Tango Cycling: singletrack

Showing posts with label singletrack. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Discovering the goodness of riding in South Africa!

I live in London 11 months of the year and get to spend a month in South Africa over Christmas! I've started riding about 8 years ago now and have only been able to take my bike home with me once before and after being home last year I decided that it is the last time that I will be sitting at the farmstall and watch how everybody else rides their bikes.

1. Local around our farm on the Garden Route

I had the privilege to ride with 'locals' around the farm; technically I was the local being born and bred in the area whilst they were just on holiday; although I was also on holiday!

At home I was able to ride in places I've only seen from a far or driving past in a car. Some of the rides were a trip down memory lane riding where I grew up with the sea right next to me. I was also lucky to meet people to ride with which broke down my pre-conceived ideas of South Africans back home being snobbish and unfriendly. How wrong was I?

One thing is for sure; these people can ride their MTB's fast on tar. We were averaging a speed higher than what I do on my road bike on the road when I'm fit on one those days into a head wind! I promised that I'll do a turn on the front when the wind was from behind. :-)

They were everything but that. Friendly, accommodating and very helpful. Thank you Rozanne, Albert, Grahame, Tim, Jean-Luc, Fanie & Marius!

Canopy trees towards the N2

Coastal road near Gourtizmond with Rozanne!

Riding with the 'locals' aka holiday makers in the area! :-)
TC the local, Jean-Luc, Rozanne, Graham & Fanie

2. Hemel & Aarde Vallei, Hermanus

Riding in Hermanus was with my best friends. This was my 3 day break away from the farmstall.

It was like old times; like Tango Cycling Wales weekends, but just in Hermanus. Everything revolved around a good ride, eating and kuiering! Awesome! Thank you Steph, Gerhard, Christiaan, Kerryn, Si & Pokkeljie for the memories!

The Tango Twins were lost & found again before this picture!

Tango Train

Happy place

All together now!

Day 2

I indulged a little bit too much in all the good South Africa food and it felt like my breakfast sat in my throat whilst riding, but I'm so glad that I rode as the scenery was just so beautiful!

Early morning sunrise!

Steph & Si! :-)

The morning after the night before!

3. The Farm :-)

One of my highlights was when our dog a good sized, Bull Mastiff, Mincke invited herself to join me for some singletrack hunting on the farm. She replaced me as laat lammetjie ('late lamb') or in English youngest child in the house so has never been my favourite, she stole my heart and I would like to get a trail dog now! She was so funny though, not used to all the exercise she went for a swim in the dam and refused to run after that again.

Explore more about The Farm!

4. Welvanpas, Wellington

The day before I returned was spent with Christiaan & Elisca on trails that form part of one of the Cape Epic stages. It was the hottest day on my whole holiday, the temperature was close to the 40's. The trail was 95% singletrack, constantly going up & down and traversing round the mountain.

Because of the heat in South Africa there isn't much time for respite, you ride to finish your ride before the heat of the day. That means you shut up & pedal so that your ride is done by 10:00! The trail provides you with views over the whole of the Bainskloof Valley before you head over to the furthest part which spans views over to the Swartland! It has a good combination of easy rideable fast flowing singletrack and a few pieces of nice rock garden type singletrack.

I still need to get a bit braver with the regular narrow little bridges that they sneak in regularly when you least expect it.

Read more about Wonderful Welvanpas!

Bainskloof

Trying out IamSUPERBAR, a healthy dried fruit and nuts bar made by Elisca's friend

View towards the Swartland!

Singletrack for miles!

Singletrack satisfaction!

Elisca properly said something inappropriate to make us both laugh like this!

The Dollas in action

Welvanpas

I found riding in South Africa much better than what I expected.

TC's Observations

1. The pace as these people can klap/cane it on the district roads with!
2. The heat is something out of this world and mostly not in a good way for us who are used to ride in mild to VERY cold conditions
3. Rides take place early morning and you still have the whole day to do other things
4. The trails are well built not as technical as what I'm used to in comparison to Wales
5. The trails are dusty and I'm sure for us from the UK that is one thing that isn't a problem!

The Dust-O-Meter!

Farm life, trail dog & sweet singletrack!

South African Mud!

You might remember that I wrote about 'Finding Sweet Singletrack' on the farm 3 years ago!

This year I rode quite a bit on the district roads nearby and only ventured out on the farm once. It was one of my highlights!

Our dog a good sized, Bull Mastiff, Mincke invited herself to join me for some singletrack hunting on the farm. She replaced me as laat lammetjie ('late lamb') or in English the youngest child in the house. So she has never been in my good books, but she stole my heart and I would like to get a trail dog now!

She didn't have any experience of any type of ride ever and she managed to not get in my way or cross the tracks!

She was so funny though, not used to all the exercise she went for a swim in the dam and refused to run again after that.

I just realised again that you can take me away from the farm, but you can't take the farm out of me. I love South Africa, I love the farm, I love our dog and some how these are the things that are still occupying my mind still a month after my return to London!

First singletrack 400m from home just after a short 'rock garden'!

Ominous sky

Hopefully not my destiny...

It is going to be a slow ride!

Boerboon tree in bloom

In die koppe

Mincke in full flight

I thought they built a jump for me...instead an impressive home of a porcupine complete with two tunnels on the inside

And then this happened! Seal was bulletproof! My tyre did deflate as I made the rooky error and pulled them out, but I pumped it up and all was fine again!

Behind the farmstall

Queen of the Mountains, Mincke

I ♥ the farm!

My new Bestie!

Saturday, 16 January 2016

Wonderful Welvanpas!

Because of the heat in South Africa there isn't much time for respite, you ride to finish your ride before the heat of the day. That means you shut up & pedal so that your ride is done by 10:00! The trail provides you with views over the whole of the Bainskloof Valley before you head over to the furthest part which spans views over to the Swartland! It has a good combination of easy rideable fast flowing singletrack and a few pieces of nice rock garden type singletrack.

I still need to get a bit braver with the regular narrow little bridges that they sneak in regularly when you least expect it.

Head out early to avoid the heat as in start your ride at 6:00 if not earlier as you don't want to be caught in the furthest part of the trail with the sun beaming down on you. The wind also pumps like crazy at the back of the mountain, but I was quite grateful for the wind as it kept us cool. Riding in the UK doesn't make me hard enough for this warm temperature, it literally feels like I'm going backwards as soon as I'm not under the shade!

The trail was 95% singletrack, constantly going up & down and traversing round the mountains.

They do have a café at the start and finish area of the trail which sells cold cool drinks, beer snacks and even homemade jam.

Put it on your bucketlist for places to ride!

Find out more about the routes and how to get here by visiting Mountain Biking - Welvanpas.

Bainskloof

Trying out IamSUPERBAR, a healthy dried fruit and nuts bar made by Elisca's friend

View towards the Swartland!

Singletrack for miles!

Singletrack satisfaction!

Elisca properly said something inappropriate to make us both laugh like this!

The Dollas in action

Welvanpas

Lunch at Blacksmith Kitchen in Paarl! Beautiful setting, amazing food and great place to kuier

Kerryn is friends with the owner of Blacksmith Kitchen in Paarl and recommended this place to us. The setting is beautiful and the food even better. Service is great with plenty of ice water top ups as an added bonus. Their crockery are personalised with parts of the deeds of the farm printed on them and it is evident that attention to detail is very important to them. They served the most amazing fresh garlic pesto with the pizza, I care more about the taste than the effects of the garlic. :-)

HOT HOT Paarl!

Saturday, 9 January 2016

'Heavenly' Hemel & Aarde Vallei

Riding in Hermanus was with my best friends. This was my 3 day break away from the farmstall.

It was like old times; like Tango Cycling Wales weekends, but just in Hermanus. Everything revolved around a good ride, eating and kuiering! Awesome! Thank you Steph, Gerhard, Christiaan, Kerryn, Si & Pokkeljie for the memories!

The trails and scenery was out of this world and the trails form part of the well-known Wine 2 Whales race. My favourite part was riding up The Gorge and following the wheel of Steph like old times down some flowy twisty singletrack.

Check out Hermanus Adventures website for more details on the routes. We followed a combination of the routes, Steph knew the routes so she hand selected all the best bits! :-)

Day 1

Tango Cycling Global

Tango Triplets Re-united

The Tango Twins were lost & found again before this picture!

Tango Train

Breakfast at Die Plaaskombuis

Obviously the best part of our ride according to me. Some of us didn't have breakfast before our ride and didn't take into account the South African heat.