Trygve Roberts
Pack Dog
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
- Messages
- 391
- Reaction score
- 1
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS Adventure
Up till last week the steepest pass in SA (on our site) was Mount Paul Pass near Harrismith in the Free State - a concrete roller coaster road with an average gradient of 1:6,93! We stumbled across an even steeper one, hidden away in the valleys of the Transkei where the Tsitsa, Tina and Umzimvubu rivers meet. The incredibly steep Mpindweni Pass is just 2,6 km long and contains 9 hairpin bends with an altitude variance of 467m, producing an average gradient of 1:5,57 - making it even steeper than Mount Paul Pass, but to add to the drama, this one has no concrete or tar - it's gravel all the way. Who will be the first to ride it - or maybe someone already has?
Getting to this masterpiece of adrenaline is another story, so we've mapped every intersection and turn-off for you and provided some additional safety advice too. But today's news release is not just about the Mpindweni Pass. There are many more. You can try the Mzintlava Pass - a monster of a pass at 38,2 km packed with over 300 bends and a river monster called Mamlambo. Or try the Gwangxu Pass at 29,8 km and an altitude change of 685m with a crossing of the Mzimvubu River thrown in for good measure.
Or maybe a ride along the pass with the highest number of bends in SA is your thing? How about one bend every 53m? This is Moodenaarskloof near Kareedouw - a dead end (so to speak) as it was in this spooky kloof that Jan Prinsloo met his grizzly fate on January 15th and his ghost is rumoured to be seen regularly in the valley riding solo on his white stallion. We've got the full story for you.
Take the link. Read. Watch. Absorb. Plan. Pack and and grab yourself a slice of South Africa!
https://bit.ly/2xT3f3o
