sendit Posted November 6, 2019 Share Hi All, A friend and I are looking to do a short bike touring trip around the cape in dec. We do not live in the cape and initially thought of riding across segments of the garden route towards the cape town, but I think doing something like the Overberg Meander seems a lot more manageable for us touring noobs... https://www.capecycleroutes.co.zahttps://www.capecycleroutes.co.za/route/overberg-meander I am aware that Dec may be too hot to ride but this is the only time we can pull this off, and we intend to ride from sunrise to around 10 - 11am max then explore / stay overnight at a BnB until the next day of riding. Has anyone done any of the routes on the cape cycle touring website?Are they safe? Any safety issues we need to be aware of?Any tips, must see places, routes, places to stay? Edited November 6, 2019 by durban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC_lurker Posted November 7, 2019 Share Hi. I haven't ridden much of that route, but have ridden sections and driven others. Safety - not an issue at all. As you're aware, it could be hot but not Karoo type heat. Just make sure to take adequate water as you might struggle to find refueling spots between towns. You'll need to plan your route based on possible daily distance linked to available places to stay. I'm assuming you'll be doing it unsupported? How were you planning on dealing with point-to-point logistics? You might be better off doing a circular route say from Stanford. I'm assuming you're looking for gravel roads? The tar roads in that area tend to have zero shoulder & aren't wide and have vehicles doing 100km/hr+ How many days were you thinking of doing & when in Dec? Some of those towns get seriously crowded in the Dec school holidays. sendit and bj horn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncanCT Posted November 7, 2019 Share Hey, we did it in March this year. It's well worth it!!! Things to note... We had a support vehicle so was easier to plan for but we hit 35°C every day. Make sure you have enough water between stops. If the wind blows in the wrong direction it will make it feel like you are riding twice the distance. We shortened the first day by starting from Malgas not Swellendam. Would be a long day out if you aren't used to the distances. The road between Bredasdrop and Struisbaai (R319) is a **** show. Not sure how they can recommend riding it. Tar with no shoulder and thickish grass (lots of thorns) off the tar. Locals seem to drive that road at about 140km in big SUV/Bakkies. It will add km's but maybe look for a detour. Was about the only time I was worried about traffic. We road into Tesselaarsdal and had lunch at a great place at the entrance but were warned by the waitress that the other end of town wasn't so safe. Not sure how bad it really was but worth noting. https://www.strava.com/activities/2229950430/overviewhttps://www.strava.com/activities/2231407836/overviewhttps://www.strava.com/activities/2235076656/overviewhttps://www.strava.com/activities/2238085135/overview Routes don't all link up because some time was spent driving the support vehicle but it'll give you a good idea. DM if you want to chat. Edited November 7, 2019 by DuncanCT sendit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sendit Posted November 13, 2019 Share Hi guys, Thanks for all your responses! I'm assuming you'll be doing it unsupported? How were you planning on dealing with point-to-point logistics? You might be better off doing a circular route say from Stanford. The initial plan was to organize a lift to the start point and then ride back on our bikes. I'm assuming you're looking for gravel roads? The tar roads in that area tend to have zero shoulder & aren't wide and have vehicles doing 100km/hr+ Had not considered that - thanks for bringing that to my attention. I know that people drive like crazy around the holiday period. How many days were you thinking of doing & when in Dec? Some of those towns get seriously crowded in the Dec school holidays. Original plan was around +/- 6th dec to around 12th dec. This is obviously subject to change but that was the ball park dates. Hey, we did it in March this year. It's well worth it!!! Things to note... We had a support vehicle so was easier to plan for but we hit 35°C every day. Make sure you have enough water between stops. If the wind blows in the wrong direction it will make it feel like you are riding twice the distance. We shortened the first day by starting from Malgas not Swellendam. Would be a long day out if you aren't used to the distances. The road between Bredasdrop and Struisbaai (R319) is a **** show. Not sure how they can recommend riding it. Tar with no shoulder and thickish grass (lots of thorns) off the tar. Locals seem to drive that road at about 140km in big SUV/Bakkies. It will add km's but maybe look for a detour. Was about the only time I was worried about traffic. We road into Tesselaarsdal and had lunch at a great place at the entrance but were warned by the waitress that the other end of town wasn't so safe. Not sure how bad it really was but worth noting. https://www.strava.com/activities/2229950430/overviewhttps://www.strava.com/activities/2231407836/overviewhttps://www.strava.com/activities/2235076656/overviewhttps://www.strava.com/activities/2238085135/overview Routes don't all link up because some time was spent driving the support vehicle but it'll give you a good idea. DM if you want to chat. Awesome!! Thank you so much Duncan! Based on your strava recordings, I can tell you guys must have had an epic adventure. I cant wait to get out there and start.Thanks for the heads up on Tesselaarsdal - will keep a note of that. I will study your routes and give you a shout if we have any questions. Thanks! NC_lurker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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