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View myPMB's current weather status Includes readings for the past week |
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Ever since I got back on a bicycle eight years ago I have tried to compete in some of the iconic cycle events in South Africa that have been withing my reach. From the outset I have been able to share some of these experiences with Bruce who basically never got off his bicycle once he had it under his control. More recently Edith has been include in the fold and that has been really special as she shows the same determination when cycling as she does when tackling and academic research paper. Once Edith was on a bicycle we also got to cycle with the broader family here in Pietermaritzburg, in Perth Western Australia, and especially with her brother William and his wife Waveney in Germany.
The one event that has eluded me thus far has been the, "Karoo to Coast". I did manage to enter a couple of years ago, but then tore tendons in my left arm and had to give it a miss despite already having entered. So when the organisers of the Berg 100 launched the Highland 100, it seemed like a good second prize and so Edith, Bruce and I found ourselves in Clarens in the Free State recently set to participate in the inaugural 'Highland 100' 50 km and 106 km events respectively.
So what can I say about the Highland 100. Well it starts and finishes in the now iconic village of Clarens which is situated in the spectacularly beautiful Golden Gate National Park area. Clarens has grown from being a non-descript dorp ( Afrikaans - small town) into an at times bustling quaint artistic/artisinal hip centre that also offers a gamut of outdoor activities. When it is buzzing it resembles the Cape Town Waterfront during the Cape Town Cycle Tour, or alternatively the Durban Beach Front during the Amashova Durban Classi. It is really quite remarkable. It also reminded me of 'Joburg not quite by the sea', and that may well be the secret of its success.
So what about the Highland 100 I hear you say. OK, it was tough, tougher than the now well established Berg 100. It also had my number as I only managed to complete 80 kms before I joined another cyclist under a Willow tree beside the road. My first 'bail', and hopefully my last. Edith, Bruce and others did complete the 50 kms and 106 kms respectively, and they thoroughly deserved those medals. Me, I have no complaints, the event was well organised, the scenery was spectacular and we all knew it was not going to be easy.
Clarens was also amazing (did not think I would ever say that), and all I need to say in wrapping this up would be that 'Frost House', the self catering cottage that we hired, was spectacular It serves as an example of an old home that has been exquisitely renovated such that it retains the ambience of a bygone era, while still affording the modern luxuries we now demand when we travel. The fact that it is directly opposite from the new modern South African Police Services Station may be a distraction, but then in Clarens you are never too far from the Police Station.)
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If you have any comments, corrections, suggestions or plain criticism, I would appreciate it if you would communicate the same to me.
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[email protected] |
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Google+ | www.robdempster.com |
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