Where has your bike taken you today?

[BDF]

Prompted by the Trail Daze article (https://www.bikehub.co.za/features/_/articles/routes-trails/trail-daze-down-by-the-river-r4448) fellow hubber, BDF, asked for a bit of a show around VG.

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BDF and my mate

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An absolutely beautiful morning

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I decided to show him around most of the trails start points but focus on the River.

It's been a while since I been on (almost) all of the River's trails in one day.

I told him to pack his wide face for the ride..to fit the smile..

FUN Gaalens didn't disappoint... we did well over 20kms of amazing singletrack alone.

AWESOME ride today!

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Hey thanks for the guided ride around VG today. Was awesome! Hope I didn't slow you down too much! You've got skills man.

[StevieL]

Golden Gate...

Berg winds are no myth, they were alive and well today.

 

[L.T.G]

Hey thanks for the guided ride around VG today. Was awesome! Hope I didn't slow you down too much! You've got skills man.

Thanks B   and a huge pleasure... was so much fun!

[Stretched@Birth]

At Rietvlei, I found some trail side supporters

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That's cool, the kids made those in the week, at Zaks Kids Club, a holiday club done for the kids during the school holidays.

[Vetseun]

Gave the old SS some love this morning.

[Eugene Oppelt]

Golden Gate...

Berg winds are no myth, they were alive and well today.

 

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Lovely pano' ????????

[DJR]

Same old same old, easy relaxed ride to Blouberg & back. Beautiful crisp morning after our mini-winter of the past week, but the ocean was still angry.

[Louis105]

 

 

Super day in Jonkershoek.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Louis105

[Tumbleweed]

Went nowhere with intent today...and it's rides like that which always end up at The Victorian Secret...thought I would make it home on the bike without messing the cheesecake. Fail. So stopped in at Grapes and borrowed a spoon and tucked in lest it get more messed, before heading home again...

 

[Vetseun]

Went nowhere with intent today...and it's rides like that which always end up at The Victorian Secret...thought I would make it home on the bike without messing the cheesecake. Fail. So stopped in at Grapes and borrowed a spoon and tucked in lest it get more messed, before heading home again...

 

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That pie in the top right corner looks devine.

[Tumbleweed]

That pie in the top right corner looks devine.

 

Ja, it is! That's a coffee-choccie meringue with almonds. Chantel...sigh   ...makes makes them perfectly chewy and gooey...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Delvera enduro. Broken, but so much fun+!!

[Tumbleweed]

Delvera enduro. Broken, but so much fun+!!

 

Camera broken too?

[scotty]

Went nowhere with intent today...and it's rides like that which always end up at The Victorian Secret...thought I would make it home on the bike without messing the cheesecake. Fail. So stopped in at Grapes and borrowed a spoon and tucked in lest it get more messed, before heading home again...

 

CfHMnjYWIAAGgyW.jpg

Is Victorian Secret by Tims cabin ??

[Tumbleweed]

Is Victorian Secret by Tims cabin ??

 

No, that's The Secret Garden! Lovely little place. Had a fling with a manageress there some years back. Great for a brekkie, brunch or lunch. I recommend their fish cakes. And the eggs Benedict. Book if you plan on going on the second Sunday of the month for the antique faire. If you hear dogs barking, hide, it's probably me and my hounds!

 

The Victorian Secret is in my 'burb - Western Extension. About a block from the main part of the Glynnwood on Woburn Avenue. Old red brick house - Tait* House - that almost got knocked down some years back. Also houses a charity shop for Kids Haven. And there's a vinyl shop upstairs now, I believe. Plan a ride past here on the last Sunday of the month...they often have line-dancing at the "Urban Market"! They close off the road outside TVS, Lemongrass and Tajine. 

 

*Have fond memories of that house. Tait was the surname of my biology teacher, Marion Tait. The girl who was later to become the mother of my boys used to get a lift to my sister school with Mrs Tait and had to wait for her in the parking lot after school was finished...and that's how I got to know her...my Sunday ramble...

 

Here's The Victorian Secret's websitre:

 

http://www.thevictoriansecret.co.za/

 

Edited April 3, 2016 by Tumbleweed

[bertusras]

Got to spend the day in Sabie yesterday, so why wouldn't I grab the chance to go for a ride? Turned into quite the adventure, let myself in for more than I bargained! Plotted (as well as you can) my route on Strava using previous workouts and segments and set off:

 

http://i.imgur.com/91iqU1a.jpg

 

Goal was to get to the top of the mountain in the background, but that involved going over the hill on the left first. Made some good progress, but it was still far to go!

 

http://i.imgur.com/6HLl9lm.jpg

 

Some really really tough climbs to get there, didn't take any photos as I was just grinding all the way, but the views as you got higher were totally worth it!

 

http://i.imgur.com/aNiplKQ.jpg

 

I finally reached (what I thought was) the top, only to look back to the starting point, holy smokes

 

http://i.imgur.com/qyRter5.jpg

 

Discovered some really interesting things along the way, including a beautiful graded dirt road which I was on for a while, until I came around a bend and had this view. Who even lives here!!!

 

http://i.imgur.com/9u5WGEr.jpg

 

Going further on you cycle on the northern side of the mountain and look down the valley towards Pilgrim's Rest

 

http://i.imgur.com/rJGzhDk.jpg

 

The view right at the top made all the suffering totally worth it!

 

http://i.imgur.com/JZMvvCY.jpg

 

I don't have many photos of the descent unfortunately as I totally screwed that one up, going down a pretty much non-existent trail that hasn't been ridden in years. First an absolutely frightening rocky descent, aptly named Rocky Horror, and pretty much the whole way after that in fully overgrown trails which I just had to bash through. Started getting worried towards the end as I was running out of fluids, and my hands were taking a beating from the bumpy downhill and deathgrip.

 

Made it back safely and have an awesome story to tell. Worth it! I can't wait to go back! (And this time get a better route down!)