30 January 2017 Adventure and Travel

Trail Daze | Cape Town – Part 2

By BikeHubCoreAdmin · 37 comments

Kicking off 2017, the Trail Daze crew re-visited Cape Town to bring you the second of this two-part (part one) mother-city mountain biking showcase. We were joined by local pinner, industry influencer and all-round nice guy, Mark Hopkins.

We met up at the Kloof Nek parking lot, just off Tafelberg Road, and headed for the rubber-destroying slab of granite just a short pedal away. Only a few hundred meters long, with Table Mountain towering above you, this fun section of trail is deceptively technical at high speed and will certainly leave its mark if you come off the bike.

The elevated starting point serves up some great views across Cape Town CBD, Table Bay, and as far as Wellington on a clear day.

The trails surrounding Table Mountain and Lions Head really surprised me with the technicality and gradient. I’ve never ridden any of the Cape Town trails so it was an awesome day out railing rugged trails in big dust clouds. It’s a trail for the locals and Mark and Dan certainly know the scoop, and I’ll hopefully be making my way back there soon.
Matt Lombardi

Rolling slabs of granite merging together under the patch of pine trees requires above average bike handling skills at high speeds. *knee pads highly recommended

Crossing the top of Camps Bay drive, the unassuming entrance to The Glen leads you down a fast and flowing yet technical stretch of trail with the fun factor locked at maximum. Skinny, hard-packed singletrack cutting through dense greenery keeps you on your toes all the way to the bottom as you pick your line through sharp rocks and exposed roots.

It’s absolutely amazing that these trails have been opened up recently. Being able to shoot out for a quick shred around Lions Head and the Glen to ride and test new product is a dream for us as a mountain bike company! Throw in some of the sharpest rocks in the region, rad turns in the Glen, a top-class sunset as well as your choice of restaurants/bars at the bottom of the hill, and you’ve got yourself a great place to ride.
Mark Hopkins

Matt Lombardi blending in and getting lost in the green-room, descending down The Glen towards the Atlantic ocean on another horrible day in Africa.

Exiting The Glen, it’s a short but punchy climb up Kloof Road toward the start of the Lions Head trail, from where you’re confronted with more breathtaking views of Camps Bay, 12 Apostles, and Table Mountain. This section of trail is just one piece of the newly legalised MTB trails around Table Mountain, but is still shared with hikers, runners and everything else in between – so please be lekker and respect others also looking to enjoy the outdoors.

A rare glimpse at a green, unburnt and unscathed landscape around Cape Town, while wildfires relentlessly ravage the greater Western Cape area day in and night out, for months now. Be grateful for the opportunities you have to ride your bike today, because it could be gone tomorrow.

The city bowl has a huge network of short, steep and ridiculously rad trails that you’ll need a local to make the most of. Of course, there are also the network of easily navigable dirt roads spread across the slopes of the mountain to make use of if you’re after less technical riding. Views of the icy Atlantic constantly entice you to descend to the white beaches below, but at the same time, the magnetism of the colossal chunk of sandstone that is Table Mountain, keeps you climbing and searching for more views. Cape Town is a really special place to ride your bike!
Daniel Dobinson | iRideAfrica

3 tiny riders traverse the final stretch of singletrack with Lions Head towering in the late afternoon blaze.

Seeing out the last golden rays of the day. Cheers Cape Town trail network – you’ve been very kind.

Beer time!

Few things in life compare to the magic of an ice cold draft after a sweaty summers ride.

This project is made possible by:

Kloof Nek parking GPS: 33°56’31.7″S 18°23’42.4″E

Riders : Daniel Dobinson | Matt Lombardi | Mark Hopkins

Permit: Purchased from the

TMNP offices
Read more about the Constantia greenbelt trails here.

All images by Ewald Sadie

www.esphotography.co.za

instagram:

@ewaldsadie

Tags: Cape Town, daniel dobinson, esphotography, lions head, Mark Hopkins, Matt Lombardi, signal hill, table mountain, trail daze, trails

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Comments

37 comments · Page 2 of 2

T-Bob

Jan 30, 2017, 11:38 AM

If you go with 3 mates, the price goes from R 500 each to R 286 each.

Wonder if that is a seperate thread where rubbers looking to find a spare person or 3 can meet up.

hummm.... now that's starting to sound like a weird MTB tinder permit vibe.

popcorn_skollie

Jan 30, 2017, 11:53 AM

does anyone else call that granite boulder section Moab? I thought that was it's 'official' name?

I think it does now that its legit.

MTBeer

Jan 30, 2017, 12:02 PM

I think it does now that its legit.

you mean it wasn't legit before?

oops

:blush: :whistling:

_im_from_earth

Jan 31, 2017, 5:25 AM

Now you guys just need to come ride some KZN trails... You know there is a spare room available and PLENTY of great trails

Dan Dob

Jan 31, 2017, 8:29 AM

Now you guys just need to come ride some KZN trails... You know there is a spare room available and PLENTY of great trails

Indeed, we know! Take a look at the TrailDaze articles on Drakensberg and Karkloof that have already been posted

Headshot

Jan 31, 2017, 9:42 AM

We did a long distance explore 10 days ago and found some of the good stuff. This article and comments came a week or so too late :-). Going to have to go back this weekend!!

The descent and traverse form the Kramat on Signal Hill to Kloof Road is super fun but more trail bike friendly than most of the other recently opened trails. It even has boardwalk and drops and a very tech bit of stair descending onto the tar that I gave up on riding. We were there on a Saturday morning around 830am and it was busy - walkers, runners and dogs.

The entrance to the proper Glen single track eluded us thanks to official signage placed around 20m before the actual entrance which took us down dozens of stairs. Quite fun in its own way but nothing like the Glen proper, looks like. Not sure why there is even a sign there at all.

The granite rock is extremely grippy making some of the tech rock gardens a bit easier I thought but as they say, if you come off on that stuff its going to remove some meat...

Now if only we had a bunch more such tracks around that part of the peninsula.

mspires

Jan 31, 2017, 11:44 AM

You can get a permit from SANParks - either a year-long activity card or a day pass.

How much is a day pass? I can't seem to find this option on the SANParks website - only the annual activity permit for R500.

mspires

Jan 31, 2017, 12:00 PM

Anyone know anything about the single track that starts from the Kloof Nek parking lot and parallels Camps Bay Drive all the way over to Bakoven? I see it on the Table Mountain National Parks mtb trail maps (https://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/parks_table_mountain/mtb-route-maps.pdf) - is it worth riding? Where is the trail head, exactly? Gonna try explore it a bit tomorrow.

Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Jan 31, 2017, 12:12 PM

How much is a day pass? I can't seem to find this option on the SANParks website - only the annual activity permit for R500.

Seventy Five Rondt.

mspires

Jan 31, 2017, 12:14 PM

Seventy Five Rondt.

Thanks, Myles! Where can I pick one up?

I just got off the phone with TBNP and they told me that they don't offer day passes just yet for this section of the park.

PhilipV

Jan 31, 2017, 12:16 PM

Anyone know anything about the single track that starts from the Kloof Nek parking lot and parallels Camps Bay Drive all the way over to Bakoven? I see it on the Table Mountain National Parks mtb trail maps (https://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/parks_table_mountain/mtb-route-maps.pdf) - is it worth riding? Where is the trail head, exactly? Gonna try explore it a bit tomorrow.

That's called the pipe track. As far as I know it's not open to mtbers. It'll have a couple of hike a bike sections. Awesome trail to run. Not so sure about riding it though.

Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Jan 31, 2017, 12:18 PM

Thanks, Myles! Where can I pick one up?

In Tokai... It's really not well set up for the day tripper, I must say. If you're only going to do one trip a year, then it's okay. But if you're doing more than 7 trips a year, then I'd suggest getting the annual pass.

If you've got 3 mates that also want to get in on the action, the price goes down if you buy together. R 500 for the first and then R 250 for every additional person. Works out to R 286p/p for 4 people...

Headshot

Jan 31, 2017, 12:44 PM

That's called the pipe track. As far as I know it's not open to mtbers. It'll have a couple of hike a bike sections. Awesome trail to run. Not so sure about riding it though.

It is in fact part of the new MTB routes and will be opened in due course. As far as I remember, it has not been opened because some work needed to be done on the trail. It will have some tricky bits but is relatively flat and will be an out and back route if I recall.

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