If you have been around the Western Cape road riding scene for a while the chances are you have heard about the Four Passes route. Or perhaps you have already ridden it and experienced one of the Cape’s best road bike loops. If not, hopefully this article will give you some good insight into what is one of my favourite routes.
This route feature is made possible by Toyota. We were lucky enough to take their Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR out for the trip, more on the car later.
The Route
As the name suggests, the route is made up of four passes, namely, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Viljoenspas, Franschhoek Pass, and Helshoogte Pass.
Where to start? There are a few options. Most riders start in Somerset West to get an early attack in on Sir Lowry’s Pass. I like to start at Specialized Stellenbosch since they have great coffee and snacks for after the ride. Plus those rollers between Stellenbosch and Somerset West aren’t much fun after 120km.
Sir Lowry’s Pass
Sir Lowry’s Pass is by far the trickiest of the four climbs because it is not the most cycling-friendly road. Thankfully though it is the first pass so you can up and over pretty early in the morning before the traffic starts. A pre-sunrise climb on quiet roads gives you a chance to appreciate the beauty and difficulty of the climb. I find it the hardest of the four passes, mainly because it is so steep and the road is pretty much straight. At least with Franschhoek Pass, you get some switchbacks and corners to break up the mental fatigue of the climb.
The viewpoint at the top of Sir Lowry’s gives you a great perspective of where you have ridden from, it’s definitely worth a stop and a quick photo.
The first decent food stop is the petrol station on your left as you turn into Grabouw, they have been known to have a DJ outside with pumping tunes over the weekend so you might enjoy some vibes there before heading off again.
It’s worth noting that the village on the left just before Grabouw can feel a bit sketchy, thankfully you are heading downhill and are at a proper speed so just keep your eye out for animals crossing the road. Riding the route the other way around (i.e Helshoogte and Franschhoek Pass first) can feel a lot more unsafe as you are climbing pretty slowly up the hill.
I’ve been looking forward to driving the new Toyota on the block for a good while, there is something about the Toyota brand that just gets me excited.
After Grabouw there is only one more feed stop before you hit Franschhoek. At the base of Viljoenspas after the climb and descent, there is a spaza shop on the lefthand side of the road. Pretty safe to stop at and enjoy a coke.
It can get cold on this route so pack some warm gear if the weather looks suspect. When we climbed out of Grabouw on this ride the Wahoo was reading a temperature of 1 whole degree.
Viljoenspas
Viljoenspas is pretty stunning, especially in winter when you have snow on the peaks in front of you. With Hans se Kop on your left and the upper Grabouw dam it makes for a great photo or just a quick breather while you enjoy the view. After the descent down the other side of Viljoenspas, the road rolls on through the farmlands which gives you some time to collect yourself for the next pass, Franschhoek Pass.
The Theewaterskloof Dam is also a great spot to stop and enjoy an energy bar or gel, the dam is full at the moment with all the rain so if the day is warm enough, a sneaky swim will be well worth the effort. If you have ridden in the area, you will know it can get pretty windy on this side of the mountain. Make sure you have someone with you who makes a nice big slipstream, if it’s a windy day the drag along the dam to the base of the pass can be hell.
Franschhoek Pass
Franschhoek Pass is pretty exceptional, especially on the Villiersdorp side. I see so many cyclists climbing up the Franschhoek side and then turning around at the View Point. They really are missing out on one of the Cape’s (and possibly South Africa’s) most beautiful and rewarding climbs. If water is running low, don’t worry there are a couple of streams flowing most of the year along the pass.
Franschhoek Pass is only 2km shorter than Sir Lowry’s Pass but it does feel longer because of all the switchbacks and corners. Watch out for the Valentino Rossi wannabes who think the pass is their personal race track on the weekends, it is an incredible road to drive as well so unfortunately, it does attract the fast and furious. Best to stick as far left as possible and try not to ride next to each other here.
Franschhoek is very well known for its wine and food so it makes for an amazing lunch stop, since most of the climbing is done you might even enjoy some beer or wine with lunch. If you are passing through on a Saturday the Farmers Market is a must. Great food that you won’t have to wait too long for.
Toyota has done well to beef it up a little to give it that authentic Toyota offroad styling. It is called the Urban Crusier so don’t expect it to stick with its bigger brother the Land Cruiser. The 1.5 engine though is more than capable in an urban setting and on the open road.
As cyclists we need space and the Urban Cruiser delivers on this well. The space inside the car is great, with plenty of room for kit bags and floor pumps. With the seats folded down, it swallows a road bike easily.
After Franschhoek it’s basically a hop, skip, and a jump to the finish in Stellenbosch. If you have paced yourself well the drag to Pniel and the climb up Helshoogte should go by quickly unless the South Easter is blowing of course. That can make the road Franschhoek to the left turn at Boschndal very interesting. I don’t know why but Pniel is one of my favourite little towns in the Cape. It just feels like it has so much history and personality. If you have the time it is definitely worth exploring a little bit.
If Burgers and Beer is more your thing after a ride, Stellenbosch has plenty of that, another great reason to start and end in Stellies.
The extra lift in the suspension and higher body height than that of the Yaris for example gives you a lot of confidence on gravel roads. The ride is very comfortable with little to no body roll in tight corners. It may be called the Urban Cruiser but it will be comfortable in pretty much every terrain, apart from hardcore 4×4 tracks.
Route overview
The 130km route gives you about 1800m of climbing and the steepest gradient is 7.7%
GPX Route Download: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36969110
When going through Somerset West I would recommend riding through somerset west main road / old sir lowry's road past Vergelegen Medi-clinic and then turning onto Mondeor road. This will allow you to miss a big part of the N2.
https://www.strava.com/routes/23657763
Ride in a big group and early with lights on at Sir Lowry's. Once you reach Grabouw turnoff you are home free.