SPOT 1
Helderberg Trails, Somerset West, South Africa Next to the Hanger, is the Helderberg bike park and trail centre. Here, we have 23kms of singletrack to enjoy with 1165m of descending and 36 different trails to play with. These trails have been designed and prepared by the team of Jan Van Schalkwyk and Andrew Neethling, and offers some seriously good fun. Jan originally started building and preparing the trails as a side passion, which has since turned into a full-time gig. When Andrew was in his racing era, he was asked to assist with building, maintenance and managing the trails, a project which he still remains very active in today. For this visit, we didn't have shuttles to whisk us to the top, sitting pretty at almost 550m above sea level. This is never an issue when you have an E-Bike though, allowing you to shuttle yourself to the top of whatever trail you have set your sights on. The Helderberg is connected with three other trail networks, and for you to be able to enjoy these, you need a day pass. Andrew gave us the insider’s perspective for our time in the area, introducing us to his favourite people, trails and eateries, also making sure we always finished the day with some well-deserved beers.