After more than a year in development, Helderberg Trails will officially open this weekend on Saturday morning with a FREE ride-day that promises to offer an exhilarating experience for all skill and fitness levels. Earlier this week Bicycling’s Oli Munnik joined professional downhiller, Andrew Neethling, who has helped develop the trail centre together with local farmer Jan van Schalkwyk, to get a taste of the action. – Words and pictures Oli Munnik

1/11

Situated on the R44, just outside Somerset West, the Helderberg Trails are only a skip and a hop from Stellenbosch and a quick 30min drive from Cape Town’s CBD.

Below are the details for Saturday’s launch (more info at facebook.com/helderbergtrails). Be sure to read on for Oli’s impressions of the trails as well as feast on some visual poetry from his and Andrew’s early morning ride.