We have finalised dates for our end of year Cape Town road cycling holiday. So if you’re keen to ride in the sun on the most scenic roads in and around Cape Town, you better free up your calendar from 14 - 23 December 2012.
Here are the basics of our Cape Town road cycling holiday:
Most of our riding falls into the intermediate fitness category with daily rides of 50- 130km. You can hire bikes from iRide Africa.
Each day we ride about 3-5 hours, starting early in the morning to avoid the heat. En route we have a quick coffee break and maybe taste some of the local cakes, muffins or croissants. This leaves your afternoon free to relax (you are on holiday!), or maybe go out and experience the local activities and food.
Our elevation gain on each ride goes from about 400m-1000m so nothing that you can’t handle!
Temperatures are hot! You can expect 25-35 degrees on most days during December.
The official itinerary for the trip can be found here but we wanted to show you a bit more about this cycling vacation and get you amped to ride with us!
Day 1:
Climbing off the plane, feeling the heat of the African sun and getting your first glimpse of Table Mountain is a good way to start a cycling holiday! We load up everyone’s gear into Eric the storm-trooper (our van with our bike specific trailer)
and head off into our superb 4 star accommodation near Tokai Forest.
Building of bikes commence, beers are guzzled down and a dip in the pool are usually first on the list!
Day 2:
We stretch the legs on a beautiful ride down to Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope), passing the surfers beach of Muizenberg and stopping for a quick view of the perky penguins on Boulders Beach. The return leg takes us up the formidable Ou Kaapse Weg before we plummet back to your guest house.
Day 3:
Today we ride out to Durbanville Hills, which is famous for it’s beautiful vineyards. We take the scenic route around the famous Chapman’s Peak and head past Cape Towns famous beaches of Sandy Bay, Llandudno, Camps Bay and Clifton before cruising through the V&A waterfront and onto the new cycle lanes that head up the West Coast.
Day 4
We set out into the ‘Swartland’ through rolling hills and wheatfields. No major climbs today and hopefully the wind will aid us into the Historic town of Riebeeck Kasteel. The South African food is always a highlight on our trips!
Day 5
Today we hope that the wind is not blowing! We start heading South through rural farmlands towards the village of Wellington. From here we grind over rolling hills behind the huge granite domes of Paarl (Pearl) before entering the Oak village of South Africa -Stellenbosch
Day 6
Today can be set aside to rest the legs and either go on a Safari day trip (1,5 hours’ drive from Stellenbosch), walk around or just relax, do a cycling oriented wine & chocolate tour (just 35km of cycling!), or maybe do some mountain biking at the magnificent Jonkershoek trails.
Day 7
The legs will feel fresh today and thank goodness for that! We start with a 4km climb of Helshoogte and a descent down the most beautiful wine valley in the region. Good roads speed us along to the French Hugenot village of Franschhoek, where a coffee and cake stop is a must! The cake will give you energy to get up Franschhoek Pass and from here you can enjoy the exhilarating descent through the mountains towards Theewaterskloof Dam. The rest of the ride to the quaint village of Greyton will tax you with its rolling hills but you will be inspired by the beauty of this area!
Day 8
We set off below the towering mountains of Greyton and say hello to the Overberg region. This area is considered the ‘breadbasket’ of the Cape due to its wheat farms. Hopefully we will spot the elegant Blue Crane in the fields- South Africa’s national bird. Today’s ride is a very long stretch of open road with no villages on it until we get near the coast so you can expect great views and lots of time to think to yourself! Once we reach the Botriver Lagoon we are near our destination and can relax near the beach for the first time on the trip.
Day 9
Time to relax the weary legs! We can recommend Shark cage diving in nearby Gans bay, Penguin viewing or duneboarding in nearby Betty’s bay or just relaxing on the beach!
Day 10
Our last ride of the holiday is also one of the best! This narrow road is undulating and the scenery is mind blowing. We will cruise through to Gordon’s bay with thoughts of all the miles covered and of experiences shared in this amazing country. Our trip ends with a dip in the ocean (or maybe just an ice cream on the beach if it’s too cold for you!)
Unfortunately every holiday must come to an end. It’s time to pack up the bike and get ready for your flight home.
We will transport you to the airport in time for your flight and wave you goodbye.
