South Africa Calling

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SOUTH AFRICA CALLING

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GSADEJ- The Great South African Deutschlander Exploration Journey. That was the original name of this mission to enjoy the fruits of a far away land by bike with two of Germany's finest downhillers before the 2014 World Cup season lift-off... it was a concise and precise coinage you can't deny, but in the end it wasn't much of an exploration. Africa's a big island and neither Trek's Steffi Marth or Liteville's Jasper Jauch knew first-hand of anything bike outside Pietermaritzburg. In just a few days of this alternate hemisphere discovery we would find enough in the surrounds of Stellenbosch alone to know we were out of our depth mapping the length and depth of this new-found mountain bike kingdom. You should go and see for yourself. South Africa is calling.



For the (hugely) uninformed, South Africa is fully connected to the rest of Africa, which really provides some scope to roam. It also means there are zebras. Around the lower edge is the ocean where it is also possible to ride temporary trails by board, providing scope to be swallowed whole by a shark. We'll keep dry.





We picked up the trail, a hiking trail to be precise, straight of the bat just outside Stellenbosch, a short red-hot rental car drive from Capetown. Some sections were impassable even on big wheels, but already the terrain promised it all.



Described by biased locals as the best landscape on Earth, it's hard to disagree with a berm in-front and golden hour beaming in.




The Ride In coffee shop, come bike rental, come guest house was home. And a fine home it was, only a year or so young, still a little known place for anyone other than Cape Epic pros and Stellenboschers. Standing just outside the all-mountain paradise that is Jonkershoek nature reserve, it is impossible to look up at the well-vegetated peaks and not hear Jurassic Park music.


What is the face of someone who just rode the perfect berm?



Jasper caressing the G-Spot just nice. G-spot being the name of this ultra-flow trail in the red dirt above the Stellenbosch University sports grounds.




A visit to a township leaves you feeling pretty small and puts any problem in perspective. Capetown is a city like no other. The landscape, the history and the societal extremes.




Jonkershoek Park, the host of South African enduro events is on a world class level of awesome. The burnt-out forest area that bares 'Never Ending Story' was a favorite of Jasper and Steffi, but there's burly downhill, mega climbs and hundred of kms of bitter-sweet saddle sore at this place.




Danke schön Trail Gott. And the Germans are a hard people to make smile.



Every day I'm shuttlin'. With a winter of intervals and not so light-hearted heart-rate monitoring, Steffi and Jasper were keen to get their heads together and get a decent outing on their big-bikes before the World Cup. The WPDH round 2 at Helderberg was time and place perfection.




The track was short, but fast, loose and boulder-coated and it coupled with 35 degree heat. The locals had the place absolutely dialed....locals like Andrew Neethling. Steffi goes to war on the rocks, the only lady to hit the final jump to shame a fair proportion of the man racers.



Jasper lays down the German horsepower as the track enters smoother altitudes on his prototype Liteville 901. Note the PMB-ready rear.




Despite competing with a Quantas hostess for airmiles it's really not so often a World Cup rider gets to see further than the finish line. It's all race mode here on in for Steffi and Jasper, but besides the sights that keep the non bike-addicted smiling, it seems there's a trail for everyone here in South Africa. Bribes from the tourist board won't be needed to sing praises for this place, but if you're reading they will probably still take a cheque.

Thanks to Gavin and Brit at the Ride In guesthouse:
http://www.ridein.co.za/