Day 9 - Beaufort Wes to Laingsburg
Breakfast was served at 5am so everyone was requested to get in and out as quickly as possible so we could get on the road by 6am for the next long day to Laingsburg! It was only a 200km stage but the last 60 kilometers of the ride are climbing with a final decent into Laingsburg.
Every body was still shocked this morning after yesterday‘s tragic accident and with the team traveling on the Main Road between Johannesburg and Cape Town the safety Officer re-iterated the issue around safety.
The first stretch of the ride was fairly easy with a side wind and speeds up to 50km/h, our average speed at 36.3km/h at our first major stop at Leeugamka after 75 kilometers. The sometimes kind wind continued from there but only for about the next 35 kilometers and then the situation changed completely! Up and against the drag the wind started from the left and then as we weaved through the mountains the direction changed constantly, until we reached the point where we started to climb when the wind changed to the front.
The safety officer took the bunnies of the road for not adhering to the rules and regulations by crossing the yellow line continiously. They obviously weren‘t happy when they had to join a number of other riders like Graham and Dominique in the bus but unfortunately rules are rules and they must be obeyed in the interest of safety. We cannot afford any issues due to a lack of safety!
The head wind and heat made progress very difficult with our speed dropping below 20km/h at some stages. We eventually got through the climb and were all very relieved to see the town of Laingsburg in the distance, which was a quick decent into the town!
Our accommodation at Laingsburg was absolutely fantastic! Laings Lodge can be recommended to anybody and everybody traveling through this little town with such a big history. The awards went to Terence and to Dewald.