Following our previous installment of Trail Daze, where we traveled North West in search of greener pastures, we bring you another sensory overload of lush green, endless singletrack that will make you want to pedal until your legs fall off. Simply referred to as the River Trail, it follows along the Magaliesriver. You will be forgiven to think this gem lies somewhere in New Zealand, and not 45 minutes drive from Johannesburg.
Our base station during our visit to the North West – with soon-to-be trail dog Benyah, keeping us all entertained.
Farm house vibes and fiddling with bikes – so not a care or rush in the world. What trail riding should be all about.
Hayden leading the way to the river through the spectacularly green and lush pecan plantation.
Hayden Brown
Down by the river, the trails were hard-packed, narrow and fast. Roots, full canopy above and as much flow as you could possibly want. Yes.
Daniel Dobinson | iRideAfrica
Hayden scrubbing at mach 3 through the narrow woods.
The trail crosses the river a few times over some narrow bridges, so if you’re planning to ride till the sun sets like we did, pack a headlamp as things could get super sketch over these structures in the dark.
Always good to use guinea pigs to check if it’s safe to venture out there with cameras and such.
Chris Pearton
Heading toward the ridge line, the trail exits the lush tree canopy and opens up.
Not part of the official trail per se, but if you stumble upon a tunnel, I guess you got to ride it?
Local fauna and flora doing its thing.
Higher up the trail, just under the ridge line, things were a little less groomed, fairly overgrown and pretty technical with some proper rock sections in the mix. Trail riding at its finest.
Even though you pass through active, commercial farm land, we hardly encountered any other humans – giving that feeling of escaping to the less beaten track.
This project is made possible by:
GPS: 25°47’26.5″S 27°45’16.5″E
Permit: R50
All images by Ewald Sadie
instagram:
Riders : Daniel Dobinson | Hayden Brown | Chris Pearton
Stay tuned to Bike Hub for more Trail Daze coming soon…
Rad. Rad. Rad!