Riding Knysna

I've always loved staying in Knysna. Nestled in the heart of the Garden Route on South Africa's South Western Cape coast, it has an abundance of forests; hills; and deep, dark valleys. A perfect geographic mix for great mountain biking.

In an effort to avert the seasonal desolation that accompanies many coastal towns in the heart of winter, the event organisers designed a full week of adventure sports and racing. From road cycling; mountain biking; Xterra events; marathons; and trail runs, the winter week billed as the Knysna Oyster Festival is tailor-made for those thrill seekers and endurance athletes who have families. As we trekked up to Knysna with the steady flow of urban escapees, we noticed how many bikes were strapped onto the various SUV's. It gave the impression that each family-filled car had stopped outside a bike shop and flipped the switch of a giant magnet - every car had between two and four bikes strapped to it. From the daughters' pink-tassled, white-tyres pony rider to dads mortgage-funded, dual-sus carbon 29er....they were all there! And kudos again to the organisers: 4 MTB races - a 15km; 30km; 50km; and 80km all meant that there was something for everyone!

Dr Phall arranged an amazing house for us to stay in and the weather was perfect for the event! Slow Shaun rode both the road and MTB race and cleaned up the other Smooth Knobblies challengers in the process. Rocky, Dr Phall and I were left to lick our wounds after the 80km race - not a race to be taken too lightly! Whilst the 80km was steep and scenic, all the other shorter versions of the race held their own challenges for the thousands of other riders. Friends and family of the Smooth Knobblies all rode - Nats, Ethan, Mish, Dylan, and Michaela all riding the 15km, along with Amanda and Ant doing the 50km.

But the scenery of the 80km MTB ride was so superb that it definitely warrants another visit next year. But that's enough waffle for now. Enjoy some of the pics from the weekend (all but Ethans race pic taken on my Samsung S3 phone. Impressive hey?):

Scenic shot of the lagoon 1

Scenic shot of the lagoon 2

Scenic shot of the lagoon 3

The view from our accommodation - a beautiful house up in Westbridge Estate
Rocky and Dr Phall find some warmth on the cool start to the 80km race

Ant pulls his war face after conquering the 50km

Ethan has time to greet fans and press during the 15km race

Scenic shot of the lagoon 4 (check the amazing Trek on the bridge!)

As the Smooth Knobblies ended the 700 participant 80km race: Slow Shaun cracked first Sknob home in 3:41 (top 50); Woody a 3:51 (top 100); and Rocky a 4:09 (top 200 )