Blueberry Hill sounds like something from a children’s television programme, but do not let the colourful name lull you into thinking it will be soft and welcoming. It is rocky and raw, the perfect Toyota Tough segment for a day of diverse challenges.

Asphalt and UNTAMED

Blending the buttery smooth tarmac of the recently resurfaced Bainskloof Pass with the rugged remoteness of the Waterval Nature Reserve Stage 3 is a mix of natural and manmade. An asphalt run out of Saronsberg starts the day before the course gets complex with a dual track climb into the wild. The summer sun will have slowed the waterfall to a trickle and turned Zuurvlakte to a valley of rock and sand, so be prepared for a rapid change in conditions. Kluitjeiskraal and Blueberry Hill continue the off-road climbing challenges, before Bergsig Wine Estate signals the resumption of smooth roads at the foot of Bainskloof. A loop above Andrew Geddes Bain’s most famous pass adds a sting to the tail of an otherwise manageable day, before a taste of the Wild Boar Trails introduce teams to Wellington. A route divided between asphalt and the untamed, it is the only transition stage of the 2024 race.

Don’t think you’ve done it all in Hermanus. We made the stage a little shorter but that’s so we could add more of the good stuff in the Hemel en Aarde valley – some superb singletrack awaits the riders. Some familiar, some fresh. They’re linked with some ‘Absa Cape Epic-specific’ trails that are unrideable outside of the event. Take note… steep climbs and long, technical descents.