Bespoke, luxury cycling touring at its best!  Join us on this five day, five night tour from Qheberha to Cape Town along South Africa’s majestic Garden Route.  If you can’t get enough, join for an additional day with the “One More Ride” package.  With the very best support around you, around the clock, you’ll be treated to a proper cycling experience.  Let’s make memories!

Registration and Collection:

Registration & Goodie Bag Collection will be held from 18H00 on 08 April 2024, at The Paxton Hotel, as we all sit down for the welcome dinner. All apparel that has been ordered will be ready for collection at registration.

Goodie Bag:

The amazing partners and sponsors have provided great samples, vouchers & useful products for a special goodie bag. The goodie bag alone is worth so much, provided to you for free!

Daily Registration:

An itinerary will be sent out closer to the tour date, which will have detailed daily check-in times, stage timings, hotel information and anything you need to know about the day-to-day happenings on tour.

Bag Drop:

Every morning we will load your large bags into the bicycle trailer, with your small bag loaded onto the support vehicle. Your large bag will be your luggage with casual clothes, toiletries, etc. that is needed for the trip, whilst your small bag will be packed daily with items that are needed out on the ride, such as bombs, nutrition, tubes, etc.

Safety:

Safety is one of our biggest concerns when we think cycling in South Africa, whether it be on tar or dirt roads.The amazing Think Bike Marshals will be on hand to assist with traffic control and rider safety along the route.

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Our aim is to make this ride safe, enjoyable and to give you the opportunity to ride your bike for the day with the best support possible.
With the Think Bike Marshals we have consistently been in good hands on every outride and are confident we can achieve this at every ride ahead.

10 April, 2024

• Stage 2 | Tsitsikamma – Hartenbos
• 205km | 2097m ascent
• Day 2 is the longest day in the saddle, another up and down day proving the coast is anything but flat. The group will keep a steady tempo, managing the legs for the big day out. Departing Tsitsikamma, beautifully tarred roads await. Bypassing the pass in Nature’s Valley, purely to save distance, the group touches on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay, then onto Knysna. After 150km, you’ll take on the climb out of Wilderness. After this climb, it’s still up and down all the way past the Brak River and onto Hartenbos. It’s not the hardest stage on paper, just a long one. Settle in and enjoy the day out.

11 April, 2024

• Stage 3 | Hartenbos – Swellendam
• 180km | 2071m ascent
• The day starts with a 7km ride along the coast line to Mossel Bay, immediately met by the first climb of the day into and through the town. From there on the general direction is West, with the theme of the tour continuing with an up and down route all day. It will be beautiful again riding slightly inland past Riversdale, Heidelberg and finally onto the next rest town in Swellendam. Following two big days in the saddle, this will be a tough one, with another 2000m ascent, but as we say ‘What goes up, must come down’.

12 April, 2024

• Stage 4 | Swellendam – Hermanus
• 143km | 1748m ascent
• The jagged tooth profile… We head back to the coast line on this shorter stage. The legs will be needed on this stage so be sure to get the recovery boots on spend some time with the massage therapist in Swellendam. Mostly made up of short, sharp climbs, the route will fascinate with scenery and be slightly easier mentally with the lesser kilometres to target for the day. We look forward to staying over in Hermanus, with what promises to be a special day out.

Group Dynamics:

• This is not a race!
• The ethos of the tour is riding for each other, keeping pressure on the pedals to maintain a decent average, but by no means racing or riding at a pedestrian pace.
• You are required to be able to ride the advertised speed per stage. If the organisers feel that you are slowing the group down too much, you may be asked to sit in the shuttle. Likewise, if you are riding too quickly and not respecting the group pace, you will be told to slow down.
• Everyone must stay together along the route, everyday. This is for safety reasons and in the ethos of everyone riding as a group, not racing and enjoying the tour.
• As there are stronger riders and slightly weaker riders, ride accordingly in the group. If you are stronger, assist the weaker riders on the climbs.
• Stronger riders should ride up front and assist the weaker riders at the back. Weaker riders should aim to ride in the middle of the group.
• The average speed for the day will be controlled by a group leader. Respect the pace and the group leaders instructions.
• Certain weather conditions can increase or decrease the pace for the day. The average is a guideline should conditions be favourable.
• There will be pre-determined water points and lunch stops everyday. The group will stop at all water points and lunch collectively.
• If someone punctures in the group, the entire group will stop.
• Stages usually consists of four water points and one lunch stop. Each water point stop is 10 minutes, with the lunch stop for 30 minutes. The is mandatory, with the group collectively stopping together.

Accommodation:

Food and beverages for the full trip is included in your package. Whether you stay for five or six days, enjoy fully catered meals and beverages for the entire journey. Beverages include all hot and cold drinks, excluding alcohol.

Meals provided includes Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily whilst on tour.

For the entire tour, you will have a shuttle and support vehicle. The shuttle will transport your bags from one location to the next, with the support vehicle driving behind the group for the entire five days to Cape Town. The support vehicle will be on hand with first aid, your small bags, rolling water point beverages and snacks, basic backup spares and even just a seat to take five minutes off the bike.

Squirt Chain Lube will be available in the support vehicle so your chain stays clean, lasts long and extends drive train life. Cooler Boxes with ice will be kept in the support vehicle to keep your bottles cold. Should you use the cooler box, ensure your bottles are easily identifiable, should they get mixed up with others.

Apparel:

We’re working on including awesome, branded Drake Events apparel to your goodie bag. Add to this and build your “blue train” collection by ordering cycling apparel;

• Order your Garden Route Tour or Drake Events SOX. (R100 per pair)
• Order your Garden Route Tour or Drake Events jersey, manufactured by Van H. (R1500 per jersey)
• Don’t forget to include your order on the registration form.

Bicycle Transport: