WATCH: Cyclists who pedal while the town sleeps, surprised by music
Through the night, through the dawn, another cyclist is born
A group of cyclists in town wake up every morning with the song lyrics Hello darkness, my old friend, playing in their ears.
When the rest of the town sleeps, they get ready to pedal into the dark.
Getting up early can be anytime from 03:30 to 04:00, depending on where you live.
Exactly at 04:30, they start cycling on Wes Street.
There is no waiting; when the clock strikes 04:30, the pedalling starts.
Early Riders
They are known as the Early Riders, but could just as well be the thumbs-up gang. If you can’t pedal, it’s thumbs down; if you’re ready to rock and roll, it’s thumbs up.
There are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday routes, with intervals around the mall that are sometimes incorporated.
Yes, it is quite a sight to see how they are racing around and around the mall in the dark of the early morning.
It’s a ritual
Another variation is Cowen Ntuli Street or Totius Street, up and back… up and back.
Residents peeking through their windows will think it’s Christmas, because there are sometimes up to 15 flashing red lights and legs moving.
Fridays are a coffee ride.
It’s more than cycling, it’s a ritual.
Music floated in from behind
Sometimes the Early Riders also get more than Hello darkness, my old friend.
They were pedalling last week when music floated in from behind.
The next moment, the rhythm breathed new life into ‘old’ legs.
It was Eric Mathebula who sped past the group on his bike.
He has a whole sound system built into his bike, and the song he played was that of Rhumela Moya.
Through the night, through the dawn
Maybe they should change Manfred Mann’s Earth Band song The Runner to The Cyclists:
Through the night, through the dawn
Behind you, another cyclist is born
Don’t look back
You’ve been there
See the mist as your breath hits the air
Your heart beats in the moonlight, like a drum
Through the night, through the dawn
And you will cycle your time
A shooting star across the sky
And you will surely cross the line
To pass on the flame
Sun come up, sun go down
Hear the sound of the bike, see the sweat on the ground…
@middelburgobserver A group of Middelburg cyclists made a new friend in Eric Mathebula, who sped past them on his amped-up bicycle during an Early Riders morning ride last week. They heard Mathebula approaching from behind due to his blaring boombox before he passed them on his mountain bike, which could probably be seen from space with all its reflector trimmings. ProudlySA
