The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Bolandcycletour, Western Cape, South Africa

February 16th to March 9th

Ride Coordinator: Cathy Hediger
Report by: Verna Ingram

Our group of 31 participants assembled in Stellenbosch for the start of our cycling adventure. Such a large group sometimes needed more than one accommodation location. I would highly recommend arriving at least a day early to acclimatize, assemble or fit your bike and have time to appreciate the attractive town. This was also the chance to meet the Bolandcycletour team of ride captains, mechanic, photographer, back up driver and Mark, the man with the van who facilitated our accommodation, transported our luggage and kept us all in pies and on-road refreshments. We received our promised water bottles and Boland Tour cycle jerseys.

The accommodation varied including a mix of standard hotel/motel rooms, shared apartments and cottages, historic homes in glorious garden settings, and on one occasion we slept under canvas. At times we rode on busy highways, usually with a shoulder, and were advised on the rules of the road concerning the yellow line! Some roads had no shoulder and did have faster traffic passing close requiring a steady nerve. Other roads climbing and descending mountain passes were much quieter and offered outstanding views. Sometimes we were passed by heavy construction traffic. These drivers were considerate but appreciated us stopping off the road to allow them to pass. There were also foul-smelling loads. Perhaps liquid manure? We were delighted to swap these for the sticky roads and air redolent of fermented juices from the tractors bearing the grape harvest!

En route there was ample evidence of different classes of citizen. On the edges of large towns there was often a shanty town and a lot of rubbish blowing along the road. Along our route we often passed people walking long distances to their place of work, or those without work collecting plastic or glass bottles for money. Although not begging, their faces and posture expressed their need.

Given the increasingly hot days it was advisable to start riding early in the morning and on some days optional shorter routes were offered. This did mean that we were often at the next hotel before our rooms were ready. Ride distances and climbing were clearly designed to train us up for our grand finale, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, a 109km Gran Fondo ride around the peninsula.

For the water babies amongst us a choice of sea swimming, natural hot springs and waterfalls as well as wild and chlorinated pools were available. Other activities on offer to fill that space between arrival and happy hour/dinner included wine tasting, yoga and massage sessions.

Travelling to South Africa was a first for many of us and proved a great opportunity to enjoy the iconic backdrop of Table Mountain and tourist activities in and around Cape Town. Our accommodation was well placed to explore the buzzing V&A waterfront, walk or cycle along the seafront or take the ferry trip to Robben Island prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of the 27 years he was incarcerated. A short taxi ride away were the Kirstenbosch botanic gardens, hiking trails, historic townships and museums.

Our evening meals on ride days were included as part of the tour. Group dinners were sometimes in one of the hotels where we were lodging or at a local restaurant. My favorite of these was the Damhuis in Melkbosstrand. We soon learnt that South Africans have a deep-rooted enjoyment of lighting a fire to cook their food! The braai, or barbecue, was fired up whenever available, supplemented with large bowls of tasty salads. When offered the chance to try our hand at cooking our own, we were happy to leave it to the experts! On one occasion we were introduced to a team member’s family who arrived with enormous pots to give us a taste of another specialty cooked on the braai - a lamb stew, and veggie lentil stew, called Potjiekos. This was accompanied by freshly baked bread, jams and the traditional Koeksuster dessert. The South African diet is heavily meat based. Although vegetarian options were available there was sometimes little choice.

Although many of us had extended our stay to enjoy the wildlife of the country by visiting game reserves or Natural parks we were also treated to an overnight stay in one of the Big Five game reserves close to Cape Town. The stay included afternoon and morning game drives and was clearly a popular addition.

On our rides two or three refreshment stops with water, Gatorade and fruit, bars and nuts were typical, although sometimes we were directed to a shop or gas station instead. Small groups sometimes took a detour to a winery or farm shop to enjoy a break and sample something tasty! Some van transfers were necessary but kept to a minimum and usually based at a winery with all facilities!

Occasional power outages were experienced, although luckily the timing was not too inconvenient. Many small towns had a local walk showcasing historic buildings. In Montagu we were delighted to find an oasis where we watched enchanted as a weaver bird worked at building his nest!

Photo: The industrious weaver (left), and the author and stoker, Verna, with tandem captain, Phil (right)