“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” – Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows.
Certainly. And who am I to argue with Grahame’s legendary Ratty? But I will present, as a close second, bicycles. To subvert one of the works of the Cannon I’d like to switch the context from boats to bikes.
“Nothing seems really to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don’t; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you’re always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you’ve done it there’s always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you’d much better not.”
OBA co-organiser: Jaco Pelser expressing his elation. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Such was our Overberg Bikepacking Adventure. From Trail’s End in Grabouw to the Greyton Ecolodge in, well, Greyton; and back. Two glorious days of bike-based escapism. Just around the corner from the big city noise. Tracing our way across the emerald winter countryside.
Usually I would prattle on about how great the ride was and all the things I saw. Maybe I’d even digress into the things I said or did. In this case though I’m going to let Steve Thistle’s photos do the story telling. With just a few contextualising captions.
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did riding it. Photo by Steven Thistle.
I hope you enjoy the tale…
The Protagonists
Helderstroom Prison Group Mug Shot. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Renata Bossi. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Danielle Thompson. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Bianca Silberbauer. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Tyla Setzkorn. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jamie, Danger, Osman. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jacques Rademan. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Dirk du Toit. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Garyth Kemp. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Craig Thompson. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jaco Pelser. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Seamus Allardice. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Day 1: Grabouw to Greyton
Distance: 78km | Climbing: 1 200m
Bikes hanging in wait, in the Trail’s End bike hotel, for the adventure ahead. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Dirk getting his early morning caffeine kick. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jaco fiddling to perfect the set-up on this Rondo Ruut for the day’s ride. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Trail’s End by the milky winter morning sunlight. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Lined up and ready for the challenges of the opening day. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Tyla enjoying the freedom of the open road. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Downtown Grabouw on a Saturday morning. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Getting into the swing of things. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jacques’ vote of confidence. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Mr. Cape Velo, Jamie, slipping into guiding mode. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Summit regrouping. Photo by Steven Thistle.
The Viljoen’s Pass in all it’s downhill glory. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jamie laying it over. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Someone forgot to brush their teeth before leaving Trail’s End, so they did it on the bike. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Vyeboom at it’s winter best. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Our first hint of gravel. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Strip stop. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Back on the road, with a rather spectacular backdrop. Photo by Steven Thistle.
How can you not love groad like this? Photo by Steven Thistle.
Tar road climbs aren’t always a bad thing. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jaco showing off while Craig took strain. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jamie and Tyla setting the pace at the sharp end. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Bianca carbo loading mid-way through the day’s ride. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Aero as tuck. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jacques regaling the group with some story or another. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Searching for the road less travelled. Photo by Steven Thistle.
The second best sign in cycling, after the one telling tucks to engage their lowest gear for a steep descent. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Social media updating. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Froome tucks have nothing on Jacques tucks – it may be due to Jacques’ weight advantage. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Three abreast on a back road to maximize chatter. Photo by Steven Thistle.
What’s that Jamie? Photo by Steven Thistle.
Smiles all round. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Last climb of the day coming up. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Lunch well earned. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Day 2: Greyton to Grabouw
Distance: 80km | Climbing: 1 250m
Ready to roll on Day 2. Photo by Steven Thistle.
On the road again. This time heading from Greyton to Grabouw. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Craig, all smiles on the front of the bunch. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Approaching the turn-off to adventure. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Sweeping roads in the early morning light. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Just chilling. Photo by Steven Thistle.
There’s free speed if you can make yourself small enough. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Back on gravel. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Cheers to morning beers on the bike. Photo by Steven Thistle.
High five. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Gravel travel. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Wind cheating formations. Photo by Steven Thistle.
More approval from Jacques. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jaco and Danielle rolling through the farmlands. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Mountain views in the background. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Tyla putting watts down on one of the route’s toughest climbs. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Craig, Renata and myself taking a more leisurely approach to climbing. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Garyth chasing King of the Mountain Points . Photo by Steven Thistle.
Throwing shakas. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Summit celebrations for the QOM. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Power in all the wrong places. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Regrouping atop the climb. Photo by Steven Thistle.
And taking a breather. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Yay, gravel! Seriously it’s the best. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Slowing down to take in the final 30km of riding. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Renata 2.0, on a gravel bike and loving it. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Heading for the mountains. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Across the undulations of the Overberg. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Jamie had the right tool for the job. Photo by Steven Thistle.
The best sign, in the wrong place. Or at least we were heading in the wrong direction. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Hydrating for the final climb. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Garyth and Danielle making their way towards the highest point of the day. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Tucking for home. Photo by Steven Thistle.
Homeward bound. Photo by Steven Thistle.
The Trail’s End pump track provided too much of a distraction, so a final group shot was never taken. I leave you then with an airborne gravel bike. Because if it’s possible, why not just do it? Photo by Steven Thistle.
