Day 1 – Wellington to Ceres to Tulbagh – 138km / 1771m ascent

Early morning collection from a central meeting place in the city and transfer to Wellington (or meet us at the start). We begin our ride near the base of Baine’s Kloof Pass The climb will be familiar to many of you, but this is not one that you can ever get tired of – 11km ascent and a sweeping downhill to the Breede River and across the valley before heading up another classic, Mitchell’s Pass. This is an easy, smooth climb of some 7 km with next to no descent on the other side to Ceres. On previous occasions we’ve had to turn around at this juncture, but now that it’s tarred, we continue on through Price Alfred’s Hamlet and up Gydo Pass, which is a pretty tough climb. The relief comes when we turn around at the top and fly back down both Gydo & Mitchell’s before turning off towards Tulbagh and spinning out the legs on the last flat section into town.

Day 2 – Tulbagh to Worcester to Wellington – 134km/ 1112m ascent

Today is predominantly flat all the way from Tulbagh to Worcester and through the picturesque Slanghoek Valley until we get back to our Old Friend, Baine’s Kloof Pass, which is quite a different ride from this side – 18km long and with number of false tops. The descent is pretty bumpy on a road bike, so pay attention and keep your hands soft. The reward comes in the form of lunch and a swim at Diemersfontein winery, before transferring back to Cape Town.