Finally the moment that all 2013 FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) Mountain Bike (MTB) riders have been waiting for, the spectacular Amphi Bike Park at Paul Cluver will officially open its doors to the public on Saturday, 15 February 2014.
Image credit: Cherie Vale / NEWSPORT MEDIA
“A key FNB W2W MTB passion is to create and maintain MTB Trails that are scenic, safe and adventurous,” says Johan Kriegler, FNB W2W MTB Director. “It is a passion that has evolved to include Cape Trails, the best trail builders in the country. We are also fortunate to have landowners that also share this passion. Recently the Cluver family of the Paul Cluver Wine Estate has partnered with us, to build one of the most exciting MTB trail projects in South Africa, the Paul Cluver and FNB W2W MTB Bike Park, situated in the Amphitheatre at Paul Cluver. Dr Cluver always had a passion for wood work and creative ideas. He co-opted Anton Potgieter, who is well known for his eco-bridges in South Africa, to oversee the construction of the Pedal Power Association (PPA) swing, Raka, Slangpark, the resurrection of Pofadder and Witklippieskloof”.
“Starting in 2000, the Amphitheatre was a way to combine arts and culture with our wines,” says Dr Paul Cluver. “The setting of the forest Amphitheatre lends itself to the creation of a unique bike park. It was a hidden gem just waiting to be unlocked. The Amphi Bike Park will probably never be completed as it’s a work in progress. The FNB W2W is an amazing MTB event. Not only does it test the riders, but it also takes them through some of the most beautiful natural environment of our country. We look forward to welcoming riders to the Amphi Bike Park in 2014”.
The unique bridges at Paul Cluver Wine Estate have been elected as one of the design projects for the international World Design Capital Cape Town 2014. Adding to its uniqueness is the alien wood (blue gum, black wattle and black wood) that was used in construction of these magnificent bridges. The alien trees in the amphitheatre were replaced by indigenous trees.
Participants of the 10`3 FNB W2W MTB Events donated R20 000 towards this project.
BIKE PARK SECTIONS:
The bike park has three sections. All three sections start and finish at the same spot, within the Amphitheatre.
7km MTB Loop: includes Ball Wall, Raka, Kransvoel, Ark, Cobra, Mamba and Skaapsteker and consists of 17 bridges, varying in distance from 2metres to 40meteres and 1metre to 8metre in height.
1km technical play park: also known as Slang Park, this route includes unique drops, climbs, jumps, horizontal tree riding and a see-saw.
30km(Red) and 35km (Black): An option to extend the 7km MTB Loop, to include the Paul
Cluver and Thandi Trails.
OPENING DATES AND TIMES:
DATES: Saturday, 15 February 2014 – Saturday, 31 May 2014
DATES: Monday, 01 September 2014 – Sunday, 31 May 2015
TIMES: 07:00 – 19:00
DAILY ENTRY FEE (PPA Members): R30.00 (or an annual fee of R300.00)
DAILY ENTRY FEE (Non PPA Members): R50.00 (or an annual fee of R500.00)
i went yesterday. the last time i went was about 3 weeks after w2w and to do the big loop you went a different way to how it is now. you go to the tasting room to pay then the number board they give you should have the gate code on it. you can get round that big gate though, theres a little gateway you can go through but if you just do that and bypass the paying bit then well.. well you shouldn't do that.
i went wrong a few times riding the big loop. some of the signage isn't quite there but generally i was really impressed. it was terribly over grown and falling apart when i went last. it was so bad that once i got up near the road on the big loop i climbed over the fence and rode back down the n2 to get back to my car. it was miserable. i found one the amphitheatre stuff at the start of the big loop a bit scary for me so i just walked that bit. i imagine you could get into a lot of trouble if you weren't realistic about your ability but for me, there were good challenges and things to use to work on issues.