I spent the past four and a half months studying in Stellenbosch, South Africa. I am from the United States and one of the main reasons that I chose to study in Stellies was because of all of the world class mountain bike trails that surrounded the town. There are trails all over the Western Cape but unfortunately, being that I didn't have a car, I was limited to only the trails that I could ride to. This meant that all semester, I was only able to ride Jonkershoek, Coetzenburg, G-spot, Eden Forest, and Mont Marie. Although this might not seem like a ton of trails for such a long period of time, I never got bored. I came to South Africa only having ridden my mountain bike a handful of times. I was pretty much a total beginner. I was going super slow, was super scared, and was casing even the smallest of jumps. I also wasn't very fit at the time. I wasn't in bad shape but I just couldn't do more than three or four laps at G-spot before having to call it a day. By the end of the semester, I was riding massive days even combining all five trail systems. Not only was my fitness much better, but I was riding better than I ever thought I could. I was fast, comfortable, hitting bigger jumps, and even started getting some style in the air. I realize that I am still not a super great rider, but I've made absolutely massive improvements thanks almost entirely to the incredible quality trails. The trails here are truly world class. As far as XC/trail/enduro riding goes, this is a destination that I think every rider should have on their bucket list. Even for newer riders, it is one destination that is just as much fun for a first time rider as it is for the best in the world like Nino Schurter. I made this video partially for myself but also for people to see how great the riding is in Stellenbosch.
The trails in order of appearance are:
Red Phoenix - Jonkershoek
Fire Hut (from road, down) - Jonkershoek
G-spot (STF)
Armageddon - Jonkershoek
Zululand - Jonkershoek
Element - Mont Marie (STF)
Endor - Eden Forest (STF)
Tikbos - between G-spot and Coetzenburg (STF)
Music:
Peanut Butter Jelly - Galantis
Surf City - Jan & Dean
Fun, Fun, Fun - Jan & Dean
Six Months In A Leaky Boat - Standing Hawthorn
Brainwash - Tom Fire (feat Matthew McAnuff)
Website: willwanovich.com/
Instagram: / willwanovich
Strava: / strava