Asidlale (Leeuwkop Prison)

[JK7]

Rode here this weekend, and it has lots of potential.  Unfortunately not popular (yet) so I thought I would create this thread for awareness so they can keep it going and expand it.  Inside the prison grounds, pay at the entrance. 

 

The 1st part is a bit grassy (needs more riders really)  but very pretty.  The route is mostly jeep track with a few single tracks.  Some nice climbs for for training. 

32KM has 600m of climbing.   Careful the downhills (ruts!) And it has one awesome single track descent at the +-27km mark.   

 

Site: https://www.like2bike.co.za/asidlale

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/BytcFutTVa4EnLrKA

[Paul Ruinaard]

Hmm that's interesting. I used to live in Lonehill East and rode there as it was literally just outside my back garden - mates and i used it lots for. along time. Has it opened up again? the old 94.7 MTB race used to go through the bottom section near the river and there was some nice single track in the forest near the max security section many years ago. They actually used to have a couple of races in there. Nearly hit a fallow deer one Xmas eve in the forest section when i was testing out my new fork that i had given myself as a Xmas present. Fun times indeed. You could easily get 30 km in 

[Danger Dassie]

They're still busy with some admin from what I understand. It has great potential and theres been some charity events already. 
Well worth riding, almost feels like a mini Karkloof in some areas.

[JK7]

On 3/28/2022 at 1:46 PM, Danger Dassie said:

They're still busy with some admin from what I understand. It has great potential and theres been some charity events already. 
Well worth riding, almost feels like a mini Karkloof in some areas.

Yea they 100% open now. Great option to have to ride

[Rich Stan]

Where do you access the trails? Checked the webpage and couldn't quite make it out

 

I am moving to Lonehill so would be a great ride from home option

[marcfr]

36 minutes ago, Rich Stan said:

Where do you access the trails? Checked the webpage and couldn't quite make it out

 

I am moving to Lonehill so would be a great ride from home option

 

End of Kipling Road

-26.007730934846176, 28.069851574738617

 

[Rich Stan]

Ok cool thanks, so other side compared to Lone Hill.

Any one know some back roads, ie not Witkoppen, that would go from Lone Hill to Kipling?

[batmobile]

Rode there 2 weekends ago, also found it very pleasant to ride. Would definately be nice once it's up and running properly. Like if the old golf club house is utilized and you could sit and have a juice or something of the sorts either before or after a ride.

Some nice climbs on the route offering great views of JHB and the surrounds also great bird life. Saw a Long Crested Eagle and African Harrier Hawk. One or two route markings need to be sorted but I'll head back for sure, as it's pretty close to home for me. And it should also be pretty safe to ride, unless the inmates need and escape ride. LOL

[KarlT]

I stay in the Kyalami AH area and we rode from my house to Asidlale today. We went past Kyalami Corner, over the hill and down to Barbaque downs and entered by the golf course.

You can pay online or at the gate, however, the card machine at the gate was not working today. Luckily I had my phone and credit card with me and we could by two passes for the day.

Overall the route is super nice, but needs to be ridden in a bit more in the golf course area as most of the riding is on grass, which is also not too bad. After that it's pretty much jeep track or single track all the way.

There are some proper climbs, not gonna lie. The longest and steepest climb is from the Jukskei river level up towards the top of the hill where the Kyalami Castle is, and it is straight uphill, no zig zag like you would find at other bike parks. Once you are over the hill there is a nice decent and you loop around and head back over the hill.

As was mentioned previously by JK7, the total ascent is around 600m over the 32km, so I think this is a awesome place to train for people staying in Joburg.

They are also busy building flow lines which would be cool for the enduro guys.

There are no coffee shops or places to buy snacks afterwards, but I think that's probably coming in the future when they will make use of the old club house.

Asidlale has a lot of potential, so hopefully they can keep it up and get lots of people to ride there.

I must admit the actual prison facilities, where the staff stay and the overall look of the buildings, is terrible. Lots of litter, overgrown sidewalks, and buildings that haven't been painted in probably 30 years. They have all the free labour they need to ensure that the place is nice and tidy, but I guess we cant expect too much from those that run the place.

[JK7]

18 hours ago, KarlT said:

Asidlale has a lot of potential, so hopefully they can keep it up and get lots of people to ride there.

 

Exactly. We need to support them so they can grow, add more track, maintain, and most importantly get a coffee station at the end!  

[stevieg8]

I rode there last Friday morning (3 June) Only got there at 08:30 and was told they lock the gate at 10h30 so was touch and go to do the 30km route. Fortunately a guy named Christo , who was at the clubhouse, was there to assist with the gate on prior arrangement. But just make sure of this if you go during the week and don't want to be locked in.

Beginning was grassy and muddy, thereafter was good single track as well as graded jeep track. Didn't enjoy the sewerage spill at the pig farm 😞 No way of going around it. 

Signage could be a bit more obvious and bigger. You have to watch out for the red arrows quite diligently otherwise you'll miss them. 

Were a couple of cars on the road in some places which isn't ideal but wasn't a problem. 

The view from the hill next the Kyalami Castle was amazing as was the flow line down from there. 1st part of the flow line takes you by surprise being rocky, narrow and quite technical but it soon opens up and leaves a massive smile on your face. 

It has a lot of potential but needs to be ridden more. A nice alternative to Modderfontein for me.

Edited June 6, 2022 by stevieg8

[JRN89]

Agreed, I also did Asidlale on Sunday and can agree with everything above - cycled from Lonehill, did the red loop and then back via Kyalami and Beaulieu, a nice +60km loop which the legs weren't quite prepared for.

The blue route (10km) is not marked/available yet,  so you've got the 5km green route and ~30km red loop (which you could easily add sections onto once you know the lay of the land better) to keep you busy. 

The first few km's are grassy with two muddy sections but nothing serious, once on the red route, it's very straight forward, few grassy and muddy sections but nothing too technical at all. That sewage spill at the pig farm is a disaster and it's no wonder the Jukskei river is in the condition that it is, I'd hate to know how long it has been running like that for, and getting that all over your water bottles seems like a sure way to loose weight quickly. 

I'm only a few weeks into this MTBing 'hobby' and the flow line caught me by surprise too, clipped the pedals on the rocks at the start and ate some dirt and chickened out on the drop beneath the tree. That said, for the guys who know what they're doing, this must be some serious fun. 
I look forward to trying it again, knowing what lies ahead now. 

Needs some traffic to kill the grass, and I'm intrigued to see what this will be like in summer though. 

Great to have something like this close to home, the work done so far is commendable. 

I see an additional flow line is also nearing completion, hopefully it gets the traffic is deserves. 

[Hendel Clase]

So did the full 30km route (which turned out to be 33.89km) with 618m of elevation Gian. I can honestly say I enjoyed it a lot. Was it not for my horrible fitness levels, I probably would have enjoyed even more.

Regardless, they are doing a great job. Just enough of everything not to be a pain. Good variety. Could maybe to with a bit more single-track. 

I was amazed at how large the whole property is. Drove past it for the last 8 years and always thought about the landmarks you can see. Also interesting what they get up too around the place, not only looking after prisoners. 

The one climb up to the Kyalami Castle look out point is was a real challenge for me, more 1.5km more or less. Not so steep, just never ending it felt like. You can build up some speed on some of the wide gravel road downhills. 

The flow track is impressive, for my novice skills anyway. I think I saw something about a short cut? Over the river? Otherwise you need to do 27km before you get there. I was quite tired by then. 

Everyone I cycled past where very friendly. 

Will do it again 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Hendel Clase

[Dedel]

Hi all, random question. are the trails at the prison gravel bike friendly?

[Wyatt Earp]

5 hours ago, Dedel said:

Hi all, random question. are the trails at the prison gravel bike friendly?

Absolutely, once ridden the big loop on the gravel bike as well as the lesser technical flow line.

[OVERDRIVE]

35 minutes ago, Wyatt Earp said:

Absolutely, once ridden the big loop on the gravel bike as well as the lesser technical flow line.

Are the trails marked now?