Words and photos by Epic Rider Adam Glendinning

I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of days riding in Johannesburg, South Africa. Although I have ridden in the Johannesburg area several times previously, I was eagerly looking forward to this trip for a couple of reasons. The weather in Hong Kong, where I live, had been rather cool, wet, and unpleasant of late, and a couple of days riding in the Southern Hemisphere summer was just what I needed. Also, I planned to spend time visiting some historic sites in the Pretoria, and Johannesburg area. Previously, the majority of my riding had been spent enjoying the wonderful South African countryside, but this trip I wanted to take in some of South Africa’s history.
I was staying in Northern Johannesburg, just outside Sandton, making exiting the metropolitan area easy and convenient. On the first day of riding, I headed out on my bike mid morning, turned north, bound for the South African capital of Pretoria. Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, sits only 45 kilometers to the north of Johannesburg, and is dwarfed in size by its southerly neighbor. Johannesburg, when one includes all of the neighboring townships, has a population in excess of 10 million people, whereas Pretoria numbers between 600,000, to 1.5 million, depending on how the city boundary is defined.
I quickly left the constant, hectic daytime Johannesburg traffic behind me, and was into the rolling African countryside. Point of fact, the opening half of my chosen route consisted of a series of gentle hills, one after the other, as I traversed a series of creeks, and small rivers. Cresting each hilltop, I was afforded breathtaking, panoramic views across the African savanna.

Johannesburg, and Pretoria sit in the northeast part of South Africa atop a high plateau know as the ‘Highveld’. Johannesburg itself sits at an altitude of approximately 1,740 meters. No matter how fit one is, it is always an adjustment traveling from sea level to this kind of altitude, or higher. In addition to adjusting to the decreased oxygen levels in the air, I also find I go through my water bottles twice as fast, as I do in Asia, or Europe.
Riding in the Johannesburg area, with the reduced oxygen levels always makes for entertaining riding, watching my HR climb every time the road pitches skyward, even at no more than a tempo pace, as my body struggles to take in the required oxygen. I have found it always takes a ride or two to adapt my riding style to the increased altitude. Overall, a smoother riding style helping to reduce the spikes in effort, as recovery takes that much longer. Two days is not enough time to actually acclimatize to the increased altitude, even sea level to 1,700 meters, but by day two I find I have adjusted my style, such that the riding is much easier, and pleasant.

Upon reaching Pretoria, first on my agenda was a visit to the Voortrekker monument, on the southern edge of Pretoria. The Voortrekker monument sits atop a hill overlooking downtown Pretoria, and approaching from the south, is visible from many kilometers away. A massive granite structure, its base measures 40 meters square, and stands 40 meters high. Build between 1937, and 1949, it commemorates the “Great Migration” of the Vortrekkers, a group of close to 15,000 settlers who left the British colonies in the southwest cape region, traveling north, between 1835 and 1855. The Vortrekkers, mostly of Dutch descent, they sought to leave the confines of the restrictive British colonies for a freer, more independent life farther north on the continent. The interior of the monument consists of two primary floors. The main floor, the one in which one enters the monument, is the hall of hero’s. A massive room, with a domed ceiling, its most notable feature is the largest marble frieze in the world, depicting scenes from the great migration, or trek. In the center of the hall lies a circular portal, open to the floor below, and allowing a view of a cenotaph below.


The cenotaph is the focal point of the monument. An inscription in its top reads ‘Ons vir Jou, Suid- Afrika’ (Afrikaans for ‘We for Thee, South Africa’). One a year, on December 16th at noon, sunlight shines through a small window in the domed roof and illuminated this inscription. December 16th was chosen, as in 1838, this was a date of the ‘Battle of Blood River’.

From the Voortrekker monument, I rode a short way to an adjoining hill containing Fort Schanskop, both to visit the fort, and as it afforded excellent views back to the Vortrekker monument, and towards downtown Pretoria. Fort Schanskop was one of a series of forts build to defend Pretoria, and having been recently restored, is in excellent condition. From the fort, it was a short downhill run into Pretoria itself.
I rode up Church Street, a wide, bustling main artery running through downtown Pretoria. Into the heart of the city, this led me to historic Church square. Numerous architecturally, and historically significant buildings are located on the square. In the center of the square is a statue of Paul Krueger, the Boar leader and, later, President of South Africa.

Amongst the historic buildings located on the square are the Ou Raadsaad, or Old Council Chamber. This building, restored in 1992, has at one time of another served multiple levels of government, including being the seat of the British Government in South Africa. Currently it serves as the offices of the regional government.

Also located on the square is the Palace of Justice. This historic building, completed in 1899, currently serves as a regional supreme court, however is most famous for hosting the Rivona trial in 1964, which send Nelson Mandela to prison.

From Church Square it is a short ride to the East to the highest point in Pretoria, the Meintjieskop, where the Union Buildings sit. The Union Buildings, completed in 1913 are the administrative seat of South African government. The building consists of a center, semi-circular building, with two long wings either side, representing the Union of two languages, English, and Afrikaans. 285 meters long, majestically perched atop the Meintjskop, with beautiful gardens, is understandably Pretoria’s most popular tourist attraction.

I rode up to the buildings from the East, where a short cobbled climb took me to the East gate. Along the way, I past numerous embassies, reminding one that Pretoria is host to the second largest collection of embassies in the world, second only to Washington D.C.
The gardens, interspersed with benches, and picnic tables made a perfect intercity refuge from the rest of bustling Pretoria, and an ideal place for a lunch stop.
Now early afternoon in Pretoria, the warm African sun beating down, and with jet lag setting in it was time to head back to Johannesburg for the evening.
The following morning I planned on an early ride into downtown Johannesburg. I have previously ridden into downtown Johannesburg, and have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of riding available. However, in keeping with the premise of the weekend, I didn’t want to restrict myself to just going for a ride, but wanted to take my time, and do some exploring.
Getting downtown from where I was staying in the Four Ways area was very straightforward. I turned south on William-Nichol drive, and followed this past Sandton directly into Johannesburg. The ride took approximately 30 kilometers, and took me directly into the heart of Johannesburg. Being early on a Sunday morning, traffic was light.


The wide boulevards contained more cyclists, and runners than cars, and made for a pleasant ride.
In time, the road reduced to two lanes, as it gently meandered its way through tree lines streets into the largest city on the African continent, feeling more like a small rural town, than a sprawling metropolis.

Once downtown, I made my way up Constitution Hill, one of the highest points in Johannesburg. Located here, is the Old Fort Prison. Now closed, one can freely walk about the prison grounds, and from the ramparts, offers a panoramic view of Johannesburg. Now a national historical site and museum, the Old Fort Prison offers a sobering reminder of South Africa’s past. Used primarily as an Afrikaner prison, Nelson Mandela was interned here while awaiting the Rivona trial.

From the Old Fort Prison, I spend some time exploring the downtown core, enjoying watching the city slowly wake up, before retracing my route back to northern Johannesburg for a well-earned breakfast. This gave me time to reflect on my weekends riding, and all the history I had seen. Yet, I barely scratched the surface of the rich history of South Africa, and as such am looking forward to my next visit to further delve into her history…

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