Day 3, Part 1: Underberg to Sani Pass SA Border Post Distance 34.8 km Altitude 1,514 m to 1,967 m Ascent / Descent +882 m / -475 m Terrain Tar, consistent climb toward border Start Underberg Finish SA Border Post, Sani Pass (1,961 m) The last stretch of normal riding before the real work started. The first kilometres were steady. Tar, long views, farmland slowly giving way to rising mountain terrain. Consistent climbing throughout, but rideable. The kind of effort where you settle in and let the legs do what they've been trained to do. Nothing about this section demands improvisation. You feel Sani before you properly see it. The road narrows. The air cools. The horizon lifts and keeps lifting. Traffic thins out to mostly 4x4s heading up or back down. And to my surprise : taxis…all with new tyres. This must be the only place in South Africa where the taxi’s actaully have road worthy tyres. I found out later a one way trip from Underberg to the Lesotho side Border control was R200. The South African border post sits at approximately 1,961 m. That's where the GPX track finishes for Part 1, and that is where the road stops pretending to be friendly. Beyond the post, the tar ends. The mountain begins. Part 1 done. Part 2 is a different thing entirely.