The first week in January is for bikepacking trips, writes Seamus Allardice. Well, bike-slackpacking trips. Who wants to carry their gear on a bike when a bakkie could do all the heavy lifting? Which is why he organised a wild camping tour to kick of 2023. In 2018 we rode from Stellenbosch to Opsoek. In [...]
Dryland Event Management have been staging world-class mountain biking and trail running events for over 15 years. Currently they stage 11 events– across Gauteng, the Northern-, Western- and Eastern Cape provinces – attracting 7 000 athletes annually. Dryland have built a reputation for a participant focused approach and as an organisation they pride themselves on [...]
How do you signal you’re a cyclist to other cyclists, while not riding your bike? By wearing a down jacket of course… Riding group uniform regulations aside the First Ascent Transit Down Jacket is a pretty stellar piece of kit, writes Seamus Allardice. Cape Townians in general and cyclists in particular love a down jacket. [...]
The First Ascent Stamina Hiking Tent is a light-weight and compact one-person tent ideal for hiking and bikepacking writes Seamus Allardice. What initially caught my eye when I first took note of the First Ascent Stamina Hiking Tent was its compact size and 2-kilogram weight. I’ve had First Ascent’s Starlight II tent for 3 years [...]
The First Ascent Gravel MTB Shoes are skate shoe style off-road cycling shoes, designed for use with flat and SPD pedals explains Seamus Allardice. I’ve destroyed mountain bike shoes hike-a-biking before. The combination of days of riding in wet weather, getting on and off the bike repeatedly, tramping through fields to open and close farm [...]
The First Ascent Journey Cargo Bibs are more than just bibshorts with cleverly located pockets, they’re super comfortable too writes Seamus Allardice. I’ve had the First Ascent Podium Cycling Bibs for a while and my first thought when pulling the Journey Cargo Bibs on was that they were pretty much the same, but with pockets. [...]
Getting out on a bikepacking adventure is as simple as packing a saddle bag, strapping a tent to your bike and throwing a few things in your backpack. Then all you have to do is hit the road, find a campsite and hope you don’t get eaten by a small mountain cat… It was dusk [...]
During the Leopard Run recce Seamus Allardice put First Ascent's new X-Trail range of trail running gear to the test. Here's his run down on the 2019 product range. First Ascent's X-Trail range is specifically intended for trail running. Hush Minimalist Pack R899 | Shop Online Comfortable and snug fitting, thanks to two adjustable [...]
The Baviaanskloof is one of the most remote places in the country. 50 kilometres down a gravel road, between the imposing sand stone massifs of the Baviaans and Kouga Mountains. It is isolated geographically from the outside world. Our trail running adventure would take us to an even more remote region within the Baviaans though, [...]
Whenever SnowReport.co.za predicts snow for the Western Cape we get excited. There are a few spots we've explored over the years in search of a hike, or in one case a ride, in the snow. This is a quick list to help you choose where to go in search of fresh powder. Matroosberg At 2 [...]
