March 4, 2017
Robertson to Worcester: An enjoyable day on the bike and at the wineries
We were on the road before seven o'clock, wanting to get to Worcester before the predicted strong westerly wind would hinder us. Unfortunately within the first six kilometers I picked up a puncture which, along with some silly mistakes in putting everything back together again, lost us quite a bit of time.
Once we got going again, it was in almost perfect riding conditions with a slight south easterly wind behind us and an overcast sky above. The route was mostly a gently climb up to Mower's Halt from where it was a great downhill on towards Worcester. The R60 is a major road and we expected it to be busy, which is it was, but it had a great shoulder of at least 2 meters which shielded us from the occasional maniacal driver.
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About 17 kilometers out of Worcester we pulled into the Nuy Winerey's sales and tasting outlet, just a kilometer or so off the road. When I last visited Nuy, its sales operation was a few kilometers off the R60 in an old shed at the winery itself. The new operation is very modern with a restaurant providing a great view over the vineyards and is appropriately called Nuy On The Hill.
Nuy made its name with its fortified Muscadel wines and, after a look at their Chardonnay and a suprisingly nice and complex wooded blend of mainly Chenin Blanc with Chardonnay, Semmillon and Viognier. Of the fortified Muscadels the white outshone its red counterpart (rich, nutty, dried fruit vs the lighter and more floral red) but the special bottling of a well wooded red Muscadel was probably the best. After the tasting we sat down to a good breakfast before getting back on the bikes.
As one approaches Worcester from the east, there is a quaint farm stall with a great array of pumpkins.
About ten kilometers out of Worcester, on a whim, we pulled into Overhex Winery. Primarily a volume producer, they also have a range, called "Suvivor", of more interesting wines bought in from the Malmesbury area in the Swartland. We had tasted the Survivor Pinotage with Paul du Toit at Onrus the previous week and so I wanted to look at it again. We also took the chance to taste the Survivor wild yeast Chardonnay, quite heavily wooded (11 month French oak) and complex but still very young. The fun bit was a series of paired tasting that they offer. I opted for the olive products pairing which included wines from their standard range while Leigh went with the ice-cream tasting that was paired with wines from the Survivor range. Very enjoyable and relaxing and we were certainly over the legal limit by the time we stepped out the door.
When we got to the bikes it was to find my rear wheel flat - I had forgotten to check the tyre for the cause of the first puncture and consequently paid the price. I quickly found the thorn that caused both punctures and changed tubes in a blissful alcoholic haze.
By this stage the predicted westerly wind was in full force and we worked hard to the Church Street Lodge where we had pre-booked for the night.
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 581 km (361 miles)
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