Trail revamp at Rhodes Memorial, Table Mountain

[Nick]

Mountain bike trails, many of us live for these sculptured tracks of dirt. But where do they come from? Who's building them? And why don't we know? While I won't be going into why many South African mountain bikers can't answer these fundamental questions, I will be pointing out who's responsible for the most recent modifications to the Rhodes Memorial single track on Table Mountain.

 

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[Godzilla]

Looks fricken amazing guys ! I cant wait to ride it !

Well done & MASSIVE thanks to happen Robert Vogel from TMB for making this happen !

[Ashy]

wow awesome. Looking forward to riding this trail you guys are amazing.

[SCD]

Big up guys! Thanks for the hard work!

[cadenceblur]

I've never ridden Table Mountain, looking to do so soon, what can I expect?

[gwhite]

Looks awesome and well done to Robert and Bennet and the rest of the Ace of Spades team. Who also recently made some awesome upgrades to the Tokai trails! Thanks guys and again, great work!

[Lars]

Hi guys it looks amazing, and thanks for the hard work,

but I don't understand why people complain that it is to difficult to ride, this will improve your skill level, and if you are aiming on becoming a better rider you should ride it and not complain.

I don't mean this in a bad way. I rode this trail several times, and only recently I managed to ride it completely. that tells me that my skill level has improved.

That is just my thought, and once again thanks on the hard work you guys are putting in.

Regards Lars

[Muzzarati]

Great fantastic awesome work!!!

 

However could you make those new corners at a constant radius, they currently become tighter towards the end. Easy way to prevent this from happening is to build the corner from the end of the corner to the start.

 

Otherwise it's awesome nice to see those trails getting some care.

[DJR]

:clap:

 

One metre of single track = hundred metres of jeep track = a kilometre of tar (in terms of fun!)

 

I'll be up there to check it out tomorrow afternoon

[Hackster]

Awesomeness abounds.

 

Thanks Robert.

 

Can't wait to ride it.

 

Minor point of correction, I'm not sure its placement is accurately described - "bottom of Plum Pudding Hill... ."

 

My understanding is that Plum Pudding is the obscenely steep climb on the Cape Town side of that loop.

 

That said, the climb to the top after this new section is pretty daunting and probably deserves a name, if it hasn't got one already.

 

How about 'Muffin Top'.

[Dots]

This just look awesome! Will definitely go and visit it soon!

 

Thanks to Table Mountain Bikers and the Pedal Power Associations for funding and managing the build! To the Ace of Spade team...You guys rock! Thank you very much!

[kandui]

I was on site half an hour ago and the team is busy working on the top and middle parts of the trail. There are small berms going in at the top of the trail as well and a new track has been cut just after the bridge when you're coming down.

 

I blocked off a trail leading off to the left after the bridge. Please leave it this way. At the bottom of the "new" ST, there is a fork going right to the lower ST and a fork turning left towards the tar road. If you use the blocked off path, you miss out on the berms at the bottom.

 

Bennet will be done this afternoon, then it's over to us to keep the trail in good shape.

 

As for the loss of technicality by upgrading the trail, I respectfully disagree. With an overall "smoother" trail, there are still one or two rocky sections , plus you still have to ride up the hill. Why not see how fast you can do it?

On the way down. Practice your cornering,try holding your speed let the bike flow. Also, see that you don't use your brakes in the corner, but rather before you enter it.

If we can look after this trail and stick to the agreement with San Parks, there is no reason why we shouldn't be allowed to do this again somewhere else in the near future.

I am thinking Deer Park, for instance.

[supertorro]

what is the agreement with SAN Parks? In a nutshell I mean. I haven't been following so am out of touch

[Groadie]

Great work by Rob and his team, the PPA, SANParks, and Ace of SPades! I hope this is just the top of the iceberg regarding how we can maximise the many many amazing trails e have around Cape Town. Can't wait to go and try this out...

[kandui]

what is the agreement with SAN Parks? In a nutshell I mean. I haven't been following so am out of touch

In a nutshell: riders complained about the condition of the trail to San Parks. San Parks contacted TMB and I put forward a proposal of how the trail can be made user friendly. My proposal was accepted by San Parks and I got a quote from Ace of Spades for the work. Monday they moved in for 3 days worth of work which will be completed in about half an hour's time.

Pretty simple really once permissions are given.

TMB will maintain the trail, but I am sure San Parks will provide assistance if asked.

[kandui]

The trail upgrade is finished and the trail is open.

We will monitor the condition over the next week or so and see how it goes.

Pictures are one thing. Go and ride it and let everyone know what you think.