Stage 1 of the 2016 Liberty Winelands Encounter was a 54km ride from Stellenbosch to the La Franschhoek hotel. Crossing the Banhoek Conservancy the route took in the calf crushing Botmaskop climb, the stunning Bartinney Skyfall singletrack descent and new trails through L’Ormirans and along the banks of the Bergriver Dam. Seamus Allardice is riding and reporting for Full Sus.
The Winelands Encounter started with a back route ride from the University’s Coetzenberg Sport Grounds to the foot of the Botmaskop climb where fortunately Johan Kriegler had managed to find the easiest possible route up the steep kop. It still wasn’t an easy ride though! Up Botmaskop and along to Skyfall I managed to take a few photos and take in the views over Stellenbosch and the Banhoek Valley, but once into the private singletrack on L’Ormirans the riding got a lot harder. The trails were so technical that taking a sip from a water bottle became a real challenge and taking photos was out of the question.
The L’Ormirans trails are great though; technical singletrack which constantly change direction and gradient, leaving no time for coasting or a bit of mental respite. After ten tough kays we hit a short stretch of tar road and then started to climb up to the Bergriver Dam. Once above the dam wall, on the Stellenbosch side of the dam, we found Johan’s freshly cut singletrack and though it was very fresh and loose the potential is clear – once it’s bedded in it’ll be an awesome bit of trail.
Fresh and loose as it was though it was hard work and we were pretty happy to reach the third water point at the 42km mark, from where there it was only 10km home.
Reaching the oasis that is the La Franchhoek Hotel we were greeted with Devil’s Peak Brewing Company beers and a hearty lunch of burgers and salads. Now it’s time to put our feet up and recover from a surprisingly difficult day out on the trails. Stage 2 should be easier at 57km with 1 300m of climbing, but after being caught off guard today that won’t be happening again.
I’ll try to take a few more photos tomorrow too. Follow me on Twitter @SeamusAllardice or keep an eye on the event hashtag #WinelandsMTB.
