This time, it was Nick who led the way into chaos. Whilst sorting out the solar, he put his phone and other important pieces of kit down and immediately forgot where they were. We spent a fair bit of time searching, and so our start was a little late, but better late than never. The scheduled time of departure was 7 am, and we actually left at 8.
We weren’t even 500m into the ride when Dave, determined to outdo Gus (the current fall-off-your-bike champ), fell off his bike, landing on his butt. The team dashed into action as a huge gonyet was heading towards him. Managing to slow the juggernaut down, Dave hastily picked up his dignity, and we set off again, wondering if we’d ever make it to our destination. Prophetic thoughts, it turned out!
Going into this ride, we realised that staying the night at a dam is a bad idea. You may have a spectacular setting, but because dams are by nature valley dwellers, the only way out is up! And on cold, tired legs, the lactate build-up is quick and sore! Up and up we went on a rocky dirt track that seemed to last forever! The only thing keeping us going was the knowledge that we did, in fact, need the training ahead of our ultimate challenge up the Serra Da Leba, now looming alarmingly large in our imaginations…
Once we stopped going up, the track turned very technical with tree roots, stones, rocks, stumps, holes, and gullies to contend with. It was awesome for (most of) us who do enjoy a technical ride!
Gus and all his knowledge were a definite highlight today. He showed us the duiker berry bush, which is a beautiful pinky-peach colour at this time of the year. We passed by a bunch of Monkey Bread Trees that Gus surmised must be an early My Trees plantation. He told us how My Trees has changed the idea of planting gum trees for reforestation to planting indigenous trees instead, and we have all seen the massive impact this has made. Alistair, not to be outdone, pointed out the Pseudolachnostylis Maprouneifolia (that’s the scientific name for a plant species commonly known as the kudu berry, in case you’re wondering). and stated that if any of us could spell it, we could have his lunch! (I guess I’m getting Ali’s lunch tomorrow).
Another uphill battle through the bush was finally rewarded with a stunning view from the top, thanks to the mighty Kariba-Harare power lines, standing massive and impressive above the tree line. The descent from the peak was amazing, as we conquered the technical slope. But, of course, it wouldn’t be an Old Legs adventure without a bit of drama…
And that’s when Dave decided to take a flying lesson, courtesy of a hidden tree stump hiding in a dip after a pretty hairy gully that we had to dodge. He executed a perfect pike dive over his handlebars and landed with a thud on his shoulders and hit his head. We all jumped off our bikes and ran to check on the prostrate Dave.
“Are you ok? What’s the date?” Adam said. “Wait, I’m not sure what it is either! What’s your name?”
“Dimwitt!” came the reply from the ground.
With that, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. (Adam has affectionately called Dave Dimwitt for at least the last 40 years.) Dave is now neck and neck with Gus, with 2 involuntary dismounts each.
Unfortunately our support crew weren’t with us for this leg of the ride, so we had another 6km to get to the Panadol and a rest. Then phone pandemonium struck again; this time, Jaime lost hers! Seeing her utter despair, Troy gallantly helped her by driving up and down the road looking for it (in vain, of course, but at least he looked heroic). Thankfully, Linda appeared soon after in the white Isuzu, bringing the missing device with her, much to Jaime’s relief.
But that was not the end of the litany of lost things. Next up was Gary, the man, the legend, the over-enthusiastic drone operator. Apparently, the pristine Miombo Woodlands of the Lower Sanyati aren’t just home to some pretty cool trees and scenery, but also to a drone black hole. Luckily we are not called the Old Legs for nothing, and finding an excuse to go bundu-bashing is the kind of epic adventure we love, so we took yet another detour (pun intended) and happily found it again.
But that meant we were now playing catch-up, trying to get to our next stop at Gandavaroyi, which is a famous deep pool by a waterfall into which suspected witches were thrown – if they drowned, that was proof that they were guilty of witchcraft. This mysterious spot is terrorised by tokoloshi, mermaids, and all kinds of evil spirits. We couldn’t think of a reason why this wouldn’t be an appropriate stop for the night…. But Naison could.
By this stage, we had stowed the bikes and were travelling in our trusty Isuzu overlander, affectionately known as Christopher, after St. Christopher the patron saint of travel. A ride through rocky roads less-travelled is a bumpy one, to say the least. At one point, Mark had Ant’s bag fall on his head, and Richard had Nick fall into his lap. Keegan was in a full-blown battle to get some sleep, every bump in the road turning him into a human jack-in-the-box. Meanwhile, Laurie was engaged in a silent, one-man wrestling match with his own leg, courtesy of a surprise cramp visit.
All of Gokwe is a former stomping ground of Eric’s, and he warned us that “this is where vehicles get deaded” – the roads are that bad. So it won’t come as any surprise to hear that our 100km uplift to the Sanyati river bridge took us 3 hours, and we only arrived at our lunch stop at sundown.
Naison was palpably relieved to hear that we would not be sleeping at Gandavaroyi after all; however, this leaves us a day behind schedule, and some serious planning was put in to redesign our route. Sadly, the waterfall and witches will have to wait for another tour, alas! (Naison smiles a secret smile).
On the upside, our camp overlooking the Sanyati Bridge was simply breathtaking. A massive baobab stood sentinel at our campsite, framing a perfect view of the river. And then, the crowing glory: a full blood moon rising majestically over the water. Wow!
Each day has its heroes, and the last few days undoubtedly go to the media team. The photography on the blog just brings the adventure to another level, and the videos bring a new dimension that we previously haven’t enjoyed. To let you in on an unknown, behind-the-scenes secret, as the riders finish their dinner and sit around the campsite, the media team works quietly in the background, seemingly playing on their devices and phones. Troy and Gary screen, tag, file, and edit hundreds of videos and pictures a day. The pictures and videos you see on the blog are but a sample of a much bigger library. As the riders go to bed, the media team works on into the midnight hours; a tremendous amount of hours and artistry go into each day. At the end of the night, we send our blog over to Louise from Brandwagon in Harare; she patiently waits for us to finish it up and then painstakingly edits our blunders. Following us on this epic adventure would not be as interesting without the team behind the media. Thanks to Troy, Gary, and Louise.
Finally, the reason we do all this is to raise money and awareness for Zimbabwe’s destitute pensioners like TT. As a pastor, he spent his life caring for his community; he was a pillar of strength to those around him. Sadly, TT has kidney problems and has to undergo dialysis treatment weekly. This comes at an enormous cost to him and his family, who all support and look after him; however, the medical bills have become an increasing burden, and then his wife started to get ill. Old Legs Tour supports TT and his wife through a monthly medical allowance that enables them to buy their monthly prescriptions. Thanks to your donations, we are able to support people like TT, who have been an inspiration to so many Zimbabweans.
Until next time, Have Fun. Do Good. Do Epic!
PS This post is very late going out – sorry! We had a few technical issues, but all is sorted now. We think.
#OldLegsTour #Angola2024 #EvenMoreEpic #PedallingForPensioners #HaveFun #DoGood #DoEpic