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Fondly referred to as a mountain biker’s dream, the second annual Pennypinchers Origin Of Trails 2-Day Mountain Bike (MTB) Stage Race returns to Stellenbosch this coming weekend (Friday, 28 and Saturday, 29 November 2014). Click here to view the article

Hannah Barnes lives the mountain biker's dream. She competes in events like the Enduro World Series but in between she travels the world taking on adventurous races and exploring trails, all in the name of fun. Hannah recently visited Stellenbosch to shoot to film the latest episode in the Destination Trail series at Jonkershoek. We sat down with Hannah to find out how she managed the great mountain bike swindle. Click here to view the article

In this episode of Destination Trail, we follow Hannah Barnes and Miranda Miller as the pair ride the scorched wilderness of Stellenbosch, South Africa. A vast network of trails have existed here since the '90s, but after a massive fire scorched much of the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in 2015, fresh funding has paved the way for even more singletrack. And today, this lemonade-out-of-lemons approach has rejuvenated existing trails and laid the groundwork for new ones, making the area a true destination for any mountain biker with a love for dusty red earth. Click here to view the article

Fellow trail users, It’s been quite sometime since our last trail update. Almost all trails in Jonkershoek were destroyed by the recent fires. At it’s finest hour (pre-fires) 25km of single track existed in Jonkershoek. Positively moving forward, we commenced trail building on August 17. Our goal is the creation of about 70-100km of varied single track as-well as usage of the excellent fire road network. As part of this comprehensive trail network there’s a very thorough directional and safety signage plan. Most importantly we also have a self sustaining financial plan meaning that we won’t have to knock on the same doors for funding each year. FINANCIAL HISTORY: Since 2011 we have collectively fundraised R 672,260.50 broken down as follows:2012 - R 165,1052013 - R 159,7752014 - R 219,4202015 - R 128,050.50Contribution breakdown:Individual contributions (2012 to 2015) - R 244,957 (or 36%)Fundraisers (2012 and 2013) - R 84,200 (or 13%)Pennypinchers Origin Of Trails (2013) - R 54,970 (or 8%)Specialized Bicycles (2012 to 2015) - R 278,133.50 (or 43%)All R 672,260.50 went directly towards trail building in Jonkershoek. Unfortunately most of that good work was destroyed in the recent fires. We are very appreciative to everybody who contributed. Thank you, your generosity means so much. These monies demonstrated the potential Jonkershoek represented; we now aim to better grasp that potential. FUTURE: Although fundraising and contributions have gotten Jonkershoek to where it is today (pre-fires) we have always known that in order to best position Jonkershoek as a truly world-class trail destination the generation of income needs to be self-sustainable. We cannot continue knocking on the same doors for monies, relying on donations and fundraisers. Since February we have been working with the CEO of MTO, Lawrence Polkinghorne on ways to make Jonkershoek self-sustainable and in doing so create the very best trail destination. MTO are aligned; they too want the very best trail destination. We have decided that the initiative will be led by MTO; a team is going to manage Jonkershoek’s trails in partnership with MTO. Essentially the gate entrance fee will be increased, effective September 1, with all surplus funds going towards trail building. Over and above we will sell a limited number of branding rights packages to interested individuals / companies at R 100,000 per package. Based upon pre-fire Jonkershoek attendance the gate surplus income will be sufficient to create an incredible trail network. The sale of branding rights will be a positive surplus. Moving forward Jonkershoek will be referred to as 'MTO Trails - Jonkershoek'. A Facebook Page has been created, where we will regularly provide updates (please visit - https://www.facebook.com/pages/MTO-Trails-Jonkershoek/1614831528781058).New Jonkershoek Gate Entrance Fees (effective September 1, 2015):Per entry - R 50Annual Individual - R 500Annual Family - R 700We would appreciate your support in embracing these new fees, which are inline with market related entrance fees. THE TEAM: To establish Jonkershoek as the go-to spot in South Africa and a place to be proud of on an international scale requires the very best and most experienced team of people, as is the case with any business. Herein the team:Management (each avid mountain bikers and / or trail runners):Lawrence Polkinghorne - Group CEO, MTO. Thanks to Lawrence and MTO we have been afforded these amazing opportunities in Jonkershoek.Bobby Behan - Managing Director, Specialized Bicycles Africa. One of the original group who started the trail building initiatives in 2011.Giniel De Villiers - Dakar Rally Champion. One of the original group who started the trail building initiatives in 2011.Gavin King - Owner of The Ride In Cafe in Jonkershoek, Gavin brings international experience following many years working on the global cycling circuit (road and mountain).Hanno Lategan - Maties Cycling Captain. One of the original group who started the trail building initiatives in 2011. Hanno has been instrumental alongside Corrie Muller and Bennet Nel in creating the Coetzenburg XCO Course.Advisory Team (each avid mountain bikers and / or trail runners):Christoph Sauser - Founder of Songo.info; multiple Cape Epic and World Champion, Olympic Medallist.Paul Morris - arguably the most core rider in Stellenbosch, Paul’s expertise will come into play on the more technical trails. Paul is also most probably the very first ‘unofficial' trail builder in Stellenbosch!!Corrie Muller - very passionate local rider and trail builder. The driving force behind the Coetzenburg XCO Course and Pennypinchers Origin Of Trails route.Michael Meyer - Managing Director, Stillwater Sports. Michael’s expertise will come to play especially in relation to events.Alexa Cunningham - Sponsorship and Events Manager, Stillwater Sports.Kathy Crabbe - General Manager, Songo.info. The trial network will have strong links to social development.Julia Skea - Attorney and trustee of Songo.info.Paul Haumann - Chartered Accountant and one of the original group who started the trail building initiatives in 2011.Over and above this group, we will reach out to local and international experts from our collective connections so we are always informed on best ways forward. Our Facebook Page will also provide us with a powerful communication platform where we can take-on board constructive feedback.If anybody would like to be involved please reach out via the Facebook Page or email me directly.Trail Builders: both are proven world-clas trail builders who also handle themselves on a bicycle:Bennet Nel - Bennet and his team of 6 people will be the main trail builders. Bennet built most of Jonkershoek’s trails to-date as-well as the Coetzenburg XCO Course. Hylton Turvey - Hylton is well known for the trails in Karkloof and has already been involved in Jonkershoek. Hylton's trail building style will add varietyUPDATE ON JONKERSHOEK: The idea with Jonkershoek is to create a multiple trail head approach, an approach adopted from learnings of leading international destinations. Each trail head will have a variety of trails stemming from them, which can be accessed by fire road and/or single track climb. For now we are referencing old trail names, but where necessary new trail names will be created as the various trails open. Felling will continue in Jonkershoek until December. Areas affected will be most trails originating from 'Bench’ and ‘Quarry’ Trail Heads. Trail building commenced on August 17 around 'The Neverending Story' Trail Head. There will be intensive work in order to have all trails originating from the ‘Neverending Story’ Trail Head completed by October / November. Upon completion trails originating from ‘Bench’ and ‘Quarry’ trail heads will be built. Although this represents an aggressive timeline, we hope that by early 2016 most of these trails will be open and complete. Lastly for now please ride / run / walk in the non-felling zones. We appreciate your support in this regard. Please feel free to distribute and to reach out at anytime. Thanks for all of your support, Bobby.

Winter has delivered so many gorgeous days this year, but when it decides to rain... it POURS! Friday was one of those days & DH racing was not sounding like the best of ideas, the roads became rivers & the freshly burnt pine plantations had turned into a mush of mud & ash. A few riders braved the storm & got a few runs in, but my window weather report was not making photography a look like a good idea. The online reports were showing clear all day Saturday & Sunday, but on Friday that felt very far fetched, especially in a valley that has some of the highest recorded rainfall in the country. Click here to view the article

Early in 2015, the greater Cape Town area lost a few of its flagship trails due to wild fires. One of which was Jonkershoek - a piece of land with immense scenic beauty, and loads of trails for both hikers and mountain bikers. Months of downtime allowed for logging and getting the trails safe again, which meant zero access to the public. During that time though, two very talented individuals, Bennet Nel and Hylton Turvey, put their heads together and resurrected the playground that we've all been missing so much. Aptly naming one of the trails, the Red Phoenix. Click here to view the article

Did anyone do the Jonkershoek MTB race yesterday? I was really disappointed by the route and organisation. When I complete the 25km route in just over 1 hour, you know the ride was too easy! The problem was that most of it was on roads, flat ones at that. There was only a short section in the forest, and no climbs! The marshalling was poor with very few of the fluorescent vest guys having any idea of which route was which. I am a bit concerned because i see a bit of a trend here. The race calendar is getting filled up with people wanting to capitalise on the growing numbers of people doing this sport, and their prime motivation seems to be money, not putting on a great event. There is no passion or love for the sport - just a greedy mindset. The result is races like Saturday's Jonkershoek ride! By the way, I notice it was organised by the local NGK, not a cycling club. What do you guys think - is there is a trend here or should i just choose my races more carefully?

Just to report to all those who advised me on how to find the new section of singletrack in Jonkershoek....I followed the advice to the letter...got lost...climbed and climbed and climbed....and eventually realised I was not lost...saw a whole lot of bike tracks going though a muddy patch, followed the tracks and there it was! AWESOME! (Mental note to self...do not ride unknown singletrack after sunset still wearing sweat-spattered sunglasses ). Went straight on at the first sharp right-hander (Meurant...Berms???) and nearly had an attack of vertigo in one little section (see note re sunglasses), but otherwise it was great. Junior only had to wait for about 3 minutes for me at the bottom. Can't wait to do it again. From home to Jonkershoek, do the loop including single track and back home is 37km. Perfect.

Some pics I took today are at http://chris.theworld.co.za

The Route Then ALL the way to the top Returning via the singletrack ZorgusPrime2008-03-26 08:04:31

OK, all y'all that know Jonkershoek well....just where is the "new" section of single track that Dirtopia developed in Jonkershoek? Please start all descriptions with the term: "when you go through the entrance gate..."

Onetime on the way to the top... OT & Fatcyclist My lovely specialized... FC making sure he has all he needs Not a bad view....OT counted 13 hanging waterfalls Who are you calling a poofter? Nothing wrong with my new triple... The Good, The Bad & the Red Devil Anyone for a trip?

Well ladies and gents!! Its weekend and more ride time on our hands!!! We will be leaving the entrance at Jonkershoek @ 09H00. Anybody is welcome for a nice training ride. Remember the more the merrier!!!!!

Just heard from a friend at MTO - 50% of Jonkershoek plantation was destroyed by fire last night... still burning under the Pieke. not sure what this means for the trails, but it can't be good...

8H00 AM 5-6HRS Riding All welcome to join for some hours in the saddle. Date is Saturday the 16th. Onetime2010-01-13 22:44:40

Hey anyone wanna join? Leaving every day after work at arround 17:45. Leaving from Stellenbosch - riding up there - will be at the gate at 18:10ish. Its still light then, but we ride till well after dark. training for the transbaviaans - 2h + rides during the week, and 6/7 h + rides on weekends. Just enjoying the time up there and being out of the office after the days work. Don't have to actually meet, at night people seem to find each other up there with the lights guiding the way. OPEN INVITE - if we meet up there, will be cool to do some groupriding

Lower canary

Some people seem to think that the single track in Jonkershoek have direction restrictions. As far as I know this has never been the case in Jonkershoek (and as a local, I have been riding there for 10+ years). While one way traffic might make sense on some trails, this does not apply to the tracks designed and built by Meurant in Jonkershoek . He specifically intended the tracks to be ridden in both directions. There are almost no blind corners and it does not take much skill to pass. Even if you cannot do this without one or both riders putting a foot down, so what? This is recreational riding. When I started riding MTB 10+ years ago, the general rule was that the rider going uphill has right of way. Reasoning being that the downhill rider has speed and can easily manoeuvre, but the uphill rider cannot. Of course both riders should make it as easy as possible for the other to pass. Has this changed??

There is currently a weekly night ride at Jonkershoek that TheCrow first advertised here on the hub, and any hubbers who want to join are welcome to come along. We meet at the gate at 6pm (though this can be changed) on Thursdays. The route and the pace are variable and dependant on the participants, but we try to do a loop including parts of the singletrack up and down. If you are interested, or want to know more, post a resonse here. I'll edit this post to include a participant list: Confrimed Participants: ZorgusPrime +1 TheCrow StraatvarkZorgusPrime2008-06-18 16:26:31

Who is going to race?

Rode the two new trails above top Canary at Jonkers this weekend. What a blast - fast and flowy - we couldn't stop smiling for the next few hours. Also rode the recently (I think) refurbished Ellioty (spelling?) - brilliant. Also the fire hut trails down through the pine plantation. Schweet! as always. Thanks to whoever the guys are who put so much work into these trails.

Hi, Has anybody started in Jonkershoek and rode over the mountains at the back to Fraanshoek? I am quite keen to do it and sleep in the mountains while at it.... Some advice and ideas would be appreciated! Thanks

So riding up Jonkershoek yesterday, lower canary.. my mate got shot by a couple paintballers while making his way up there. Who can we contact about this? We have bruises as proof. He was also wearing a trail helmet and not a full face which could result in blindness quite easily with some well aimed shots. How the hell can you have an active paintball area right in amongst the mountain bike trails?

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in Stellenbosch was abuzz with activity as the country’s top downhillers descended on the valley to take part in the first national DHI of the season on Sunday 10 February. Click here to view the article

Hey all, Was at hoogekraal this morning having a chat with three guys I met at the parking (I wonder if any of you are here...). I have never been to Jonkershoek, but they said the single track there is longer and maybe even a little funnerer than hoogekraal. What do you guys think? I'm having tons of fun at hoogekraal, if Jonkerhoek is anything like it, then I must definitely make the trip and go check it out... Which do you prefer?