One of the things we really wanted to do when we got to Cape Town was to cycle all the way down to Cape Point, the southernmost tip of the Cape Peninsula. We had heard that it was one of the most beautiful bike rides in the world. We decided to take the Atlantic Ocean coastal route, then over famous Chapman’s peak drive before entering Cape Of Good Hope Nature Reserve. It was a beautiful, clear and warm day but the sea was angry my friends. (Sorry, couldn’t resist the Seinfeld reference). 
Roaring waves that must have been ten to fifteen feet high were crashing against the shore. It was quite the sight to behold. We could even feel the mist as we cycled along. A few km later, as we cycled by the mansions of Camps Bay, the towering Peaks of the Twelve Apostles came into sight. Magnificent! There are several pull-outs along the way; we stopped at everyone, took out the camera and tried to capture this magnificent place in front of us. At one of the pull-outs, there was a small market with artists selling their artwork. We’re not shoppers, but even we fell in love with one of the wood carved hippos. For anyone thinking of doing this ride, I do not recommend purchasing a 5 pound hippo 20 km into a 100 km bike ride…and before I forget, there is 1200 m of climbing as well.
About 30 kms from Cape Town, we started the climb to Chapman’s Point. Imagine cycling on a twisty road hugging the cliffs with the ocean roaring hundreds of meters below. One of the most spectacular stretches of road we have cycled. The route then goes inland, where we needed to make a decision whether to go back towards the Atlantic or head to the False Bay side of the peninsula. Both routes would eventually take us to Cape Point, both sides are beautiful, you can’t really make a wrong decision. We decided to take the Atlantic side as we were going to cycle back on the False Bay side. We eventually made our way to the park gate. From the park gate, it is 12 km to Cape Point. As we neared the Point, the landscape was quite desolate, reminding us of the Scottish Highlands. Seventy seven kms after we started, we got to the Cape Point Lighthouse parking lot. From there we took the funicular to the lighthouse. The views from the lighthouse could not be more dramatic. We hope the photos give you somewhat of an idea of how gorgeous this spot is. While Cape Town was the official finish line of the TDA, for us this cycling journey would not have been complete until we cycled to Cape Point. A spectacular ending to an amazing journey.
We eventually tore ourselves away, got back on the bikes and cycled along the coast of False Bay for another 25 kms to Simon’s Town where we spent the night. The day had been glorious. Tomorrow the penguin colony.
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