8-9 January 2024, Carolina, 49.81km
Rand Self Catering R650

We cycled just on 50km between Badplaas and Carolina today, gaining almost 1000m in elevation, making for another tough ride. For half the distance we had a wide safe shoulder, for half we had none. Luckily traffic was relatively light. We did a lot of walking. We ran short of water. A black man and his family stopped on the roadside ahead of us. He got out of his bakkie, opened up the back, and handed us two mangoes. We ate these at a spot on the road where Sappi trees were being cut by a machine. Jabulani came out to chat to us. He has worked for the tree cutting company, contracted to Sappi, for 17 years.
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For those who don't know or have forgotten, here is a definition of elevation gain:
Elevation gain is the total amount you will climb in a day, and elevation loss is the total amount you will descend in a day. For example, if you climb 1000 metres, descend 500 metres, and then climb an additional 300 metres, the elevation gain would be 1300 metres and the elevation loss would be 500 metres.