Dan Dob

There are guys on Mercer hardtails winning their age categories and placing on the podium overall sometimes! So yes, any bike is good and as long as you wear a helmet you are welcome! Dropper post helps a lot at speed and we recommend kneepads and baggies for protection but they're not essential (as long as you don't blame us for your falls!)

Join us anyway. Nobody is ever really ready to race and the best way to get better is to race enduro's! If you're unsure go off in the early group so you're not pressured by the other groups if they catch up with you (even if you aren't a kid/beginner rider). It's a fun day out and really, it's just like your typical ride anywhere, just with a few more people and the 'racing' part of it just pushes you a bit out of your comfort zone to create something more special than your normal ride. Just enter-you can do it!

I don't know if I'm hairier than Dave Mercer but thanks Woodstock crew will grow your skillset on the trails they ride

You've never been to Hoogekraal? Only one stage will be virgin with maybe a new piece of trail spicing things up on the current trails . Unfortunately we aren't in a position to build virgin trails for races

Yeah, it's not a problem to just change start batch on the day. Sorry about lack of response. We've been away in Lesotho...

Event Name: EWC Round 1 Hoogekraal When: 22 April 2018 Where: Hoogekraal, Western Cape Category: Enduro EWC ENDURO -HOOGEKRAAL Sunday, 22 April 2018 Venue: Hoogekraal, Durbanville Start time: 08h00 & registration opens at 07h00 Timing: iTime Africa will give you wrist watches. The system has been proven to work well and is very similar to AMA rider. Riders will be charged R200 if they lose or do not return their watches after their race! Pre-entries ONLY! Cost: Full Enduro R364 and R35 extra for CSA day license if you aren't a CSA member LITE Enduro R264 and R35 extra for CSA day license if you aren't a CSA member Enter online: Credit card (preferred) and EFT payments accepted ENTER ONLINE (login OR create a profile/register) Payments must be received when pre-entries close, otherwise your entry will be subsequently cancelled. Enduro racing in its most basic definition is a type of mountain bike racing where the downhills are timed, and the uphills are not. Riders are timed in primarily downhill sections (Special Stages or SS), with neutral “transfer” stages in between (Liasons). Winners are those who accumulate the lowest combined time from the timed Special Stages. (Join the EWC facebook page to learn more about Enduro and future events etc) We welcome ALL riders and our courses are totally rideable as long as you are enthusiastic about riding fun singletrack. It’s like a weekend ride with your mates – regroup at the top and race each other down the trail! While the racing is fiercely competitive, the vibes are super chilled and Enduros are a great way to gain technical skills and fitness. Enduros can be raced on all types of mountain bike but we recommend full suspension trail bikes with travel between 120-160mm with dropper posts. Protective clothing (long sleeves, knee cover and full finger gloves) is advised. Open face helmets are fine while some riders choose to wear full face helmets. Some definitions to help you out: SS = Special Stage, Timed run between a start and end timing station LIAISON = the route to get to the next Special Stage. Liaisons are not timed SHUTTLE = If you are lucky, the organisers allow you and your bike to jump on a trailer/bakkie to get up any tough liaisons LITE = An Enduro race with less distance covered and the more difficult ‘Special Stage’ trails taken out. Great for youngsters and those who may not know what enduro is all about (it’s all about FUN btw!) The EWC Race series is bought to you by Tygerberg MTB Club and Giant Bicycles, South Africa A little bit of info on the entry system: - You will need to set up a profile for yourself (and you can also do so for others if you would like to enter and pay for others). This is a once-off thing, and your details will be saved for future events. - If you don't have CSA membership/licence, just add a Day Licence to your basket - this is mandatory for event liability cover. - Full Enduro is 5 stages, LITE Enduro is 3 easier stages. Start Batches: We’ll be introducing seeded start batches to ensure an efficiently run day and it means you can arrive 1 hour before your start batch, saving you time If you would like to start in a different group from the one you selected when you entered, it is no problem – you don’t have to tell us – just pitch up, register, and shred in the other group! Registration Open: 7h00 Batch 1: LITE/beginner riders Race Briefing: 7h55 Start: 8h00 Batch 2: Intermediate riders Race Briefing: 8h40 Start: 8h45 Batch 3: Advanced riders Race Briefing: 9h10 Batch 3 – 9h15 This should ensure that everyone is only out on course for about 2-3 hours and very little queuing at starts of the Special Stages. It also means that early starters can go up to one of the last stages after they have handed in their timing watches and heckle the pro’s! When you enter the event you will be able to choose your start batch. We’ll let you know your start times before the event. Go to Event Page

Yoooooh! As good as the riding and scenery is in Cape Town, when I see photos of my hometown trails my heart aches to go back to that red dirt!

Hi Hubbers, seems I've missed out on this conversation :/ Anyone wanting to enter or know more about the event can find out more here !

Well done TokaiMTB & Santa Cruz on this concept! What a prize and you get to help fund the most important aspect of mountain biking- trails!

Visited Eselfontein this past weekend and rode some of the newer trails that will be used in the stage race. Man - What a treat! They make you feel like you are on a real adventure out in the middle of nowhere and are beautifully natural and with some nice little technical bits to keep you challenged. Race is going to be a real blast and there will be something for the non riders too. Jumping castles, trail run, a mini food & wine fair (think wine tasting and food samples) and of course a cheap bar and food vendors. Pretty incredible that it's only R750 per rider-that's probably less than you'd spend on a weekend at home!

Really fun day out! Route and trails were really good and it's great to see quite a few new trails popping up around Muratie/Uitkyk!

Nice article Lance- and a subject I'm sick of speaking about (though it is interesting to debate where this is going to lead our pedalling world). One thing that hasn't come up yet is a big concern of mine. No E-bikes are coming out with a standardised battery fitment solution (ie the way it clips in/integrates into your bike). What happens to your E-bike when the batteries get better (smaller and lighter) and the clip-in system gets modified to suit? You may well not be able to get a battery in the future for your e-bike and it becomes a heavy hunk of junk A big cost to the future consumer and a bigger cost to the environment. On a side note: I hear Nicolas Vouilloz is super amped on E-Bikes and they are starting to race them in an enduro type format but not only limited to the DH side. There are engine management skills and engine mods that can get these things up crazy inclines that can also be timed/judged. Trust the crazy French to adapt!

The good old days-and people complain about new bike technology! Nice baggies

There aren't really 'loops' but there is signage to all the trails so you can just make your own ride up (the best kind of trail network in my opinion and pretty much same concept like last month's featured article on Table Mountain). Check out Trailforks and you can get idea of the routes and then you can just have a blast linking them up to your preference. AC/DC is an all-time great though it's short and steep so be careful!

Why interesting? We asked the local builder there (Dihaan) and that's the information we received. He did mention that you could sign up with HillBillies for an annual membership and the money would go towards signage and trail building costs, so that would always be first prize.

It really is a great place to ride. T one of those places you you can introduce newbies to and they would have a blast as well as trails that will get seasoned riders beaming from ear to ear.

Great questions and well written piece!

Indeed, we know! Take a look at the TrailDaze articles on Drakensberg and Karkloof that have already been posted

Just a note that the circle in the middle of the map above is a hiking ONLY trail, Mtbers only allowed access on the trail on the hairpin.

Not really Bullet. Most of these trails are dual directional (not the Glen-too steep!) and there is not really a signposted 'route' to follow the trails mentioned in this article so best to make use of local knowledge. There are many different ways to link up incredible rides depending on what kind of riding you like as well as where you want to start and end from.

Hi Seaweed. We haven't had time to make a trailmap for these trails yet and it wouldn't really help much as there's a gazillion access points and routes to follow depending on where you start, where you want to go and what kind of trails you want to ride Check out the PPA website link from the article for some (very) basic maps but I think the best bet is try to hook up with a local for the best experience.

Absolutely massive news! Thank you, thank you thank you to all the people behind the scenes that paid for and facilitated this process! Now to all cyclists-please don't become your own worst enemy. Let us do this right so that we don't lose this privilege or give anyone ANY ammunition against us! Get your permit now, be courteous (remember most hikers will not realise that we are allowed on some trails now so please be polite in educating them), report suspicious activity to TMNP/SAPS (who knows the best number to phone?), do NOT go and race down trails-have fun but realise how scary fast mtbers seem to walkers/ the elderly. Slow down well before any other users, greet them (maybe pack a flask of tea to share with them?! Show them we are outside for the same love of nature as them! Just be nice!

Great report Kylie! Really enjoyed the route this year and it really is getting better and better each year. Was quite impressed at how the organisers are not 'dumbing down' the newer sections of trail (too much) and all riders seem to be dealing with the narrow, rockier trails just fine. I think the perfect route would involve A,B and C lines in the trickier sections to assist in overtaking and helping with congestion.

Well if it makes you feel any better, there was a strong, frigid wind blowing while we did this shoot so it really was a tough day at the office!

Not all crazy rock gardens. In fact most of the trails there are wide , flowy and incredibly well built! Only the top section is steep and rocky . Go and check the trails out!