By: Di Carolin | @di_carolin
Saturday dawned cloudy and wet and I almost rolled over and went back to sleep. But I managed to drag myself to my car, load my bike and set off for Grabouw, my favourite training ground. I couldn’t wait to see what they had done to the trails.
As I arrived at Paul Cluver Amphitheatre I was ushered to parking in a field near the start of the trails. There were already quite a few cars there and it looked to be a good turnout. There was a queue at the coffee truck as per usual for MTB events and as soon as I got my pass and food wristband a bunch of us set of on the trails. It was great to see so many people on the trails and lots of women!
At the start of the trail there are a couple of route maps for riders to get an idea of where the trails go. There were groups setting off one after the other lead by local riders who had kindly volunteered their help. I was lucky enough to be riding with some locals so we set of in a group of four but soon caught up with the back markers from the other groups.
The Paul Cluver and Oak Valley routes have been joined up by bridges over the fences in various places and one can now do an uninterrupted 70km route. The Oak Valley trails have been tidied up and the bridges all fixed and some new ones put in where it gets boggy in winter. Andries the winemaker at Paul Cluver has done a fantastic job on their trails by putting in drainage ditches to keep the trails from getting boggy. All the bridges are so well built and perfectly safe. There were a couple of thrills and spills to add to the fun on our ride thanks to the slippery surfaces after the rain but all in all the trails were brilliant and loads of fun was had by all.
There are great facilities at the Amphitheatre so after the ride most people showered and then tucked into the delicious looking spit-braai meat, veggies, potatoes and salad. The live music was great created a festive and lively atmosphere. It was a fantastic morning to catch up with mates and ride great trails. Perhaps it should become a regular event??
Thanks to Sharon, Liesl and Andries and all others that put in the effort to make it such a great event.
Sus the Fees
1 Farm: R40 per day or R380 annually
Both Farms: R60 per day or R500 annually
Starting Points: Oak Valley Wine Estate & Paul Cluver Amphitheatre
