![\"ccs-62657-0-02435800-1494597987.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-02435800-1494597987.jpg\")
<\/a>German participant Ralf Stapela conquers the mighty Rooiberg Pass on Day 3 of the inaugural Tour de Braai. Photo credit: Craig Kolesky.<\/span><\/p>\nThe five-day ride is the inaugural Tour de Braai, an antidote to South Africa\u2019s obsession with gruelling mountain bike stage races, tents and smelly communal toilets. The Tour is the brainchild of Jan Braai, the man behind the National Braai Day initiative and the National Braai Tour.<\/p>\n
Riders on the first Tour have come from all over South Africa, with one participant from Germany and another from Switzerland also dipping their toes into the braai and bike trek. The Tour de Braai started in George last Monday, with overnight stops during the week including daily luxury accommodation and fine braai dining in Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, Rooiberg Lodge in the Klein Karoo, and Riversdale. On Friday afternoon, the Tour will reach its final destination of Swellendam.<\/p>\n One of the pioneering gravel riders on the Tour de Braai is elite South African mountain biker Erik Kleinhans, a man with multiple stage race wins under his belt, as well as being a former South Africa cross-country champion. On hearing about the Tour de Braai, Kleinhans was intrigued by the concept of a stage event where the main aim is to have fun. After four days of gravel riding and the best braai meals in South Africa, he\u2019s convinced that this is the way forward for cycle touring.<\/p>\n “It’s great to combine my favourite food pastime – braaing – with the sport that I love,” says Kleinhans. \u201cIt’s been amazing to be out in nature and cycling through such fantastic areas. Everywhere we have been is renowned for good food and stunning scenery; it\u2019s made the Tour de Braai very special. The week has been incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n The idea behind the Tour de Braai is to showcase the incredible countryside of the Western Cape and to let people experience it on their bicycles in a way that wouldn\u2019t otherwise be possible.<\/p>\n “We have enjoyed excellent Garden Route and Klein Karoo hospitality in our first four days of riding,” says Jan Braai. \u201cOn the first day, some riders were still keen to come to breakfast in their cycling kit and ready to race, but that is not the ethos of the Tour de Braai. We are here to see beautiful scenery and to enjoy ourselves. So far, both those objectives have been achieved.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has enjoyed the Tour highlights of the Montagu Pass, the port in Caltizdorp, riding up the Rooiberg Pass and braaing at the top, then crossing into the Overberg via the picturesque Garcia Pass. It\u2019s fantastic to see people enjoying themselves on and off the bike and to show them parts of the country that are very special.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Photo credit: Craig Kolesky.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Photo credit: Craig Kolesky.<\/span><\/p>\n