The route for the 2023 edition of the Val de Vie MTB Expedition, which takes place on 6-8 October in Paarl, has been finalised. The event will this year feature an easier route challenge compared to the previous two editions with 20km being shaved off the total distance while the overall ascent also decreases by 450m.
Paid partnership with De Villiers Cycling
The degree of route difficulty was an interesting and keenly debated subject at last year’s Val de Vie MTB Expedition. A host of riders felt we were tad over on difficulty where we needed to be a month into Spring.
The Expedition will remain an aspirational challenge but we felt that we needed to be sensitive to a large rider contingent who relish the challenge and the total event offering, but who don’t have the luxury of enough regular long daily training rides coming out of winter.
To give these riders something to aim at (and train for ), we’ve brought down both the Saturday and Sunday stages to under 70km mark and the total ascent to just under 3400m.
This will shorten riding time for the 2nd and 3rd stages considerably. The biggest change is on Stage 3 where the ascent drops from 1660m to 1350m. The stage will feature a number of new sections in the Banhoek Conservancy, which will dish up a more flowing ride compared to last year.
By decreasing the distance and ascent we want to bring the event in line with our core principle of serving our rider base. The essence of the route and challenge remain the same, which means the race still presents a substantiative challenge and proper racing platform for serious riders.
Val de Vie MTB Expedition Route Director, Pieter van Wyk, believes the route for Paarl’s signature stage race is unrivalled. The race serves experienced mountain-bikers who are focussed on sustained route quality from start to finish, coupled with unequalled rider hospitality.
Van Wyk, who held the position of route director for numerous years at the Absa Cape Epic, is regarded as one of the finest trail specialists in the country.
If you mention Welvanpas and Banhoek, you immediately grab the attention of mountain-bikers from every corner of South Africa. If you include these two famous trail networks in a 3-stage race based at an exceptional venue, it adds up to an experience that has been crafted to satisfy seasoned mountain-bikers.
The Val de Vie Expedition has seen a remarkable uptake with the extraordinary event offering clearly resonating with experienced mountain-bikers.
It’s an exceptionally well crafted 3-day stage race on a route that incorporates some of the country’s finest mountain bike trails coupled with a world-class race village at the Pearl Valley Clubhouse, which serves all three days.
Van Wyk led in the era of trail building in the Paarl-Franschhoek Valley when he built the famous Welvanpas trails on the Drakenstein Mountains above Wellington. Since then, numerous trail networks have followed, and the valley has become a popular mountain-biking destination.
Welvanpas (these days known as Wild Boar Trails), which often features in the Absa Cape Epic, forms the backbone of the Expedition’s secnd stage, and the trail network is still right up there with the best in South Africa.
Van Wyk also assisted with the building of numerous sections of the Banhoek Trails, which are consistently regarded as one of the top 5 trail networks in South Africa.
Banhoek constitutes the bulk of the Expedition’s third stage.
Van Wyk and his crew are again putting in an immense amount of work with trail preparation for the Val de Vie MTB Expedition to ensure a challenging and exhilarating experience.
FNB Wines2Whales riders have the opportunity of getting their final bulk training weekend in the Val de Vie Expedition. It takes place three weeks prior to Wines2Whales, and the two signature stage distances and their degree of difficulty are now perfectly poised to fulfil the final mileage demands of Wines2Whales riders’ training programmes.
STAGE COMPOSITION:
Stage 1: 17km (Time Trial) Trail | 450m Ascent
Inclusions : Drakenstein Mountain Range | Val de Vie Estate
Stage 2: 68km | 1600m ascent
Val de Vie Estate| Hawequa Forest | Wild Boar Welvanpas | Drakenstein Mountains
Stage 3: 67km | 1350m ascent
Trail Inclusions : Val de Vie Estate| Banhoek | Helshoogte | Boschendal | Plaisir de Merle| Bethlehem | Camissa | Klipwerf | Afterburner | Inferno | Sugarbowl
To enter or check out all the new route maps and profiles, click here.
