Month: February 2018

Relaxed Mountain Biking at its Best in the Stanford MTB Classic

Three hundred mountain bikers experienced the rebirth of relaxed stage race riding on the 17th and 18th of February in the 2018 Stanford MTB Classic. The two day race was in reality more of a stage ride, with untimed routes and no prizes for the first riders across the line encouraging everyone to slow down and enjoy the magnificent scenery.

The Stanford MTB Classic featured a relaxed atmosphere where stopping to take photos and take in the scenery was the order of the day. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Hosted by the Stanford Valley Guest Farm, in the fertile vineyard lined valleys and on the pristine fynbos covered slopes of the Perdeberg Mountains, to the east of the country village of Stanford the event took in some of the Overberg’s best kept secrets. The 46 and 40 kilometre stage distances meant that time in the saddle, even at a leisurely pace, was limited meaning time relaxing off the bike in the beautiful race village could be maximised.

The swing bridge over the Waboomsrivier was one of the highlights of Stage 1. Photo by Oakpics.com

Stage one featured a mix of smooth gravel district roads, a little more rugged vineyard jeep tracks, a grassy 4×4 trail to the highest point of the day and the flowing Paardenberg Farm singletracks which wind their way along, and across a couple of times, the Waboomsrivier. The highlight of the day was either the swing-bridge crossing of the Waboomsrivier or the descent back to the Stanford Valley Guest Farm; depending on who one asked. The hot weather was tempered by a cooling wind, but that only served to ensure that the Spar water points, stocked with koeksisers, watermelon and the more conventional water point snacks were utilized to a greater extent.

The festive atmosphere extended off the bike where chats about the trails and scenery flowed along with the excellent local wine and beer. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Post stage, riders kicked back and relaxed under the shady oaks on the Stanford Valley Guest Farm lawns; with the riders enjoying a delicious lunch before whiling away their afternoon with a good book, an excellent beer, or deep in conversation over one of the region’s world class wines.

The pristine fynbos of the Perdeberg and Kleinrivier Mountains provided the backdrop for beautiful mountain biking. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Stage two featured more scenic 4×4 trails, this time along the foothills of the Kleinrivier Mountains as the route meandered towards Stanford itself, passing by the Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary and through the safer but no less distraction filled Sir Robert Stanford Wine Estate, where an impromptu wine tasting awaited. Following on the heels of port tasting at Vaalvlei the shorter distance of just 40 kilometres was perhaps a wise option by race organisers Freebody-Sports.

The winding gravel roads of the Overberg provided easy riding for much of the route. Photo by Oakpics.com.

The conclusion of the final stage was followed by lunch under the oaks and a lucky draw prize-giving, where riders regardless of where in the field they finished stood an equal chance of winning one of the prizes donated by the Stanford MTB Classic sponsors. While each and every rider contributed to making the event a festive and social success a special word of praise must go to Lizelle Cloete and Charl Avenant who dressed up on both days and as such have won a weekend’s accommodation at the beautiful Stanford Hills Guest Farm for their exceptional spirit.

Lizelle Cloete & Charl Avenant embodied the spirit of the Stanford MTB Classic by dressing up for both days of the event and as such have won a weekend away at Stanford Hills. Photo by Oakpics.com.

For riders looking to experience a more intense mountain biking experience, entries are open for Freebody-Sports’ sister event, the Greyt Escape. The event is a three day mountain biking stage race which takes place from the mountain biking mecca of Greyton from the 15th to the 17th of June 2018. For more information on the Greyt Escape please visit www.thegreytescape.co.za.

The 2019 Stanford MTB Classic meanwhile is pencilled in for the 16th and 17th of February next year, and for more information please visit www.stanfordmtbclassic.co.za.

Words by Seamus Allardice

Valentine’s plans

What’s cooking, good looking? Are you dazzling your date with a homecooked meal, making a homemade card, and decorating your lounge with tea lights and rose petals? For those of you who are all thumbs when it comes to crafts, more boerie-on-the-braai than fillet steak, and are about as romantic as a beige pair of secret socks, we have some suggestions to help you surprise your Valentine.

To book for a comedy evening with Mary Steward at the Tasting Room at Stanford Hills Estate, and enjoy this midweek Valentine’s Day with Date Night for the whole family, click here. A blackboard menu and local wines will put hearts in your eyes.

Feel like a romantic meal for just two people, in the restaurant or courtyard at Coffee Corner? Enjoy the welcome bubbly and 3 intimate courses click here.

An al fresco picnic basket packed with lovely treats and a waiter on hand as your recline on the bank of the lily pond will fill your heart with pleasure at Zesty Lemon at Sir Robert Stanford Estate. For more information or to book, click here

For something a little more on the wild side, why not book a special Valentine Sunset Visit at Panthera Africa and feel the deep rumbling roaring of the big cats at sunset? For more information or to book, click here.

Klein River Cheese has decided to stretch Valentine’s Day right from 14-17 February, so if a basket brimming with cheesey treats and a blanket thrown open on a lush lawn sounds like heaven to you, make sure you extend your Valentine time to include this.

You can pack your own picnic basket with charcuterie from Erwin or Martin’s Deli, mature cheeses from Klein River Cheese and buttery bakes from Ou Meul. The Fynbos Distillery sells delicious grappa-based liqueurs, and Stanford Harvest has a wine shop with beautifully labelled wines that will knock your socks off. The Stanford Wine Route has some specials so pop in to one of the 9 boutique farms and choose your favourite. Welgesind has a special offer on their Romanse Blanc de Noir and Boschrivier is offering a cheese platter and bottle of wine at a show-stopping price!

If fresh flowers are the best way to your Valentine’s heart, why not keep them local and ditch the long-stem roses? Fresh bunches of fynbos are available in the village from OK MiniMark and the Village Emporium. Ou Meul has some beautiful wild olive saplings for the gift that will bear fruit year after year. And for an exquisite orchid grown right here in Stanford at Eikenhoff Nursery, call Debra to make an appointment and surprise your love with one of these beauties!

Antjie’s Handmade Naturals are available from the shop on the stoep of the Stanford Hotel – sprinkle some of the Rose Geranium bath salts into a semi-shallow waterwise bath, balance a glass of Cap Classique from one of the local Stanford Wine Route farms on the edge of the bath, and let the evening follow its own path.

And if you are single, footloose and fancy-free this Valentine’s Day, we strongly recommend the bath with bubbly anyway!

Words by Phil Murray, Stanford Tourism 028 341 0340

Stanford Food Heroes in partnership with FoodforUs

The Stanford Food Heroes is a collective of Stanford growers and producers who live and work in the area surrounding Stanford. You can inhale the scent of their herbs and aroma of their buttery bakes, roll their tomatoes and lemons around in your hands and breath in the spices of their charcuterie at the weekly Wednesday Morning Farmers’ Market at Graze, and the Saturday Morning Market on the Stanford Hotel stoep. Besides these markets, some heroes supply or run their own restaurants and delis. Their identity is that they hold home-grown, local produce dear and believe in keeping the supply chain local and lekker. They believe that the best things in life take time.

In 2017, a small group of ideas people identified the Stanford Food Heroes and the increasingly foodie identity of Stanford, and approached them to ask if they were interested in being a part of a new phone application trial aimed at marketing fresh surplus to the closest market, and reducing food loss. What a great idea for a communications app to team up with a group of growers and producers – the Stanford Food Heroes could really sink their teeth into this partnership.

The new FoodforUs app is a United Nations-funded application that links local growers and buyers. It was designed to ensure that edible and nutritious food is not wasted at farm level but instead fulfils its primary purpose of feeding people. It will do this by linking local groups of growers (farmers at all scales) and buyers (feeding schemes, early childhood development centres, restaurants, guesthouses and individuals) through a convenient mobile app. The app will provide an overview and images of what is available from each grower and enables growers and buyers to communicate on payment and delivery methods.

Food is wasted at farm levels for a variety of reasons. Retailers sometimes cancel orders at the last-minute leaving farmers unable to find appropriate markets for their produce in time, or farmers can produce a surplus that they have not planned for in terms of marketing and sale. The FoodforUs app provides farmers with immediate access to a group of local buyers.

The app is available on the Google and iTunes play stores. Once registered, participants will be sent a password that they use to log into the app to view the produce available. This research trial is being conducted in Stanford, Worcester and two pilot sites in the Eastern Cape. Once the initial phase is complete, users’ feedback will be incorporated into a revision of the app’s features and the platform will be released to a wider audience.

Follow the project on Facebook @foodforusza or contact the team directly on info@foodforus.co.za.

FoodforUs looks forward to working with Stanford’s innovative food networks to trial the app that helps to reduce food waste by linking local growers and buyers. More information can be found on the project at www.foodforus.co.za.

*For more on the Stanford Food Heroes, click here

Words by Phil Murray and Stephanie Swanepoel