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The Shop – Autumn Group Order

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Autumn is here which means lots of saddle time in the mountain!

In December 2022 I informed the community that OddWheel would not be replenishing stock from the manufacturers but rather facilitate two shared group airfreight orders. The first in autumn which is now and the second in spring.

It’s time to start compiling the first order. If you are wanting to be apart of it then follow the instructions below to calculate costs and see if it is within your budget.

  • Visit Unicycle.com in the UK – OddWheel has a longstanding relationship here and is the best stocked UDC outlet. The European ones will not ship too SA. Brexit changed the trade agreements.
  • Find your products and email (sales@oddwheel.co.za) or WhatsApp (+27824422108) with the links. I want to see the product pages.
    • If you have technical questions about compatibility of components please ask me. I am here for you.
  • How to figure out if this is within your budget in ZAR?
    • Add items to your UDC UK shopping cart. The 20% UK sales tax will be deducted.
      • Write down the total GBP value of your cart.
      • Convert it to ZAR.
    • To calculate shipping to 9 Alexander Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7945, South Africa.
      • Select DHL Worldwide.
      • Write down the GBP shipping value.
      • Convert it to ZAR.
      • Your shipping should be less than this because of the collective package vs an individual package. This is the worse case scenario.
    • SA VAT
      • Add 15% to your ZAR value of items. Don’t add VAT to the shipping.
    • Customs Duties
      • This will be calculated on landing.
      • Unicycles and most components don’t have duties.
        • Tyres and tubes will have an environmental levy. It’s small.
      • Clothing has high duties.
    • SA Courier fee is minor and divided between the group.
    • Total = your estimated ZAR total should be; goods + shipping + VAT.
    • Delete your order from the UDC system as to not annoy the UDC team. Please.

I will ask a 70% deposit to place your order. This provides me with enough capital to start the order and ensures you honour your part. Please bear in mind that the GBP is high at the moment! The average for March is R22.30 to £1. The February average was R21.60 and January was R20.75.

The timeline of the order:

  • I would like to place the order on Tues, 2 May.
  • Deposit deadline on Tues, 2 May.
    • People get paid at different times. The 27th of April and 1 May are both public holidays and will wobble the routine.
  • Compiling and discussing your order.
    • Sooner rather than later. I don’t order via the website. There will be a little bit of back and forth conversation with you and UDC UK.
  • Delivery to Cape Town will be 7-10 days from time of paying for the order.

UDC UK offers OddWheel a reseller discount which is low. I don’t make money off this endeavour. Marking items up will make them even more expensive in these tough economic times. Instead I have chosen to add a service fee per person of 10%. The service fee will only be charged on goods and not shipping or VAT. Therefore your final estimated ZAR total is:

  • ZAR goods total + 10% OW service fee + ZAR shipping + VAT = your estimated total.

Please bear in mind that the exchange rate and shipping rates fluctuate, meaning your order value can go up or down. Paying your deposit confirms that you are committing to paying the full value of what you have ordered. The final price will be on the day I receive an invoice.

Ok Uni-Cats, off you go to unicycle.co.uk to compile your lists.

What learning to ride a unicycle is teaching me about life after death

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By Don Shay, Hermanus

My soulmate of 34-years, Suellen, died 13 April 2021 after 4+ years of living with stage 4 lung cancer.  Two and a half weeks later, on 30 April, I had my first unicycle lesson with Donna Kisogloo of OddWheel Unicycles.

I had been thinking about trying to ride a unicycle for a few years, as a potentially good form of exercise with a little edginess to it, but how does one learn?!  In discussions with a good friend, Marian, the week after Suellen died, I casually mentioned my interest in learning to ride a unicycle – and in a synchronous moment she told me about a friend who took a unicycle lesson in Cape Town, and then promptly sent me an email with Donna’s contact details.  Was I serious about wanting to try to ride a unicycle or not?  Was I ready to step out of my grief and try something new?  After intense care-giving for the past few months I intuitively knew I needed to do something new and refreshing – and challenging.

I also realized immediately that riding a unicycle was symbolically the healing path I needed – learning to find my balance and center in a radically new way, taking very small practical steps of learning new skills (and ways of being), to lean forward gently and trust my ability to right myself by leaning on my pedals (trusting my support base), concentrating and paying attention to small details, the need to practice every day if I wanted to make progress, finding a mentor/ coach to teach and help me, knowing I would fall down a lot and knowing that was okay – it was part of the process – and that I would continue to get up again and again, moving beyond faltering steps to ‘flow,’ building confidence slowly and steadily, reminding me daily of my desire to grow and learn new things.

Six weeks after the first lesson I attended a skills session organized by Donna on the beautiful Muizenberg Pavilion.  I was keen to attend, but also a little cautious as I still could not ride without support from leaning on a wall.  Mostly I was doing independent revolutions (360° pedal rotation) of 3, 4, 5 and an occasional 9 or 10 – and still far too dependent on catching myself by leaning against a wall.  My ‘personal best’ at the time was 16 independent revolutions.  I was on that important and exciting threshold of independent, confident riding.  Everyone else in attendance could do figure eights, bounce up and down and do other cool skills.  Miró was learning to ride backwards.  They all inspired and encouraged me.  Vincent gave me some very practical tips about leaning forward and pedaling quickly with power, looking out at a further horizon and sitting up straight.  He also noticed that my seat was slightly too high – so we lowered it.  Dean told me that one of the keys was really sitting fully in the seat, putting all my weight on the seat.  They were paying attention to me in important and subtle ways and giving me some very specific feedback.  This is what a community does for each other.  I reached a new PB by the end of the day – 20 independent revolutions.  I also realized that on the pavilion I had no wall to lean on – so I really had to trust myself and go for it on my own, without being so dependent on a crutch (a wall).

Donna Kisogloo is a community builder.  She invites people into her world, helps them build competence and confidence, and then helps them connect around shared interests.  Donna leads by example; generous, patient, hopeful, encouraging, going the extra mile to make connections, direct and honest – and making time to organize and plan.  Real, deep changes (and healing) happen in supportive communities.  We need many more community builders in our fractured world.  Thanks, Donna, for inviting us into your world and believing in us.

I’m still practicing every day.  I fall off the unicycle a lot, mostly landing on my feet and catching myself, with the occasional fall to horizontal on the ground.  If ‘coming off the unicycle’ (falling down) was considered failure, then who could learn to ride a unicycle, or even to walk as a child?  It takes repeated, sustained effort and practice.  One’s mindset can’t be ‘if I can’t get this right today, then I’m not going to do it.’  It requires the long view, the patient view, the seeing the ‘end in mind’ and knowing it takes lots of ‘falling down’ to get there.  All unicycle riders followed this path.  Acquiring new intuitive body balance skills and muscle memory needs time to develop in order to kick in automatically; the willingness to ‘stretch’ oneself consistently for a while is necessary.  A similar process might be learning to play a new instrument and how squawky and choppy it can be until one reaches basic competency, and then some flow starts to happen.

I reached a personal best (PB) today with a 50 independent revolution ride, two days past my seven week start of 30 April.  I practice for at least 20-30 minutes every day, taking small steps, being aware and present, observing myself so I can try minor changes.  In the exhilarating flow of 50 I became aware of all the subtle, necessary micro-adjustments made all the time – arms wide and re-balancing in micro-seconds, trunk twisting, body leaning slightly forward but pulling back some times – these are all the adjustments and Plan B’s required to make progress and experience the ‘flow’ forward.

What an exciting threshold to be at.  I was filled with great joy, with excitement, with hope and confidence for what future rides would be like. I was filled with new life and good energy, which is what I was after.  I tasted life after death, the fruit and flow of steady and persistent daily practice with a new passion.  I know Suellen is smiling.

Gray is the Brightest Colour

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By Shaun Murphy

I haven’t thought about a unicycle in a long time. Strange. Not the thought itself you see, because where majority of the population consider a unicycle to be a weird, fringe machine reserved for clowns and circus performers I find it perfectly normal. In fact, some of my closest friends are performers of the circus variety. Jugglers, stilters, indulgers of the slackline. And of course, unicyclists.

I find the thought strange because I am a unicyclist. Part of a small, tight knit community of people that are warm, welcoming and accepting to whomever attempts to tame a single wheel. This friendly community is always willing to help, offer advice and come together for a ride. Perhaps, its because our numbers are few… but I like to think that this contraption entices a certain person. A particular mind set and energy draws in a unicyclist. Moth. Flame. Sunshine. Braai. You get the idea.
Once you’re in, you’re in. Sure, people come and go. Life happens, but you’re always welcome back.

The past few years my balance has shifted from a wheel to a life path. My family and I are trying a new way of living. Away from any corporate machines and nine to five J.O.B’s. We are traveling through Asia, teaching English as we go. It has been marvellous so far and has taken my full energy. Dimming the lights on any thoughts of unicycling I should add.

Recently, many unicycle memories have flooded my thoughts. All great memories, but what triggered them unfortunately was devastating news. We lost such a bright, glowing member of our tribe. A wonderful family has lost a loving father and husband. I have lost a friend.

Gray Braadvedt tragically passed away. It still feels surreal. I can’t believe he is gone.

Gray was such a big part of the South African cycling scene. It was always a pleasure riding with him because we would always be greeted with smiles, waves and banter. Always banter! It wasn’t because we were riding unicycles either. It was Gray… every cyclist we passed seemed to know him. “Where’s the other wheel Gray!?”  followed by giggles. Always answered with a razor sharp comeback like “I took the training wheel off!” cue more eruptions of laughter. That was Gray. Always smiling and willing to stop for a chat. Always willing to lend a hand anywhere he could. Need help with that flat tire? No problem. Derailleur giving you issues? No stress, Gray was the man offering assistance. He had this energy about him. You felt you had known him since childhood as soon as you met him. Coffees after a ride were an unwritten rule. His love of coffee was immense, but it was the ritual of swapping stories with any other riders at the local coffee shop that he enjoyed most. People would come to our table for a chat or he would glide from table to table checking in with friends or telling a funny story. He had many of those! It made finding Gray in a crowd easy. I would simply listen out for laughter and head in that direction.

When he entered the world of unicycling he quickly became one of the stand out road unicyclists. No surprises there, Gray was strong and tenacious and loved a challenge but it was his personality that quickly cemented him into the local uni scene. It was just fun to be around him!

I first met Gray at Giba Gorge, a local park in Kwa-Zulu Natal offering trails, fresh air and single track. I was a complete noob to muni and quickly found out I had an uncanny ability to find minuscule stones to knock me off my unicycle. Consistently. Gray was patient as ever, his face always wrapped in a smile even though this particular ‘ride’ was him watching me fall. Many times over. Haha, what a gentleman. That ride sparked a friendship filled with laughs, rides, coffee and conversation. Some deep and meaningful, some classic bullshitting. Mostly classic bullshitting.

When I started riding unicycles, I planned on doing so because of the charity organisation I was running called auSOMEtism. Our son Nic is on the autism spectrum and we were raising funds for Nic’s school by riding various road rides. The magnificent tribe I mentioned earlier jumped on board riding for our cause, while the amazing OddWheel Unicycles even made us there official supported charity! Gray was no exception, he raised funds for these events like it was his own and crushed the rides along the way. He loved Nic and he loved being part of anything that was helping others. He truly was a great ambassador for auSOMEtism and unicycling. Whether he was grinding it out on a unicycle for auSOMEtism or towing an ice-cream cart for CHOC he never stopped giving.

Gray was a fantastic human. He will be missed by many. I will miss my friend, but I will not forget him. Hamba kahle Gray.

To Heather, Rivers and Emma our deepest and sincere condolences.

From the South African Unicycling community/ tribe.

Here are some links to familiarise yourself with Gray and his life through unicycling:

UniDaba 2017

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Read more

The Chirps We Get When Riding

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‘Gogga’ – A Unicycle Adventure Film

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Read more

UniDaba 2016

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By Owen Venter

With corrections and slight elaborations by Donna Kisogloo. The core of Owen’s write up is rad as…. and I’ve tried to not interfere too much.

I’m a 14 year old who can’t live without his unicycle. I’ve been unicycling all by myself in Limpopo for about 6 months. I think the loneliness started getting to me so I went onto just about “the only” unicycle website I know of in South Africa, www.oddwheel.co.za. There I found my way to the events tab. After pages of events all saying location: Cape Town, I saw a picture of a rhino on a unicycle with the title: UniDaba 2012. This is where it all started.

It looked like it was a ball, even though the event was 2400km from my home town of Louis Trichardt. I was keen, super keen! I then spent the next few hours Whatsapping and posting on Facebook to find out if anyone knew if there was going to be another UniDaba? The next morning I saw a reply and from there onward the date, location and all the rest were organized!

About a year later, I was finding a way to fit a unicycle into a bag with all my other clothes. I did’nt know what to expect of UniDaba but from all the chirps and funny comments on the Whatsapp group I knew there would never be a boring moment and there wasn’t!

On the first day we kicked off early at the Bike Park on the Constantia Uitsig Wine Estate. This was my first time meeting everyone where I wasn’t asked, “Where’s the other wheel?”. We had an awesome morning rolling around the pump track and expert course of the park but then the competitive side began to surface. We separated into teams of 2 and fought our way through three laps of rocks, logs, drop-off’s and much more!

Lapping it at The Bike Park at Constantia Uitsig Wine Estate

Cyclocross start line.

After the morning fun at the Bike Park we decided to get some grub in Muizenberg. We filled up our tanks and were ready for the afternoon ride. We left the Tiger’s Milk and headed towards Kalk Bay, a 3km fun ride along the beach front. We stopped often and tested our Trials skills on benches, stairs, skinny wall rides, etc.

Feasting at Tiger’s Milk

Shaun Devenish getting some air time with his stair hopping.

Van Zyl Gunter carefully negotiating a skinny wall. Notice the tongue.

Decorating a lighthouse with unicyclists and their uni’s.

The next morning we kicked off early to be at Jonkershoek Nature Reserve by 9am. This was the start our Muni adventure! We split into two groups and headed in different directions.  One group went up the mountain to enjoy the downhill of Upper and Lower Canary, this is the group I stuck with. The other group traversed the base of the mountain on gravel roads. It was a more flat ride. My group spent the next hour, maybe hour and a half “riding / walking” up the logging roads of Jonkershoek, when we finally reached the top we settled down for lunch, tucking into a variety of nuts and biltong! Once fattened up we hit the single-track because what goes up must come down. We enjoyed 3 solid hours of downhill single-track with lots of laughs and lots of bails! We arrived back around 14:30 where I immediately ordered a MASSIVE milkshake and slice of carrot cake at the coffee shop by the entrance.

A very happy bunch of Mountain Unicyclists!

Something about Jonkershoek and elevation.

The next day was the “day of balance”! We all met at The Shed in Stellenbosch and prepared for a day of circus fun! The first hour was a mixture of electric uni’s and giant pogo-sticks. Then later the hockey began! This was my first time playing unicycle hockey so I was quite nervous but I quickly adapted. We spent the next few hours playing match after match of uni-hoki It was a really awesome experience and I recommend that everyone gives it a shot. The next while was spent trying to ride a giraffe and ultimate wheel. An hour later Unidaba slowly came to a end.

Owen Venter experiencing a giraffe for the very first time. Can you see the stoke?

Gavin Stockden mounting the monster pogo.

101 Uni-Hoki

The convention was an amazing experience and I recommend that EVERYONE should come to UniDaba 2017. UniDaba was not just a whole lot of people riding unicycles, it was a place were you could grab a few tips or try out some new tricks. It was a place where you could have a decent conversation about unicycling or anything related to unicycling. UniDaba is not just for experts, it’s for everyone! Its for the real pro’s to the one’s who are still looking to learn!

I would like to say a huge thanks to Donna Kisogloo at OddWheel Unicycles for setting up such an amazing weekend!

UniDaba is now a permanent event on the South African unicycle calender. It happens every year and happens during the mid-year school holidays. Tell other unicyclists about the event! It’s fun!

Trail Review – Meerendal, Durbanville, Western Cape

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Let’s Get Sweaty

By Shaun Engelbrecht

Now summer is in full swing and it is time to get that sweat on. After a busy winter a bit of an ankle injury, I felt it was about time to hit it and elevate that heart rate.

Hey! Focus and get your mind out of the gutter. I am talking about hitting the trail, on a unicycle. To get you in the mood, I have put together this report of yet another one of the Tygerberg MTB routes, Meerendal.

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This is a great trial for the beginners and seasoned riders alike. Offering a number of route options and difficulty levels, all of which I am yet to try. I usually find myself properly stuffed, so much so that I am in no state to explore further. Instead of taking you through all eventualities of what you could find, I will share with you insights into a morning out on my route in this beautiful part of the Cape.

Starting as always in the parking lot, I make my way on the main route past the trees and fields towards the vineyards where the single track, fun and perspiration begins. As with all the Tygerberg routes, route markers are everywhere and it is pretty difficult even for the likes of me to get lost. At the top of the Jeep track, with the wine seedlings on the right I slip off left on a short single track which I take to get me in the swing of things. Alternatively you can turn right and continue on the jeep track heading to a pump track where the short single track joins up to later. From here I turn left and ride along a rocky ridge halfway up the valley. Approaching in the distance are two switchbacks and a steep, rocky and loose decent. “Gently on the breaks”, is all I repeat over in my head until I reach the bottom. I made it, self-five! Now the route begins to climb and just as I am out of breath it plateaus just enough, and then all hell breaks loose.

There is a sign marked Stairway to Heaven, what the sign fails to explain is that to get to heaven, one must first scale a climb from hell. This hill comprises for an unfathomable number of switchbacks ascending the hill side, and instead of a natural or manicured single track, some sadist decided to create a pathway made of submerged cinder-blocks. The sound of heavy breathing and tyres shredding can be heard for miles, until you reach the pearly gates, which in this case is actually a wooden bench where you can get your breath back. I know what you may be thinking this guy is dramatic. Well you know what, this is exactly how it feels at the time, but the odd occasion I have managed to reach the peak with no UPD’s and dismounts, the reward is equally euphoric and dramatic.

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Air once again filling my lungs and I have some feeling returning to my legs, I continue forward to yet another hill to climb. However this time this hill is somewhat insurmountable by wheel (one wheel that is). This is where I practice the art of hiking, a skill I have honed and refined on said hill. This beast is a jeep track that comprises of steep climbs and large rocks making life impossible on the wheel. Don’t let this deter you, because once I reach the top I am rewarded by another conveniently placed bench and some sweet views of Durbanville, Blouberg and Table Mountain. This is also the part of the trail where the actual fun begins and gravity for a change is on your side. The single track begins to descend and winds its way down the very hill I was hiking and crying up earlier. The tears shed now while descending are tears of joy. Some sections have recently been graded and flattened though after the winter rains, which made them a bit boring, but I am sure this will be rectified once more wheels pass through. Reaching the bottom I am greeted by applause of gawking cyclists for my feat, as this section comes out at the bench where the stairway to heaven ends.

From here things get a bit easier as I hit a section named after a legend in the cycling fraternity, Burry Stander.  A few climbing switchbacks takes you to the beginning  of a fast and flowing sections where you can get some pace or alternatively take it slow and take in the views. At the bottom I am greeted by more vineyards and them cutting off into a winding forested section for a bit of last minute fun before ending at the parking lot.

Like mentioned there are other variants to be taken and easier routes on hand to help build up your skills and confidence. In summer now, I do recommend lots of water, sun block, a snack or two and try to get out and about earlier rather than later. The heat can be a bit much later on, and there is not all that much shelter from the African sun. So I look forward to seeing you there soon, showing up a cyclist or two.

http://www.tygerbergmtb.co.za/trails/meerendal.html

Trail Review – Bottelary Hills, Kuils River, Western Cape

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Let’s Get Wet

By Shaun Engelbrecht

So I think it is about time for the second edition of my trail reports. I have been riding mostly in the Tygerberg area with one disappointing ride at Jonkershoek due to all of the single track sections being closed still.

My idea was to give some insights into another of the Tygerberg routes (Meerendal), as I have become rather accustomed to what is has to offer. However Donna (further to be referred to as Uni Mom) and I missioned to Bottelary Hills one recently rainy and wet Friday. Let it not be said that unicyclists are scared of a bit of bad weather, or so we thought…

Bottelary Hills

Let me start with the actual trails and what you can expect to find if you decide to give one of the numerous routes in the area a try. There are about 5 main routes which all seem to interlink giving you almost endless option to explore, and to get lost, but more on the getting lost later.

For those still getting acquainted with the wonderful world of Muni and UPD’s (unplanned dismounts), these trails are a brilliant place to start. Why, you ask? Well, although extensive, the routes are mostly based on the Jeep tracks that cut through the vineyards covering the hills. This means climbs are, for the most part, steady and not very technical and greater distances can be covered in a shorter period of time due to the less technical nature of the tracks. There were a few sections of single track with a rocky section here or there, but nothing that would give you much trouble, unless like us you chose to ride on a day that even sent the duck running for cover.

This is ultimately the reason why this write up, not nearly as detailed with regards to the description of the route, when comparing it to my previous report. The weather was so bad, we were unable to see 10m in front of our noses, let alone the route we were riding.

And this Muni friends, is where the actual story of our mini adventure begins…

So there we were, Uni Mom and I had a rough idea of where we needed to go. There are a number of places you can start your ride, and a number of places to buy your permit, but after driving between farms and security villages, we finally found where to buy permits and where to park at Zevenwacht.

We began our climb to the top of a hill, with the wind at our backs. I would imagine you could get the same effect by offering children sweets if they gave you a push. Luckily we had the wind because I don’t like sharing my sweets and trail snacks. The fun did not last when the route starts cutting back and forth between the vines. Once at the top, we were being attacked from all sides, by the wind, which had now covered the hilltop in mist. It was like riding in an extremely angry cloud. This also limited visibility to about 10m. I must say there is something magical when shadowy trees and landscape begins to appear through the fog as you approach.

Once we found some of the single track, we began to descend from the cloud / mist where the rain now became our biggest problem. As I mentioned previously, the trails are not overly challenging, BUT with the gusting wind and relentless rain I would not have liked to have been on a more demanding trail.

A common saying goes “what goes up must come down”, and one thing I have learnt is the opposite is also true when out on a ride. Once we made our way to the bottom on the switch backed single track, we found ourselves climbing once more through vineyards. By now we had been riding for what felt like hours, we were drenched and cold, my shoes we carrying more water than my hydration pack, but we thought it best to keep warm and continued riding. The mood up to this point had been good, laughing while being blow sideways, as well as when I decided to wring out my sponge socks.

Shaun in the Wind

I am sure Donna, sorry I mean Uni Mom, will agree with me that there was a bit of worry once we reached the top of another long climb which we mostly walked due to fatigue, and on reaching the top was directed by the signage that the green route we were on goes both to the left and right! With the thick fog and heavy rain, we had no sense of direction. I said right, Uni Mom said left, but who knew? A signboard did not offer any reassurance, as it was impossible to decipher where we were in relation to the start / finish spot and whether we should go left or right. There was no civilisation in sight; we had not seen any other riders the entire day. It could be argued for a change that the cyclists (the guys with the training wheels) were doing the right thing by staying on their indoor trainers.

So, short of drawing straws or playing a quick round of rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock (Google it), we had to trust some technology. Out came the smart phones! Uni Mom’s iPhone was pap, so this was the moment for my CAT brick to shine, full battery, waterproof, drop proof and idiot proof. All the boxes ticked to get us out of here, but no wet finger touch screen functionality. The only thing we had to dry the screen was a bandage from the first aid bag, everything else we had was stupidly drenched. Google maps, satellite view, compass orientation, landmarks found! Expert map reader is something I have recently added to my CV.

We have a way out, and by the way it was right, yes the way I suggested. See children, mom is not always right. With a new found energy we missioned down the trail, back on some of the single track we had followed earlier that day. Things began to look familiar, and the prospect of dry clothes and a hot beverage helped us to press on. We made our way down the misty hill and to the parking lot, threw the uni’s in the car and headed straight to the restaurant where there was a warm fire and a rest room to change and dry off.

This was one of those occasions when at the time, I had thoughts of “Why the hell do I do this to myself?”, but once some time has passed you say, “Well I think I would like to do that again sometime”. Like mentioned previously, the trails are not all that technical, but throw in low temperatures, gusting winds and some horizontal rain and you have one hell of a Muni ride in store on any route. So come people (well those in the Cape at least), the rain is here, time to get out there and get wet.

For more information on what Bottelary Hills MTB has to offer, check out their website for all the info: http://bottelaryhillsmtb.co.za/

Trail Review – Contermanskloof, Durbanville, Western Cape

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Let’s Get Dirty

By Shaun Engelbrecht

Trail Review Contermanskloof 3

We seem to have hit a bit of a dry spell in the uni community of late. Daily life has been taking its toll and it seems we have almost forgotten how to have fun (on one wheel). Then to add insult to injury, the Cape is swept by fires, not only destroying flora, fauna and a couple of houses, but laying waste to two awesome trail parks.

In a bid to get the energy levels back up and relive some excitement in “odd wheel”ing it, I thought I would share some of my more recent rides. This I am doing to provide some muni options to Cape based uni nuts, and hopefully a bit of inspiration for the northerner’s to dust off a wheel and hit the dirt, if not only to get their uni’s dusty again on a trail.

For this the first instalment, I will begin with Contermanskloof. This is one of a few trails that is managed by the Tygerberg MTB Club. So far this is my favourite of Tygerberg trails (I still need to scout one or two more). The route starts off easy enough, taking you through some farm houses and buildings along Blue Gum shaded jeep track and up a short stint alongside a vineyard.

Then begins the pain! The single track starts, winding it’s way up a hill, switch back after switch back on loose gravel. “I am in no way fit enough for this”, is all I’m thinking. So learn from my mistakes and walk the jeep track that cuts through the centre on the zig zagging single track. It’s steep, but will get you to the top quicker and less out of breath so you can enjoy the gravity assisted decent.

Okay you are near the top, or so you think. There is one last little climb along the perimeter fence, placed there to remind you that you need to earn you decent.

Once you have gotten your breath back the route splits off. Left is the black route (expert as per the signs), and left is the blue ride (intermediate). Now you need to remember, these signs and varying degrees of difficultly are judged by those less skilled and fortunate than us, they need a training wheel to stay upright. So my point is take the blue route, only because the black route has more nasty climbing and a short, ultra rocky decent which was not much fun on my 29er. Unless of course you are Kris Holm, then do the black route.

So back to the blue route! Here you will cut your way back down from whence you came. A switchback here and there, a few interesting rocky sections and then the face morphing smile if you clear it all. Once again, more climbs, but what goes up must come down. Here you climb in the shade of a few Blue Gums and then get attacked by dry fynbos. There is a lovely little tree at the top that holds me up, covers me in shade and acts as a picnic spot to grab a snack. Once again we go down. This, the last of the downhill single track sections proves to be a bit more fast and flowy with some interesting and tight switchbacks. You will need to carry a bit of speed on the downhill sections. Too much brakes and you will be on your butt when the tyre can no longer grip. Not that I have ever done that…

Once you get to the bottom and re-adjusted your face (it’s disfigured from smiling, or falling, either way), you are again given a choice. Left oooorrrrrrr right. Take the right split and you are home free, getting a cuppa or a beer at the coffee shop or take a look at the training wheel assisted uni’s at the bike shop. But we are all a bit sick with a few screws loose, so we go left. Now you ride single track though unploughed fields on terrain that I can only describe as baby heads. Yes, baby heads. Small bumpy sections, compacted together creating a, let’s say interesting endeavour on a uni. Under a tunnel and around a dam on not the most interesting single track, but the surrounds are easy on the eye, the end is in sight, or so you think. Now somebody thought it is a good idea to ride through the vineyards. These are however on a slope, creating an almost step effect as you ascend. Once you have recovered you will realise you are now at the end. You have now earned that beer, and if you are not yet old enough, a coke will have to do.

If you want to know distances and strava times and segments, well sorry I am the wrong guy for that. All I can say is it is a worthwhile ride, with a few options to chop and change routes, difficulty and distances. I don’t know about winter riding there (yet), but just be careful of the heat and wind now. Unlike our beloved forests, this trial is very exposed with little to no protection from the sun and wind. I have been blown off my line on occasion.

Trail Review Contermanskloof 1

For some more info on the routes and a map of the layout, tariff, opening hours, etc, check out the link below. I hope to see you out on the trial and keeping it wheel!

http://www.tygerbergmtb.co.za/trails/contermans-kloof.html