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BIKE HUB FEATURES SUMMERPLACE

While many Gauteng and Limpopo mountain bikers know about Summerplace Game Reserve, we’re still growing our awareness nationally as a premier mountain biking destination. Coverage in the various South African media helps us grow this awareness. Recently, we hosted Bike Hub, South Africa’s largest cycling media. Here’s how that went…

Bike Hub is a digital media that includes a very popular classified buy-and-sell section, a well-known discussion forum and an articles section that carries current South African cycling industry content. One of Bike Hub’s strong regular features is Trail Daze, a mountain biking destination or trail feature that’s visually weighted to offer superb imagery of mountain bikers riding and enjoying a featured destination.

Started by world-class photographer, Ewald Sadie in 2015, Trail Daze ran for three years until 2017. At the time, mountain biking in South Africa was heavily racing focused and Trail Daze showed the more recreational trail-riding culture, which has become more prevalent these days.

“We used to have a new edition of Trail Daze every two months and then it almost became monthly for a while. But I am a freelancer and my workload changed and I took a break from Trail Daze,” explained Sadie.

The Covid-19 related lockdown by the South African government essentially banned racing but boosted riding and saw the growth of many more trails parks in South Africa. That, along with a partnership from Mercedes Benz and Maxxis Tyres, helped Sadie and Bike Hub revive Trail Daze in 2023.

“We’re calling it Trail Daze 2.0. It’s a great way to shine a light on different places to ride in South Africa as well as pay some homage to the trailbuilders who put in so much time and effort to create trails networks that bring so much joy and satisfaction to mountain bikers,” said Sadie during his visit to Summerplace.

“It was a first for me to ride my bike in a game reserve, and it didn’t disappoint. Riding among wildlife and being on the lookout for animals is a totally different experience of mountain biking. And it’s not just sandy jeep tracks either as most people would assume – Dave and his team have done a stellar job building some proper trails. Then there’s the five-star hospitality and accommodation to round off the entire experience,” said Sadie.

Sadie keeps the Trail Daze human complement lean, usually just himself and two riders. But this trip to Summerplace Game Reserve was slightly different and Kylie Hanekom, Content Manager at Bike Hub, joined him.

“Summerplace Game Reserve is a hidden gem. It offers a complete mountain bike experience, from a range of accommodation options, to bike rentals, and endless kilometres of fun, flowing trails.

“It is some of the best and most diverse riding I have experienced in a long time. It is such a privilege to be able ride amongst free-roaming game and experience the diverse vegetation of the Limpopo province on both raw and beautifully manicured Bushveld trails. Coming from the Western Cape it was an unforgettable experience.

“The Baber family make the Bike Village feel like a home away from home, and Dave is an absolute magician of a trail-builder. He works with the land and existing natural features to build trails that are both safe and technical, so that the fun factor dials up exponentially the faster you go. I haven’t had a smile like that on my face on a mountain bike in a long time, and I will be back to ride everything I missed out on this time around,” said Hanekom.

The two riders selected to feature in this edition of Trail Daze were both from Gauteng. Sam Bull, former Downhill racer and Managing Director of Rush Sports, the South African distributor of brands that include Santa Cruz bikes and Maxxis tyres; and Cade Badenhorst, a 17-year-old junior Enduro racer who is a Specialized ambassador.

With daytime temperatures in the mid-to-high 30s, the Trail Daze shoots were limited to early morning and late afternoon. Sadie’s objective was to showcase the variety of trails as well as feature the Bushveld landscape, which is mostly hilly and covered in small- to medium-sized trees with patches of savannah grassland. One of the main attractions at Summerplace Game Reserve is wildlife encounters and he was able to capture that too.

To check out the Trail Daze Summerplace Game Reserve feature on Bike Hub, click here.

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