Day 3 - The hills have begun! So, yes, there were 3 VERY serious hills today, and Bevan proved he was King of the mountains, as he, without breaking a sweat, passed the bus..... UP THE HILL! Seriaas! He will have to redo the exploit, as I was SO aghast, that I did NOT capture the moment on camera. So, Bev, ol boy, you will have to do it again.... lol!
The team was in GREAT spirits, as we set off, after a wonderful evening, spent at the Sarie Marais Hotel. If you EVER need to spend the night in Bloemfontien, do consider stopping over in Reddersburg rather, and considering Phillip's great hospitality, as they went out of their way to look after our motley crew. :-) The rooms were spacious and the beds were comfortable........ I never did tell you about our first night's experience in Bloemfontein.... I have a photo to prove it..... but I need to be a few more hundred kilo's away before I do...... just for safety. :-) But, that story on another day. Back to today. After  a great night's rest, we awoke at 5am, to set off at 5:30am. Phillip woke up especially to see us off, with a packed breakfast and a fond farewell.
It was already the mid twenty's celcius at 8am. So, we hit Aliwal North mid-morning, and enjoyed a cup of Wimpy coffee........... Eish! Dit was lekker! :-) And then we still cycled another 36 km's to our final destination.... between which were those three hills.... which were renamed........ They do have geographic South African names.... but, in honour of the severity of the heat, and the incline, they have been renamed for this cycle trip, and forever after....... And perhaps, that will be for another story too.
We have a wonderful team spirit, and I am overwhelmed that we have SUCH a star-studded cast, and yet, they are AMAZING men and women who have so freely given of their time and effort, and actually PAID their money, to be on this 'road' trip with us. This was Sally Reeves' grand idea, and when she pitched it to me, I couldn't believe anyone would be SO crazy to actually go along with it.... but here we are..... at the end of Day 3...... and we have a double Springbok, South African representatives.....people that fly all over the world, are celebrities, are on television, are AWESOME men and women, sharing this experience with us.... and then we have businessmen/women/ professionals, who have taken their holiday time/leave to do this. It has cost them time/effort, and money, and yet they do it, putting their bodies on the line. I am humbled..... because they realise the cause is greater than themselves.
Thank you for sharing this moment with us. It is indeed a privilege and pleasure.
I am truly humbled because little 'ol me, is a part of this AMAZING cycle ride...... and I am overwhelmed.