Variety is the spice of life

It takes all kinds to make the world go round.

Today's ride at Welvanpas reminded me of this truth. The trick is to celebrate this variety and what better way to do this than on a mountain bike?

We had hard-men. Fresh from another Epic, XC racers, endurance riders who are made for the long haul, riders training for Sani2C and then of course, Werner and myself with our eyes on BC Bike race.

The bikes were just as diverse as each of us. Racing hardtails, lightweight carbon dual suspension bikes, trail bikes, expensive bikes, entry level bikes, big wheels and smaller wheels, all present and correct and each as unique as the rider on top.

The interesting part comes when these ingredients mix, you add a trail like Welvanpas and what you get is a really awesome ride.

Welvanpas is one of those trails that make you work, but gives ample reward as well. The trail takes you through a series of single track sections combined with jeep track. The climbs are short and steep and the descents are fast and flowing. The terrain varies a lot, like most of the trails in the Western Cape and 1200 angry buffaloes that charged through the trails less than two weeks prior in what is known as the ABSA Cape Epic ensured that you could not trust the usual lines like before. All of this served to heighten the senses and sharpen the skills. The wind came up half way through the ride and was blowing a gale in sections of the trail. This made the conditions even more unpredictable as you would turn a corner to be faced by a wall of wind. None of this detracted from the ride as we made our way around the white trail.

About 3 hours of riding got us around the white loop and from Welvanpas we moved up the road to Doolhof for a wonderful lunch, great wine and really amazing company for the afternoon. With war stories exchanged from races past, social banter between old and new friends and simply all having a good time we closed off the ride.

Out on the trails there are no dividing line between pro's, amateurs or hard core racers and weekend warriors. We love what we do and enjoy making new friends along the way.

Thanks to all for today's experience. It was certainly a great
privilege to ride with each of you