Aron

Well this was one of those "to much to do, to little time" parts of life. I really wish I could have taken a ride with every one of you who stepped forward and gotten to see your favourite trails. I live in a country where we have "right of passage" but all the good mountains are in the outbacks. You guys have magnificent mountains everywhere and I have been literally drooling over them from the car. I, almost, wish I was 25 with just me, my bike, and the time to ride at all these cool places. I ended up doing Jonkershoeck with flowta and his mates. We had a great day out on funpacked trails. The African sun left me with a slight burn on my neck and I almost did my pants when one of the other riders shouted "snake", but I definitely rate it as one of my top three rides this year! Thanks guys! Once again, I am deeply grateful to all the generous ride offers I have received, I wish I could have ridden with all of you. I have made many new friends this trip, so I will be back one day! I will try to puzzle together some article from my rides and will post a link once I am done. I have had a lekker, lekker time!!! (läcker incidently means the same thing in Swedish.)

I am finnaly again back under the comforting blanket of wifi coverage. The weather was rubbish but Snoodle and I had a fine ride on the Red Trail in Harkerville. Spectacular views, some nice trail sections and great company! After that I spent a few days in Tsitsikama. It is starting to turn out to be some sort of theme for this trip but that landlord was also a harcore mtb:er so he brought out a MTB for me and I had a nice ride. Very little trail riding to be found unfortunately, but if one hits downhill jeep tracks fast enough on a entry level bike there is some excitement to be had. And the scenery with Storms River Mouth as a backdrop was of course breathtaking. So now I am trying to get my riding in the winelands organised. I am really looking forward to it!

Hi guys! Sorry for not replying in a few days. Made the mistake of booking a lodge without wifi. Next time I will read the small print more carefully... As it turns out my landlord here in Knysna is an old pro-roadie and he pointed to a corner and said "There's my MTB. I never use it these days, so take it out for a spin whenever you like. It will be much better than a rental". What a cool guy! As for the Franchhoeck/Winelands area I wish I could take on all the generous offers. But my wife would kill me. I will have to get back to you guys on that one.

I will dodge that question by saying that I used to live in Hammarby(höjden) for many years

Hi All, Thanks for your replies! I am starting to get exited about this I will be in Knysna 14 + 16-17 October. (Yes I will be there the 15:th as well, but my wife as reserved that date for horseback riding) My stay in Franschhoeck will be from the 26 to the 29 of Oct. I will also be spending a few days in Tsitsikamma/Storms River is there any good riding to be had there? I fit right in the middle between a Large and Medium. I usually ride a Large with a shortish stem but M is fine. Provided there is no race for polkadot jerseys... The only word you need to know in Swedish is Skål! Because I would be buying the beer.

I am a part time editor for a Swedish online MTB magazine and will be travelling the Western Cape with my family during October. Our vacation will be a family affair but I am hoping to get some MTB riding squeezed in. Time wise my best options are in Knysna and Franschhoeck. So, I am turning to you guys in the hope that you can help me find some good MTB riding in these locations? I am looking for technical singletrack. The bumpier the ride the better. IMHO fireroads are ok for longer climbs, but apart from that they are a complete turnoff. I will save the DH riding for another trip though. Are there any good guides in the above locations that I could contact? I expect that the most fun would be to join a local group. But I am also open to hire a professional guide, provided I don't end up in a group of beginners on those pesky fireroads... I brought my personal kit but will need to rent a bike so if you could suggest some good rentals I would be very grateful. And should anyone ever want to do some MTB riding in Sweden, just give me a shout and I will show you Stockholms best trails. Or put you in contact with the right people if you are staying in another part of the country.