Foto Friday!

Post Ride bliss...

A picture is worth a thousand words, a video a thousand more.

Just another day in Africa from iRide Afica on Vimeo.

Solitude on Singletrack (saves our souls)

Had a humdinger of a hot day yesterday, probably at least 30 degrees. There was no wind (very unusual for Cape Town), so I decided to go for an exploratory ride on Constantiaberg.

A few weeks ago, I spotted a possible singletrack trail waaay up high on an east facing slope. Well, it looked like a slope on Google Earth! I eventually found it after a bit of 'hike-ling' and boy was it cool! Beautiful, contour path, quite technical in sections but generally quite smooth.

The awesome part was that it was really exposed- a big steep drop to the right, that got my nerves up enough to get off the bike on the really narrow sections. It's obviously not walked on much and probably never biked on and needs a bit of clearing but it would be a fantastic bike trail to extend the riding in the area. I was the only one up there with a solitary African Goshawk flying in front of me through the forested section and the baboons frequent the area judging by the interspersed "dig" holes in the trail.

Before cruising down to the "milkshake highway" I just stood up there, enjoying the view across False bay and taking in the sheer solitude of it all-Cape Town is quiet when there is no wind around!

Now I must just to find out if it's legal to ride (there were no signs telling me otherwise) and if I can include it on on our Tokai Tour somehow.
D

Photo of the week

Wooohoo, it's Friday!! You know what that means? Photo of the week, and just because it's such a beautiful day I'm treating you to two photos of the riding that we have recently done in our backyard.



Have a great weekend!
Dan

Fire Hazard

Yesterday was a sad day in Stellenbosch. Jo was out riding with Swedish pro road cyclist, Jennie Stenerhag and they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a raging fire as they climbed up Swanswyk road.

Summer time in the Cape brings hot, dry and windy conditions and there is always a danger of fires breaking out. In fact, the Cape Town firefighters put out up to 80 fires a day, and that’s just around the Cape peninsula!

Fynbos is actually 'designed' to burn every few years so that this amazing and unique floral kingdom can propagate itself. This means that the Cape will always be at risk of fires but as mountain bikers riding in alien forests (pine, gum & poplar), it is in our best interests to make sure we report all fires and also to make sure we don't start any of these fires. Nobody knows exactly how these fires start but a large part of the blame must go to the smoking public who drop their cigarettes out of their windows. There is actually a number you can phone (021-4247715) to report these offenders and I believe that they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. So please report these (mostly) ignorant people!

The terrible thing about yesterdays fire was that it burnt a lot of Coetzenberg, a world class sporting facility and also an awesome forest to ride your bike in. Coetzenberg is actually where I competed in my first provincial race and got on TV for the first time. Unfortunately it was for all the wrong reasons! I came screaming around a corner on the track, desperate to catch up to the field after having suffered a puncture. Suddenly there were crowds and we all know that crowds are only there to feed off your demise! Around the corner was a long set of big, eroded trail stairs and I was far too committed to do anything but attempt to ride them. I made it most of the way down until my flimsy (pre2000) forks buckled underneath me and I was hurled to the bottom of the stairs. Upon picking myself up, there was a big camera in my face and that clumsy, embarrassing fall was cut into the introduction of the show ‘Old Mutuals World of Endurance’ for that entire year!

Anyway, back to the fire. Jo followed the progress of the fire and the last report was that it was creeping up into Jonkershoek valley. If it hits Jonkershoek we are out of a lot of the best riding in the Cape and we can only trust that the superhero fire fighters are able to stop it in time. We will probably go out thee tomorrow and assess the damage.

On a way more positive note, I hear that Dirtopia is about to have a nice new bike park with huge drops and big jumps. I think it’s about time I get myself an appropriate bike for that! I'll get some photos up ASAP.

Dan

Singletrack - the holy grail of mountain biking?

There are many facets to mountain biking, but beautifull, sweet, flowing singletrack is argueably the one terrain that binds all mountain bikers.

I am yet to meet one that hasn't had a smile on their face after riding it. It is the one thing we all have in common, the one experience that a beginner on a zero-suspension rigid klunker with toe clips can understand and appreciate just as much as a world cup downhiller.

It's what drives all of us forward, against the will of our bursting lungs and aching muscles, searching for that next great trail that we've never ridden before.

Just thinking out loud.

Harry

Welcome

Welcome to iRide Africa - South Africa's premier holiday solution for mountain bikers, by mountain bikers, based in Cape Town, South Africa!

We are in the process of setting up shop, to be running by summer 2009, and aim to offer hassle free bespoke mountain bike holidays for mountain bikers. Through decades of riding, racing and hacking through this dizzyingly diverse destination, our team can take you riding on the sweetest singletrack riding that this corner of Africa has to offer.

Escape your dreary winter (or even miserable summer!) and flow through world class back country trails in this sunshine paradise we call home! Spend some time with us and not only will you get fitter, you'll improve your bike skills and will go home with a beaming smile and a tan to match.

We cater primarily towards the seasoned mountain biker that wants a riding holiday with excellent food, stunning views, excellent guides but most importantly excellent trails. We strive for excellence and all that we want from you in return is to ride and relax. Our local biking knowledge is second to none and we will take you on not only the famous trails but more importantly, the best kept secrets in this area!