Swearworthy Cold

Magda - The 24hrs before D-day held no promises-it was icy cold and sleeting.

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Jerome - Magda and I wanted an early start as we were only halfway to Underburg but the two Posers as they were now called, Paulo and Martin wanted to have a lazy start with a good breakfast before they head back to Johannesburg. This is where the Bar One story was born as I said to them that just a Bar One chocolate bar would suffice as breakfast.

Jerome - The cold was setting in fast and through the Golden Gate Highlands National Park we came across a horrific accident due to black ice that we decided to contact the Support Team and meet them rather at Harrismith. Read my account here on Black Ice and Death

Thinus and Martin loading Magda and my Vespas onto the support trailers in Harrismith as sleet begins to fall.

Marlene and Magda supervise the loading of our Vespas

Magda - That night we trudged from eatery to eatery in the rain in Underberg looking for a place willing to feed 18 souls. Once inside the “The Grind Cafe” with its pub “The Woolly Bugger”, things started looking up and with good food, attentive staff and a few drinks to warm the vital organs and keep the cold at bay we all enjoyed a lovely evening.

Charlie

Colette showing us how to make 12 cups of coffee out of 1 liter kettle water

Dudley

Gys

Magda

Marlene

Matthew

Petro and Angie

Thinus

Tiffany

Magda - Climbing into bed that night at the backpackers lodge the admonishing warnings of family and friends ---don’t do it---crazy---dangerous---ran in ever faster circles inside my head, biting each others’ tails like serpents rolling down a hill. I pulled my buff up against them and the smoke filled room, popped a sleeping tablet and bunked down uncertain as to what the day would bring.

What Happens in Clarens?

Jerome - What happens in Clarens stays in Clarens as Day 1 of The Great Sani Pass Adventure begins with a long ride down to Clarens. Magda and I decided to ride down to Sani Pass while the others would leave the next day with the support vehicles. The plan was that we would meet up along the way to Underburg somewhere either at Escort or somewhere there abouts. You can read my full account of the day here.

Jerome, Paulo, Magda, Martin

Jerome - It is after this first leg that the name Posers was born. Paulo and Martin decided to join us for the down leg to Underburg but that night in Clarens they changed their minds and decided to turn back earlier. Now I wonder if it was the cold or the lack of balls, uhmmm.

Paulo with a device to measure uhmmm... 

Magda - The big balls story actually started off in Clarens on the way to Sani, but Paulo, myself, Martin and Jerome made a pact that what happens in Clarens stays in Clarens. All I can say is that Jerome nearly ended up with Elsa, the owner of the pub in Clarens, Paulo was laughing so much he was continually crying with tears streaming down his face and Martin had us all in stitches again as soon as we recovered and caught breath again.

Vespas in the Mud

Jerome - Within 2 months our dreams of conquering Sani Pass had become a solid reality with the target date set in just over 3 months’ time, training began in earnest.

Left to Right: Marlene PX150, Jerome ET4 150, Magda GTS250ie, and Charlie GTS250ie

Charlie and Jerome the Vespa Ninjas

 Magda - Preparation for Sani took place at Breedsneck Pass near Hartebeespoortdam. Marlene felt that the terrain would make good practice ground for the rocky inclines of Sani and she was right. Just getting to Breedsneck Pass itself was challenging in itself as the back route on a farm road to there was quite muddy.

Jerome - Muddy wasn’t the right word for it as it has been raining for weeks leading up to today and there was more mud than Glastonbury. Sophia in the mud with me.

Mud Glorious mud.

Jerome - Is this mud ever going to end? But thankfully it did end as the mud was replaced with rocks. The end of the rocks couldn't have come any sooner as the road started climbing up over the Magaliesberg Mountains at the Breedsneck Pass. 

Jerome on the Rocks

Dudley and our Support Vehicle

Marlene, Charlie, Magda, and Jerome at the top of Breedsneck Pass

The Road to Happiness

Johannesburg winters are perfect for rides into the country. Although the Posers are scattered for now I did my best to hold up the flag when riding with the VLV and the Vesparados. Here are some photographs from a ride during one of the winter weekends. First was with the VLV with the modern Vespas on a Saturday and then on Sunday with the Vesparados.