Trail Daze: Dawn at Devil's Peak, South Africa
First light. Something most of us miss out on most of the time. But when you do make the effort to get up early and be in position as soon as those first orange rays pop over the horizon, you realize again how special golden hour is. Add to that some singletrack, a tall forest canopy and open grass plains, and you have yourself an amazing mountain biking location.
For this episode, we were joined by Dave Mercer - bike builder, trail builder and all-round bicycle fanatic. We headed to Cape Town and the iconic Table Mountain, more specifically an area called Devil's Peak, to see what sort of trail magic lies in store. Being at the trailhead at sunrise requires a long and interesting hike up some steep and rocky terrain, in this case drawing blood even before the first pedal stroke. But its all worth it as you navigate your way along the loamy trails, picking your line along the patches of light breaking through the forest canopy.
Riders: Matthieu Hamel and Daniel Dobinson
Experience your own Trail Daze with iRideAfrica.
MENTIONS: @irideafrica, @matthieu50, @esphotography
For this episode, we were joined by Dave Mercer - bike builder, trail builder and all-round bicycle fanatic. We headed to Cape Town and the iconic Table Mountain, more specifically an area called Devil's Peak, to see what sort of trail magic lies in store. Being at the trailhead at sunrise requires a long and interesting hike up some steep and rocky terrain, in this case drawing blood even before the first pedal stroke. But its all worth it as you navigate your way along the loamy trails, picking your line along the patches of light breaking through the forest canopy.
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 First light. |
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| As the masses wake up to join the daily rat race, we found ourselves lucky to be at the trailhead with a day of riding ahead of us. |
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| Daniel showing the signs of a pre-dawn hike up a steep and rocky trail. |
 | These days, I don't get to fit in many dawn patrol rides on the mountain, but it just makes these rare moments that much more special. Besides knowing that you are one of very few that are witnessing this once-in-a-lifetime sunrise, there is a great sense of privilege as you ride above a waking city. We are in another world sprinting through singletrack high above Cape Town, while the distant hum of morning traffic filters up to our ears. - Daniel Dobinson, iRideAfrica. |
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| Instant transformation into golden hour magic. |
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| Skinny, overgrown and underused animal trails - not your normal 'made for mountain biking' one meter wide singletrack. |
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| The trails feature a good mixture of mild and steep climbs as you traverse the peak, with some fast and open sections to keep the adrenaline going. |
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| The fresh layer of Bluegum leaves on this steep top section makes stopping close to impossible - stopping gracefully anyway. Just let go, hang on, and try not to get your bike hung up on any boulders as the scars on the rocks bare testimony. |
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| Singletrack snaking through the stark contrast of light let in by the break in the canopy. |
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| Grippy loam to contrast the slippery stuff further up the trail. |
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| Venture off the singletrack and you end up in a world of mossy boulders. Luckily this time of year in the southern hemisphere means its dried out and actually pretty grippy. |
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| This rocky ravine crossing features some particularly big boulders - only suited for experienced riders. |
| Table Mountain is a place where I've always dreamed of riding my bike on. With Dave it's now done! The view of the sunrise over Cape Town has fully compensated getting up at 3:30 am. It is a wonderful city, 20 minutes by bike from the CBD and you feel alone in the forest, without any noise or human. Where and when is the next one?!- Matthieu Hamel |
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| At the edge of the forest with Devil's Peak lurking in the background. |
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| Exiting the forest you find yourself pinned through a high speed gully of boulders and tree stumps. |
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| Heading back into town to get some grub. |
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| Time for breakfast before we head back up the trail. Too early for beer this time round. |
Riders: Matthieu Hamel and Daniel Dobinson
Experience your own Trail Daze with iRideAfrica.
MENTIONS: @irideafrica, @matthieu50, @esphotography
Author Info:
Member since Dec 20, 2011
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Norm: Its a little too early don't you think
Woody: For beer?
Norm: No, for stupid questions