Western Cape mountain bikers in for a Trailseeker Series treat

Western Cape mountain bikers are in for a treat on Saturday when they tackle Round 3 of the 2016 Nissan TrailSeeker Western Cape Series at the Hemel & Aarde Valley.

Aptly named Hemel & Aarde valley, the meeting point of two worlds, which will capture the imagination of the riders. Photo Credit: www.zcmc.co.za.

The trails in and around the coastal town of Hermanus are some of the most stimulating trails in the country. On Saturday, over 1000 mountain bikers are expected to appreciate them while competing in one of the four different distances on offer at the popular series.

“The course is very nice, proper mountain biking. Lots of single-track, which I enjoyed.” – Carmen Buchacher (3rd in the 2015 Women’s Marathon race)

After winning the first two rounds, SCOTT LCB Factory Racing’s Gert Heyns holds the total points rankings lead in the men’s marathon; while Katie Lennard’s previous second and third placements see her topping the women’s marathon rankings.

The marathon on Saturday will have a distance of 62km with 1365m of accumulated ascent. The race starts and finishes with relatively long steady climbs, but includes dual track, farm roads, fynbos trails, handmade forest trails with great bridges and “roller coaster” like wooded paths.

Sumaridge offers a breathtaking venue for all riders. Photo Credit: www.zcmc.co.za.

Last year’s runner-up in the women’s marathon race, Vera Adrian, describes the setting.

“When we came off the singletrack to the view point just above Hermanus, you could see all of Hermanus and the sea, that was beautiful! Then we went next to the river and up to the waterfall… just amazing! I’ve never seen something like that before.”

The route will be raced in a clock-wise direction and will first head up to the valley ceiling before descending down to the lower valley and onto the playground before the haul back up to the finish.

The half marathon over 36km has 776m of ascent and takes a clock-wise loop of the valley that incorporates spectacular scenery and stimulating singletrack. There is also a 19km fun race and a 10km fun ride.

The four events will all start and finish at Sumaridge Estate Wines. Winemaker and Director at Summaridge Estate Wines, Gavin Patterson, describes the extensive network of trails that pass through Sumaridge:

“You’ll find that the trails are well manicured, but still remain in quite a rustic form. The course is made up of about 95% singletrack with a lot of twists and turns and berms along the way. Nothing too technical, so the rider can pick up a nice bit of speed, but also enjoy some magnificent scenery of the ocean, vineyards and the fynbos.”

Singletrack through endless fiends of Fynbos. Photo Credit: www.zcmc.co.za.

As with all Nissan TrailSeeker events, the race venue will cater for all ages and offers spectators a comfortable, relaxed environment to enjoy while they wait for their mountain bikers to enjoy the trails.

Online entries can be done at www.trailseeker.co.za