Cycling in Cape Town
3 cycling routes from Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, 26 to 108 km, 205 km mapped in all, with up to 953 m of climbing in a day. Hilly riding (11 m of climbing per km on average), mostly road routes, 64% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane. 2 named climbs; the high point is 337 m on May Have Overcooked the Warm Up Ride. Best months to ride: Sep to May.
At a glance
- Routes
- 3
- Lengths
- 26–108 km
- Biggest day
- 953 m
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Surface
- Mostly paved
- Bike
- Road bike
- Difficulty
- Easy to Hard
- Named climbs
- 2
- Best months
- Sep to May
- GPX
- Every route
Know before you go
Added up from the recorded routes and OpenStreetMap; nothing estimated.
- Surface
- Paved almost throughout — 5 km of gravel or unpaved road across the routes.
- Roads
- 64% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane.
- High point
- 337 m on May Have Overcooked the Warm Up Ride.
- Climbs
- 2 named climbs.
- Bail-outs
- A railway station or ferry within reach on 3 routes.
- Ridden
- Mar, 11–21 °C recorded.
Cycling guide to Cape Town
Cape Town is a starting point for a 108.1 km loop around the peninsula covering over 80 places, including coastal and urban areas such as Bo-Kaap, Simon's Town, and Hout Bay. The route encompasses varied topography with one notable climb beginning at 44.8 km rising 123 m over 4.4 km to a height of 143 m. Cyclists experience mostly paved surfaces, some gravel sections, and mainly ride on main roads. The route serves both urban and scenic cycling, with 23 railway stations near the route offering access and 84.2 km on main roads lacking cycle lanes. There is a longest service-free stretch of 7.6 km, requiring some planning for nourishment and repairs.
More on best time to ride, terrain
Best time to ride
March offers a stable temperature of 21°C, based on recorded data for the route.
Terrain
The route is rolling with a highest point of 183 m and a longest climb of 4.4 km averaging 2.8%, maxing at 5.5%. Cycling is mostly on paved surfaces with minor gravel sections. Terrain varies with gentle gradients through urban and coastal landscapes.