Morning beginners gravel ride Durbanville to Paarl. Sat 19th February

When?

I'm in - so much to learn, so little time.

Hi Andy, would love to join, haven't been on the bike for a while, it's a shame!

marita

I'm in too please

Andrew 0824900059 thanks 

Me too please.

Would have loved to, but not after a U2 concert the previous night... Eish!

Great going guys n gals.

I'll put the rider list on in a few days so you can see who we're riding with.

We'll ride in a novice group and a more experienced group.

We have  enough riders to form a group for real novices which will ride at the speed of the slowest bike and no rush at all.

That's what we're there for - to give people a gravel experience in a controlled and fun and mostly SAFE environment.

And the lead group will comprise those that have done this before and want to get on.

This is great as it takes all the pressure off the second group.

We're booked at Proviant in Paarl, expect your brekky/brunch to be around R55.00. We've only had great food and ambiance there, they're very bike friendly.

If your family want to join for brekky please let me know so Liezl can book the right seating, they can cope with groups very well.

Non club members are very welcome and will pay R25.00 levy.

Pillions are very welcome, they'll really enjoy the exquisite scenery.

We will not have a back-up vehicle following this ride as we are so close to support and have no luggage.

If you are new to biking, this is a great opportunity to look at the gear people wear and how they kit their bike out so you can make your own informed decisions when buying bike gear in future.

Watch the weatherman and be guided accordingly.

We will ride irrespective of rain. because then we'll learn to ride in rain.

Hi Andy ,could you please add Sian,Craig and myself to the ride as well.

Regards.

Yeah, I may be in no condition to get up so early after a big night out.

(Not that I'm ever in any condition to get up early)

Hi Andy, even a heavy night with U2 won't keep me away, please put my name down.

Cheers

Graham

This trip is now fully subscribed.

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If you only found this post now and would like to see such a ride soon, please let me know by email andy@abarc.co.za, we can set up another such ride shortly.

All respondents will receive a personal mail shortly.

Thank you very much for such enthusiasm and prompt reaction.

If you did not receive an email from me detailing the ride arrangements and costs of brunch, then I either messed up your email addy, somehow lost track of you.

Apologies,

If I did you need to let me know.

Its all in the mail,

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Andy, seeing that you have chosen the great RT as your ID, please change your "Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA".

Dont let the RT feel -------.

35 bikes, two groups, and a great day.

To those who came along, many thanks for making it a good ride.

6 lady riders and 5 pillions, 2 gate crashers, two punctures and 3 side stand incidents, plus good roads and the challenging Jan Phillips drive all before the lekker brekky at Proviant.

Well done all.

Weirdest of weird events.... Tony got a puncture that delayed the group slightly.

During a stop while we waited for a fall to be sorted out and the group to catch up, I noticed Marita had a loose hand guard, she told me she had the bar weight in her pocket but the bolt had fallen free.

Later at breakfast, Tony showed me the cause of the puncture and yes, you guessed it.

It was Marita's rogue handle-bar-weight bolt.

It had fallen off her bike, Tony came along and his tyre picked it up!!!

How weird is that???

To those who rode for the first time, well done and we look forward to another ride.

We'll keep the groups limited to ten in a group. Its much easier and more enjoyable.

Many dragons were slain and laid to rest, I hope you all enjoyed the ride and did not push beyond your envelope- there's plenty time for that when you have more kilometers under the belt.

Thanks to Pete and the sweepers.

Thanks Annie for keeping well back and giving the riders room to ride at their own pace.

Thanks Andy, Anne for a great ride. Thank you Pete 4 taking the not so beginners on a separate ride. We know that it does not take 5 minutes to organise a ride.    Can't believe that I'm really ON the bike by myself.  I really enjoyed the morning ride and terrain, as a beginner!!!  Not too strainful and tiring.  Hope to see all the new faces on trips and at the club meetings.

Thanks for putting this all together Andy.

Jan Phillips drive -- Some trivia I stumbled upon...

Jan Phillips Mountain Road is the only access road to Paarl Mountain and was completed in 1928. It was the brainchild of Jan Phillips, one of Paarl's welknown wagon builders. Phillips was a keen hiker and fond of walking on Paarl Mountain. His idea of building a contour road on the slopes of Paarl Mountain to give motorists access to the mountain was met with much scepticism. To prove that a road was possible, he packed a knapsack and started to stake out his a route - apparently on Sunday mornings after church. His efforts paid off and soon some local farmers joined him to build a rudimentary "voorpad."
    Having proved a point, he once again approached the authorities to help him finance the road. This time he was more successful and they agreed to foot the bill, but only for half of the anticipated costs. The rest he would have to collect from Paarl's residents. The road was completed at a cost of £12,000 fo which Phillips contributed £5,000.

and another bit of info...

......Along the way it passes the Mill Water Wildflower Garden and the starting points for several trails, including hikes up to the great granite domes of Paarl Mountain. The dirt road rejoins Main Street at the far end of Paarl.

and...

http://www.dualsportafrica.com/paarlrockadventure.htm

Even more enjoyable than Jan Phillips are the roads in the reserve on top of Paarl Mountain. For those who havent been up there, pack a few refreshments and go enjoy those roads. Very pleasant. A nominal entry fee is payable at the gate to the reserve.

Here is an old route map I discovered

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