Meerendal - Hoogekraal Route - Pls help

[Hairy]

Don't waste your time with Meerendal...

Go ride Hoogies and buy a day permit for your mate then go ride Contermans and get another day permit there.

 

Safety is not an issue at all.

 

 

Meerendal is boring on the CX bike..... as Thermophage said. Go ride Hoogies and Contermans. Shouls be enough to get a decent grin going

 

 

Meer-and-Dull.

Bloem-and-dull.

 

I prefer riding my road bike up suikerbossie than 98% of the trails in Tygerberg. I know everyone who thinks Tygerberg is riding nirvana is gonna slate me but most of it is K@K.

are you boy's the famed "pinners"?

[Thermophage]

are you boy's the famed "pinners"?

more like infamous...

[Mamil]

I don't so much agree with this - sure Meerendal is not technically difficult at all but the descent from the top all the way back down to the bottom is quite good fun - nice and fast....

 

 

Meerendal is boring on the CX bike..... as Thermophage said. Go ride Hoogies and Contermans. Shouls be enough to get a decent grin going

[MTBeer]

are you boy's the famed "pinners"?

I'm checking those Strava segments right now to get an idea of who we are dealing with here...

[Thermophage]

I'm checking those Strava segments right now to get an idea of who we are dealing with here...

Wanting more technical trails doesn't necessarily mean you're fast or fit.

I'm certainly VERY seldom anywhere near the top of any damn segment

[MTBeer]

Dude...the gravel road at WVP is more technical than Meerrendal.

It really doesn't have any trail that someone riding a MTB for the first time couldn't handle.

Hoogekraal and Conties for you if you won't want to be bored.

I wouldn't consider Meerendal Intermediate whatsoever from a technical aspect. Form a fitness one yes, but not a chance from a technical one. I'd go so far as so say every trail they have is a green by international grading standards.

I'm not a fan of Meerendal either, but the bit in red is somewhat of a fabrication. I certainly know my wife, who has ridden a few times (but is k@k scared) will walk a fair bit there.

[MTBeer]

Wanting more technical trails doesn't necessarily mean you're fast or fit.

I'm certainly VERY seldom anywhere near the top of any damn segment

true dat. But if they are not technical enough, just ride them faster. Talking the downhill bits obviously.

[Jewbacca]

ahahahahahahaha Hairy.

 

I am not. But I like rocks and burly trails. Ezelenduro on a hardtail was pretty fun last year..... 

 

I suppose I just find Meerendal to be somewhat same same where as hoogies and Conties both 'mix it up' a bit.

 

If they added a few features and not just bank the berms higher it could start to warrant it's pride of place. For now I would recommend an out of towner do the stuff with a bit more 'pop' as he should remember the trails positively for the future.....not head home and think '..... I shouldn't have wasted my time there...'

 

That is all

[stefmeister]

Dude...the gravel road at WVP is more technical than Meerrendal.

It really doesn't have any trail that someone riding a MTB for the first time couldn't handle.

Hoogekraal and Conties for you if you won't want to be bored.

I wouldn't consider Meerendal Intermediate whatsoever from a technical aspect. Form a fitness one yes, but not a chance from a technical one. I'd go so far as so say every trail they have is a green by international grading standards.

Ag, that little hill they call Dorstberg is also nothing to write home about. I'd expected the Vaalies to refer to that molshoop as a mountain.

[Robbie Stewart]

Dorstberg is still a moese mountain to me...but then, I am pushing 120kg..

[Eugene Oppelt]

Dorstberg is still a moese mountain to me...but then, I am pushing 120kg..

 

 

She awaits

Those rocky segments mid way surely warms up my engine

 

[ChrisF]

Interesting comments .... 

 

 

With the little one in tow we ENJOY Meerendal.  The restaurant at the bottom offers a nice place for the wife to relax while we enjoy the ride, and the views.

 

 

Obviously people head out on their bikes for different reasons, and would thus expect different things from the trails.

 

For us :

- safe parking - check

- nice restaurant - check

- so now the little one and I can head to the trails .... obviously I cant do vertical cliffs with with 5 year old.  The few short steep climbs at Meerendal we walk.  Then nice long contour lines for a very relaxed ride.  - check

- views - CHECK !

- nature - we often stop to watch the bird life, or a veld-muis, or what ever mother nature shows us. - check

- many cut-backs - this is an absolute must when riding with a little one .. - check

- atmosphere .... the atmosphere at Meerendal is MUCH more family orientated than at that other bloemen-place .....

 

 

I DO understand that the experienced rider, and especially the more technical riders would want something more than what we have seen at Meerendal.  But for us, Meerendal tops the list.

 

 

[Mamil]

I like to do Meerendal and then the corridor across to Conties and back again but I do wish we could have A frames over those fences instead of having to get off all the time.

 

I hate the Dorstberg uphill. I'm sure I've ridden steeper and rockier uphills but that hill has my psychological number.

 

Hoogekraal is always a challenge for me - I find the cobra scary in one or two places and I  just can't find the rhythm on the first welvergenoegd descent or Patrick's Psycho Plunge although I am getting faster on both of them.

 

And I always have to get off once on those steep uphill switchbacks on the way back. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I like to do Meerendal and then the corridor across to Conties and back again but I do wish we could have A frames over those fences instead of having to get off all the time.

 

I hate the Dorstberg uphill. I'm sure I've ridden steeper and rockier uphills but that hill has my psychological number.

 

Hoogekraal is always a challenge for me - I find the cobra scary in one or two places and I just can't find the rhythm on the first welvergenoegd descent or Patrick's Psycho Plunge although I am getting faster on both of them.

 

And I always have to get off once on those steep uphill switchbacks on the way back.

Those steep uphill switchbacks are easy once you have the technique down. You have to accelerate hard, get low and forwards and then power up them. Can't spin up them as they are too steep and your front wheel will lift with the torque you put out.

[Mamil]

That's useful - I'll give it a try next time.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what happens to the Welvergenoegd trails in the rainy season - assuming of course that there is still such a thing in Cape Town as a rainy season - all that loose sand on those first corners -- mud bath here we come.

 

 

Those steep uphill switchbacks are easy once you have the technique down. You have to accelerate hard, get low and forwards and then power up them. Can't spin up them as they are too steep and your front wheel will lift with the torque you put out.

[Meezo]

Interesting comments ....

 

 

With the little one in tow we ENJOY Meerendal. The restaurant at the bottom offers a nice place for the wife to relax while we enjoy the ride, and the views.

 

 

Obviously people head out on their bikes for different reasons, and would thus expect different things from the trails.

 

For us :

- safe parking - check

- nice restaurant - check

- so now the little one and I can head to the trails .... obviously I cant do vertical cliffs with with 5 year old. The few short steep climbs at Meerendal we walk. Then nice long contour lines for a very relaxed ride. - check

- views - CHECK !

- nature - we often stop to watch the bird life, or a veld-muis, or what ever mother nature shows us. - check

- many cut-backs - this is an absolute must when riding with a little one .. - check

- atmosphere .... the atmosphere at Meerendal is MUCH more family orientated than at that other bloemen-place .....

 

 

I DO understand that the experienced rider, and especially the more technical riders would want something more than what we have seen at Meerendal. But for us, Meerendal tops the list.

Don't mind them, they are pretty hardcore.

 

You must still meer the steel bike riding guys, they make these endurobros look like a bunch of crying complaining babies