Eselfontein getaway

Eselfontein getaway

One of my favorite places in the Western Cape is Eselfontein. The accommodation may be rustic, to book here is as much a challenge as some of the more advanced routes on the farm and you can consider yourself lucky if the lady arranging the booking sends you the correct code for the gate, but once inside you enter the original mountain bikers paradise. 

We stayed in the Eco huts for this trip. 6 small thatch huts neatly spaced between the pine trees with a braai and lapa, bathrooms and if you want hot water, there is a good old “donkey” (firewood based water heating system)

Friday night was meet and greet familiar and new faces and after supper we all turned in. Saturday morning we hit the trails after a good breakfast, and soon we were swooping through the single track from the huts all the way to the enchanted forest, the dark forest and over the rocky hill climbs and descent. Up at Phillips creek we opted to take the Forest single track section home opposed to Shapiro’s drop. The rest of the day was spent walking to the dam, chatting to friends, repairing our bikes from the morning’s ride and lazing around in general. 

We geared up for a night ride and tackled the trails lit by the full moon and our 1400lumens bike lights and returned to the huts for hot showers and supper. The trails seemed to get the better of most of us and the camp went quiet after 10pm. 

Sunday morning we all slept in. I can’t remember when I last slept till 8am in the morning. By 9 the morning ride started. Small groups formed scouting off into different directions according to each groups preferences and time frames. I opted for the dark forest, Rocky hill climb and descent, Phillips Creek and Shapiro’s drop back to the huts to complete a great weekend with friends. 

With 31 days to Sani2C, I am feeling well prepared and I am slightly behind on my weight loss programme. I seemed to get stuck on 92kg’s for the last few weeks. Fortunately my gym programme, the running and the recent swimming seems to start paying dividends. 3 more hard weeks of training and then 10 days of tapering should see me  fit and in shape for South Africa’s most popular stage race. 

Lourensford Vigne a Vigne race report

Lourensford Vigne a Vigne race report

The curtain call for the ABSA Cape Epic has become an institution for us lesser mortals. With a challenging route and a strong field, the racing was fiercely competitive.

The weather was perfect for riding with slightly overcast conditions. The non-seeded start was refreshing and simple as the first part of the route would serve as a natural seeding mechanism. Soon riders were being passed and others were flying through to the front. 

The first 15 km of the route consisted of about 500 meters climbing on good graded roads with a brief, but enjoyable stretch of single track. The next 5 km offered a brief respite for the tired legs. Being a slow starter, I rode within myself on the first climb to get the legs warmed up. At 20 km the big climb of the day took us high onto the slopes of the Helderberg with a 17 km climb of 700 meters. I started reeling in riders on the big climb and with good legs kept working hard throughout the race. Some great sections of singletrack broke up the big climb and the legs were ready to kick again once we left the singletrack sections. I was fortunate to not be held up a lot in the singletrack sections and consolidated the gains made on each climb in the singletrack. 

From 37km the race took us down the slopes with a few undulating climbs in-between. The last section of singletrack was just reward for a hard days riding. With a few back markers on the 26km route on the trail, the racing was interesting going into the orchards on our approach to the finish. 

I finished strongly on the race. As always the ride was a tough but enjoyable one. The route was well marked with warnings at any potentially dangerous sections, but I did unfortunately pass a few riders that got caught on some of the tricky sections. I stopped briefly at the second water point at 37 km. The Epic volunteers on duty was helpful and enthusiastic. After a hard week working on the Epic we got awesome service. The finish area was simply incredible. Careful not to intrude on the Epic riders moment of glory, we finished in the far corner of the venue. Hot showers, ample ablution facilities, a wide range of drinks and food at the finish venue and the incredible vibe of the Epic makes this a must-do for those not brave enough to tackle the Epic. 

In closing I would like to congratulate all the riders who completed this year’s edition of the ABSA Cape Epic, This year’s race was described by the Pro’s as the hardest Epic yet. Well done to everyone who stood on that podium to receive their T Shirt and medal.