KKK MTB Tour

The KKK Tour starts and finishes in Wilderness. It covers 550km through indigenous forests, crossing the Outeniqua and Swartberg mountains twice, covers 12 passes and a few poorts.

The route is non-technical using graded dirt roads with breathtaking scenery, excellent accommodation, good food and even better company.

Riders arrive on Saturday at Wilderness to renew friendships and meet new people. Unexpectedly, everyone is heard telling everyone how little they have trained.

Day One (Sunday)
Wilderness to Knysna via the 7 Passes Road; MTB heaven. 75km. Riders stay over next to the Knysna Lagoon and enjoy one of the best meals of the tour.

Day Two (Monday)
Knysna to Uniondale. This is the hardest day of the tour going up and up from Knysna through the Knysna forest and then up the magnificent Prins Alfred Pass. 90km for the day with 2 000m of climbing.

Accommodation at various B & B’s with dinner at the school hostel.

Day Three (Tuesday)
Riders leave Uniondale with stiff and cold legs and immediately tackle Uniondale Heights. Once on the dirt roads the Attekwas mountains are on the left with the Swartberg mountains in the distance.

Riders usually have a nice breeze from the back after the refreshment stop but the last tarred 15km to De Rust must not be underestimated. 80km for the day.

The dinner at the Plough in De Rust is rumoured to make riders return for that indulgence to suffer for a week.

Day Four (Wednesday)
Today riders have to ride to Prince Albert. Initially everyone cycled through the majestic Meiringspoort. However, for some this was too easy so there is now a choice of getting through the Swartberg by still riding Meiringspoort or alternatively over the Swartberg using the famous Swartberg Pass.

Meiringspoort : 85km 1 100m or
Swartberg Pass : 86km 1 700m.

On this and the following night, riders stay in excellent B & B’s in Prince Albert and the meals are not conducive to weight loss.

Day Five (Thursday)
Day at leisure in Prince Albert. Explore this well-kept historical Karoo town, with remarkable architecture and furrows. If you feel that you must, there are plenty of scenic roads on which to go for a ride.

Day Six (Friday)
Today there is no option of missing the pass. 600m of climbing in 12km. The view at the top is ample reward for this breathtaking (pun intended) climb.

Once over the Pass there is a choice between a shorter busier tarred road to Oudtshoorn, and a longer one.

72km with 1 400m or
93.5km with 1 475m

The last evening together in Oudtshoorn is celebrated with a braai that will make you want to ride some more!

Day Seven (Saturday)
Riders leave Oudtshoorn on tar and then onto a lovely road through ostrich farms, then through Perdepoort up to the “Nasionale Pad Winkel”. After some refreshments the route heads up the easy side of Montagu Pass where the view from Amanda’s Grave is priceless. Then down the Pass, over some unexpected hills to a last Coke in George. Zig-zagging through George, past Saasveld with lovely downs over Old Bridges and not so lovely ups. At the top of White’s Road, and Wilderness Lake, the N2 and the ocean make a postcard picture.

And then it is over. Just some cleaning, loading of bikes, last minute farewells.

Until next year …..