We had a good turn-out for the Island's Anything That Floats race this year (possibly even bigger than last year's event or even 2013's) with floats lined up clear across the river at the starting line.  Really great to see.  Many thanks to Brian Gibson for organizing!

I managed to snap a few photos, but my sparse photos as we waited at the starting line don't really do the event justice.  I'm hoping someone will send me some they've taken (hint, hint!) - or I can come by with a zip drive.

That's right on Saturday, Dec 31st, the 14th annual Great Brak Grabadoo will get underway - whether you're a casual or a serious mountain biker - or hiker/walker/runner - you won't want to miss it!

I can't believe I've never done it before (at least not on "race" day) - so this year I'll be doing the 71 km ride.  There are various distance and activity options available - check out the Grabadoo's Facebook page for more info, as well as where to register.  With 1,200 participants expected, what's one or two more, right? :)

Meanwhile, here's a route map of the 71 km (there are shorter variations on the day) MTB ride which the organizer (Mimi Finestone of Goji) sent me:

The route seems to be the same as that of the 2015 event, so if you're looking for more insight into the route profile you can always resort to skulking around Strava to find other cyclists who have done the 71 km route (heck, you might even find one of my "unofficial" rides hidden in there...).  

​Apologies to those that are looking for the shorter routes - or the walks or the runs - you'll have to find those on the Grabadoo's Facebook page.

Hope to see you out there on the starting (and finishing line) on Saturday!

Had a great little improptu coffee tasting (Ugandan, Rwandan & Guatemalan) at Great Brak's own coffee roastery, Brothers Coffee (also on Facebook), this afternoon.  You'll find them located at the Pink House - head up Amy Searle Street, past Greenhaven and about 200 meters to your right after you've passed the gravel Sandhoogte Road turn which appears on your left (don't take this turn, it's just a direction marker!).

Ben and Jaco are really enthusiastic about sharing their passion for coffee - and they tell us they'll happily give a special little tasting and talk to groups of up to 8 people.   Just call ahead (078 940 8301) and let Ben know you'd like to do that, so he can incorporate that into his busy roasting duties (Jaco mans the operation in Jo'burg, so if you're a Gautenger and you fall in love with their beans, you're in luck!).  Or, if you just want to pop by for a coffee or to pick up a bag of beans (or grounds), they are open 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

If you can manage the steep driveway on the way back out to the road (#nowimps), this is the perfect spot for a caffeine stop on your cycling route - I'll definitely be adding it to mine!

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and a fantastic 2017 filled with love, peace, health and happiness!

I occasionally receive e-mails asking about nearby MTB routes.  If you are staying on The Island or anywhere near (Reebok to the west or Glentana to the East and anywhere in between), the routes I usually do are posted here as well as in the Running & Cycling section of the website which also includes Great Brak River Village Cycling Routes and the Fragrance Route.

And today, George Trails, officially unveiled their series of trails - of the 4 trail systems, the Geelhoutboom is nearest, with 3 of its 5 routes in the immediate vicinity of The Island.

The "Great Brak" route (about 55 km) can be started from The Island - you simply join the route where it passes by the PicknPay (formerly a Spar) on Charles Street and go up the "Spar Bult" (hill in Afrikaans) if you want to do it counter-clockwise, or else carry on a bit further through the village on Amy Searle Street and then take the right-hand turn on Botha Street where it climbs up the Blesbok hill.  Either way, you'll end up passing Tramonto at about the half-way point instead of starting there.  It's a pretty easy to moderate ride - whichever way you go, the climb up from Great Brak will be the hardest section.  If you're fit, you can do these climbs in 10-12 minutes, otherwise, well, it'll take longer... :)

The "Botlierskop" route (about 73 km) is a bit more challenging, but not terribly so.  It's probably a bit harder going clockwise, but nothing too dramatic if you're in decent shape.  If you want to go counter-clockwise, you can go down Station Street and join the route as it passes by the PicknPay before you start your first climb of the ride (up the "Spar Bult") or you can go clockwise and head west along the old R102, passing by De Dekke, then turning to your right on Long Street (at the Total) and joining the route by turning left on Sandhoogte Road (where you'll see Suiderkruis Securitie) which will lead to a moderate climb when the tarred road turns to gravel.  The biggest section of climbing, in this direction, is going up Blesbok after the game reserve.  Going clockwise is going to give you a bit more of a workout than counter-clockwise.

Finally, the most strenuous of the three is the "Friemersheim" route (about 81 km), which has some challenging climbs - once again, you can join the route in the village.  Like the Botlierskop route, above, if you want to go counter-clockwise, you can go down Station Street and join the route as it passes by the PicknPay or you can go clockwise and head west along the old R102 before turning to your right on Long Street and joining the route by turning left on Sandhoogte Road.  It's a bit close to call - there are a couple of steep sections either way - but I'd say this route is toughest going clockwise.  You and your riding partners will want to be fit if you're going to do this route, particularly if you like pushing yourself.

If you're going to do the Botlierskop or Friemersheim routes, be sure to take plenty of liquids.  You can always get something to drink at the Farm & Fellow Restaurant at Tramonto, but that's only about 1 hour out if you go counter-clockwise at a decent pace.  There's not a lot in Friemersheim, so your options there will be limited - but you'll definitely be parched by the time you get there, no matter which route you've taken and which direction you've gone.  When I've done variations on these two routes, I've usually taken an extra bladder in my backpack (~3 litres total) and have still run dry, especially on a hot day.

Of course, you can also include the Patria and Dairyland routes as variations to any of the three routes above - you're just taking a few shortcuts around the vicinity of Tramonto, rather than really adding any distance (otherwise you'll end up doing a few loops of gravel you've already been on...). Both of these are very easy sections.

Okay, it's not part of the George Trails initiative, but if you're looking for a bit of singletrack, there's a new pump track that's opened up this season - the Klipheuvel Mountain Bike Park, located in Little Brak, it's within peddling distance (just do something like the Little Brak loop to get there and back - whichever way you go just be sure to avoid the R102 between Little Brak and Great Brak, as there's quite a bit of traffic on this narrow, potholed stretch of road).

I haven't been to Klipheuvel yet, so can't give an opinion on it.  AfrikaBike opposite Le Grand in Hansmoeskraal near George haven't updated their website or Facebook page in many months.  [subsequent edit:  I managed to track down one of its co-founders at the 2017 Knysna Bull MTB event, and sadly, was told that it went out of business (that's the short version).  I've since updated the website to remove it from the Running & Cycling page].

But if you're looking for one of the best MTB Parks in the Western Cape (if not the entire country), it's well worth a drive to the Garden Route Trail Park between George and Knysna.  You're talking about kilometers and kilometers of uninterrupted singletrack trails.  If that's your thing, head over there - they also have bike rentals available.

Other single track options worth a side-trip include SAN Park's MTB Trails (Harkerville and Homtini) - again, this means a drive down the N2 towards Knysna, so 50 km or so away.  If you're a MTB fanatic you won't complain about a little drive to check out new terrain. :)

There's also some nice single track in Knysna itself, up near the Simola golf course (drive there and either park your vehicle at the very bottom of the Simola hill and ride up the paved road, or else keep driving, then park your vehicle and offload your bike on the gravel road just after the entrance to the golf course).  You have to watch for the tracks - they are off to the side of the gravel road up there.  Jacques Brink of Knysna Cycle Works and the municipality's self-declared "Mayor of Cycling" knows these trails like the back of his hand (afterall, he's built most of them).  Jacques also runs a Cycling Academy for 9-12 year-olds and Odyssey Training Clinics for teens.  He's even been known to take out adults (though riding with me last season might have put him off that...).  Contact Jacques on [email protected] for more info or if you'd like to ride with him.