Back from an amazing Berg & Bush experience.
A very special event - the location, facilities, camping, food, service, attention to detail are tops.
There is a wonderful feeling of calm that friends and I all commented on - the fact that one sets up and stays in place lets the mind relax and we really loved the chance to sit, slow down and catch up.
The landscapes are spectacular, real African bushveld with tawny grasslands, thornveld and rocky aloe strewn hillsides.
There is a palpable sense of the history of the area; the looming presence of Spioenkop that overlooks the camp, reinforced in the fascinating and tragic tales told by Ray Heron and brought home in the last moments of the race while riding past the memorials and mass graves of one of the deadliest acres in the history of warfare.
The trails are sublime - nearly all of the climbs are gradual and have been engineered to be rideable and almost enjoyable - The Boer Route up the North of Spioenkop is unbelievable.
Rolling gravel roads, wandering jeep track, sweeping singletrack and truly some of the most insanely fast, flowy, long and rewarding downhill trails I've ever had the privilege of riding.
The headwinds this year were proper, but we had them mostly to our back for the last 10 km, shunting us along a grey ribbon of swoopy singletrack through the veldt for one last cup (or two) of chocolate milk at the end.
As @Kylie has so eloquently written before (nice to meet you on the route!) - just enter this race if you haven't done it - there aren't many elite level riders but us enthusiastic amateurs still raced our asses off and there were plenty of more chilled people enjoying the trails, the views and the snacks at the water tables.
