mountain_lion

On Sunday the pipe was still open in the section across the yellow route, but it was easy to bypass since the rest of the trench had been backfilled. That field of mud was not there... Fortunately the brick paved road provides an easy bypass.

There is a wide deep trench open across the yellow loop at present. It is at the bottom of the yellow loop, just after the bridge crossing the overflow of the dam. It is easy to jump across on foot, but a bit awkward with a bike on your shoulder if you are on your own. Easy to pass bikes over if you are more than one person. The alternative is to turn right on the brick paved road where you exit the single track before the dam. You rejoin the route at the farm house. The pipe is already installed in the trench, so should be back filled soon.

Can't wait... Which area or loop?

Although Middelvlei was removed as an official starting point for the Bottelary Hills trails some time ago, many of us were still using it. Unfortunately this is no longer possible. The boundary fence which has been under construction for the last few weeks is now up, which prevents access to the Devonvalley Road from Middelvlei.

Did yellow & short purple on Sunday. Animals (porcupine?) have been digging up the track on the purple switch backs for a while. Unfortunately they have now damaged the trail to the extent that it will require maintenance soon. I also note that the chicken mesh on several of the bridges on yellow are not holding up. I assume the trail builders are aware of this (the bridge over the top dam inlet has some poles on the mesh as a temp fix to hold it down) but take care on the bridges in the mean time.

Rode most of the trail today, including Rooikat. Not many loose spots; will compact fast after a few wheels over it. Great ride! Thanks all!

Same here, that is why I ride a full sus. Upgrading to the Giant Trance today, so will be out on the trails this weekend. :)

Thanks Dirtman A fast hard line (A) with a slower easier line (B) I understand, but a rock garden with a smooth bypass!?? Are the MTBers getting soft or what?

Great! Hope the trail has time to settle this time before being atacked by an event bringing riders who cannot stay on the trail.

Thanks Dirtman Has the entrance to Fish Eagle also seen a spade or 2?

Rode it today. Already had a few wheels over it & looking good. Sorry to see the steep little climb being bypassed, although it should require less maintenance.

Great news Dirtman! Thanks Is Fish Eagle open for riding or does it need time to settle in first?

There are various apps to keep you updated with the load shedding status & times by pushing notifications to your mobile device (Gridwatch etc), but the one with the most original name must be 'Eskom se Push' For Android see https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ashwhale.sepush.eskom&hl=en Apparently available in the Apple appstore as well.

Thanks Chainmail Looks like your tracks are 99% up to date and includes all except the yellow loop (perhaps I missed it).

None that I am aware of. The maps are in need of updating; Dirtman and Hellwarp have been spending more time on the trails than the website (which is good!) It will also be good to have the tracks downloadable e.g. in gpx format for upload to GPS and plotting on Google Earth/Maps. My Bottelary Hills track data is dated. Much has changed since I my last recordings. I will take the GPS along on my next few rides and post the data in this thread when I have up to date data.

Best option to join the trails from Devonvalley Hotel is to follow the Devonvalley tar road back down to the entrance of Dwars-in-die-weg (big dam directly adjacent to the road) from where you can join the yellow loop. Day permits are on sale from Devon Valley Hotel 24/7, but as Dirtman said, it is not directly on the route like most of the other starting options.

Nice photos, but no number boards!

Can day permits still be bought at Devon Valley hotel 24/7 ?

The bit of rain we had during this week helped, but there are spots on Fish Eagle that require a spade to fix. Still quite ridable though without causing further damage. You just need to be precise with your line choice.

It is already obvious that the Yellow loop is getting more traffic since the addition of Fish Eagle. Before not many riders diverted from Red onto Yellow.

Thanks Dirtman You will find that Fish Eagle does not require much work - well done with the design Some collapsed edges and a few loose sandy spots, mostly on bends. Hope the rest of the trails also stood up this well to the event.

Fish Eagle (single track on Yellow) is faster after the event, but as expected, the soft spots are now even softer: requires spot maintenance. How some people manage to always hit the down slope edge of the trail, collapsing it, I do not understand. Even on the straights! Seems like someone even managed to end up next to the trail right at the entrance to Fish Eagle...

I hope the event will also use the new single track on Yellow. Should have a nicely compacted trail after the event then When I rode it on Sunday, it was already much faster, but there were some hidden soft patches. Some of these can catch you. One did suck my front wheel from under me into a forced lie down; not serious. I blame the snapped branch hanging in the middle of the trail, which I removed to deny others the same excuse. The many wheels over the trail aided by some touch up maintenance after the event will make this trail really nice and flowing!

Rode the new single track on yellow today - nice! Needs some more wheels over it to compact the trail, so go try it out. But don't be fooled - it is not all downhill. Gives a good workout if ridden hard!

Too many footprints and no tire tracks on that trail!