Jump to content

Meerendal trails almost unridable - no maintenance!!


openmind

Recommended Posts

I rode the Meerendal trails on Saturday and was very disappointed. Our group paid R190 for trail fees but we headed off after completing just one loop as we could hardly even ride some sections due to vegetation completely covering the trails. Some signage is missing and the trail surface needs attention in places too. It's such a spectacular venue with great facilities (and good coffee) so it's such a pity that the trails are not being maintained. Cyclist drink wine too you know. 

Anyone know what's going on? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 66
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Out of interest how many riders in the group?

Did you take any pics?

Have you notified Meerendal (I understand they take care of their own trails?) and if so it would be interesting to hear their reply .... with spring here, and a good bit of rain leading up to the warmer weather I would imagine the vegetation would be growing very quickly.

One could argue that you are paying for a service/fair use of trails and should expect a reasonable condition trail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

haven't been there in a while but last time I was there all the fun bits were closed and only the boring part remained, and wasn't very well looked after. Bit of a shame as it was such a great place to bring beginners to learn how to ride while having massive fun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear the trails aren't looking great over at Meerendal. I ride Tygerberg trails all the time and I can tell you that much of the vegetation (weeds really) have basically popped up overnight. That said, I haven't been to Meerendal recently, perhaps the vegetation there is a bit worse than other parts of the Tygerberg network. 

Next time give Hoogekraal a go. The trails there are in mint condition and I can't say that the vegetation bothered me much there last weekend. Trails there are about the same skill level as Meerendal, but in my past experience the trails are better maintained. Also I find the scenery nicer and it mostly provides much better protection from the southeaster.

You can always go to Meerendal for drinks after the ride if you like. Or head on over to Contermanskloof for some very lekker beers and/or coffee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Hairy said:

Out of interest how many riders in the group?

Did you take any pics?

Have you notified Meerendal (I understand they take care of their own trails?) and if so it would be interesting to hear their reply .... with spring here, and a good bit of rain leading up to the warmer weather I would imagine the vegetation would be growing very quickly.

One could argue that you are paying for a service/fair use of trails and should expect a reasonable condition trail.

Can confirm the OP's observation, Meerendal definitely not in great shape at the moment, specifically compared to the rest of the Tygerberg trail network. Rode there 2 weeks back and in many spots it was hard to see the trail ahead with all the overgrowth. Trail also very rutty in a number of places. It does appear that someone slipped up on the maintenance planning there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stopped riding at Meerendal more than a month ago because of the lack of trail maintenance and overgrown vegetation, it's just plain dangerous. With zero trail maintenance and rehab those trails won't last much longer. I only use Meerendal for parking now and advise people not go riding there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meh-rendal stopped being a destination I go to more than a year ago, and then the trail was rubbish. I used to ride there all the time, but since maintenance stopped I stopped going. I suspect that the farm is quietly hoping mountain bikers will stop coming. No harm, no foul, that trail is not worth the effort anyway, and has not been for a couple of years already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, openmind said:

I rode the Meerendal trails on Saturday and was very disappointed. Our group paid R190 for trail fees but we headed off after completing just one loop as we could hardly even ride some sections due to vegetation completely covering the trails. Some signage is missing and the trail surface needs attention in places too. It's such a spectacular venue with great facilities (and good coffee) so it's such a pity that the trails are not being maintained. Cyclist drink wine too you know. 

Anyone know what's going on? 

 

Did you pay the "day entry fee" ?  If so, please report it to Meerendal .... for what that is worth.

 

PLEASE also send an email to the Tygerberg MTB club - info@tygerbergmtb.co.za

 

They NEED these issues in writing to follow up on this matter.

 

 

Meerendal insists on doing their own maintenance.  BUT, they also insist the Club pay over the maintenance money .....  In terms of maintenance, I have posted here about the lack of maintenance even before lock down.  Since then I have tried the Meerendal trails twice.

 

THIS is what I saw on my last visit (yes, I did speak to the Tygerberg committee about this).  This photo was taken on 13 December 2020, well into summer, and yet NO repairs to the winter damage of the trails -

PC-111.jpg.afe922e6ea3912db12392c0b4284eb23.jpg

 

Those of us that have 5+ years experience with Meerendal have seen the slow and steady decline of cycling at the fantastic venue.  They clearly have moved their market from cycling to the trail runners.  And yes, it is their right to do so ... but dont charge premium rates if you dont intend to keep your trails in order.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

Did you pay the "day entry fee" ?  If so, please report it to Meerendal .... for what that is worth.

 

PLEASE also send an email to the Tygerberg MTB club - info@tygerbergmtb.co.za

 

They NEED these issues in writing to follow up on this matter.

 

 

Meerendal insists on doing their own maintenance.  BUT, they also insist the Club pay over the maintenance money .....  In terms of maintenance, I have posted here about the lack of maintenance even before lock down.  Since then I have tried the Meerendal trails twice.

 

THIS is what I saw on my last visit (yes, I did speak to the Tygerberg committee about this).  This photo was taken on 13 December 2020, well into summer, and yet NO repairs to the winter damage of the trails -

PC-111.jpg.afe922e6ea3912db12392c0b4284eb23.jpg

 

Those of us that have 5+ years experience with Meerendal have seen the slow and steady decline of cycling at the fantastic venue.  They clearly have moved their market from cycling to the trail runners.  And yes, it is their right to do so ... but dont charge premium rates if you dont intend to keep your trails in order.

It improved before it went to complete ***, at some point that fun flow trail was almost a dump and then they made it a bit longer by building a few doubles on top of that section. The whole thing from the top to the little dam at the bottom was fricking fun ! Good times

Edited by Jbr
Typos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Jbr said:

It improved before it went to complete ***, at some point that fun flow trail was almost a dump and then they made it a bit longer buy building a few doubles on top of that section. The whole think from the top to the little dam at the bottom was fricking fun ! Good times

So sad.

 

Our riding started at Hazeldal.  After 3 or 4 rides they closed for their revamp, which took many months.

 

This is when we were introduced to Meerendal, in its hayday of cycling partnership.  At this point they were still co-sponsors to the Cape Epic and cycling was a big thing at Meerendal.  We were there 2 to 3 times each weekend.  

 

Fair to say we have very fond memories of the "former" Meerendal.

 

 

Sad to see this decline.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, openmind said:

I rode the Meerendal trails on Saturday and was very disappointed. Our group paid R190 for trail fees but we headed off after completing just one loop as we could hardly even ride some sections due to vegetation completely covering the trails. Some signage is missing and the trail surface needs attention in places too. It's such a spectacular venue with great facilities (and good coffee) so it's such a pity that the trails are not being maintained. Cyclist drink wine too you know. 

Anyone know what's going on? 

So glad I found this comment. I decided to head out yesterday (Sunday) for a solo ride at Meerendal and could not believe the state of the trails. Overgrown vegetation, water damage to trails not repaired, most cool parts of the trail with little jumps all worn away, especially coming down Dorstberg. Had to get off and push through certain areas of the trail that was overgrown. Got home to find a tick on my leg. Not ideal. Ever since Meerendal have built their security gate and directed cyclists away from the usual parking area it’s all gone downhill and they seem too arrogant to care. We all pay to ride there. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In fairness ... ticks are part of the season.

 

We typically find 2 or 3 ticks per year, from various parts of trails.

 

 

 

Granted, having to walk through brush certainly does not help 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm of the strong opinion that the Tygerberg MTB club rescind membership there and if folks want to go ride there then they can pay day-pass fees. That frees up funding to maintain and expand the trails under the direct curatorship of the club, which is what we the paying member-base are paying for.

I take exception to the fact that a portion of my annual fee is paying for potential access to trails in such a poor state. There is NO excuse for non-maintenance when compared to the maintenance done on Contermanskloof by Rob Starke and Hoogekraal, Faircape, Klipheuwel, Bloemendaaler, Bloemendal and other spots in between over the course of the last year even by Patrick and his team of trail magicians. 

The only logical conclusion to draw is that Meerendal does not want to be a MTB trail destination any longer, which is their full right. But don't make me pay them then either.

Calling on @TBMTBC to DO THE RIGHT THING by your club members. Next month the club votes on annual fees. Exclude Meerendal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They won't see me anytime soon again. Used to love just riding to there for something to munch and drink but, the last time we were there gate opened as we were approaching no car in sight so we headed to the restaurant like always. Sitting having a beer right at the front door (to keep an eye on the bikes) when this little @#&* security comes up to me screaming at me going completely ape ???? even saying we were hiding (at the front door not to good at hide and seek I guess) when I kind of lost my cool got up and he saw in my friendly expression its time to run away.

Talk about unprofessional, if he approached me in a decent manner it would have been a completely different thing.

Still don't know what the issue was... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout