Race to Rhodes ‘24 - Last Day

Trundling along the Pyga Line 

After a good nights sleep Pieter, Daniel and I headed out from Vuvu School and made our way to the last hairpin bend that marks the beginning of the Lehana's Pass portage. It was still dark when we left the school but 35 minutes later when we got to the hairpin our riding lights were extinguished. As we made our way along the rocky track that ran along the Tina river we could see the blue container on the ridge 7km ahead and 900 metres above our current elevation. We opted for the Pyga Line route which, apart from Pieter taking a tumble during one of the few sections we were able to ride, we covered the ground in reasonable time. What is considered reasonable time? It took us 90 mins to cover 3 km. That gives you a sense of how tough that particular portage is. 

Next we took the Tiger Line as we didn't fancy going around under the container and having to plod through the snow covered rocks on the southern path. The final steep plod up the  mountain and scramble up the final cliff took us 45 mins even though it was just over 1 km. It had taken us 3 hours 20 mins to cover the 5.4 km from the road to the top of the mountain next to the blue container. The standard route is 7 km but by combining the Pyga Line and the Tiger Line it’s a bit shorter. Harder but shorter. 

Exhausted but happy to have the Lehana portage behind us we took a few minutes to look back and enjoy the view of the route we had just taken. Next goal was to cover the relatively easy 5 km to get to the Tenahead Lodge. In the way there we were already discussing what we were going to order. Coffee, the first real coffee since leaving Pietermaritzburg a few days earlier, was on the top of our list. 

Tenahead Lodge. Always a welcome sight

Arriving at the Lodge we were warmly welcomed. Aware that we were scruffy and not exactly 5 star establishment fragrant we sat out on the wooden deck overlooking the Bell river where we ordered coffee and toasted sandwiches. The coffee arrived in short order. 

While savouring our coffee we saw race leader Alex Harris pedal past. I for one was not envious of the fact that Alex was less than a quarter of the way through his race. We, on the other hand, had only 35 kilometres to our finish in Rhodes - most of that was downhill. And, while this was a race, race spirit had been ripped out of us 2 days before. I was looking forward to a leisurely ride into Rhodes. 

While waiting for our sandwiches we were ushered into the lodge where a table had been set for us where we were given a complimentary bowl of leek and onion soup. Our toasted sandwiches with chips followed soon after. We looked like street urchins but were treated like royalty. 

In a few short hours we had been transported from the thriving activity of countless villages to a serene postcard setting in the mountains with a population density as close to zero per square kilometre as you can get. In our ride to Rhodes we saw only one vehicle. I stopped to chat to the couple who had stopped to change a flat tyre. 

Daniel had family waiting for him in Rhodes so he scampered off like a dog chasing a postman, while Pieter and I savoured the last couple of hours soft-pedalling into town.