If Stage 1 was the Summerplace scene setter, Stage 2 was the main event of the singletrack bonanza that is the Glacier Waterberg Traverse. Saturday, 4 May’s, route was a choice between a 36 kilometre Ride or a 58 kilometre Race through Summerplace Game Reserve. As on the opening day Sarah Hill and Jan Withaar rode to stage victories, ahead of Yolande de Villiers and Alan Gordon, respectively.

“Yesterday was fun, but I felt all the stories I’d heard about Summerplace before coming here had maybe set my expectations a bit high,” Hill began. “But today blew even those high expectations away. It was so much fun. The trails are amazing. I went into so many jumps blind but because they are so well built, they are still safe. It was so nice to be here!”

“I rode with Respect [Ramashia] again today. It was so nice to race with a local legend and to follow him down the trails,” Hill grinned.

“Today was the day that I looked forward to most, because we went to the Enduro trails” Withaar enthused, adding to Hill’s praise. “We actually started with a lot of gravel roads and quite a bit of climbing, then in the middle section we rode some great flowing trails. The end though was pretty rough on the Enduro run, but I enjoyed that so much. I’ve ridden the lines before, so when Henco [Rademeyer] was saying that it was going to be rough I knew the section he was referring to.”

“I think anyone who finished the Race route today and rode those sections will arrive back here, at the finish line, with a massive smile on their face!” Withaar concluded.

Even those who took on the short route had their skills tested by the Stage 2 course. Though the flowing middle kilometres, which Withaar had referred to, did not have long technical sections, they did possess short rocky segments. These required everyone to keep their wits about them, but also provided plenty of thrills for those who had the skills to ride every inch of the singletracks.

For the rest, the day provided a reason to invest in skills lessons. Stage 3 will provide a final opportunity to ride challenging features, which may have been walked earlier in the race, after two days of gaining confidence. The Ride route takes in 33 kilometres of single- and jeep-track. While the Race includes 50 kilometres of racing, with 800 metres of climbing, and features more Summerplace singletrack.

In the meantime, to reflect on the highlights from Stage 1 and 2, follow Glacier Waterberg Traverse on Facebook page or @waterbergtraverse on Instagram.