Those occasional solo mountain bike rides are good for you. (Photo: Tyler Roemer)
South African mountain biking is deeply social. It’s partly a reflection of the country’s socialisation around team sport dynamics, formed during the school years. But it’s also a safety thing.
In South Africa, mountain bike hijackings aren’t a rarity. You can solo ride in Europe, New Zealand and North America without personal safety concerns. But some of South Africa’s most iconic trail venues, notably Table Mountain, are quite fraught for solo riders.
It’s a pity that South African mountain biking is predisposed to group riding because going solo is valuable. And it’s something far too few South African mountain bikers do. Data proves that group rides can make you faster, but there’s more to riding than speed.
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