Trail Daze - Grabouw, South Africa
Named after the German town Grabow, the small town of Grabouw sits about 1.5 hours drive away from Cape Town, in the vast Elgin Valley. Known for being the largest single exporter or fruits in Southern Africa, it has also hosted numerous mountain biking, trail running and other adventure sporting events over the years. As a results of this, the trail network seems to be never-ending and the backdrop never ceases to amaze.
Riders: Matthieu Hamel and Daniel Dobinson
Experience your own Trail Daze with iRideAfrica.
MENTIONS: @esphotography @irideafrica @EVOCSports_SA @Hullabaloo
Trailforks.com
 | Well known in South Africa for its huge fruit farms, Grabouw is a place where we had a lot of fun - on uphills as well as downhill. The trails we did are a perfect mix between sandy/rocky singletracks, pine forest, fynbos and unfortunately, burned forest. This variety makes it very interesting to ride and gave us the feeling of having four different rides in one. It was actually nice to feel how this Canyon is versatile and performs in every conditions. - Matthieu Hamel |
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 Heading up and over Sir Lowry's pass, towards the greater Elgin Valley. |
| Baby blue, ash grey and iridescent green. Those are the colors of these trails. Grabouw has the ability to create images and memories that are impossible to forget because of the natural color palette on offer. It is one of my all time favorite places to ride because of the mars-like rock formations and the fact that trail builders are always creating new lines to enjoy. - Daniel Dobinson |
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| Grabouw, with the mountains waiting on the horizon. |
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| The area also feature an abundance of pine forests, with much of the trail network going through them. |
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| The younger plantations don't offer any form of shade and it can get pretty hot in the valley during summer. |
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| Trails scattered with interesting rock formations - a dream playground for mountain bikers and photographers alike. |
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| Pushing back to the top of the section. |
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| Super technical riding with 'Porcupine ridge' in the background. |
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| The tight forest and rocky sections make way for the fast, flat and open sections towards the The ewaterskloof dam. |
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| Wildfires are an unfortunate but natural thing, and holds a certain beauty in itself. |
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| Matthieu going off-piste in search of more steep and technical riding. |
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| Heading further towards the dam, through the last section of pine forest and the last rays of the day. |
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| Customary post-ride beer. Check. |
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| Man and nature. |
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| It's heading towards Autumn now with the temperatures dropping fast as the sun goes down, but with riding and scenery this good, you want to take in every last bit. |
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| Heading home on the N2. |
Riders: Matthieu Hamel and Daniel Dobinson
Experience your own Trail Daze with iRideAfrica.
MENTIONS: @esphotography @irideafrica @EVOCSports_SA @Hullabaloo
Trailforks.com
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