From small acts of kindness to the largest animals in Africa, Shimano Gravel Alliance rider Saoirse Pottie’s on-going 10,000 km adventure will leave you convinced that bicycles are the best form of transport.
It was 10.30 am. I’d been cycling for almost 4 hours. I knew that once again we would be riding until sunset, and I already felt completely exhausted. Over the last couple of weeks, a heatwave had hit the Northern Cape of South Africa and Namibia, unleashing temperatures of up to 46.7°C.
In an effort to beat the heat, I had been forced to become a morning person (gross!). Each day, our alarms were going off at 5am. The aim was to pack up our tents, have breakfast and hit the road by 6:30 to make the most of the cooler morning temperatures.
Over the previous couple of days, we’d put in some long hours on the bike to make it between the limited resupply points. Today was another one of those days. By 10:30am, the temperature was already in the mid-30s. I was on struggle street and mentally preparing myself for another 200 km before we would pass a shop again.
For the past half an hour, I had been unsuccessfully scouring the horizon for a tree or something to shelter under so I could have a snack and recollect my thoughts. Food doesn’t solve all existential crises, but in my experience, it definitely helps. Just then I saw a tunnel that ran under the road – the PERFECT shade spot. I set my bike down and just as I did, a bright yellow Landrover pulled up alongside me.
Caroline, Phil and their 2-year-old daughter were on a roadtrip through Namibia and pulled over to check if I was okay. After a moment's chatting, Caroline rummaged in the back seat and produced the best thing I could have imagined in that moment: two juicy, cool oranges! If it wasn’t for the risk of dehydration, I could have cried. As I sat in the tunnel under the road looking at my feast of oranges, peanut butter and rusks, my thoughts were consumed with how lucky I was.
From that moment, my day just got better and better. An hour later, a second overlander slowed down. They recognised us from a campsite we’d stayed in a few days previously and offered us a cold coke from their fridge. Later, Thomas and Tim, a father and son that we had spoken to the previous day passed us with a friendly toot. About 10km further down the road, we found an arrow pointing to a 5L canister of water and a message that read “Water for the next part of your trip, keep going, girls! Thomas and Tim.”
Just one month into our trip, there are already many memories that I will treasure for the rest of my time. We have cycled along the crystal blue coast of South Africa and through the oldest desert in the world, passed herds of zebra, giraffe, oryx and even woken up to a hyena outside our tent but the memories that I will treasure the most are of the people that we have met along the way. On a daily basis, we are experiencing humanity at its best and that is my favourite thing about travelling by bicycle. I can’t wait for what lies on the road ahead.