I hope you changed gears!
The Climb from the orange Grove to Dieprivier Heights averages 10% for a kilometer! This is the steepest part of climbing on the whole route!
The top of the first bit of the climb is basically the halfway mark of the race, so you’ve got about 45ks left to get home, but about 10 more Kilometers to Buffelsnek. It drags on as the false flat which really favours power climbers who can ride a good tempo, giving them a great chance to get that average speed up a bit!
There is a waterpoint after the Plett road intersection with its unusual “trumpets” which are an interactive sculpture named Calling the Herd, by Strijdom Van Der Merwe, which celebrate the Keurbooms Corridor connecting the Garden of Eden section of the Garden Route National Park to the Tsitsikamma National Park section.
Then onwards on the false flat past “Nieweland” rugby field and the forestry settlement of Sonskyn.
After Sonskyn is the part that I always (even after riding the route 30 times or more) forget about. The drag, before the drag to Buffelsnek!
For some reason, this is headwind central! There are beautiful views of mountains valleys, forest, fynbos and even a lake to the west. Just beautiful!
Once getting the sense of humour back under control, the last drag to Buffelsnek, and the Squirt lube station and waterpoint, and then some well deserved downhill!
Training tip: Practice not getting sense of humour failure!
-Stuart Lightley, Karoo to Coast Route Guru