18 M AY 2 0 1 9
ESCAPE Adventure
LEFTA reststoptotakeinthe
sceneryonAltydgedachtestate.
BELOWEliseKirstenzooms
alongsomeflattrack.Thereareseverale-biketoursavailable,butthisonewill
giveyoua realisticbashatmountainbikingWHAT Vineyard
E-Bike Meander
WHEREDurbanville,
Cape Town
WHO CarolineWebb
I have itongoodauthoritythat
the guyridingbehindmewas
rather amazedatthevariedand
creativewaysI foundtocome
off a bicycle.The best was riding
calmly offthe side of a low log
bridge andtippingsideways
into a bedof long grass, as if I’d
decidedI justhadtostopand
have a snoozeright then.
A ridethroughthevineyards
on an electricmountainbike
soundedeasy enough,delightful
even, soI signedup. I’m a total
beginnerasfarasmountain
biking goes,and this seemed
like a goodway to try it out. It is,
but don’tthink it will be easy.
We metat ride-leaderGrant
Frye’s house,wherewe were
introducedto the Specialized
Turbo Levoe-bike (best on the
market).It has 11 gears (that’s
An AdvEnturE
electric
about 10 more than I’ve ever
had on a bike) and a choice of
Eco, Trail and Turbo modes for
the electric side of things. The
battery, which lasts a day – as
long as you don’t ride in ‘Turbo’
all the time – makes the bicycle
weigh a good 23 kilograms.
We set off for the trails on
suburban roads, allowing us to
get used to riding an e-bike. It
feels almost ‘alive’, as if it’s raring
to go. It gives you a sense of
having extra juice, not just the
bike but your own muscles. The
bike’s not a scooter – you still
have to pedal to get up those
hills, but it feels easier, almost
effortless. You can cover a lot
more ground without getting as
tired. Add to that the attraction
of mountain biking itself, which
is to go where road bikes can’t,
and you start to feel kind of like
a superhero, perhaps even
invincible. And that’s when
you wipe out.
Mountain biking takes plenty
of concentration. There’s littletime to enjoy the scenery as
each fresh challenge presents
itself – deep sand, loose gravel,
a ditch, a tree, a cow (I hope
she understood I was wrangling
with my wider-than-normal
handlebars). The A-frame
turnstiles over fences are the
most intimidating of all. Going
straight downhill is trickier
than a twisty-turny path or
an uphill (and doing it in Turbo
mode could send you flipping
forwards or backwards, as I did).When we did stop for breaks,
we had lovely views of Table
Mountain, the coastline and
over to Stellenbosch; we had
sunshine, fresh air – a mix of
fynbos, trees, earth and vines- and an exhilarating sense of
freedom. And these are the
memories I took away, beyond
the stiff muscles and sore butt.
RISK FACTOR 6/10. The e-bike
makes it easier if you’re unfit
(I was surprised to hear I’d
ridden almost 25 kilometres),
but you’re still on MTB trails.
VERDICT The sheer amount of
ground we covered, over four
wine farms and a few hills (total
elevation gain: 417 metres) in a
couple of hours, was wonderful.
To walk the route would’ve taken
all day. My colleague Elise, who
mountain bikes regularly in this
area, had a very pleasant
outing; for me, the rookie, it
was a bit more challenging.
COST R1 500 pp for this
half-day ride (includes permits,
bike, helmet and guiding).
THE DETAILS Each tour can
take up to eight people; which
routes you do will depend on
your level of experience. Wear
any practical, comfy clothing
but must-haves are closed
shoes, gloves and sunglasses.
BOOK 083-251-4389,
capetownebiketours.co.za
tried&
tested