Great African Divide Ride
Donation Platform: https://oldlegstour-gdg-j1141n.raisely.com/…/al…
Distance: 98kms
Altitude gain: 825
Altitude loss: 470
Difficulty: Apart from a couple of cheeky hills, an easy ride until it got hot
Temp: 38
Max heart rate: Not measured but guessing 170 on the hills
Average ride speed: 17.5
On the ride from Mmanko to Molepolole, we went through an area with masses of aloes. Some of these were incredibly tall. See the photo of me standing next to one.
The map is not exactly right in that we didn’t do the last 10kms from Mmanoko into Molepolole – we turned off to Thamaga. The first few km on the Thamaga road was through a valley with actual hills and cliffs on either side. It was the first time we saw and were close to proper hills in a week. What a treat.
We trundled on towards Kanye, and of course, it got hotter and hotter. Along the way, we saw a dead donkey under a sign warning us of cattle. I could only think of that video “My Fok, Marelize.” If you have never seen this video, please look it up on Youtube.
Did I mention the super-aggressive thorns in Botswana … man those guys like to bite tyres. We spent a lot of time fixing punctures.
Further expletives from Lady Lavinia would have followed, and then she would have said, “Oh, for goodness sake, just do as I say,” … and so Kanye was established on the top of the hill. I have no idea how close I am to the truth with that possible history. Still, I can tell you that I swore at every heavy pedal stroke up that hill, sweating like a pig and hating the English aristocracy, especially those called Lady Lavinia.
Sigh … we eventually pedaled into the campsite – see the photo with the Tyrannosaurus that towered over the gate. We negotiated two rondavels with water and power and no function or live music nearby, and all of a sudden, life improved. Once again, I felt lucky to be whole-bodied and with the means to have such a wonderful adventure.
Your donations are going such a long way. In the charity this week, the team has been working on making payments for Susan’s knee surgery, but they have also been working with some of OLT’s welfare recipients. I was sad to hear that one of our old fellows was hurt during an armed robbery. He had been beaten and ended up at Pari. Thankfully he is on the mend now and was so grateful for the food and allowance he received. Thank you for your donations which allow us to help pensioners like John. Please keep donating, and let’s help more of our pensioners get the medical attention they need.