Rider Blog: Variety Is The Spice Of MTB At joBerg2c
Each day is different at the joBerg2c, with the middle three days of the event throwing everything at you.
You can suffer from many things at the Old Mutual joBerg2c, like a sore bottom, or aching joints, or even déjà moo (when you think you’ve ridden past that cow before). But one thing you will never suffer from is boredom. Each day is different at the joBerg2c, with the middle three days of the event throwing everything at you.
Day four starts at the massive Sterkfontein Dam – it’s huge. No, bigger. It’s yuge. From there you shoot across some district roads until you’re on top of the escarpment with what seems like the whole of KwaZulu-Natal below you. From the top to the bottom, there are trails galore, including a new sweeping singletrack descent that leaves your mouth gaping in awe – which is perfect timing, because at the bottom there’s a water table and you can shovel mini banana and cinnamon muffins straight in.
What makes day four special, and perhaps the best day of mountain biking in South African events, is the abundance of trail, the iconic climb up Spioenkop, and then the incredible 12km singletrack descent into the Em’seni race village.
The route is also littered with jittery cows, and these provide an extra frisson of thrill as you descend, not knowing whether they’ll stay, scatter or stampede. As it happens, this year one jumped out of a small pound and went straight for my riding partner Des, no doubt as an act of revenge after his 13 boerewors pieces at the previous water table.
Day five and six then combine to provide the toughest challenge of the event. The fifth day of riding is a monstrous 126km from Em’seni to Clifton Prep in Nottingham Road. The school is nestled in amongst pine trees and provides an appealing overnight stop, which is just as well because day five’s riding – which this year featured a sweltering ascent of the appropriately named “Big Rise” – can leave one emotionally and physically (on the bottom) raw. Day six then clocks in at around 98km, with two demanding climbs – one early and one late in the day.
RELATED: Rider Blog: Three Rides For One At joBerg2c
The first climb, Gumtree, starts off friendly enough, only to bare its teeth once you ride onto two thin concrete strips. From there you’re at the mercy of walkers in front of you, and whether or not you can control your swaying bike.
Then, at around 60km, Slow Poison rears her head. This a winding, 7km uphill battle through a Sappi plantation that twists and turns and rises and rises until you can see Table Mountain from KZN.
Thankfully, there is a reward in the form of the Sappi single track which then runs into a section called Skyfall, a gloriously giddy descent that soothes the day’s aches and pains (except for the raw botty – that just hurts forever).
In between the two climbs, riders are treated to perhaps the best purpose-built singletrack in South Africa – Harrison’s Pass and Rock ‘n Roll. Both routes are used only for joBerg2c, with year-round traffic including a few goats and maybe some daredevil Qhubeka bike riders.
Harrison’s Pass is a singletrack descent that boasts 32 switch backs, while Rock ‘n Roll is a rollicking, rocky trail that bounces you from side to side before spitting you out at a much-needed water point.
Essentially, days four, five and six make this event a true test of your mountain biking ability. Then once you’ve been tested, you have three days left to enjoy your new skills.