Technical trails at Kwamhlanga

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Grumpy Mutt
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I might be going back to Durban for a while so I decided to head out with the Z and look for some lekker new trails. It's still dry and dusty but this might be the last time in a couple of weeks I get to ride so it was now or never. Couple of days ago I paged through old Enduro World mags and came across an article on Kwamahlanga, it featured pics of guys on singletrack, gnarly hillclimbs and riding through rivers ..... looked interesting let's go 8)

It's quite a way to get there, past Roodeplaat, Moloto and through Kwamahlanga on to the small settlement of Klipfontein. I would not advise anyone to ride this trail alone like I did. It's pretty technical and if you should have a breakdown your nearest help would be some miles away in the form of three townships. On the trails itself I only saw three locals collecting some firewood, they were pretty friendly too.

The mag suggested parking at the Klipfontein cafe but I would not in fact I would not start the trail there either. I will give some directions at the end of the report if you want to ride there. The area is well suited to 650 and smaller bikes I would not suggest riding a twin there especially if you want to do the river route. My DRZ handled the terrain well, something like Shark's KDX would be an absolute dream in exploring the trails in this area.

I started the ride at Klipfontein cafe where the route winds it's way through some houses towards the mountains. Chickens were pecking around and a lady was busy cleaning her stoep with a "grasbesem", a quite Sunday afternoon but I got a sense that this was going to be a fun ride !

Before long I left the houses behind and the jiggy started in the form of a little rocky dip to navigate before heading towards the mountain.

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Pretty easy going as I stood on the pegs and had a look around. The trail made a left turn then right and dropped into a second valley, things started getting a bit more interesting !

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In the above pic you can clearly see the riverbed which in summer time has some water in it to add to the excitement ! In fact the whole valley looks completely different in summer time, can't wait to come back later in the year. If you feel really adventures you can ride the river bed all along the trail. The one I took next to it is easier and safer for when you ride alone but you still have to take care, it's really technical in some parts.

Here you can see a climb out of the second dip, loose rocks and an eroded riverbank make for some interesting first gear riding !

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Once out of the riverbed you will follow the trail into another valley which leads you to this small climb.

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From here on it turns to singletrack

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Looking down towards the right you can clearly see the riverbed trail down below, imagine riding there with some mossy covered rocks in summer :shock: 8)

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The singletrack leads into the riverbed which means you have no choice but to ride it, man was it fun 8) :D If you stay in the riverbed you can expect to cover around 4 kilometers in 2 hours time and that's if you are Darryl Curtis :roll:

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I made a small video clip with my camera crossing the riverbed you see in the above pic. This was an easier stretch, sorry I had no tripod but you get the idea ! (Click on the pic to load)



Gotta love rocks when you ride here (and a decent bashplate Welshman :D )

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Self portrait

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From here on things really became intense, I decided to rather leave the really tough stuff for a future group ride. This is one of the climbs out of the riverbed, believe me it looks alot tougher in real life !

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I even managed to get a action shot using my self timer, man I had to really sprint to get to the bike in time !

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Enduro country at it's best

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All in all it was a great days riding, a really nice change from the normal dirt roads. I don't think I got above 20 km/h the entire time I was on the trail. It's on rides like these I really enjoy my bike. I can do the tar to the trails ans still do some pretty gnarly riding where guys usually take enduro bikes. As I've said I would not recommend anyone leaving their car and trailer at Klipfontein cafe.

To get there : Take the Zambezi offramp from Pretoria and turn right and go under the highway. After about two hundred meter turn right on the Moloto road R573 and continue on for 56 km until you get to the R568 crossing and turn left. Continue on for 7.5 k and look for a dirt road to your right just before the bridge and continue on this trail. Just keep heading towards the mountains. I only rode a part of this offroad paradise there are plenty of smaller trails to explore including some vicious climbs I read about, maybe next time with some full body armour :D
 
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