With no racing since March and a hard lockdown of five weeks, South African mountain bike trails have become even more important as mountain bikers seek to ease the Covid-19 drama with their fix of singletrack, fresh air, sunshine, company, fitness and fun. Before we move into the top 10 TREAD TOP TRAILS 2020, here’s a recap of Numbers 15-11.
By Sean Badenhorst
Cradle Moon. Photo ZC Marketing
Since we launched TREAD in 2009, the TREAD crew has ridden most of the mountain bike trails in South Africa. This gives us the knowledge and experience to be able to create our annual TREAD TOP TRAILS list, which acknowledges the top 15 mountain bike trails parks based on our panel’s opinion.
Number 15 – Big Red Barn, Gauteng
An established, well maintained mountain bike trails park close to Pretoria and Johannesburg that caters for most mountain bikers. Very family-friendly.
Number 14 – The Spruit, Gauteng
Possibly South Africa’s most popular mountain bike trail, The Spruit offers a stimulating ride for all levels of rider – you just need some local knowledge (or a Spruit regular) to find exactly which sections have your ideal fix.
Number 13 – Tokai, Western Cape
The gradient on the slopes of the mountain looking over False Bay, is generous and has resulted in the building and maintenance of a stimulating, well-planned trail network that offers steady climbs and exciting descents. A real Cape Town asset.
Number 12 – Cradle Moon, Gauteng
With the large dam and the interesting dam wall, as well as surrounding hills and variety of game, you won’t find a more scenic place to ride a mountain bike in Gauteng. The mountain bike trails are well-maintained and stimulating for all levels of rider.
Number 11 – Buffelsdrift, Gauteng
Buffelsdrift is a world-class mountain bike trails park just north of Pretoria that offers stimulating trails for every level of rider, both in terms of fitness and skill. It’s more than a trails park though, it’s a wonderful bushveld escape with your bike.
