24 Hours ⏳

It was sleep so good it took 15 minutes to wake and get my eyes open. Dreams aplenty. The soul and spirit had been revitalized. It was to be a grand day. As mentioned the boss man was to ride with me out of town. The weather was excellent, 30 odd degrees. Wind... wind... not today. It was a tad past perfect for riding conditions. 

Coffee... yes sir. Right next to my bed. A fine cup it was. With the bowels starting to work I was up and go. First 🚽 then 🪒🚿🧼🧽. I felt like a restored vintage car. No more rattles or creaks. Just a finely tuned motor. With the necessary completed it was a quick spin down to the bicycle angels. Just another great big GRACIOUS and ariva dache. Spar (good for you) was next. Lipstick with a sun 🌞 protection factor please attendant. All sorted. Back to villa de fantastic, pack and ready to burn rubber. 

It was a short road section before we were on the gravel and sitting at a comfortable pace. The odd car but that was it. 

Suddenly out of nowhere. I get the fright of my life. I scream. I cry. I try everything in my power to avoid it. All useless and pointless. It is a decent sized 🐍 in the middle of the road. Unfortunately it has been dead a while. Beautiful magnificent brown skin. I was tempted to retrieve the animal and make a coat for my own 🐍. It would have just been way too weird seeing a snake skin jacket 🧥 on my own snake. 

I ditch the idea and we carry on. Lots of fantastic stories about races and life. The boss man of the villa is a good companion for the trip. We go through some incredible scenery and ride a long section of the Swartberg Private Game Reserve. It is sights and sounds that are taken in. A couple of races follow this route. It is not tough nor technical just plain old good decent riding. My bike has no shocks, electrical or suspension. 5kgs of food and stuff I use and probably 8 or 9kgs of stuff I may need at some stage. The kind of things if you don't bring... you need. If you bring them... well you won't need them. They have probably seen more of this country than most of you 🤷‍♂️😅🤣🤪🤭. So single track and technical riding will be for another time.

The seed has  been planted for a very very big race called the 3️⃣6️⃣1️⃣. Distance 🤔 361kms. It's in the name. Time allowed 😳🤦‍♂️ 3️⃣6️⃣⏺1️⃣ hours... again... the name. Apparently the fastest time so far for this race is not much over 🔟 hours. That is simply incredible. If I was to attempt this thing at all my goal would probably be the 🥈⭕ hour region. So as you can see many hours of training to be done. 

The riding continues to be spectacular and the banter just as good. We end at a little art shop/cafe for lunch. Pie 🥮 and salad 🥦🥬🍅 each and lunch is done. Absolutely delicious. The boss man has a ride home on the cards now and my camping spot is probably 500 odd meters back down the road. 

It has been a good day. A much needed good day after yesterday. Fingers crossed 🤞 the bike is back in top shape. My mind is back in the game. The journey continues. I am ever so grateful for the right to be doing this. As usual a big thanks to all I meet, met, will meet and anyone who has any form of impact on my life. Our paths have crossed for a reason. I thank you.

Sleep tight. 

G.