Exclusive route for intermediate mountain bikers only. This event will be a singletrack experience of 52km and will take pre-entries only. 

1550m of climbing - options to ‘bail out’ earlier... More than 40km of singletrack with 50% of the route not normally open to public.

Venue at Muratie Cellar with registration at Dirtopia Trail Centre on Muratie Wine Estate near Stellenbosch:

Saturday 10am to 1pm

Sunday from 07h30 

Start time: 08h30

Entry fee includes

• Bottle of Muratie wine – collect at registration or at finish
• Coffee before the start & glass of wine afterwards
• Event headband / ‘buff’
• Exclusive singletrack experience on private land in the Knorhoek Valley, Simonsberg
• Well stocked waterpoints on route & at finish
• Finishers medal
• Trail Tag live timing 
• Post event entertainment at Muratie Cellar – live music from the Dennis brothers
• Bike wash after the ride
• Prizemoney for first full distance winners Male & Female. Awards at 12h00.
• Lucky draw hamper prizes by 13h00.

Ebikes are welcome (in their own category). Special prize for Masters 50+ category winner!

Facilities at Dirtopia Trail Centre on Muratie wine farm:

• Warm shower facilities. 
• Technical assistance
• Shop trail essentials.

Photography by Chris Hitchcock @ Photosport

Family & friends welcome to join at the start/finish venue where there will be food like Burgers and fish & chips on offer, cold beer and coffee and of course the superb Muratie wines.  The wine tasting centre will be open and please book ahead to reserve seats for meals at Muratie’s Farm kitchen.

Route:

This unique route will take riders on more than 40km of singletrack trails of which about 50% are not normally open to the public. With 1550m of climbing, the route is designed so that riders can bail out to the finish earlier.  

Route designer Meurant Botha wears many hats (!), so you can call him what you like from bearded long grey hair mountain biker to race director, Founder of Dirtopia & Amarider, well-known trail builder of twenty-five years and of course a lover of the Simonsberg valley and its wines!

With close to 40km of singletrack, this year’s edition of the Muratie Mountain Series is our most singletrack heavy route, probably ever. Riders will get to ride most of the trails that Dirtopia have been developing in the region since 2001.

Most notably, new trails have been constructed on Morgenhof and these will be ridden for the first time in an event. 

The route consists of 2 main loops. The first heads towards Morgenhof and includes the beautiful, event only trails of Knorhoek and Quoin Rock. The lap is 22km bringing the riders back to Muratie and the first waterpoint. With 750m of climbing you can be sure that it will be testing!

From Muratie the next loop follows the trail network up to Never Say Neverending Story again, the 10km mountain trail that is the jewel in our network. Just before Neverending there is a bailout point and aid station at 31km. We’ll institute a cut-off of 03H15 after the start here. Taking the shortcut will give you ride total of about 41km.

After Neverending you’ll hit the aid station again and it is time to head home via the, mostly, descending forest trails. 

This is a proper ride!

Dirtopia’s partnership with Muratie has a history – just like the old-charm feel on the ‘werf’ of one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa. The warm hospitality of Muratie and the Melck family love of nature, have welcomed trail users on their land and there is no better way to experience this than at the Muratie Mountain Series event.  

No maps will be released, as it is on private land with no access before the event. Rules on the Dirtopia website.

Option to bail out at around 20km when riders pass by the venue or at approximately 35km (before route hits the Never say Never Ending Again singletrack) – if riders feel that the wine is calling from Muratie Cellar…