The Java MTB Challenge hosted at Van Loveren Wines, just outside Robertson, took place on Saturday and Bike Hub (well, Kylie and I) were keen to get away for a relaxing weekend of bikes, wine and scenery.
The route was largely farm roads and tweespoor. Just a week after finishing Lesotho Sky, I was was perfectly happy to zone out and enjoy the surroundings. And enjoy I did. From the start at Van Loveren wine estate, we headed towards McGregor, over a beautiful combination of groomed farmlands and natural succulent Karoo terrain.
We left the farmlands firmly behind when we entered the Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve, just outside of McGregor. The indigenous fauna on show was spectacular. Tall thorn trees scattered between endless varieties of succulents, and blossoming red and yellow daisies with the odd patch of purple. Botany is not my skill, so please excuse any butchering of the biome that might have just taken place.
After the nature reserve, we headed over a district road pass. Just over the top of the pass, we were directed off the road onto a purpose build MTB trail. I was not expecting this out in the middle of nowhere. According to signage the trail is named 2 Gannas (can anyone explain the name?). I’m going to have to go back to explore the trails further as we only appeared to sample a small section.
Popping off the 2 Gannas trails, we spent a good 20 kilometres on flat, fast, wide open district dirt roads. This ended abruptly with an equal quantity of stunning rolling hills. This was the most beautiful part of the ride, with valley and mountains looking pristine and colourful. The final climb was a worthy adversary: featuring 250 metres of ascent and some fearsomely steep gradients. The views from the top were worth every drop of sweat. From here, we made our way down back into the winelands and a short tar slog took us home to the finish line at Van Loveren.
Stunning route scenery aside, the organisation of the race was top notch. Water tables were well stocked, not only with delicious treats, but also with very friendly and helpful volunteers. The route marking and marshals were exactly where you needed them to be. At route distance splits, the marshals were attentive and sent us in the right direction without us losing a pedal stroke.
The only disappointment was being excluded from the timing for the race. On arrival, we were informed that only PPA members would be timed, as the members pay for the timing. With no option to pay for timing for just the day, the only recourse was to sign up as a full PPA member, which they were happy to process on the spot. Not having done a PPA event recently, I was somewhat taken aback by this policy.
Overall, the Java MTB Challenge was a very enjoyable and perfectly organised event. The scenery was some of the most eye pleasing I’ve had on a race. If you are happy to exchange technical single track for 85 kilometres (there are shorter distances) of splendid views, I’d encourage you to try the Java MTB Challenge on 1 October next year.
The full Java MTB Challenge album is available on Facebook here.
