Mountain bike or Cyclo-X
Suitable for Sport and Elite level riders
5 Day Tour: 5 days riding
5 days of non-technical dirt road riding out in the farm lands of the Overberg. We visit a number of small historic towns along the way including the Moravian Mission town of Elim, and the Cape L’Agulhas light house at the southern most point of Africa.
Day 1: Franschhoek to Hermanus – 90km(1600m altitude gain) via Van der Stel Pass and Karwyderskraal
We transfer from your hotel in Cape Town or Cape Town International Airport to Franschhoek. The day starts off with a climb up Franschhoek Pass, built in 1822 by the Royal African Corps this is the first properly engineered road in the country. The view from the top of the pass is a great way to get your bearings as your guide points out some landmarks. We have 30km of tar to cover today before we finally hit dirt roads.
Day 2: Hermanus to Napier – 105km(1100m altitude gain) via Grotto beach, and Baardskeerdersbos
Once we’ve negotiated our way across Grotto beach and a couple of sandy patches on the road, we reach Stanford where a morning coffee stop and snack is most welcome. After a last bit of civilisation we head out into the countryside of the Overberg and to the small town of Napier.
Day 3: Napier to Arniston – 122km (600m altitude gain) via Elim, and L’Agulhas
Off to the beach! A bit of a roundabout route to get there, but the scenery and a coffee/wine tasting stop along the way never fails to impress. A short detour to Cape L’Agulhas, the southern-most point of Africa is also on the itinerary for today.
Day 4: Arniston to Caledon – 105km (1200m altitude gain) via Bredasdorp
The first 33km out of town this morning is on tar, a good way to cover some distance, warm up the legs and have a chat. After a quick coffee stop in Bredasdorp, we head out into the rolling hills and countryside of the Overberg, with the next stop being Caledon.
Day 5: Caledon to Franschhoek – 82km (1200m altitude gain) via Boonjtieskraal and Theewaterskloof dam
We spend most of the morning in the foothills of the Riviersonderend (which can be roughly translated as river without end) mountain range, it’s only when we hit a short patch of tar to get up and over the mountains that we see the Franschhoek Pass and the final climb for the day. After a drink and a bite to eat we’ll transfer you to your hotel in Cape Town.