The Usuthu adventure

Thursday the 10th.

The story of the day!

Crawling under the reserve fence

We get up at 5 for the 2 hour ride to our starting point in the Usuthu Nature reserve where we will meet up with Maryke and Gareth. Fortunately the boys have loaded the four bikes the previous night in the back of the 4x4. We leave at six, at the last minute I realised I did not pack my helmet and a frantic search ensues, left it in my room!  It is down the mountain again avoiding potholes and then a reasonable gravel road to the Usuthu nature reserve gate where Maryke is waiting for us. We arrive there just after seven. Maryke and Gareth slept in the reserve at the starting point. Maryke had to leave early to take the vehicle to the end point near the entrance gate. We are now 6 riders squeezed into the double cab,  slowly driving along a beautiful deep track in the reserve which finally brings us to the starting point. Maryke has spent many weekend days preparing today’s route. This included employing some locals to hack open part of the trial. After assembling our bikes, we start by carrying our bikes down a steep boulder strewn slope to the river. Gareth leads the way, it is his 3rd trip, and he has already taken down two bikes. After about 40mins we manoeuvre our bikes under the reserve fence and then crawl through ourselves. This finally brings us to the Usuthu River, not far from where we slept on the other side on Tuesday night. Maryke leads the way on lovely single tracks along the river, quite sandy, now and then we get off our bikes to negotiate a rocky section. After a couple of kms we reach a road used by water trucks to get water from the river. An exhausting uphill takes us inland, pushing our bikes past a couple of locals repairing the road. On top Maryke miraculously find a way through some dense sisal plants to a wonderful cleared single track down again. Disaster struck twice, our first flat tyre of many that day and Jono has a bad fall over his handle bars leaving him with a very sore chest. It is uphill again on a very rocky jeep track. I have the first of many slow motion falls, on a steep section I am just not able to keep going and cannot get my foot unclipped in time, I topple over on top of in a sisal plant. What goes up must come down; a rocky downhill at speed makes the adrenalin flow. We enter the game reserve again through a gate. Jono is too sore, probably a broken rib and call it quits. Fortunately it is not too far from where we left the bakkie at the start and he is able to take it back to the end point. We pass three majestic giraffes awkwardly moving their long legs to get away from us. A herd of zebras steep dice us down a very steep and rocky path. On the way up again we stop for a flat tyres again. It is midday already and we enjoy lunch while repairing two flats. There is no water along the way and we have to ration the water in our camelbacks. We reach the reserve fence again. This time to get over the 2meter fence, Danny has to sit on top while we take our bikes one by one over the fence. We have to carry our bikes up a rocky slope to a single track. The first part is too steep to ride but then it is single track at its best along a ridge that takes us back to the road we ascended earlier. This time though it is downhill to a little settlement with a couple of homesteads. Our water stock is now depleted. No water at the school but there is a shop with only iron brew in stock, never tasted so nice! We wait for Gareth who has to repair his umpteenth puncture. It is 5 o'clock when we reach the district road junction, another shop where we can buy drinks. We have only done 30kms so far and we are left with another 20kms. Sadly we decide not to take a single track route Maryke has planned due to the imminent sunset and follow the district road, uphill and downhill again to meet up with the road back to the reserve entrance. It is flats again and we split up into three groups of two. Danny and Maryke go ahead.  Steve and I both have slow punctures and we stop every now and then to pump. Eventually I decide to put in a new tube. It is dark now, but fortunately the near full moon provides enough light. Along the way Gareth and Essich repair another flat with the help of a headlight. We take Maryke's bakkie's keys and cycle along the ever smaller road to the reserve gate through moonlit veld, what a serene experience. Danny waits for us at the fence; Maryke has gone ahead to her bakkie where Jono waits for us. Steve and I have to take the kay to Maryke. The directions are simple, 2nd road left and again 2nd right, but after about 30 mins of cycling we are lost and decide rather to return to the gate where all the others have arrived safely. Fortunately Jono now arrives with the 4x4, still in considerable pain and takes the key back to Maryke. It gives us time to put on our warm clothes and finish what is left of the padkos. The very friendly and patient game rangers wait while we load all the bikes, well past the closing time of 6 o'clock. We arrive back at Ingwavuma where our hosts treat us to a sumptuous meal of steak and pap.