19/05/02, stage 75, Betta to Konkiep Lapa

So after arriving at camp yesterday I attended rider meeting, had diner, sorted out the bag on my bike in which a can of coke had exploded due to the humping and bumping and heat, and after that I went straight to bed. I was in my tent at 8 and can’t have fallen asleep any later than 9. I woke up this morning by my alarm at 6, meaning i’d slept for 9 hours. However mornings are getting quite cold again, so I still had a hard time to motivate myself to get going :-)

I was running late on everything this morning. I was late handing in my bag, late washing my bottles, late having breakfast, late on my bike, late on tbe road. 153k to go, with some 800 meters of gradual climbing in the morning and a long gradual descent in the afternoon. 

We started out on a road that was actually as bad as yesterday’s. However during the ridermeeting they’d said that road conditions would improve during the day, so I figured I’d just push through it. After the first hour I did about 15k. The road was still total crap. The landcruiser past but prospects of better roads and a long descent kept me going. Half an hour later the lunch truck past. I was at 20k and was convinced that this shitty road could’t keep on going forever, so I pushed through. At 25k, two hours into my ride, the mush disappeared and made way for a nicely graded dirt road, which is not as nice as tarmac, but good enough. And moreover even fun to ride :-) 

The big dinner truck came by and I flagged them down for a refill on water and to check how long this proper road would last. If it would turn into mush again anywhere soon I would have quited, but supposedly this good road continued at least untill the cokestop at 103. So I decided to at least push mysef up the hill till lunch at 80k. I bonked at 65k but luckily had some winegums in my bag. While looking for them I also found out that another can of coke had exploded in my bag. Cans of cokes are not made for these roads!

I made my way to lunch. 80k done. I felt quite depleted though. It was already 1pm and I just couldn’t imagine that it would be another 73 till camp. At an average speed of 17k an hour the first 80 had taken me almost 5 hours of actual saddle time! However after lunch there would be a long gradual descent. And like yesterday the wind was favourable. So after a long break I got back on the bike...

It was like flying! The road was great, it was gradually downhill and I had the wind in my back, making 30k/hour with minimal effort. At 103 I cokes and icecream with Lenore, Gerry and Dan. I knew the descent would keep on going after the cokestop and I hoped that the road would stay good as well. So I continued and just kept on flying, making my way into cam quite easily while enjoying the amazing Namibian landscapes of amazing :-)

So yet another day gone, taking it day by day... Wuite happy to made it through this one though, especially after yesterday’s nightmare!

Good morning shitty road!

Well at least we had some proper scenery...

But then the road turned smooth! 

The road went up though...

Tree with suposedly the largest social weaver bird nest in the world. I thought I missed it so I saw this tree with nests and took a picture of this one instead, but appantly this is the tree. I was not very impressed though...

I like seeing where the road winds...

Cokestop at this crazy little German junction...

Flying downhill...

Some Ostriches on the side...