Remember this? Every fall when I’m desperately trying to figure out where the leaf-covered trail goes, I remember this video. The ultimate antithesis to the skier’s faceshot: a mountain biker getting absolutely pitted in leaves. The two clips are nearly four years old now, but they never get old.
Where the heck is the trail?
The video, posted by Guido Anderwert, shows him carving a line from top to bottom in what must be waist deep leaves. They’re certainly over his handlebars. And whatever forest that is, conditions must have aligned just perfectly for the leaves to gather in this small area. What we’re all wondering is where the heck is this place. It’s South Africa. I wonder if he returns to this spot year after year? I know I would.
Two runs
After watching these two videos over and over and over (for four years), I’ve come to the conclusion that Guido rode the trail twice. The Instagram version is the first run through. He crashes at the end. The second run is the Youtube version. If you pause it at the six second mark, you can see his tracks from the first run through. Does this mean it would be possible to do this repeatedly? Not even waist deep snow is that forgiving.
Can’t see the trail for the leaves
While Guido’s trail finding skills are incredible (he must be a local), trail finding this time of year can be tricky. There are a million videos out there suggesting ways to find trails in the fall, how to ride on leaves and what to do if leaves get in your derailleur. My advice? Get out and ride. It’s not that complicated. And searching for a trail is way more fun than watching a video about how to find it. If you find a trail like Guido’s masterpiece, send us the video (and the co-ordinates)!
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…