Lesotho Sky Diaries Day 6: Semonkong Loop
The final stage of Lesotho Sky 2016 took place at Semonkong Lodge, nestled next to the Maletsunyane River high in the Maluti mountains. The drive to the start of the stage was an experience of its own: nearly an hour of the most incredible winding passes. You could almost feel the air getting thinner as […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries Day 5: Ramabanta Loop
Today made the preceding stages of Lesotho Sky look like a picnic in the park. It was not our lucky day. The legs were feeling a bit better, morale was high, and we were looking forward to a slightly shorter ride, keeping things in our comfort zone. All went according to plan until after the […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries Day 4: Roma to Ramabanta
Day 4 of Lesotho Sky saw us tackle another hefty stage, riding 78 kilometres from Roma to Ramabanta Trading post via Bushman’s Pass and the infamous Three Witches. It was another day of digging deep for us. I had forgotten to pack my legs and had to be dragged up every single incline, gasping like […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries Day 3: Malealea to Roma
Today’s stage saw us ride 87 kilometres from Malealea Lodge to Roma with what ended up measuring around 1900 metres of vertical ascent. It is the longest stage of the race and took us into a very dark place. The route starts with a gradual climb through the Gates of Paradise Pass before dropping down […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries Day 2: Malealea Loop
Day 2 of Lesotho Sky saw us take on the infamous Malealea Monster in a 55km loop from Malealea Lodge with 1,430 metres of ascent. This was probably my favourite day from last year, featuring beast climbs followed by incredible, fun, and sketchy descents, keeping the climbing to reward ratio high. The Malealea Loop did […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries Day 1: Ramabanta to Malealea
The Lesotho Sky takes a different format this year and starts with a bang – there is no short prologue to ease riders into the thin air of the Maloti mountains. The race starts with the gruelling ride from Ramabanta Trading Post to Malealea Lodge over 69 kilometres with 1800 metres of vertical ascent.* After […]