Day 109 Monday April 29 Felix Unite to Springbok First Day in South Africa

by Henry

133 km, 1557 m total ascent, 28°C maximum.

We had a healthy tailwind for most of the day, lessening the fatigue we might have experienced, as there were many rolling hills and some lengthy climbs today.

Crossing the Orange River into South Africa, country #10 (but actually #11 if counting our foray into Zimbabwe without our bikes). The border crossing was early today, at 13 km.

The road was badly washed out here.

For the next two days, we will be riding on N7, a major highway in South Africa. The tarmac is smooth, with a good shoulder. However, vehicles are moving along at 120 to 140 km/h. Colleen and the medics announced that if they saw us riding two abreast or unsafely in any manner, they would pull us off the road, load up our bikes, and not allow us to ride the rest of the day.

We technically left the Namib Desert once we crossed the border, but we are still in a dry desert landscape called the Richtersveld.

 

A small town along the highway.

A closer view of the dwellings. Because there is more population density, more trash accumulates along the highway than in Namibia.

 

Our destination was Caravan Park campground in the small town of Springbok. We stopped at the SuperSpar before arriving at camp to pick up a Coke and some ice cream. TDA staff also replenished the food supply for the final days of the Tour.