WESTERN CAPE MINISTER’S AWARD 4 September 2015

CAPE TRAILS Cape Trails Partnership is a small enterprise owned and run by four young men – Ashwell, Brendon, Denzel and Jason – from the hilltop town of Grabouw, Western Cape. What started out as a youth development initiative, supported by the organisers of the Wines2Whales mountain bike challenge, is today a registered, fledging enterprise well-respected by visitors and locals for building and maintaining magical MTB cycle tracks and experiences. Cape Trails is playing a vital role in growing cycling tourism in the Western Cape. As a result of their expertise, our mountain bike trails are becoming recognised globally as some of the best in the world, driving increased visitor numbers. During the last Wines2Whales cycle race, R13 million was generated for Grabouw’s tourism economy. This figure excludes the amount spent on accommodation by the spectators of the event. Nowadays, Cape Trails sub-contracts their services to landowners across the province wishing to build quality tracks. They are widely regarded as being amongst the best in the business. INTRODUCTION

ASHWELL SWARTZBRENDON BOOYSENDENZEL SCHEEPERSJASON ADAMS “ These guys are the unsung heroes ” Bianca Grobbelaar, Marketing Manager Specialized Bicycles

ABOUT 2009 Cape Trails Partnership builds its first trail The partnership is registered with SARS Turnover R per annum

Jobs completed in:  Grabouw  Stellenbosch  Greyton  George  Hermanus  Cradle of Mankind

Boomslang: A Cape Trails Creation With my heart in my throat and legs like jelly, I took the plunge…and ACED IT!!! -DIANA

MOTIVATION “The Cape Trails team is playing a valuable role in growing domestic and foreign tourism to our province. They are the guys working behind the scenes to ensure we can deliver world class, professional cycling experiences to visitors. These guys now cycle over 6000km per year. They know what makes a track good, and they are excellent at bringing their vision to life. Our goal is to attract cycling tourists per year, and the Cape Trails team are a big reason why we’re sure we’ll achieve that goal.” Alan Winde, MEC for Economic Opportunities Western Cape

WELL DONE Cape Trails Team! AshwellBrendonDenzelJason