To Hell and Back:
The To Hell and Back mountain bike route starts on Day 1 at the entrance gate of De Hoek holiday resort (700m above sea level) ± 6km west of the Cango Caves. The first ± 4km is a tarred road whereafter participants turn off onto a gravel road snaking through the farms in the Cango valley. After a steep climb, this road links up with the main road at the base of the Swartberg Pass (860m). From here the route follows the Swartberg Pass to the top (1560m) where the Gamkaskloof turnoff is taken 3km further. The route follows this road to Gamkaskloof where the first day’s riding ends at the base of Elandspad (560m) at the camping site. This is a distance of 60km with total accumulated climbs of 1750m. This road is also known as the longest mountain pass in South Africa.
Day 1 water points are at 20kms, 37kms, 52kms and at the finish.
The second day starts with the gruelling 4km climb up Elandspad. Riders will follow the same route back to De Hoek, turning each awesome downhill from the previous day into climbs, changing the character of the route completely. The race will finish at the campsite of De Hoek. The second day’s accumulated climb is 1900m.
Day 2 water points are at 12kms, 23kms, 40kms and at the finish
Find out more here.