Eselfontein Getaway: Day 2

It is not often that we manage to break away for a weekend, so when we do get a chance, we like to make the most of it by sleeping late, resting out and relaxing along with mountain biking at our own pace. So that is exactly what went down on the Saturday morning of our recent stay at Eselfontein, Ceres.




Our group all got up on their own time and regrouped for some coffee and breakfast. We were really impressed with Madeleine en Reto's cooking skills as they always had our mouths watering with their gourmet camping food, especially their yummy breakfast. Before we could even think of hitting the trails, there were some repairs to be done, with Hanco destroying his tubeless setup on the Enduro track the previous day.

At about 10:00 we were all kitted up and ready to ride. We started out on the sandy trail behind the huts. We took it slowly and kept a relaxed pace to not tire ourselves too soon. I misjudged a protea branch and had a silly fall on a sandy corner. Luckily it was only a few scratches and bruises, and I was up and on my bike again in a jiffy. Hanco also took a dive in the sand and his Commencal got a few new scratches.

We soldiered on and after a grueling climb, we regrouped at the pipe. This was however only a quick pit stop before we braved the last few climbs. I took the challenge of seeing how far I could get on them before my legs bailed and I surprised myself by riding to the top without getting off and pushing. When we reached the top, we took a well deserved picnic break to enjoy the scenery and catch our breaths. Although we were a mixed group in terms of riding ability, bravery and fitness, we really gelled and the ride was made fun by all the chatting and joking amongst ourselves.

We made our way to the top of the pipe track where we took turns descending. Hanco and Reto went first and stopped at a corner to snap some pics of us coming past. The top part of the pipe track needs some TLC but it was rideable and also enjoyable. The whole pipe track is one of my favorite trails on the farm.

We ended our ride with the two forests. Here is where the bad luck caught up with us as my chain snapped only a few meters into the first poplars. By then I was already somewhat tired (and also maybe a bit moerig) but luckily Hanco came to my rescue and had my chain fixed in a flash. We reached the second forest without incident but right at the end I managed to get a flat tyre... This lead to a series of events including some tears of frustration and exhaustion, me doing a 30 minute walk and a lift from the friendly farmer's wife on the back of a bakkie (with a Great Dane's head on my lap).  Like injured soldiers we arrived back at camp one by one. Strava soon gave us the stats: we did a total of 27.8 kms with 743m elevation.

Photo by Riaan du Preez

After a cold swim, hot showers and food in our bellies we were feeling almost human again and we decided to take things a bit easier the next day!

Read about day 1 at this awesome place here!