Doug and Jason embarked on a 3 day gravel cycling adventure on the Cape Cycle Routes’ Cederberg Circuit through South Africa’s breathtaking Cape Fold mountains.
Day 2 of the Cederberg Circuit blew us away with its magnificent passes and spectacular scenery. We had finished at Houdenbek, well regarded for its mountain bike trails and that would be the first order of the morning on the 3rd day.
The remainder of our final day of gravel touring was a scenic cruise back home to Citrusdal with one hell of a descent down Middelberg Pass but it wouldn’t be complete without a great burger and a glass of freshly squeezed Cederberg citrus to cap it off! Enjoy part 3 of our 3 part photo story.
Waking up in the agricultural land of the Tankwa Karoo for our final day on the bikes was bitter sweet. Our incredible journey was nearing its end. *click image for more info*The Cannondale Topstone was proving to be a trusty steed out in the Cederberg! It was about to undergo a test of its mountain biking ability on some technical trails. *click image for more info*The big electrified Habit Neo and the wiry (in a different sense) Topstone depart Houdenbek in search of some single track! *click image for more info*The rock formations of this region are exquisite and make for a very scenic ride!Looking about 10 degrees cooler than everyone else in those shades? Exploring the outer reaches of the gravel bike’s abilities made for a fun start to the day. Horsing around on the trails done, there was a lengthly stretch of tarred road taking us past the little town of Op Die Berg to the base of Middelberg Pass.Wheat fields, orchards, and vineyards abound in the Op Die Berg region. A contrast to the far more arid landscape we had seen on our 2nd day.The town of Op Die Berg is a blink-and-you-miss-it affair with a church building, a couple tractor showrooms, and a little coffee shop (attached to one of said tractor stores). Grab yourself a Coke or a coffee and keep on rolling through to Citrusdal.A bridge over the Middeldeur Rivier near Kunje Farm marks the transition back to gravel roads. Middelberg Pass was on its way.Passing by one of the area’s locals on their daily commute.Undulating gravel lead us through farmlands under shaded trees ahead of the pass.Gradients got fairly steep for a moment on the pass! Nothing that was going to make the Ebike sweat but Jason might have dropped a bead or two!The enormous masses of the Cederberg peaks would slowly fade behind us after cresting the pass and beginning a 17km descent to Citrusdal and a fantastic burger.The upper corners of the Middelberg Pass are spectacular as the valley drops out below you.Full gas and speed tucking our way home! A brilliant way to finish this epic route!247km. 3500m of elevation gain. Craft beers, Buchu Melkterts, cave paintings, sunrise hikes, MTB trails and now time for our final ‘taste’ of the Cederberg at Salome’s Grapevine ‘by die dam’. *click image for more info* Cheers to a big ‘ol ride! The freshly squeezed Cedeberg Citrus goes down well on a hot day.And a proper burger to wash it down. We might ride back to Citrusdal just for another one of these bad boys..That’s a wrap on our Cape Cycle Routes Cederberg Circuit gravel adventure photo stories!
We of course had a man with a video camera with us on this big outback mission so keep an eye out in the coming weeks for the video experience of the Cape Cycle Route’s Cederberg Circuit!
To see more of our Cape Cycle Routes adventures and inspire your own gravel tour, click here!
