GRIT - Episode 7 - Solitude

What happens when a deeply social creature has to fight its own fight? Mountainbiking is often about being social, but today's race was all racing. A massive day climbing wise as our athletes had to ascend 2700m and a relative short stretch of 76 kilometers. Many teams rode in solitude, feeling like they were the only people on earth. 

As the drop-out in the race increases, our athletes must go on.  See how they handle it in today's episode.

Stage 6

Today's stage is a track made for the mountainbike purists as it takes our athletes to the famed Banhoek, Idas Valley, Stellenbosch Trail Fund and Jonkershoek valleys.

After that it’s a race to the top as they climb Botmaskop, mixing dual- and singletrack, before a descent into the Banhoek Valley in a couple of tightly twisting switchbacks. Entering the valley our athletes face a rocky trail before they reach Tokara and the lower slopes of Botmaskop.

Enjoying the view of Jonkershoek they must fight on as the climbing Irish, descending Armageddon and Red Phoenix, then up Bosluis and Firehut before a last fast paced descent as the trail follows the Eerste River just before the finish-line in on the Coetzenburg fields.