The penultimate ride.
144 km, 725 m total ascent, 24°C maximum.
TDA crew work hard every morning at 5 AM to prepare our breakfast.
It is worth looking in the rearview mirror at times; the sun rising as we pedaled due west first thing in the morning.
We passed several seaside communities. South Africans really like the white and black architectural scheme, which was present in every resort town that we passed.
We had a long gradual climb in the morning with a strong headwind. We were all concerned that if this wind kept up for the whole day, we would be utterly spent and exhausted.
Morning cappuccino break. Fortunately, the wind seemed to die down after the coffee stop.
Surprisingly, the first McDonald’s sighting since Egypt. The franchise had not established visible inroads in East Africa. KFC, however, has been everywhere.
Steel plant in Saldanha. To my eye, it looks like something that could have been built for a Star Wars movie set.
Barrier island protected calm waters of Saldanha Bay, with no surf.
Lunch was just outside the gates of the West Coast National Park.
Afterwards, we cycled in and rode the length of the Park along the coast.
Baked goods never fails to draw a crowd at our coffee stops.
There was a gin tasting room which attracted many of us like bees to nectar.
At the same coffee break, I supported the on-site purveyor of biltong and droëwors.
The rider meeting was moved up to 5 PM from the usual 5:45 PM. Colleen explained the logistics of how we would ride into Cape Town tomorrow. Congratulatory jerseys were distributed.
Libations were provided in the form of sherry and every flavor of boxed wine.
After dinner, most of us hung around to chat for a bit around the campfire, it wasn’t long before general fatigue overpowered us, and we retreated to our tents. The endless pounding surf 500 m away was a soothing tonic as we drifted off to sleep.
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