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the great descent

a Sunday afternoon bicycle ride in Namibia

A bicycle ride of 125 kilometres is nothing spectacular. But apart from the distance, all other aspects were spectacular indeed and I was very excited to do the ride. First: the scenery. Pure desert, as deserted as a desert can be, complete with sand dunes, very little vegetation and one long black asphalt road with no settlement at all between my starting point and the end, 125 kilometres apart. A real challenge. Second: The difference in elevation between start and finish is almost 1500 metres, in my favour. The setting for this ride is Namibia in southern Africa, a former German colony (that's why many place names sound German) and later a protectorate of South Africa. Now (this happened in 1998) it is an independent republic.
map of the area
   click on the image to view the map

I choose a Sunday afternoon to do it and found a sympathetic colleague who would drive me in a car to the place Aus and drop me there. I worked like hell in the morning to create a free afternoon. My job in Lüderitz requires 7 days a week attendance. But since Aus is located 1500 metres higher than Lüderitz which lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast, I thought I could do the ride in less than 4 hours and be back home before dark.
We set off at noon and headed east, into the desert. The sun bombarded the tarmac and the air vibrated on the horizon. Yet, it was not very hot. The climate in this region is rather cool throughout the year, because of the Antarctic current that runs along the coast. And more inland, the elevation of the land is so high, that the lowest temperature in a normal winter reaches as low as -9°C (16°F). I brought some extra clothes because I had never been to Aus and I did not know what to expect. We passed the ghost town of Kolmanskop. The deserted houses and ruins stand bravely on a hill contrasting the blue sky, but the sand covered the streets and nature seemed determined to regain this heritage of the early diamond mining pioneers. A little later, I saw that there were small sand dunes on the road from the strong wind a day before. They might bother me on my way back on the bicycle, but fortunately it was only over a small stretch of the route.
a longitudinal section of the route
   click on the image to view the graph

We climbed gradually and while watching the scenery conveniently from the car, I held my Cateye CT50 bike computer / altimeter in my hand, checking elevations and distances, making notes of it. Because I wanted to obtain figures, for getting an idea what to expect while coming back. Also, I wanted to record data for making a profile in a graph, see below. I found that there was a large flat plain between 50 and 100 kilometres from Lüderitz, tilting slightly upwards towards Aus. The last 16 kilometres to Aus accounted for 600 metres of height difference, almost half of the total. So, the descent would not be a continuous descent at all!
We stopped along the road to watch wild horses and orixes, wondering how they could survive. There was a bit more vegetation now with some scattered trees and low shrubs, but still we found it amazing. Then we reached Aus and took a drink in the local hotel. We wondered again: this time about the people who live here: How on earth could they survive here and what do they do for a living? There was no time to find this out, because I wanted to hit the road. It was already 2 o'clock and that large flat plain gave me an uncomfortable feeling.
the deserted diamond mining town of Kolmanskop
   click on the image to view the photograph

The first 20 kilometres were marvellous. With easy pedalling, I enjoyed the view of the mountains and the yellow plain in front of me, at an average speed of almost 40 km/h. I reached the plain. The road still descended slightly for some 20 kilometres, not noticeable by eye, but unmistakably measured by the altimeter. There was not much wind and the temperature was pleasant. I enjoyed my ride enormously, searching for wildlife, watching the rocks, the sand and the mountains on the horizon in this moonlike landscape. The sun lowered slowly above the western horizon, but I still had faith in reaching my destination before dark, checking time, distance and speed regularly. I could maintain my speed at around 28 km/h. But it was not going to stay like this.
The wind started to blow harder and it was a headwind. Soon my speed dropped to around 20 km/h. I realized that I was not doing an easy ride, I had to fight for it! I bent down more deeply over the handlebar and put more strain on my muscles. I was confident that the effect of my daily early morning rides would allow me to keep on going like this for a long time. Now, I watched my speedometer more than nature around me. The signs along the road, marking every full 10 kilometres distance to Lüderitz became important landmarks to me. Reaching the next one gave me every time the feeling of passing a finish line. I had not expected this struggle. Maybe that's naive optimism, because the wind and its unexpected character are notorious in this country; even the capital Windhoek is named after it.
little sanddunes had built up on the road
   click on the image to view the photograph

At 50 kilometres from Lüderitz, the road rose a little. The wind decreased however and I could maintain my speed at 20 km/h. Also I knew from my notes that this plain would end soon and that the rest would be a hilly terrain with more descents than climbs. But it was impossible to reach Lüderitz before dark. I climbed over the last hill that marked the end of the plain and stopped to look around. Behind me, the long straight black line pointed to the horizon and I was glad that I could look back at the toughest part of the tour. The shadows became longer and the sky over the horizon became red; there was nothing I could do to prevent the sun from sinking behind the mountains. I went on. The wind was not a problem anymore, but an other problem arose: the darkness. I brought a light for a beam in front, but I had no rear light. I felt unsafe for cars from behind. The darkness came quickly. Much earlier than I expected. I cursed myself for not having made the most obvious preparation: to check the time of sunset. How stupid I was! I was so confident to be back before dark. It was not the only stupidity. I ran out of water. I had carelessly drunk most of my water with another 40 kilometres to go! I wondered if I would ever learn to take proper precautions before I would venture again a ride like this one.
the long and lonely road through the desert
   click on the image to view the photograph

Fortunately the quality of the road is very good and there were no stones on the road, therefore riding in the dark was not a real problem. Stars appeared in the sky. Sometimes I took my light off the bracket to shine on the computer and I still made notes for the profile graph (see above) that I was determined to make. I felt tired. Climbing became difficult. And I was thirsty, still cursing myself with every little sip that I took once a while, trying to ration the remainder. The few cars that passed me from behind made me nervous. But everything went fine considering the circumstances and I was very fortunate that the wind went down completely. In the total darkness there was nothing I could recognize. The bike computer was my only guide and the closer I came to Lüderitz, the more assured I felt that this ride would have a good end. On a hilltop, 17 kilometres from the finish, I stopped. This was an important landmark for me: the place until where I normally ride my bike every morning. I recognized familiar things in the lamplight and could not suppress a feeling of triumph, although I still had more than half an hour to go. But this looked like the arrival: I knew this place and the rest of the road so well. But another hazard had yet to come: the sand dunes on the road. I knew exactly where they were and was prepared when they appeared in the beam of my light. The white sand on the black tarmac was well visible and I could avoid most of the sand by steering around most of the dunes. Then, on top of the last hill I saw the lights of Lüderitz and the end was in sight. A little later, when I sat down in an easy chair with a bottle of water in my hand, I looked back at a fantastic experience.

***

	A bicycle ride of 125 kilometres is nothing spectacular. But apart from the distance, all other aspects were spectacular indeed and I was very excited to do the ride. First: the scenery. Pure desert, as deserted as a desert can be, complete with sand dunes, very little vegetation and one long black asphalt road with no settlement at all between my starting point and the end, 125 kilometres apart. A real challenge. Second: The difference in elevation between start and finish is almost 1500 metres, in my favour. The setting for this ride is Namibia in southern Africa, a former German colony (that's why many place names sound German) and later a protectorate of South Africa. Now (this happened in 1998) it is an independent republic.
	map of the area click on the image to view the map
	I choose a Sunday afternoon to do it and found a sympathetic colleague who would drive me in a car to the place Aus and drop me there. I worked like hell in the morning to create a free afternoon. My job in Lüderitz requires 7 days a week attendance. But since Aus is located 1500 metres higher than Lüderitz which lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast, I thought I could do the ride in less than 4 hours and be back home before dark. We set off at noon and headed east, into the desert. The sun bombarded the tarmac and the air vibrated on the horizon. Yet, it was not very hot. The climate in this region is rather cool throughout the year, because of the Antarctic current that runs along the coast. And more inland, the elevation of the land is so high, that the lowest temperature in a normal winter reaches as low as -9°C (16°F). I brought some extra clothes because I had never been to Aus and I did not know what to expect. We passed the ghost town of Kolmanskop. The deserted houses and ruins stand bravely on a hill contrasting the blue sky, but the sand covered the streets and nature seemed determined to regain this heritage of the early diamond mining pioneers. A little later, I saw that there were small sand dunes on the road from the strong wind a day before. They might bother me on my way back on the bicycle, but fortunately it was only over a small stretch of the route.
	a longitudinal section of the route click on the image to view the graph
	We climbed gradually and while watching the scenery conveniently from the car, I held my Cateye CT50 bike computer / altimeter in my hand, checking elevations and distances, making notes of it. Because I wanted to obtain figures, for getting an idea what to expect while coming back. Also, I wanted to record data for making a profile in a graph, see below. I found that there was a large flat plain between 50 and 100 kilometres from Lüderitz, tilting slightly upwards towards Aus. The last 16 kilometres to Aus accounted for 600 metres of height difference, almost half of the total. So, the descent would not be a continuous descent at all! We stopped along the road to watch wild horses and orixes, wondering how they could survive. There was a bit more vegetation now with some scattered trees and low shrubs, but still we found it amazing. Then we reached Aus and took a drink in the local hotel. We wondered again: this time about the people who live here: How on earth could they survive here and what do they do for a living? There was no time to find this out, because I wanted to hit the road. It was already 2 o'clock and that large flat plain gave me an uncomfortable feeling.
	the deserted diamond mining town of Kolmanskop click on the image to view the photograph
	The first 20 kilometres were marvellous. With easy pedalling, I enjoyed the view of the mountains and the yellow plain in front of me, at an average speed of almost 40 km/h. I reached the plain. The road still descended slightly for some 20 kilometres, not noticeable by eye, but unmistakably measured by the altimeter. There was not much wind and the temperature was pleasant. I enjoyed my ride enormously, searching for wildlife, watching the rocks, the sand and the mountains on the horizon in this moonlike landscape. The sun lowered slowly above the western horizon, but I still had faith in reaching my destination before dark, checking time, distance and speed regularly. I could maintain my speed at around 28 km/h. But it was not going to stay like this. The wind started to blow harder and it was a headwind. Soon my speed dropped to around 20 km/h. I realized that I was not doing an easy ride, I had to fight for it! I bent down more deeply over the handlebar and put more strain on my muscles. I was confident that the effect of my daily early morning rides would allow me to keep on going like this for a long time. Now, I watched my speedometer more than nature around me. The signs along the road, marking every full 10 kilometres distance to Lüderitz became important landmarks to me. Reaching the next one gave me every time the feeling of passing a finish line. I had not expected this struggle. Maybe that's naive optimism, because the wind and its unexpected character are notorious in this country; even the capital Windhoek is named after it.
	little sanddunes had built up on the road click on the image to view the photograph
	At 50 kilometres from Lüderitz, the road rose a little. The wind decreased however and I could maintain my speed at 20 km/h. Also I knew from my notes that this plain would end soon and that the rest would be a hilly terrain with more descents than climbs. But it was impossible to reach Lüderitz before dark. I climbed over the last hill that marked the end of the plain and stopped to look around. Behind me, the long straight black line pointed to the horizon and I was glad that I could look back at the toughest part of the tour. The shadows became longer and the sky over the horizon became red; there was nothing I could do to prevent the sun from sinking behind the mountains. I went on. The wind was not a problem anymore, but an other problem arose: the darkness. I brought a light for a beam in front, but I had no rear light. I felt unsafe for cars from behind. The darkness came quickly. Much earlier than I expected. I cursed myself for not having made the most obvious preparation: to check the time of sunset. How stupid I was! I was so confident to be back before dark. It was not the only stupidity. I ran out of water. I had carelessly drunk most of my water with another 40 kilometres to go! I wondered if I would ever learn to take proper precautions before I would venture again a ride like this one.
	the long and lonely road through the desert click on the image to view the photograph
	Fortunately the quality of the road is very good and there were no stones on the road, therefore riding in the dark was not a real problem. Stars appeared in the sky. Sometimes I took my light off the bracket to shine on the computer and I still made notes for the profile graph (see above) that I was determined to make. I felt tired. Climbing became difficult. And I was thirsty, still cursing myself with every little sip that I took once a while, trying to ration the remainder. The few cars that passed me from behind made me nervous. But everything went fine considering the circumstances and I was very fortunate that the wind went down completely. In the total darkness there was nothing I could recognize. The bike computer was my only guide and the closer I came to Lüderitz, the more assured I felt that this ride would have a good end. On a hilltop, 17 kilometres from the finish, I stopped. This was an important landmark for me: the place until where I normally ride my bike every morning. I recognized familiar things in the lamplight and could not suppress a feeling of triumph, although I still had more than half an hour to go. But this looked like the arrival: I knew this place and the rest of the road so well. But another hazard had yet to come: the sand dunes on the road. I knew exactly where they were and was prepared when they appeared in the beam of my light. The white sand on the black tarmac was well visible and I could avoid most of the sand by steering around most of the dunes. Then, on top of the last hill I saw the lights of Lüderitz and the end was in sight. A little later, when I sat down in an easy chair with a bottle of water in my hand, I looked back at a fantastic experience.