You crank off on the #RideTheRail escapade with a taste of #JUMA, right here within the heart of the concrete jungle. This ‘Jozi Urban MTB Adventure’ – a 55km route planned for May 28th, 2017 - will be your official Stage 1, so get ready for a Johburg-by-bike experience.

Saddle up and set off into the world’s biggest urban forest right here in the ‘City of Gold’ as you test your skills along a custom-built bike course. With anything from scaffold crossings and storm water drains to underground tunnels and floating bridges, this promises to have something for everyone!

Some night-riding will necessitate bike lights on this fast-and-furious pedal through the city of Johannesburg. Partnerships with both City Parks and the Johannesburg Zoo mean you can bargain on a route combining urban and natural obstacles, so it promises to be a no-holds-barred urban adventure ride of note.

The world’s biggest – and most manic - Gold Rush happened in them thar hills to the south-west of Johannesburg. Saloons, gun fights, moonshine bars, dancing girls; all this epicness unfolded way back in 1886 along the Witwatersrand, where the richest gold reef on Planet Earth was discovered.

This is also where Stage 2 of #RideTheRail will take place, and we promise you a ride of as much epicness (except maybe for the dancing girls, but who knows)? Trippy trails through the wide-sky Bushveldt savanna will bomb you along game trails and past some of the deepest working gold mines in the country. At one point, you will get to cross the Vaal River from the North-West Province into the Free State, getting to klap two provinces in one ride.

Gold mines will make way for 360 Degree views and endless plains as you steam into the vastness of the Great Karoo. This is the part of #RideTheRail where riders get to breathe in great gulps of fresh air, and re-charge mind, body and soul as they soak up the meditative mind space of this amazing landscape.

Rough-riding routes will traverse the mirage-runs of Karroid scrubland, passing some of the ground-breaking renewable energy projects under way in this region. Sheer beauty, endless vistas, diverse history and wide-smiling locals will deliver dollops of charisma as you trip past ancient rock painting, or through the remote kloofs and kopjes of the Great Karoo.

Get ready to venture way off the beaten track as you and your mates pedal onto trails which may truly have never been cycled before This is headspace country, with hide-away tracks and rocky trails traversing into back-of-beyond mountain ranges, where winding gravel roads trip you way past the horizon.

The rhythm of the ride will let you immerse yourself within the harsh and arid surrounds of the Moordenaar’s Karoo, allowing you to bliss out on awe-inspiring views and an underlying pioneering spirit coursing through this limitlessness land. You can bet your bottom bracket on it being one of your harder days in the saddle at #RideTheRail!

Long forgotten, narrow-gauge railway lines … Ancient tunnels hewn from Cape Fold rock … Emerald vineyards, back-dropped by towering granite peaks … You thought it could not get any better, but damn my man, it just did!?

Welcome to one super-fun day in the rugged ranges here upon the very edge of the scenic Winelands. All we can say is that everything goes, from gritty downhills and sucker-punch climbs to swooping single-track side-winding along sections of South Africa’s most historic railway lines. There’s even a stop-over at an abandoned train station in the middle of nowhere for a ‘Chop & Dop’!

Right china, time to get on good terms with your Granny Gear! You’re officially back in the mountains now, and with this comes big views and even bigger suffering. But we all know the good news: what goes up must come down, so get into a shredding mood.

Rugged mountain tracks come as part and parcel of the spectacular Cape mountains, plus there’s definitely some sublime single-track on the menu, too. Chances are excellent that you may spot some Big 5 beasties up and close and personal, so keep your eyes wide open. Definitely another one of those pearler days in the saddle to remember as #RideTheRail rolls to a close!

The question on your lips by this time will be: “Dude, how do you top all of this”? Until we can reveal the answer, just believe us when we say we’ve kept the best for last. Our final ride will be the double-crème caramel cake, with cherries AND chocolate sauce, of #RideTheRail.

Stunning views of Table Mountain, purpose-built single-track and rock-chute lines, whipping in and out amidst undulating coastal renosterveld hills. Gooi in galloping herds of eland and zebra some wooden styles and kickers, craft beer on tap, gourmet burgers, outstanding wine and a window on the most ancient history of the Cape colony, and you know you’re onto something special, bru J