Day 1 - Mesina to Tom Burke
We left Sun City behind 2 days ago and traveled by bus to the Tshipise Resort, approximately 60 kilometers from Messina and another 20 kilometers from the Beitbridge border post, where we stayed and mentally prepared ourselves for the physical challenge ahead of us. Some of the guys went for an early morning training ride whilst other preferred to sleep in however the day was at leisure to try and acclimatize and we used the opportunity to visit the majestic Boabab trees in the area.
The team of 15 riders and 4 support staff had an early night and a very early rise as at 02h45, it was time to WAKE UP!!! We all had some breakfast and had to meet at the bus by 03h30, otherwise Sarel would leave us behind!! We enjoyed the trip up to the border, most of still half asleep, and got there just before 05h00.
After some careful negotiation with the border authorities (we were still in Africa though we were this side of the Zimbabwe border!!) we eventually unloaded the trailer and set off from Beit Bridge at 05h20 with sirens blaring! The ride started with a full moon that lasted until about 09h00 in the morning and then the heat started!!
Initially the speed were consistent and we maintained a speed of approximately 34 km/h with everybody doing their bit in the front but then Shaun and the tandem put a hard effort in front which affected everybody. Everybody was relieved by the time we had reached our main stop in All Days as the temperature soured past 40 degrees Celsius and we were all starting to suffer a bit from the sun and heat.
The ride continued with temperatures souring and everybody took strain regardless of the fact that this has been a continuous drag but due to the extreme heat! Everybody was stunned and amazed with the landing strip on the main road at Swartwater where a few photos were taken before we continued our journey. Later during the course of the day a few of the riders decided to get off the bike for safety reasons as they were showing signs of dehydration from the intense heat (which after the ride was confirmed to be a maximum of 48 degrees Celsius!). The last 35 kilometers was really tough for everybody even tough it was a flat section and we were relieved to get to our first over-night stay at Tom Burke.
The evening we stayed over on a game farm whilst a few of the riders were treated with drips for dehydration and were advised by the MMC medical team to stay off the bike the following day, a wise decision after what was experienced. 3 riders received drips to sort out their dehydration problems and we thanked Leonard and Shaun for taking care of the casualties!
We finished the 268km stage in a little over 8 hours with a recorded average speed of 31.5km/h which we were very satisfied with considering the day we had just finished. Later the evening everybody was subjected to a medical check up where we had to weigh in first, have our blood pressure, and other vitals examined and recorded before finally get our well earned massage and fantastic braai and dinner thanks largely to Gerda and our very own braai master and Man van Staal - Hennie!.
All the participants left for bed shortly after that, a long day in the saddle and another long day waited with only 9 more days ahead of us!