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The Rider: Philip Elliott & Sean Johnson
The Bike: BMW R1200GS & Suzuki Vstrom 1000
Start Time: 2015-12-21 06h22
End Time 2015-12-21 18h04
Total Riding Time: 6h40
Distance: 485km
Passes: Moordenaarsnek Pass, Katkop Pass, Pot River Pass, Elandshoogte Pass & Naude's Nek Pass
Today's ride was going to be a long day, however we were travelling through beautiful countryside to make up for the time. Our first stop was Underberg where we enjoyed breakfast at the Lemon Tree.
After breakfast we soon got to the first gravel road to Matatiele. The gravel road was very corrugated so we picked up speed to "fly" over the bumps. As we exited Matatiele, I stopped Sean to inform him that the Suzuki's front tyre was looking flat. We stopped and I could hear air escaping the tyre. I took out my small air compressor and pumped the tyre to 2 bar and then we headed to the closest Tyre shop, Hi-Q. After removing the wheel and testing for a leak, they identified that the rim was cracked. They recommended we go to Tyres Vulcanising & Retreading to repair the rim.
After spending 2 hours in Matatiele, the wheel was back on the bike and we headed to Maclear.
Breakfast at the Lemon Tree, Underberg.
Wheel issues in Matatiele.
We had not eaten since Underberg, so we stopped at the only Coffee shop in Maclear where we enjoyed a short rest before taking on Naudesnek pass. There was another biking enthusiast from Cape Town enjoying some coffee so we spent a couple of minutes sharing some travel stories. Naudesnek pass was dry and therefore easy going.
I had booked accommodation at the Walkerbouts Inn in Rhodes. Go to the YouTube video for a great introduction to Rhodes.
After Roger left, Sean and I took a walk through the quaint town of Rhodes to stretch the legs. If you ever get a chance, do yourself a favour and include Rhodes in your next journey.
We had barely arrived when I recognized someone from over 20 years ago who lived in Irene, Gauteng, walking out of the Inn. It took me a while to remember his name, Roger Brown. We ordered beers and caught up on news. He has a farm near Rhodes with a very comfortable B&B. He said we must pop in for coffee on our way up to Tiffendell the next day,
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