Day 3 was dubbed the rest day. However, with only 55 kms and 1500 metres of climbing there was little respite to be had.
Starting from the Malealea Lodge, the route headed straight down the valley to the river bed via a fast rocky descent. All hesitation about jumping on the bike for the day was instantly replaced by big grins.
Then came the climbing. First up a gradual ascent, followed by the steep Ribaneng Valley climb. Thankfully this climb came 20km into the race, a good distance, as my legs were only just starting to warm up. After slaying the beast, we were diverted off the main drag and onto what makes Lesotho such a great place to ride: donkey trails.
This particular trail started off resembling a pump track with it’s flowing mounds, sweeping down to the valley wall. The path then became a carnival of loose rocky switchbacks, watched over by vigilant goats. It is trails like this that keep me riding, and make all the climbing in Lesotho bearable.
While dispatching the Ribaneng Valley climb earlier on in the race felt good at the time, it caught up with me on the last climb of the day. The Malealea Monster, a hill so mean it has it’s own race named after it. It was at this point that I started fearing the big stages ahead, but a bit of vasbyt and sucking on Kylie’s wheel got to me to top, where a big downhill reward was waiting.
In these reports we’ve waxed lyrical about the trails, there are only so many adjectives that we can use before it all gets a bit boring. The truth is that every piece of trail we’ve encountered this far has been absolutely sublime and the last few kilometres of stage 3 were no different. A perfect way to raise our spirits over the finish line, with a mammoth 89 kilometre day awaiting us in the morning.
