nathrix Posted January 9, 2023 Posted January 9, 2023 Definately on my bucket list so to speak, is to ride the To Hell & Back (two day event) one day. My attempt at showcasing Gamkaskloof "Die Hel" the way I saw it a week ago when we drove there (2nd time I've done this). The road was in much worse condition as before. Want to capture the whole stretch towards Elands Pass on video as best I could and limited time we had (more videos to follow), so sped up the video which you could easily pause if you want to have a better view of a certain point in time frame. Some valuable lessons learned regarding better shots I could have taken with the drone, would also like to invest in a 360 camera as well as a MUCH faster pc to render and edit more than a TB of video data! So I'll share it here for those who are interested or planning a ride or drive there. Huge respect to anyone who have ridden in and out of there! justinafrika, Sepia, ChrisF and 3 others 6
milky4130 Posted January 9, 2023 Posted January 9, 2023 Excellent footage. I’ve had the pleasure of doing the 2 day MTB stage race once before almost 10 years ago. Always wanted to go back again but it clashes with Double Century. nathrix and LBKloppers 1 1
The_Hitman Posted January 9, 2023 Posted January 9, 2023 Cool video! Bringing back some good memories… I did it in 2020. Excellent race! With all the climbs on Day 2 its hard to remember that you did so much downhill on Day 1… make sure you pack your climbing legs for both days. Oh yes, since 2020 its 5km longer to get to the Hell! @milky4130Hell&Back is a whole weekend before DC 🤣 whats the problem? 😁 ChrisF, LBKloppers, Wannabe and 1 other 1 1 2
nathrix Posted January 10, 2023 Author Posted January 10, 2023 (edited) I counted (well i tried, almost impossible) about 7 passes going in there. Elands Pass drops 579 meters into the kloof in only 4.7 kilometres, that’s insane! What makes it worse is the condition of the road e.g. a mixture of big + small marbles or sharply pointed rocks all over the place, falling rocks or rock slides, corrugation, holes, wash-aways, very longs stretches of narrow road, the steepness, the heat (and cold and wet when a front suddenly moves in), the wind, huge drop-offs/cliffs, other vehicles (had to watch ahead so that you could hopefully find one of a very few spots to wait and get passed, without being bumped down a rockface) etc. Sadly i didn’t spend much time in the kloof as i wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as i can as i was worried i wouldn’t be able to. Edited January 10, 2023 by nathrix TheoG, LBKloppers and nonky 3
taito Posted January 10, 2023 Posted January 10, 2023 What a special place, in 2021 we hiked our bikes down (((die Leer)) and overnighted in the Kloof and rode out the next morning. That a serious climb and January heat made sure we stopped at all the rivers for cool down. ChrisF, nathrix, LBKloppers and 2 others 5
nathrix Posted January 10, 2023 Author Posted January 10, 2023 Planning on visiting Boplaas in the feature for a day or two and would love to get some video footage of the area, especially Die Leer and then later some of Bosluiskloof Pass. nonky 1
Skubarra Posted January 10, 2023 Posted January 10, 2023 Doing a race is a good idea, but I think even more fun if you can get a few peeps together is book accommodation in Prince Albert, do a ride to Die Hel, one to De Rust and then on the other side at least the Kruisrivier road as well (not to mention Bosluiskloof/Seweweekspoort) - you can easily string together a weeks great riding, you are really only limited by the time you have available. That is what I would do if I stayed up North, rather than flying down for a race. Prince Albert Cycles, Rowl, nathrix and 2 others 4 1
ChrisF Posted January 10, 2023 Posted January 10, 2023 6 hours ago, Skubarra said: Doing a race is a good idea, but I think even more fun if you can get a few peeps together is book accommodation in Prince Albert, do a ride to Die Hel, one to De Rust and then on the other side at least the Kruisrivier road as well (not to mention Bosluiskloof/Seweweekspoort) - you can easily string together a weeks great riding, you are really only limited by the time you have available. That is what I would do if I stayed up North, rather than flying down for a race. Have done this a couple of times. Even as a solo rider you see many other cyclists along this route each time. DONT underestimate the climbs and the summer heat .... take lots of water. nonky, LBKloppers, Rowl and 1 other 4
nathrix Posted January 10, 2023 Author Posted January 10, 2023 10 minutes ago, ChrisF said: Have done this a couple of times. Even as a solo rider you see many other cyclists along this route each time. DONT underestimate the climbs and the summer heat .... take lots of water. I will need a water tanker to follow me. ChrisF 1
ChrisF Posted January 10, 2023 Posted January 10, 2023 2021 we stayed 15km outside of Oudtshoorn. I cycled from there over Swartberg to Prince Albert. Sun was rising as I was almost done with the climb, about 6 degrees temp. Brunch at Lazy Lizzard. Cycling back was a whole different bag of suffering .... It was "only" 30 degrees, but I was seriously suffering on that last climb, after De Hel junction. At the base of the pass on the Oudtshoorn side I stopped at the bushpub for a red.ambulance .... What a stunning ride 👍👍 milky4130, nonky, nathrix and 1 other 4
Shebeen Posted January 11, 2023 Posted January 11, 2023 14 hours ago, ChrisF said: 2021 we stayed 15km outside of Oudtshoorn. I cycled from there over Swartberg to Prince Albert. Sun was rising as I was almost done with the climb, about 6 degrees temp. Brunch at Lazy Lizzard. Cycling back was a whole different bag of suffering .... It was "only" 30 degrees, but I was seriously suffering on that last climb, after De Hel junction. At the base of the pass on the Oudtshoorn side I stopped at the bushpub for a red.ambulance .... What a stunning ride 👍👍 Kobus se gat is a proper requirement ChrisF 1
Prince Albert Cycles Posted January 11, 2023 Posted January 11, 2023 Nice videos and topic. As a resident of Prince Albert and operating a small bike shop I have had many difficult moments , something like this . Guy(s) walk into the shop. Hi what is the road like to Die Hel ? Me : Bad , why ? We are going to cycle there and back. Me : In one day ? Yes , only 120 km there and back and it’s downhill into Die Hel. I’ve done 120 plenty times . So now I try and look him up and down and make a judgement call , will he be able to do it ? And we all know how dangerous it is to judge someone on appearance. Me: You have backup ? If the answer is yes I say go for it who am I to talk someone out of his dreams . If no backup I give my nr and say phone me when back in town if I don’t hear from you by 8 pm tonight I will come looking for you . That has caused some worried looks . That valley is so remote ideal is to cycle in and spend at least one day at Boplaas before riding back. Rowl, nonky, milky4130 and 4 others 2 1 4
nathrix Posted January 11, 2023 Author Posted January 11, 2023 Gamkapoort also a very interesting place, it's next to "Die Hell", rode there a few years back alone and turned around as there are no cellphone signal if something happens to you. There are no one there for miles! capediver and Prince Albert Cycles 2
Thornman Posted January 11, 2023 Posted January 11, 2023 If you want to ride it enter the SwartbergXtreme race later this year. It will be the 3rd year they running this race. You start 10km outside of Oudtshoorn, go over Swartberg pass down to the hell, turn around and go left at the T-junction to Prince Albert. Make another u-turn just before the tar road and head back to Oudtshoorn over Swartberg pass from Prince Albert's side. Fun event and the organizer, Pienaar, really put in a lot of effort. nathrix and ChrisF 2
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now