's family who was a keen cyclist as he wanted to join us on this last symbolic stretch to JHB and it was great to up our numbers to 5. The roads were surprisinly busy for the day before Christmas, but we didn't even take notice as we appreciated the last bits of scenery we'd enjoy on the tandem for a while and even had time to stop at the Wimpy for an hour to enjoy the last milkshake I'd have for a while (I'm on strict instructions not to follow the high protein, high fat diet I've gotten used to while cycling!)


In order to save some time (even though we were very early for our arrival in Sandton) we even had to do a bit of bushwhacking with the bikes to get off the R59 onto an abandoned piece of road which took us past the Rand Water Board onto Kliprivier Drive to enter the south of JHB. By trying to be clever, we ended up with a slow puncture which unluckily for Jaco, he had to change, but luckily for us, we made it to a shopping centre so we could stock up with cokes and muffins! (You always gotta see the positive in a negative!). Back on the road we entered the centre of JHB and decided to take Helghardt on a little tour to show him the tourist attractions since he'd never been to the city before so we ended up crossing the Nelson Mandela Bridge.

We made it in good time to Illovo, just outside of Sandton, where we were meeting Lize-Mari (for the first time I must add!)and her family who were going to cycling into the Nelson Mandela Sandton Square with us on their mountain bikes! I was so looking forward to her experiencing 2kms of what we had done over the last 1800 kilometres. I couldn't but help notice that she was very nervous of riding on the road but Jaco was excellent in helping her not to worry about the traffic. We took up the whole lane for the last few kilometers to the Square but we didn't care about the hooting and irritated motorists (Gee, we really were back in Gauteng!)rushing around doing their last minute shopping.


It was really great to cycling into Sandton Square towards the big bronze statue of Nelson Mandela where about 40 people were waiting to welcome us! Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come and welcome us home - you don't know how much that meant to us! We felt really special, yet overwhelmed with the welcome. It was so lovely seeing all the familiar faces and suddenly our journey almost seemed like a blur, like a distant memory. We were very grateful that we could capture some moments on camera as we were interviewed by a cameraman who will be putting together a Cancer Fighting Journey DVD for us using all our pictures and video footage we took during the trip. We are so excited to see the finished product which will remind us forever about this amazing journey we went on. We were also presented with the hugest bunch of sunflowers I'd ever seen by the Geelhuizen Family as well as a photo collage of some of the photo's from our trip - we were honoured!

I think we'll need a few more days to digest everything that we experienced and learnt on the Cancer Fighting Journey and I'd be happy to share these thoughts with you, but right now, its Christmas Eve and this body needs a good, long rest! Would you believe that we actually cycled from Sandton to Northcliff after lunch this afternoon! Yes, you can call the dedication to the bike! I think we are going to experience some severe withdrawal symptons in the next couple of days but we'll try remedy that with a ride on Boxing Day.

Jaco and I wish you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas tomorrow and hope that you will be generous, kind and loving to those that you know and those that you don't know, just as we have experienced on our amazing cycle from Cape Town to JHB.

Note from the editor (that's me!):

We have every intention to keep this blogsite going with news about our fundraising, cycling, and of course Lize-Mari's progress when she goes to France in January 2010. So please keep visiting this blogsite and watch for updates!

Day 11 Saddles & Sunflowers

We left on our penultimate stage today at 5am with dark rain clouds on the horizon. They did not worry us too much as we were heading in the opposite direction. It was a lovely flat road but alot of concentration was needed as we had to negotiate between huge potholes, roadkill and the traffic!



It was great to have my dad protect us from behind as we just heard today about the 2 cyclists on a tandem that were hit and killed by a truck in Mossel Bay. Awful news! Our journey today took us passed Viljoenskroon and Vredefort where upon these huge great rolling hills appeared which tested the legs somewhat! I was excited to reach the town of Parys some 114kms into the ride as I've never been there before but heard it has some lovely coffee shops & cute places. Well I wasn't disappointed! Wish I had more time to explore the place! And of course we found a minature version of the Eiffel Tower!



The road out of Parys was a dream with a hard shoulder and smooth tar and we motored all the way to Sasolburg in no time at all. Passing all the pink and white Kosmos on the side of the road reminded us that we were back in Gauteng along with sign saying that there was a high incidence of hijacking in the area! 8kms later we were in Vanderbijl Park and Gavin Devereux was there to meet us. We had met him through the hub website and he kindly offered us accomodation for the night. So we are staying in his sister's house while they are away and have the whole house to ourselves. Thanks so much Gavin for your hospitality! I love it how cyclists stick together! (we'll forgive him that he is more of a mountain biker :-)

Overall I didn't have a good day as my legs were really sore and even Jaco turned round a few times to ask if i was pedalling! Which is tandem rule number 1 of no-no's!

I am really sad that tomorrow is our last day-we've become so used to our little routine and being on the road. It really has been the most amazing experience! We look forward to seeing you all at Sandton Square tomorrow at 12pm.

Today's Stats:
Total distance: 155kms
Average speed: 33kms/hr
Average temperature: 26 degrees
Max temperature: 40 degrees
Climbing: 800m
Average heart rate: 125 (Jaco), no info for Christie (my heart rate monitor has not been resuscitated yet!)
KCalories: 2050 (Jaco), Christie:dunno but I'm still hungry!

Jaco's highlight:
Taking my wife on a romantic trip to Paris (Parys actually!)
Jaco's lowlight:
The ominous rain clouds on the horizon hiding the sunrise (we hav only 1 rain jacket with us so we'd have to ching chong cha for it)

Christie's highlight:
Standing in a field of sunflowers taller than me!
Christie's lowlight:
Legs showing the evidence of 1600kms-sore, stiff and heavy.

Day 10: The Fast One

We left at 5am this morning looking forward to a flat and fast ride to Bothaville. Once again no shoulder to ride on and the worst potholes I've ever seen but we were lucky enough to have my dad for the next 2 days to drive behind us. Strangely Jaco and I were feeling strong today so we pushed it a bit and put the 2 single bikes under pressure to keep us with us. It was great to see the green scenery of the North West Province including mielie and sunflower fields and we crossed over the beautiful Vaal River once again.


We passed through Leeudoring stad where Jaco got stung on the neck by a wasp which we were a bit worried about. Luckily there was not much of a headwind which we heard was typical for this area so we were able to reach Bothaville in 5hrs. It was great to be off the bike just after 10am which meant a long rest day lying in bed, sleeping and watching DSTV! Our legs are a bit sore today, so as I write this blog, Jaco is giving me a massage!


Today's Stats:
Total distance: 130kms
Average temperature: 24 degrees
Max temperature: 41 degrees
Climbing: 255m
Average heart rate: 126 (Jaco), no info for Christie (my heart rate monitor has not been resuscitated yet!)
KCalories: 1800 (Jaco), Christie:dunno but I'm hungry!

Jaco's highlight:
Sprinting alongside a 20kg bokkie running next to the road while pulling a 170kg tandem (Christie was filming the whole event and wasn't cycling according to Jaco!) His heart rate reached 164bpm which is high for him!
Jaco's lowlight:
Dealing with the effects of protein shakes in a confined hotel room!

Christie's highlight:
Sitting on a rock hard back wheel for once. My dad bought a footpump from Jhb so we could increase the back wheel pressure from 5 bars to 9 bars!
Christie's lowlight:
Missing the Bles Bridges memorial outside of Bloemhof where he was born. We left at 5am so it was a bit dark to find it :-(
I'm also suffering from quite bad mouth ulcers due to the stress and strain my body is under.

Thank you to the Elgro Inn for sponsoring us free accommodation tonight. We are so pleased they have a Spur next door! Guess wot we having for dinner?

ARRIVAL DETAILS FOR JHB ON THURS 24TH DEC.
We are planning on arriving at Sandton Square (Nelson Mandela statue) at 12pm on Thursday and would love to have you there to welcome us home!

Sweat, Blood and Tears! (Luckily only the sweaty bit applies on this day)

Wow, what a day we had yesterday-it definitely tested us all mentally and physically! We joined up with James and Helghart and cycled down Transvaal road out of Kimberley. We noticed the headwind immediately and it only got worse, blowing at 40kms/hr. It was going to be a very long day!

Our first town outside of Kimberley was Warrenton which was 80kms away. Unfortunately, we got a puncture on our back wheel while climbing a hill so while the boys changed it, I found some sun flowers on the side of the road and took lots of photos for Lize-Mari as I know its her favourite flower.




Back on our bikes, we passed through Warrenton which was a sad little place but today seemed like the day for punctures as Helghart got a piece of glass in his tire. It was about 8am and I could already feel the sun burning on my legs and arms. We rode another 40kms to Christiana with the wind literally blowing us all over the road. We took it in turns to sit in front to protect each other from the hot headwind but it was such hard work to even maintain 22kms/hr!



Jaco was finding it difficult to steer as there were lots of roadworks and absolutely no hard shoulder to work with and trucks and cars were trying to pass us, while the wind was blowing us around. We got another puncture while trying to be smart - we saw this lovely new road next to us which was still closed to cars but thought it better to get out of the way of the traffic and carried our bikes over a piece of veldt and have the new road all to ourselves! It was great but not the puncture as a result.


Our worry now was not having enough water so luckily we found a little garage outside Christiana and plonked ourselves down in the shade while having dust and sand blowing into our eyes, water bottles and any sweaty place on us. A real low point knowing that we had another 60kms to go to Bloemhof where we were staying for the night. We had to muster up all our strength and will to climb back on our bikes and get going.

It seemed like forever but eventually at 2pm we arrived at the town: 9hrs after leaving Kimberley!! Our hungry prayers were answered with the appearance of a Steers in town and we scoffed down burgers and chips happily! The B&B we were staying at had a balcony overlooking the Vaal River with stunning views of sunset and we were glad to jump in their pool after such a long day! Another awesome sight was a thunder storm rolling in during the afternoon and it was almost a strange sound to hear the rain outside while we fell into a deep afternoon sleep.

Today's Stats:
Total distance: 175kms
Average temperature: 31 degrees (notice I said average and not max!)
Max temperature: 43 degrees
Climbing: 500m
Average heart rate: 130 (Jaco), no info for Christie (I think my heart rate monitor kicked the bucket due to the heat!)
KCalories: 3200 (Jaco)

Jaco's highlight:
Absolutely nothing
Jaco's lowlight:
An 18 wheeler almost pushed us off the road as it tried to squeeze past us and the oncoming traffic.

Christie's highlight:
Absolutely nothing
Christie's lowlight:
A ridiculously bright red helmut strap burn on the side of my neck! They don't call me a rooinek for nothing!

We would luv to say thank you to everyone who has sent us messages of encouragement during the Cancer Fighting Journey-you don't even know how your belief in us has lifted our belief in ourselves! We look forward to receiving your sms's everyday while we riding!

Thank you also to Plek Vanni Visarend who sponsored us accommodation in Bloemhof-it was definitely one of the best places we stayed at!

Gruelling Day 9

Today was arguably the hardest, longest and windiest day of The Cancer Fighting Journey. After 3 punctures, severe sun burn, nearly ending without water, we managed to reach Bloemhof 9hrs after we started and some 170kms away.
Because of the unexpectadly long day, we haven't had a chance to update the blog. We'll post tomorrow.

Rest Day in Kimberley Before the Final Stretch

I've just worked out that we have cycled 1178kms so far on the Cancer Fighting Journey and only have 585kms left to go before we reach JHB! I cannot believe that time has gone so fast and that tomorrow we embark on our last 4 days of cycling.

We have had a fantastic time in Kimberley with the Wheelock family and as Jaco said, all we seemed to have done is eaten and eaten! We actually weighed ourselves again using the bathroom scale and only seemed to have lost 2kgs each (OK that was after a huge dinner followed by swiss roll, fruit cake and icecream!!.

Today we decided to go and see the Big Hole. It was perfect that our fellow 2 cyclists, James and Helghardt, who will be joining the Cancer Fighting Journey for the last leg, were staying at the new Protea Hotel right at the Big Hole. So we organised that we join them for a buffet brekkie and literally ate as much fruit salad and yoghurt as we could to get our 20 servings of fruit a day! We then walked across to the Big Hole and went out onto the cement platform overlooking the hole. I didn't realise that the Kimberley Mine has produced an equivalent of 2,722kgs of diamonds! Wow, imagine how many diamond rings that must be ;-)

We watched a short video about the history of Kimberley and how the mining began in the town and then walked around checking out all the beautiful diamond replica's. It was about at this point that my legs started getting sore from too much walking, so we all hopped in a taxi and went to the local mall to watch the film Invictus. Wow, it was really great (being able to sit down and the film!) and made me so proud to be a South African. It was also exciting to spot my sister's boyfriend, Brendon Shields, as one of the French rugby players in the film.

After some brief shopping for our cycle the next day, we headed off back home to eat some more and help the Wheelock family wrap their Christmas presents as they're heading to the Cape tomorrow on holiday. James and Helghardt came over for dinner and Coral made her famous lasagne which was divine. We have been blown away by the generosity of this family and how they have just opened their home and hearts to us! Thank you so much for everything you have done for us!

Day 8: A BEEG day to the BEEG Hole

We have arrived in Kimberley at last which marks the end of the 2nd phase of our trip. Can you believe we only have 4 cycling days left!! But today was not without its problems though.....

After a very disrupted sleep of mozzies chowing us, waking up sweating cos it was so hot (even though we had 2 fans on in the room) and a very uncomfortable springy bed, we awoke at 03:45am again. (By the way, the fluffy toilet seat sat quietly in the corner of the bathroom floor and did not attack me in the middle of the night!). All packed and ready to go with the Oom of the Guesthouse already pacing the garden outside to unlock the garden gate and let us out, we discover a flat back wheel! Grrr...you can imagine our grumpiness at having to change it! So we tell the oom to go back to bed for a while and have to unpack all the spares to get it changed....finally we leave 45 minutes later. This does not bode well for the rest of the day.
Because we can only handpump the back wheel up to 6 bar (Jaco's arms are strong but not that strong!) I can feel every bump and bit of tar the wheel rolls over and I'm worried. To add to the mechanical issues, the panniers start swaying and scraping against the back tyre which means we need to stop and tighten everything up. This is when we discover that the back wheel is indeed buckled! (maybe I have been eating too many pancakes and cheesecakes ;-)
So things are not looking good and we are not in the best of moods. We only have to make it to Hopetown which is 50kms from Strydenburg where we find an Engen Garage and we stop to sort out the spokes on the back wheel, loosen the back brakes and sort everything out. Today we are chilling and spend at least 45mins getting the bike ready and eating another brekkie of potatoes and doritos!


After leaving the garage, we cross the Orange River which is massive - we have not seen so much water in about a week and we wish we could jump in to make up for the 'bucket shower' we had yesterday in Strydenburg. As we stop for these photos on the small piece of sidewalk cement on the bridge, the bridge wobbles dangerously as another 20 ton truck rumbles over it and we think we're going to fall off!!


We can feel the sun burning on our skins and we have another 120kms to go before we reach Kimberley. The road surface is bumpy and there are several road works sections where there seems to be a decent hard shoulder for us but no lines have been painted on the road yet so I play truck / car spotter by looking over my shoulder ever 20 seconds to see if anything is coming our way and make sure we are well on the left hand side! My back and neck are now sore! From this photo you can see just how small we really are compared to those freight trucks!


Our mechanicals are all sorted and its only the long tedious uphill drags and slight crosswind that we need to worry about not to mention the fact that we are on water rations as we think we may run out of water before reaching Kimberley. The only interesting thing that happens to us on this stretch is that we nearly cause 3 roadkills ourselves! A dassie and a meercat dart across the N12 in front of us and we narrowly miss both. Then we must have disturbed a bokkie eating on the side of the road as it starts running next to us down the N12 in a panic. Unfortunately it cannot get away on the one side as there is a farm fence and the only place it can go is towards us and into the road. I can see exactly what is about to happen and start praying that it does not run into the road as there is oncoming traffic - well of course it did and I close my eyes as it darts in front of us and into the other lane in front of a BMW! That was a close call!! We also notice that we are in the region where numerous Anglo Boer wars were fought and Jaco starts feeling very proud of his historical culture.


40kms before reaching Kimberley it is now 40 degrees and a hot wind blowing across us - we are cooking and rapidly getting dehydrated. Just in time a little garage and OK Bazaars appears and we thankfully buy lots of water and coke and refill our bottles and off we go again.


By 1:30pm, we are tired and hot and so ready to get off the bike so our welcome by the whole Wheelock family on the pavement outside their house made the journey all worth it. We are staying with Coral, her three daughters, Kirby, Jade and Brittany and their mom, plus 4 dogs. We were so happy to be able to have a swim, a warm shower and a delicious lunch which they had prepared for us when we arrived. We really look forward to getting to know them better and spending time with this lovely family. Thanks so much Dave Porter for putting us in touch! Tomorrow is another rest day and we plan to visit Kimberley's Big Hole and go watch a movie.

Today's Stats:

Total time including stops: 8hrs30mins
Total distance: 180kms
Average speed; 31kms/hr
Average Heart Rate: 129 (Jaco), 129 (Christie)
Maximum temperature: 43 degrees
Average temperature: 30degrees
Climbing: 500m
KCalories: 2500 (Jaco), 2500 (Christie)
Number of bottles of water / energy drink consumed: 10 plus 3 cokes, plus water in our camelpak plus a Yogisip

Jaco's highlight:
Yummy lunch served by Coral Wheelock and her family (including curried bananas, my favourite!)
Jaco's lowlight:
Waking up to a flat back wheel and getting greasy so early in the morning

Christie's highlight:
Meeting Marieta from Vosberg who asked us where we were going on our tandem and after telling her about the Cancer Fighting Journey, she gave us a donation! How generous!
Christie's lowlight:
Hanging my head during the last 70kms and watching the road roll under me as I ground away at the pedals wishing we could just get there!

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The Cancer Fighting Journey is Gaining Publicity

After being interviewed by Kobus from Die Burger in Cape Town the week before leaving on the Cancer Fighting Journey, we discovered the below article which was published on the 11th December:

The Cancer Fighting Journey is also gaining support from local Johannesburg cyclists, Neil and Bronwyn Timm who are sporting the Lize-Mari inspired cycling shirt! Neil's only comment was "No-one told me it was so pink!"

Day 7: Halfway through the Cancer Fighting Journey

It's day 7 of cycling and we have 2 big days ahead of us to Kimberley. I'm a little sacred actually and hope my body has not gotten too used to being off the bike! We wake up at 03:45 and for the first time pack our pannier bags which end up weighing a ton! I'm also worried about that! As we walk down the dirt road to the main road, we meet up with a local ironman participant from the town and his son and a friend on another tandem. So great that they came to support us by cycling the first couple of kilometres out onto the N12 with us. The young boys even addressed me as "tannie" so this cycling trip seems to b ageing me big time!!
Dries the local cyclist told us the route was flat today which pleased me and the tailwind picking up pleased me even more! After saying goodbye, we faced 178kms on our own!

We were able to pick up some decent speed on many of the long downhill drags but the weight of the pannier bags was taking its toll and our knees began taking strain. Because of the long distances between towns, we also had to fill all 5 cycling bottles plus 1 camelpak plus one 1 litre bottle with water and carry those with us too. So we actually felt like a
2 humped laden camel in the middle of the desert!
We passed through Britstown and stopped for a coke outside the local slaghuis (Jaco was admiring the meat smell) when the owner kindly came outside and gave us a whole packet of delicious droe wors for the journey! How kind-we definitely needed the protein!
Back on the N12 we noticed all the holiday makers on their way down to Cape Town and they all hooted and waved as they passed. The temperatures were now climbing to 37 degrees and we often had 2 stop at the picnic spots on the side of the road to get out of the sun and eat and drink. We were worried that we were running out of water as we were drinking an average of 8 litres every 2 hours! Eventually we reached Strydenburg with a few sips to spare and sat at the garage glugging down cokes and water! Mmm we had definitely arrived at 1 horse town as our guesthouse we had booked into was the only double storey house in the town (aptly named Upstairs Guesthouse) so we could find it easily!
Upon arriving there the owners apologetically told us that there are such severe water shortages that the water supply will only be switched on at 7pm that night! Just what you want to hear after a 179kms ride!! I think they could see the disbelief on our faces so they offered to fill up a 15litre drum with borehole water for us to wash with. Better than nothing i suppose! So I skipped a hair wash and got on with it :-) Our next mission was food as we had no more lovely parents in law as back up. The local corner shop satisfied us with 2 chicken burgers, pap en sous, some white bread and watermelon. Our final mission was a long sleep which was tricky as our outside cottage felt like a roasting oven! Now i know what rotisserie chickens feel like!
We look forward to reaching Kimberley tomorrow, seeing the big hole and staying with another family that we've never met, the Wheelocks.

Todays Stats (will be brief because I'm sms'ing the info to the blog these days, no more laptop).
Total distance: 179kms
Total time: 6hrs30mins
Average speed:35kms/h
Average temperature: 24 degrees
Max temperature: 37 degrees
Climbing: 420m
KCalories: 2085(Jaco), 2300(Christie)
Average heart rate: 120(Jaco), 128 (Christie)

Jaco's highlight: a wonderful tailwind pushing us up the N12.
Jaco's lowlight: no water to shower with.

Christie's highlight: all the friendly motorists waving and hooting (and thinking we crazy!)
Christie's lowlight: the pink and grey fluffy toilet seat we living with tonight (I'm scared it might attack me in the middle of the night!)
We would like to wish our friends in Cape Town, Judy and Eben a blessed wedding tonight.

Thank you once again to Hannes and Johan for their great hospitality. Hannes also wrote a little article about Lize-Mari and the Cancer Fighting Journey which was published yesterday in the regional newspaper, the Messenger!

rest day

We have been thoroughly spoilt in Victoria West! Our hosts, Hannes and Johan hav made sure that we are so well looked after and have done everything they can to make sure we have a memorable stay. We enjoyed a delicious meal with them last night which started off with drinks in the garden as the sun was setting and classical music playing in the background. We were then treated to a delicious antipasta starter of pea humous, beetroot, springbok tongue, olives, apricots and freshly baked ciabatta bread followed by the perfect carbo loading meal of pasta with fresh tomato and meatballs. (the best meatballs ever!). The meal didn't stop there-a cheese board with home made strawberry preserve! Really delicious food and great company.
We tried to sleep late today but our body clocks got the better of us and 03:45 we both woke up with withdrawal symptoms i think. We said our final goodbyes to my in laws as they headed back home to the western cape and then forced ourselves to sleep more. At 9am we surfaced for a swim and a 4 course brekkie to feed the beasts inside us then packed our pannier bags to move onto the next best guest house in town, Die Klein Pophuis-it sounds delightful! But Jaco looked a sight as he rode the tandem with all our possessions on as if moving house! We spent a lazy & relaxed afternoon with Hannes & Johan and didn't protest when they offered us another delicious meal (have you picked up the fact that all we do is eat?) Right now I am sitting in a coffee shop while Jaco is at the local garage cleaning the tandem and we've just polished off a milkshake and icecream pancake!! We hav 2 big days ahead of us to reach Kimberley where we have another rest day.
Thanks so much to the King Will B & B and Die Klein Pophuis for sponsoring us some great 4 star accommodation! We would really recommend stopping in at Victoria West as it has such a unique character.. Oh and remember to ask for Hannes & Johan who will gladly spoil you with the most divine food and hospitality!

Day 6: Reaching a Haven of Rest

The alarm goes off at 03:45am but I’ve been awake most of the night as the town’s church clock has been signalling the time every 15 minutes! Its pitch dark outside and we want to be on the road before sunrise as we have 140kms to cover. It’s freezing outside and we’re dressed in every warm piece of cycling kit we have including newspaper down our shirts to keep the wind in. Unfortunately as we leave Carnarvon towards Loxton, we are greeted with an unwelcome climb of about 5 kms and we are not impressed! Upon reaching the top we are sad to see no downhill on the otherside but just these LONG uphill drags in front of us. There is an 11 degree headwind and I am already wishing the day to be over. My body is definitely not as strong as before and I know its going to be a long and mentally challenging day. Jaco even notices that he’s pulling some dead weight and I try with all my energy to keep the pedals turning and get up those never-ending drags. We are still in the middle of nowhere with a few farmhouses dotted in the distance with their faithful windpumps turning slowly.





There is not much to keep our minds busy, except for the animal spotting where we saw lots of dassies, eagles, springbok, sheep, 2 horses and some cows. We eventually reach Loxton, which is totally dead and no movement in sight due to the public holiday and I know we have reached our halfway mark. To get some rest and motivate ourselves, we stop quite often to indulge in our bag of cycling food and enjoy some yummy treats at the picnic spots on the side of the road.



I see the 10km sign to go for Victoria West and am so relieved but there is no town in sight – please let it be close! We have to go round this big mountain first and then suddenly it appears …and what a treat! Such a cute place with lovely Victorian cottages on either side of the road which have such character. We visit Hannes Horne’s house who is Lize-Mari’s dad’s uncle (stay with me here!) who lives here and he welcomes us with a cooldrink and shows us to the Kingwill B&B which is one of the best in the town. And what a stunning place it is !! We are so glad to see the cold swimming pool, a little shop selling trinkets, treats and interesting stuff and then we walk outside to the beautifully manicured gardens and watch some ladies making custard biscuits with yummy filling. Of course I had to sample one every time I walked past!! We enjoyed a restful afternoon swimming, lazing round the pool and watching TV in bed! Tonight we have been invited to Hannes’ boutique restaurant for dinner where he’ll be cooking up a storm for us! We cannot wait!

Today’s Stats:

Total time including stops: 5hrs
Total Distance: 141.7kms
Average Speed: 29kms/h
Maximum Speed: 48.6kms/h
Average Heart Rate: 122 (Jaco), 136 (Christie)
Average Temperature: 19 degrees
Minimum Temperature: 11 degrees
Maximum Temperature: 37 degrees
Climbing: 555 meters
KCalories Burned: 2142 (Jaco), 2583 (Christie)
Number of Bottles of Energy Drink Consumed: 6 and 1 Coke Zero
Number of wee stops: 7
Number of cars which passed us on the road (both sides): I got bored of counting ;-)
Number of Windmills (actually windpumps): 83

Christie’s highlight:
Eating baked potatoes and chocolate brownies all in one mouthful! Mmm!
Christie’s lowlight:
Legs were sore and tired and 10kms into the ride, I was wishing it was over already

Jaco’s highlight:
Appreciating the unique arid scenery
Jaco’s lowlight:
Riding in 11 degree temperatures for the first 2 hours of the ride

Day 5: Christie the Tandem Engine (not Thomas the Tank Engine!)

What a stunning day for cycling – we woke up to a still, calm and beautiful morning and were so excited to get back on the road. As we left Williston, we witnessed a blazing sunrise of pinks, oranges, yellows and crimsons and were glad that we had traded in our rest day for another 125kms to Carnarvon. (no sarcasim at all!)

We could not believe our luck, a straight road disappearing into the distance with soft rolling hills which allowed for high speed downhill chases! It was the first time in 2 days that we could actually use the tandem’s big blade (for those non cyclists, translate this as being able to pedal harder with not much effort being exerted due to downhill’s or no wind) and took full advantage of it by reaching speeds of up to 62kms/h. Once again the terrain was pretty uneventful – scrub bush, a few Salvador Dali-type rock formations, lots of strange sheep with black heads and a few wild cat roadkills. But 2 things that did stand out for us were these corbelled houses built many years ago which are typical of this region (see below a corbelled house that we managed to find in town – the others along the road were too far away in the distance) and these bizarre train stations in the middle of nowhere! I mean, once people got off the train where do you suppose they actually go as there is nothing out there??

We were also definitely in windmill country now as every couple of kilometres was a windmill turning (sorry guys, I didn’t end up counting those!!). And we later discovered in town a windmill spares yard where you could buy all the bits and pieces for your windmill. Goodness me!

And God really wanted to bless us today as there seemed to be a few clouds as the sun came up which kept the temperature down and a noticeable tailwind picked up which pushed us all the way along to Carnarvon. Today’s food on the bike included ‘blikbrood’ (yummy bread baked in an empty jam-tin) with peanut butter, raisins, oranges and chocolate muffins and when we got into town we found the local coffee shop and delightfully added apple tart with ice-cream to our daily menu!! Shew, not sure about me losing weight of body fat percentage on this trip!! But at least I can have a guilty free conscience. We reached town at 9:30am and were not sure whether to eat breakfast or lunch but settled down to a meal of toast, pilchards (yes, we need the protein!), butter beans and scrambled egg. A strange combination, but its all about getting those carbohydrate and protein levels up.

Tomorrow is another 140kms to Victoria West where we will meet Anton Geelhuizen’s uncle, Hannes and we’ll be spending 2 LOVELY rest days with him. It will also be the last day that my parents in law will be travelling with us – after that we’ll be on our own!

Thank you to Marie Jacobs from Out of Africa Guesthouses for giving us a free night!

Today’s Stats:

Total time including stops: 4hrs02mins
Total Distance: 125.8kms
Average Speed: 33.3kms/h
Maximum Speed: 62kms/h
Average Heart Rate: 128 (Jaco), 129 (Christie)
Average Temperature: 23 degrees
Maximum Temperature: 33 degrees
Climbing: 665 meters
KCalories Burned: 1726 (Jaco), 1998 (Christie)
Number of Bottles of Energy Drink Consumed: 5
Number of wee stops: 5
Number of cars which passed us on the road (both sides): a whopping 29!

Christie’s highlight:
The road welcoming us with the most beautiful sunrise over the mountains at 5am
Christie’s lowlight:
Having to ask why my father in law had not peeled an orange for me at our first food stop on the road (I was getting spoilt and used to the idea of having my own personal orange peeler!!)

Jaco’s highlight:
Cycling alongside an eagle soaring in the air with us for about 1km
Jaco’s lowlight:
Forgetting the 4 baked potatoes in the microwave that we had cooked the night before which was our cycling padkos. (Oh well, chocolate muffins would just have to do!)

Day 4: Wildlife and Roadkill

We were quite sad to be moving on from Calvinia today (which is the wool capital of the Northern Cape) as the people there had been so friendly and had really blessed us. We had gone for pizza the night before (to carbo-load and have a break from cooking our meals) and met Marius De Wet travelling down from Gaberone to Cape Town. As we walked into the restaurant, he asked us whether we were the cyclists travelling on tandem from CPT to JHB. Marius had read about our story on www.thehub-sa.co.za (a popular cycling forum) and made a mental note to look out for us on the road as he knew he would be driving the same way. What a small world! He kindly paid of our meal and also offered us a footpump as he was carrying his mtb with him – the last time we had pumped up our tires was day 1 (and since I’m sitting on the back wheel, I can feel everything on a ‘papwiel’!).


The lady running the 250 Myl Restaurant where we were eating, also gave us a financial donation and then again when we were leaving our guesthouse this morning at 5am, another couple travelling to Upington gave some more money towards the Lize-Mari Trust! Just amazing at how friendly these dorpie people are! Thank you everyone!

All night long we heard the wind howling outside and prayed that when we got up it would miraculously be still and calm……but not today. My father in law called it character building, and he was definitely right. We hit the road a bit later than usual when the sun was already lighting up the horizon and headed out on the flat straight road which disappeared into the distance.


Unfortunately, in this part of the country there is not much vegetation or anything to keep the mind occupied so we kept ourselves busy by counting the number of roadkill we pass on the road.(we’ll spare you the details but my father in law did stop and take photo’s of everyone as proof!). We came across the following roadkill: an aardvark, a bokkie, a badger, a sheep, a jackal, a wild cat and a skunk. Luckily there were stunning live animals too as we came across herds of Gemsbok and Springbok. And we are happy to report that there are few cars on the road too as only 60 cars passed us on both sides of the road. We really had to keep our motivation up as the road seemed endless and the food and water breaks on the side of the road every now and then were something that we looked forward to.


The wind did not die down throughout the morning and we ended up with 3 layers of clothing on as well as newspaper against our chests to keep the cold out. Such different conditions from the Western Cape where we were battling with the heat. We were very glad to see Williston appearing as we came over the rise and discovered that the town only has 1 four-way stop and one main road.


After resting, eating and sleeping for 2 hours we went out to explore the small town and discovered a very cute tea garden with everything but the kitchen sink hanging up on the walls (hub caps, number plates, empty bottles, mattress springs, tin boxes and marmite jars. We enjoyed some well deserved cheesecake and milkshakes to get our energy levels up.


We have decided to push through tomorrow to Carnarvon instead of having a rest day as it is only just over 100kms. Right bed is calling and its only 8pm! Early start again tomorrow.


Today’s Stats:

Total time including stops: 6hrs6mins
Total Distance: 110.2kms
Average Speed: 23.2kms/h
Maximum Speed: 47.1kms/h
Average Heart Rate: Jaco’s Heart Rate Monitor went a bit wonky today, 129 (Christie)
Average Temperature: 20 degrees (and I thought we were going to fry in the heat... It was below 14C for the first 2 hrs of the ride!)
Maximum Temperature: 33 degrees
Climbing: 500 meters
KCalories Burned: Heart Rate Monitor did not pick up Jaco’s but I’m sure it was way less than the KCalories I burned (!), 2785 (Christie)
Number of Bottles of Energy Drink Consumed: 5
Number of wee stops: 5

Christie’s highlight:
Eating Cheesecake and drinking a strawberry milkshake (I deserved it!)

Christie’s lowlight:
Spitting some phlegm into the wrong direction and because of the strong crosswind, it landing straight back on my shoulder again!

Jaco’s highlight:
Braaivleis for dinner!!
Jaco’s lowlight:
Cycling into a strong headwind (so much so that we had to shout at each other to be heard. When you see the video clips you will hear the wind!)