When you see it’s a MTB Adventure Tour you have to enter writes Shayne Dowling of the inaugural .
So what makes their events so special? A very good recipe is what! They choose a really stunning village or small town with lots of rolling hills and mountains nearby – having the sea close is just a bonus. Then they put together a two day, untimed tour style ride that offers something to everyone. Essentially ensuring that it is a great weekend away for the entire family! Voila!
Of course I am over-simplifying but you get the picture. Johan Kriegler and his well experienced team know what they are doing and make it seem simple. It is a tried and tested formula but it needs to be put into practice and they just get it right. Despite it being a tour, everything is run like a top race event: slick registration, lekker goodies and in the Stanford MTB Tour’s case a really nice T-shirt that the charity bin will not be seeing anytime soon. Plus great water tables, emergency and backup services, and really professional staff.
And then JK seems to always find the right venues. The Stanford Valley Guest Farm is 10km outside the lovely little town of Stanford, nestled at the foot of the Akkedis Pass. It was the “tour” village for the weekend and was a chilled hive of activity perfect for the family and riders to relax at.
Day 1: 47km with 800m of climbing
So let’s get to the riding. I did say the start was at the bottom of the Akkedis Pass and needless to say this was the start of your ride on both days. I suspect the Akkedis will become an integral part of this new MTB ride. It’s a rude awakening for cold legs but is actually not that bad and gets the blood flowing nicely. There is quite a bit of district road on Day 1 but it is a lovely part of the world and makes for some really fun and scenic back road touring. JK doesn’t disappoint though and once again his team has been hard at work, along with the local farmers and communities, in finding some fantastic trails, then cleaning up and cutting some signature singletracks. Nothing too technical, just flowing and in places nice and fast. There are some similarities to the Houw Hoek Tour’s second day; with a nice shaded singletrack climb along a fence with the obligatory pylons marching with you up the mountain and a switchback climb similar to that after the Art house. It has JK’s signature to it. The climbs aren’t bad at all and there is more than enough recovery – exactly what you want on a tour and especially if it’s your first attempt at a multiday event.
Oh and back to Akkedis, you follow the road back only this time you blast down the steep dirt road ending back at the farm with a great smile on your face and ready to tackle a few of the local Birkenhead brew!
Day 2: 43km with 700m of climbing
Day 2 and the “first 23kms to the water table is the easy bit” according to the ride briefing at the start. I can tell you it has another bit of the Akkedis in and then another JK signature with a flowing track following a contour path through the farmlands, a few nasty sandpits and a few jeep track climbs that have you wondering what’s in store for you after morning refreshments. The water table was at the Sir Robert Stanford Estate and what a lovely place it is – definitely worth visiting without lycra on. It does however have vineyards; and that means climbing… straight after you’ve had your fill from the well-stocked water table you start heading up. It’s a nice little tester and once you’ve ground it out to the top you have a lovely fast descent and into a bluegum grove that the farmer has used to build his son a little bike park. What a welcome surprise and a lot of fun.
You are definitely heading back to the finish and there are a couple of nasty little bumps that have to be tackled before you find yourself looking up and seeing the finish in the distance. The route is not technical at all and is a quick ride by all standards. It is a great way to discover the farmlands around Stanford and to once again appreciate what a fantastic sport mountain biking is. The Stanford MTB Tour presents the mark of a great event and it is very evident when you look around: everyone is smiling! Not one unhappy soul and that has to be satisfying. The Stanford MTB Tour is a winner, it is sure to gain huge popularity, so make sure you get your entries in early for next year. I have booked my accommodation already!
Where Are We?
Stanford is a bustling little community on the banks of the Kleinrivier, its location just 24km from Hermanus and under 150km from Cape Town make it a popular spot for a weekend getaway. To find out more visit www.stanfordinfo.co.za.
