Photograph: Leaving PE

PART THREE

Between Stages: Port Elizabeth to Jeffrey’s Bay and on to Bloukrans

My PE friend, Guy Rogers, and I cycled together from his place where I had spent my last night in the Friendly City to Old Cape Road. Then he turned right towards the Herald newspaper’s office to put in a bit of early work on a Sunday morning. I headed left in the direction of Cape Town, my more immediate destination being the surfer’s paradise of Jeffrey’s Bay.

This was not in fact a stage of the inaugural Tour of South Africa but rather a stretch between the stages. However, I chose to cycle it because SAFM radio had said they wished to interview me while on the road. I felt I should be out there when their call came through at 4.30pm.

PE’s wide pavements passed the cycling-friendly test as I passed schools, houses, flats, sports grounds and churches, which after some time became plot country with little turn-offs heading into the fynbos greenery.

The city’s sport cyclists were on their Sunday morning run, mostly on bikes far more sophisticated than Mellow Yellow.

A pod of them passed on the opposite side of the road. They all started shouted something that sounded like “Trevor, Trevor”.

Who were they calling?

As they came closer I figured they were shouting at me.

“You travel, you travel,” I realised they were saying.

They had obviously spotted my panniers, which were an indication that I was on a longer, slower ride than them.

“Good luck, good luck,” they shouted, showing thumbs up signs.

What cool people!

Those cycling in my direction offered a “Howzit” or “Good morning” greeting as they whizzed past at speeds way higher than my plodding along.

One fellow slowed down to my pace for a ten-minute chat.

PE definitely deserves its reputation for being a friendly city!

COMMENT: How valuable do you think it is to be friendly?