Hello hello !
Last week I cycled alone for one week, Yvette was sick and tyred of me.
No just kidding, Yvette had to work so I rode around for a while.
While I was doing that I had a luchstop on the third day; not my first one ofcourse. I have many stops to eat eat and eat. And drink a lot, it is so hot here.
I was carrying every day 12.5 liters of water; pretty remote area here in the western cape.
Rocky desert, endless roads. nice gravel or grondpaden, 3 cars a day.
Perfect !
Oh yeah, the lunchstop.
That lunchstop.
First I have to tell I maybe have a sixth sense for broken things as well ( the other one is even better, looking for places to sleep in the bush; sometimes my steeringwheel just turns into this sideroad to find me a perfect place to pitch my tent, how wonder- and helpful ! )
The lunchstop.
I looked at my frontwheel and my bread just stuck into my throath ...
What's that ?!?
Oh shit no ...
My front tyre wasn't round anymore but sort of bubbling; the innertube almost out.
Now I have to go back again, strange mail this is becoming but then again, a mail is always about the past, right ?
But 2 weeks ago I changed my rear tyre for my spare one because there wasn't that much profile anymore. And decided to throw my old but still not too bad tyre away. Only a couple of weeks of cycling left.
1 day later, yeah, at another lunchstop, I looked at my tyre and saw this 8 cm cut in it ...
No spare tyre with me, stupid, stupid me that I thrwe the old one away yesterday !
Can you believe it ?!?
I always cycle with a spare tyre, almost never have to use it in all those years and all those kilometers; I throw one away and next day I need one !!!
But I fixed it with tape from the inside and pieces of innertube on the outside, not too bad !
I could cycle again and within 10 km there was a shop.
' A bicycle shop ' I shouted to Yvette as a joke.
But it actually wasn't.
This general dealer had indeed tyres !
Not the best brand ( as would show later ) but it was tyre. Indian brand, not expensive ...
So that tyre what I was looking at at that lunchstop, that tyre was bubbling !
After only maybe 1000 km.
Thank God I didn't threw my old tyre with the 8 cm cut in it away.
I changed tyres again, pieces of innertube around my tyre and only a 100 km to go to the next town, bought a new one, a chinese brand this time and cycled out of town looking for a place to pitch my tent for the night.
Next day I cycled some more desert before going into the mountains again.
And had a flat tyre.
The first one that day ...
Later I had to cross this 50 meter wide river, water pretty deep.
But not moving so no danger.
I waded through with my bike, the ater rising and rising.
Now it hit my brand new ortlieb 100 % waterproof bags so no problem.
Higher and higher untill ...
My bike started to float !!!
Ha ha ha like a dobber, going up and down.
Very amused I was and made it to the other side of the river where ...
I had my second flat tyre of that day.
200 meters further my third ...
a little further my fourth ...
I cycled a 100 km so decided to look for a place to camp.
There was a campsite so I decided to go for a hot shower.
After checking in I walked to my bike, guess what ...
Another flipping flat tyre !!!
Pitched my tent, repared the flat tyre, carried my bike to the fence ( not touching the ground, remember that fact), drank a beer and started to cook dinner. While doing that I looked at my bicycle and the impossible had happened ...
My sixth flat tyre of that day !!!
Aaarghhhh !!!
I cut my old tyre and layed it into my tube so a double protection, now that helped !
But, the next day the sun was shining again, the road started to climb again, over a pass to Wuppertal and up a 4x4 path. I had to push my bike for something like 3 km that heavy track it was but so beautiful ! Later very sandy as wel but those mountains around ...
So great !
The last day started with a 1000 altitude meters in 25 km.
My plan was to ride to tulbagh again ( must be someone special there huh
After those firts 25 km I thought I couldn't make it but then the wind changed into a tailwind.
I hit tarmac again.
A fairly flat ( no not a tyre ) road.
Sweet smsjes from my sweetie asking if I couldn't come home that monday.
Now I could do that 150 km.
Easy !
It turned out to be only 144 km and pretty tyred but satisfied I arrived.
Tomorrow we go together on a 3 or 4 day tour.
Keep you informed !
All the best