Trails: There’s more than 80km of marked, maintained mountain bike trail at Thaba Trails.

The trails are divided as follows:

• 4km Yellow

• 13km Orange

• 22km Green + new Blue + other blue up to 50km

• 40km Blue (new blue) 12km single lap

Located in the Klipriviersburg Nature Reserve, Thaba Trails offers a range of trails to cater for all levels of mountain biker. The distances aren’t that long, but that’s because the gradient and surfaces make for a challenging ride. The gradient is a little steeper than most Gauteng MTB parks and the surface is a little rougher on the Green and Blue routes than you’ll find at some parks. This combination creates a more natural riding environment and a stimulating ride experience.

The Yellow Route is largely quite tame and uncomplicated but includes some fun twisty singletrack through the two forests. It’s ideal for beginners and families.

The Orange route is a great option for Intermediate riders. It incorporates a lot of singletrack and takes you across most of the property, passing some great game-viewing spots.

The Green route requires a reasonable level of fitness, strength and skill. Largely singletrack, it incorporates the two main hills on the property, mostly sticking to the lower slopes.

The Blue Route is widely known as being a proper mountain biking challenge. Rocky climbs and descents on steeper gradients make this a highly challenging ride, only recommended for strong, skilled, experienced riders. Very few can say they have completed the full 40km Blue Route, which is why the ‘escape’ options onto Green are much appreciated.

There’s a variety of game in the park, including zebra, wildebeest, blesbok, impala, duiker, jackal, civet and springbok. The night rides every Thursday (starting at 18h00) are popular.

Coming soon: Balwin Properties are developing on the lower section of the land and part of their commitment is to help improve and maintain the trails for their residents. They are also currently building a health and fitness centre, which will include squash courts, a gym and a new bike shop, which will double as the Thaba Trails trailhead.

There is a round of the 2021 SA Cup XCO series scheduled for Thaba Trails on 27 March, which is a UCI Category 1 event offering international rankings points.

People: The trails master is Wendell Bole, a well-known character in the cycling industry and a former top track racer. Wendell converted to mountain biking some 15 years ago and has been passionately building and maintaining Thaba Trails for the past 10 years. He has a committed team of trail staff comprising Abram, Ephraim, Clement, Austin and Henry. Such is Wendell’s appreciation of his staff that many of the sections on the Blue Route are named after his original team members who built the first trails there.

Local tip: The drainage at Thaba Trails is excellent. Other than a small section low down in the forest, the trails dry rapidly after rain and are always a good option in the wet season.

Safety: The entire park is fenced. It’s one of the safest places to ride a mountain bike in Gauteng.

Operating hours: Open daily from 07h00-17h00 and 06h00-17h00 on weekends.

More info: There is no website for Thaba Trails, but you can see regular updates on their facebook page. You can click view website below which will take you to their facebook page.

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