PE>>Plett Day 4

Last day... it is always bitter-sweet. On the one side you know you will miss the quiet, the crunch of rubber on stones, pine needles, sand and sometimes a little tar, and on the other you miss your family, pets and the comfort of your own bed.

With these thoughts I set off on day 4 of PE>>Plett and decided to try and hang with the race snakes on the tar section leading out of Tsitsikama. Surprisingly I continued to hang with the front group for 12 km, where we all took a wrong turn (it seems to happen to the front guys often), but quickly we realised our mistake and doubled back to the route. By this time the second bunch passed, and in a flash my racing ambitions for the day evaporated.

I took it down a notch or 2 and rode a comfortable pace to the first water point at Storms River Village. I have happy thoughts of Storms River with the Storms River Traverse a few years back, and remembered the short, steep climb out of Storms River on the Western end. On this climb I encountered Ian Van Wyk who was in peril with a rather nasty puncture, and tyre that was somehow stuck to his rim. I opened my Camelbak and with the help of 3 tyre levers, Ian and his riding partner, we managed to get the tyre unseated from the rim to insert a tube, and pop the tyre back on. At this point they were ok to inflate the tyre on their own and I continued with my race.

We rode mostly Cape Pine Plantations, but the highlight was surely riding the old Bloukrans Pass, and with the King of the Mountain out of the pass on the Natures Valley side. At the top of the Pass we had our second water point, where Ian and his partner passed me with a wave and a thanks for the help earlier (I was glad that they managed to get going again, as it really sucks to put your bike on the bakkie).

With about 7km to go we encountered a portage section, that is part of the Otter Trail down onto the sandy beach of Natures Valley. A short ride along the lagoon, back on the tar and into Tsitsikama Resort for the finale.
And just like that, the race was done. A very cool finisher's sweater, medal, hot shower and a few handshakes with the MC, race orginiser and some of the crew that helped to make this a special memory for many of us.
Thanks Red Cherry events. The week was magic.