Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 95, June 2017 | Seite 47

Advertorial
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When Modern Athlete was invited by the Knysna Rotary Club to get
down and dirty on the MTB trails that surround this beautiful coastal
town on the Garden Route, we jumped at the offer and sent intrepid
rider-reporter Jason Geldenhys to test the Knysna trails. Here’s his story.
F
irst up on the agenda was meeting my guide for the weekend, Andrew
Finn, the Marketing Director for the Knysna Rotary Club. He would be
the man to show me the local ropes, and after introducing me to the
guys from the Knysna Sports Academy Centre, we headed out on a
28km loop comprising of man-made single-track and forestry road.
Riding in the MTO forestry precinct is manageable for all skill levels, as the speed
you go determines how challenging a section of trail is. The fitter you are, the
more you will enjoy it, as we dealt with a lot of short but consistent climbing here,
gaining 522m over our relatively short ride. You can expect single-track covered
in pine-needles, small stumps ready to take out an unsuspecting derailleur, and
the odd log-hop section to keep your focus in check. This is broken up with some
gradual forest road climbs, which gets your head back in the game for the next
stretch!
Speaking to the guys while riding, I quickly realised how much enthusiasm they
have for the job of building and maintaining the trails, which will hopefully lead
to more formalised networks and markings in the not too distant future. For now,
though, visiting riders will need to download the Trailforks app to plan a ride here.
EXPLORING THE FORESTS
The next day saw a nippy early start as I joined a group of riders called the ‘Slim
Snakes,’ riding on the SAN-Parks trails in the eastern part of Knysna. Here you
have a larger variety of terrain to contend with as you ride through indigenous
forest on natural trails and old railway paths from Knysna’s defunct forestry past.
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