Modern Cyclist Magazine Issue 1, September 2014 | Page 23

be as this section of trail was used as a
cross country circuit a few years ago.
With camel humps, rock gardens and
switchbacks, the technical riders will really
love this single track as it snakes its way
through Muldersdrift farm lands.
You return to Avianto itself via the same
tunnel mentioned before and, yet more
single track, until you join the property’s
network of jeep track.
That is mountain biking! And Richard
Beswick, the man responsible for the trails
at Avianto, has assured me that 85% of
Avianto’s route is single track. Which is
the way it should be, after all, as he says,
mountain bikes were designed to ride on
single tracks and not roads.

There’s often a jumping castle
and, even, a bike mechanic and a
paramedic on duty for those unforeseen
moments that tend to happen from time
to time.

between the clubhouse and the river.
With its combination switchbacks,
sharp ascents, rock garden descents
and drop offs, it feels a bit like a
motoX track just for us mountain bikers!

And, at an event like this month’s Eqstra
Spring Classic on Sunday 7 September
which recently announced its move to
this venue, the clubhouse will probably
have more of an atmosphere with chill
zones, medal handovers and, of course,
the obligatory podium.

Avianto’s blue route old “favourites”,
like the rocky climbs and bermenhanced switchbacks, are still there,
as are the fast sections that are shared
with the green route. There is a rather
nice add-on though, that pulls you off
the main track onto a single track that
takes you over a bridge and then over
a dam wall.

And that is what the new sections at
Avianto give to you if you give the place a
chance.

The organisation called simply Ride Free
has taken to Avianto in the same way
as South Africa has taken to mountain
biking. The signs are everywhere, clearly
marking out the six kilometres of green
route, the 32 kilometres of blue route
and the “extra” sections of neck-hairraising black route that are designed for
the not-so-cautious.

Basically speaking, Avianto is a conference
and wedding venue with a whole lot of
sport added on. On any given Sunday, the
sports clubhouse develops almost a festival
atmosphere with the sound of cleated
shoes click-clicking on the patio between
the coffee bar and the tables and chairs.

If you not quite up to doing the full 32
kilometres, the blue route is split into
white and red sections so you can
mix and match your favourite into the
distance you feel comfortable doing.
If you enjoy really technical sections,
don’t leave out the little section

It then takes you back onto the dry
and dusty section on top of the hill,
before leading you back towards the
forest and another, this time larger,
dam wall which used to be in the old
route, only you now do it in the other
direction!
So, if you rode Avianto a year ago
and haven’t been back since then,
give it a try and it’ll impress with its new
technical sections. Check it out at
www.avianto.co.za, you’ll even find a
map with directions how to get there.

THAT IS MOUNTAIN BIKING! And Richard Beswick, the man
responsible for the trails at Avianto, has assured me that 85%
of Avianto’s route is single track. Which is the way it should be,
after all, as he says, mountain bikes were designed to ride on
single tracks and not roads.

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