![]() The historic switchback – constructed by none other than master road builder, Thomas Bain – winds through the rugged and inhospitable Swartberg ranges, and it takes guts to get in there on a bike. This valley is colloquially known as Die Hel, for a number of reasons: heat and extreme temperatures, for sure, but also for the dangerously steep gravel strip you need to navigate into this back-of-beyond valley.Įven today, you can get there only via a dead-end pass with vertiginous drop-offs and erosion ruts of legendary proportions. What riders can expect is two days of bike adventuring into the remote Gamkaskloof (and of course an op-skop of note)!.īut then, what else would you expect from an event that has become widely known as the ‘Unofficial #MOVEMBER World MTB Champs’ □ Starting from De Hoek Resort near Oudtshoorn, competitors face one moer-of-a-trap into Gamkaskloof. No wonder it boasts the distinction of being SA’s first ever MTB Stage Race, notching up its 23rd running last week. Sometimes they’re too moeg or dors to say anything much, and just stand there, slightly dazed, but you’ll get the same shpiel from them once they’ve dipped into the inflatable pool, or hauled their asses into the shaded bar area.īottom line, the EcoBound Mountain Events #ToHellAndBack will always be one of those old-skool classics. ![]() They’re usually saying this with a big-ass #DarlingBrew beer clutched in their paws, and with dust and sweat smeared across their smiling faces. “For real mountain bikers, you know” … That’s the typical comment you get from #HellAndBackers once they bang into the under-belly of Gamkaskloof. In the end, it is all about a real-life MTB Adventure, without gimmicks or bells or whistles. The other quote I heard from Zane Schmahl was that this is a ‘tour with medals”. This year, they set up a private wine bar in Eugene Roux‘s Bike Mechanics Tent … well, if I’m honest, it was more a circle of plastic chairs, shared glasses and a constant supply of bottles which magically appeared whenever a glass seemed empty. “This is our annual MTB year-end function”, jokes Jakkals Jacques Herselman and his good mate Sitbok Kevin Eltigre Taljaard. ANd if you want characters – this has got to be the best event ever. Plus, there’s just enough of a sprinkling of hipsters, hooligans and hotties to make this mix dynamic, and never boring. ![]() Instead, it is all about the weekend warriors, the quiet guys on their dusty 26Rs, plenty okes with boeps, and no-nonsense Plattelanders who come here not to show off their R180k bike, but instead to praat kak, drink a few dops, and klap that dirt road into Gamkaskloof, hard. Yup, TO HELL & BACK is one of the few events that does not fall into the trap of only caterign for that 10% Elite Rider bracket. ![]() This is all about gritty and old-skool cranking, with a unique and down-home honesty, stemming from it’s family-run roots and values. If you’ve been to HELL & BACK – that iconic and long-running 2-day MTB Stage Race presented by EcoBound Mountain Events – you’ll know exactl y what I’m talking about … it’s no wonder all the old hands refer to it as #TheOriginal. ![]()
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