2011/12/26

Today Diane and myself went on a training ride up to Krugersdorp. Our plan was to take it easy and relaxed, and so that is just what we did.

I had forgotten just how tough Doreen Street is, so I stupidly suggested that we head up that instead of going straight over on Christiaan de Wet. Silly silly me! It has also got a lot busier than I remember it being. Unfortunately it is now ön our radar" and the challenge is to be able to ride it comfortably before the tour.

We decided to pop up the remainder of Krugersdorp Hill to Key West for a quick bite to eat before heading back to Northgate. Seeing the Spur open, with outside tables, we pulled in there. Our waiter was a gent by the name of Gift and what a gift to his customers he is. Friendly, efficient and smiling the whole time. Even the manager was serving patrons and on being asked for a glass of water to fill our bottles, he brought us a jug instead as "it's easier to pour from a jug". Needless to say this will be a regular stop for us both during the lead-up to, as well as after, the tour.

Our return to Northgate was greatly assisted by the consumption of Biogen Carbogen Low GI. Having not had supper last night I was struggling a bit but a few sips had me going again each time.

We were met and "congratulated" on our safe ride back at Northgate by our friendly car guard, Eric, who maintains that we are "very fit"to have ridden "that far" :-) Have to admit that even short rides are made special by smiling and friendly admirers!

We used our sponsored i-gotU GPS's to record our ride and "WOW" is all I can say! Small enough to fit over my short stem, yet all the info I really care about at my fingertips. Speed, distance and elapsed time right there, max speed, inclination, etc, etc all just a few clicks of the up or down arrow away. This little beauty even fits on my skinny little wrist on its' wrist strap (and that says a lot about how compact it is). I'll "play" with some more of it's features next time.

A little bit of exciting news...

The last little bit has been a bit manic for us tourers as the year draws to an end with work. Add to that, the 3 of us have been very busy with planning the April tour. With this, we have some pretty exciting news - some of which I am going to share now, other information which I will reveal soon.

We have been in contact with Mustek with regards our mobile connectivity whilst on the road and they have indicated an interest in helping with a netbook for the tour. Naturally, I will keep you all updated with the developments.

Got some news from De Denne Country Guesthouse this week. News from them is that they are hosting their first wedding on Saturday - the 3 of us wish them all the best for Saturday.

Now for some exciting news.... we have partnered with i-got-u GPS. We believe that these devices are 100% perfect for our needs (to give you a taste of the features: cycle computer, runners watch, pedometer; geotagging and more) we look forward to getting the devices next week and giving you plenty more information on these cool devices. From now on: any gps / route / adventure we speak about will be tracked by i-got-u. Thanks to the i-got-i team for this partnership.

We hope to have more exciting news in the next couple of weeks.

Step Aside Conference Centre

Very exciting update today: we have just confirmed accommodation for our departure point. Step Aside Conference Venue in George will be hosting the team.

“Idealy situated 2km out of George on the road to Oudtshoorn this beautiful conference centre is placed on 45ha ground at the foot of the majestic Outeniqua Mountains. Although only a few minutes drive from the centre of George and only 10 minutes from the airport, one immediately gets that tranquille and relaxing farm feeling.  There are ducks greating you, the eggs for breakfast are from our own hen's and we have a flock of geese carefully watching over us together with Tiger our watch dog.”

For more information and bookings, please go to http://www.step-aside.co.za/

We would like to thank Martin for the generous offer of hospitality and we cannot wait to stay at this beautiful looking place.

Diane has also been invited to speak to the local Rotary Club on the Tuesday before the tour.

Going Somewhere Slowly - The start

If you had money to travel, where would you go? 


Europe, the Americas, Eurasia, Kenya, Botswana, Egypt, Mauritius or some other exotic exciting destination? Or would you explore South Africa?

Message from Diane: 
“In the last 10 years I have been privileged through my studies, work and holidays to see some pretty spectacular parts of our country. Starting with Grahamstown and its rich history, then onto the Lowveld with its abundance of wildlife and interesting human characters, back to the coast to George (the real gem of South Africa and hub to many awesome sights), then off to the Namaqualand where I spent 8 fantastic months in the Springbok area before returning to George and eventually back to Johannesburg – which cannot be written off as it itself has some interesting spots.

Since returning to Johannesburg for work, I have needed to explore and as such have started getting out. Photographic excursions to interesting places which I promise to return to and write more about, as well as cycling tours to really remote yet stunning places (even places close to Johannesburg) have shown me one thing: why go anywhere but SA?

Fortunately for me, I have made friends with fellow adventurers, Tessa and Rob and the 3 of us who have decided that this is a good idea.

With the combined history of what we have seen and done, we have decided to become tourists in SA and to start telling others about the cool places we have found. Join us on this journey where we will find interesting, budget but comfortable and sanitary accommodation, interesting people and amazing sights.”