Road · South Africa
Cape Town to Green Point via Chapman's Peak
A hilly 108 km road cycling route from Cape Town, Western Cape to Green Point via Chapman's Peak through District Six, Glen Dirk and Westlake, with 953 m of climbing. Most of it (84.2 km) is on main roads without a cycle lane, 23 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more.
At a glance
- Best for
- Hilly days out for confident riders at ease in traffic
- Distance
- 108.1 km
- Elevation gain
- 953 m
- Riding time
- 3½–5 hours
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Bike
- Road bike
- Surface
- Paved
- Traffic
- Mostly main roads
- Food & water
- Regular
- Best months
- Sep to May
- Navigation
- GPX download
- Start → finish
- Cape Town → Green Point via Chapman's Peak
Map and elevation profile
Elevation profile
- 953 m
- 108 km
Route description
- Cape Town
- District Six
- Glen Dirk
- Westlake
- The Boulders
- Brakkloof
- Hanging Meadow
- White Sands
- Llandudno
- Green Point via Chapman's Peak
Starting in Cape Town, the route passes through several districts within the first 10 km including Bo-Kaap, City Centre, Woodstock, Mowbray, and Claremont. Early climbs include a 3.2 km section gaining 76 m with an average gradient of 2.4%, and a steeper 2.1 km climb gaining 84 m averaging 4% near Claremont. The ride covers a mix of surfaces, with 97% paved road and about 2% gravel or unpaved sections. Mainly the route follows 65 km on main roads, 15 km on motorways and 14 km on paths. Most main roads lack cycle lanes, with 84 km featuring no cycle lane and 23 km on roads with posted limits of 80 km/h or more.
Why ride this route?
- A 5.1 km descent dropping 164 m.
Highlights
- Chapman's Peak viewpoint
- Longest descent of 5.1 km dropping 164 m
- Climb of 2 km at 5.4% avg gradient near km 79
- Peak near road: Trappies Kop at 240 m
Along the route
Places passed
Climbs
| Climb | Starts at | On this ride | Top on this ride |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed climb | 0.3 km | 3.2 km · 76 m · 2.4 % · max 4.5 % | 81 m |
| Unnamed climb | 4.8 km | 1.5 km · 40 m · 2.6 % · max 3.3 % | 79 m |
| Unnamed climb | 9.4 km | 2.1 km · 84 m · 4 % · max 7.2 % | 135 m |
| Unnamed climb | 44.8 km | 4.4 km · 123 m · 2.8 % · max 5.5 % | 143 m |
| Unnamed climb | 64.1 km | 2 km · 54 m · 2.8 % · max 4.1 % | 83 m |
| Unnamed climb | 76.8 km | 1.7 km · 48 m · 2.9 % · max 5.7 % | 83 m |
| Unnamed climb | 78.9 km | 2 km · 109 m · 5.4 % · max 11.1 % | 183 m |
| Unnamed climb | 88.4 km | 2.4 km · 117 m · 4.9 % · max 7.2 % | 153 m |
Traffic, surface and gradient
This is not a cycle-track route: 78% is on main roads without a cycle lane, 23 km of it where the limit is 80 km/h or more. Riders should be comfortable sharing the road with faster traffic.
- Roads
- 61% main road · 14% motorway · 13% path · 5% quiet street · 7% other roads and tracks
- Main roads
- 84.2 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
- Fast roads
- 23 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
- Cycle paths
- 1.7 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
- Main roads used
- M4 (18 km), M3 (13 km), Victoria Road (11 km), M65 (9 km)
- Surface
- Paved: 97% of the route is mapped as paved, 2% as unpaved.
- Gradient
- 20% climbing · 25% descending · 55% flat
- Steep sections
- 3.9 km over 5% · 0.7 km over 8% · steepest 500 m averages 8.2% at 80.4 km
- Longest descent
- 5.1 km from 82 km, dropping 164 m
Food, water and services
No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 368 cafés and restaurants, 82 shops, 9 water points, 25 petrol stations, 50 public toilets and 12 bike shops.
Food, water and shops in ride order
- 0.1 kmDe Goewerneur · café · 90 m off route
- 1.6 kmWoodstock Cycleworks · bike shop · 310 m off route
- 17.5 kmDie Oog · spring · 240 m off route
- 22.7 kmLakeside Pharmacy · pharmacy · 30 m off route
- 28.1 kmArtisan Bakery · bakery · on the route
- 30.3 kmShoprite · supermarket · 40 m off route
- 36.9 kmSimons Town Station Kiosk · supermarket · on the route
- 37.6 kmShell · petrol station · on the route
- 38 kmAlpha Pharm · pharmacy · on the route
- 60.4 kmSunshine Café · café · 110 m off route
- 75.1 kmNoordhoek Deli · café · 70 m off route
- 83.5 kmDrinking water · on the route
- 85.8 kmVillage Super Store · supermarket · on the route
- 87.4 kmChapmans Peak Cycles · bike shop · 90 m off route
- 93.9 kmToilets · 120 m off route
- 101.1 kmEatery Clifton · café · on the route
- 103.8 kmUp Cycles · bike rental · 120 m off route
- 105.1 kmToilets · on the route
Need to bail out?
- 0 km — Cape Town (station), 240 m off route
- 6.4 km — Rondebosch (station), 890 m off route
- 24.9 km — False Bay (station), 90 m off route
- 31.7 km — Sunny Cove (station), on the route
- 105.6 km — The "Blue Train" (station), 430 m off route
Worth a stop
- 33.2 km — Whale Watch (viewpoint)
- 37.6 km — Shark Explorers Dive Shop (attraction)
- 80 km — Chapman's Peak (viewpoint)
- 101.5 km — Sunset Rock Viewpoint (viewpoint)
- 105.6 km — Kaskazi Kayaks & Adventure (attraction)
Stay after this ride
- Sleep Easy Hotel · hotel · 90 m from the finish
- Guesthouse esCape · guest house · 100 m from the finish
- Check Inn Hotel · hotel · 130 m from the finish
- ANEW Hotel Green Point · hotel · 180 m from the finish
- Sunflower Stop Backpackers · hostel · 190 m from the finish
Start and access
At the start
- Trains and ferries
- Cape Town (240 m)
- Food and coffee
- De Goewerneur (150 m), Woolworths Now Now Cafe CTC (310 m), KFC (250 m)
- Shops
- Spar (250 m)
At the finish
- Food and coffee
- Nü (280 m), Gran's Coffee Shoppe (240 m), Cushty (240 m)
- Shops
- KwikSpar (290 m), Clyde Grocers (230 m), Shell Select (690 m)
Know before you go
- Longest stretch without café, shop or water is 7.6 km from km 60.4 to 68
- 84.2 km on main roads without cycle lanes
- 23 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more
- 2% of route is gravel or unpaved