Final Day

Stage 86 (68): Yzerfontein to Cape Town

Rain overnight and still drizzling in the early morning, although no where near as cold as the previous morning. Mitchell put on an extra special breakfast this morning - scrambled eggs, bacon and more. Plus we’d been granted an extra 30 minutes lay-in so all good. Whoo-hoo!

Once away, a ~7 km backtrack up the hill to the busier coastal highway, and turn south for Cape Town. Along the way, we could see the iconic Table Mountain, despite the cloud. No rain per se, maybe some mist and cloud, but a tail wind for once helped us make very good time to the lunch stop at Bloubergstrand for the obligatory group photo. Windy and definitely some rain going on at this point.

After that, a quick run down the west coast cycle path to the hotel; champagne awaiting, hugs all ‘round and some tears.

I consider myself so lucky to have been able to do this trip and see a bit more of this truly amazing continent. I think of the people we met along the way, the open smiles and encouragement offered without reservation. From kids and elders waving, truck drivers honking greetings in passing, and even to the kids throwing rocks and the at times insistent ‘hello, how are you?’ being screamed out, it’s all been memorable. The friends made and bonds formed with my fellow riders and TDA crew support will always be there in my mind as well.

So the grand adventure is over. Packing up the bike and gear today, donate what I can to some cycling groups here, and about to start the trip home.