Stage 5 is known as the King’s Stage. Well I think it’s named after Don King the boxing promoter because we were punched drunk after the first 60km of insane climbing. I told Gavin that if I was given the chance to ride the stage again tomorrow or face Mike Tyson for one round, I’d take the latter. At least I’d be able to run away for 3 continuous minutes. There was no hiding out there because we had heat, wind and brutal mountains to negotiate.
We had to make our way out of Worcester up some seriously steep mountain called Fonteinjiesberg. Many riders opted to walk the steeper section which was a wise idea with all the riding that was awaiting us.
So we were all beaten senseless for 60km before we were gifted some tarmac for 15km. It was up Bainskloof Pass though and in the Wellington heat, it wasn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s a long drag that is incredibly beautiful and it’s important to lift your head from time to time to see what a gorgeous country God has given us Africans.
Walvanpas has been an excellent training ground for Gavin and me over the past months and the knowledge of the trails we entered after 90km were right up our alley. We took full advantage of our local knowledge. The climbs are incredibly steep and technical but we saved enough energy to power through the riders up ahead to make it to the beautiful single track downhills ahead of our competitors. We were fortunate enough to get a clean enough run with the odd riders to have a go at for riding like a Muppets. Sadly, there are many riders that can climb and ride big gears on the flats but their technical skills are very poor and it puts so many other riders in danger on the technical fast flowing descents.
A great last 30km from Team was had and we finished a respectable 141st on the stage and 40th in the Masters category. Not bad for two old bullets who started riding two years ago. Our time was 7:25 and we finished in the first third of the field. There were many riders out there between nine and ten hours. It’s quite incredible what the human spirit can endure when given a goal. Well done to all the riders for completing today’s stage. The most commonly used word in the campsite today was “brutal”. Gavin was a Gladiator today. He pulled me through the blustery winds and got us off to a great start. It’s vital to have a partner that works so hard for you when you need him the most.
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