Magalies Monster Mountain Bike Race Review 

Magalies Monster 2007 

Monster time rolled around again, and a cold start saw around 250 riders taking on the 75km challenge. As you may already know, this is by far one of my favorite races of the year.  Last year, I battled unknown disease to drag myself to the finish and I was determined to make a better showing this year.

Having just built myself a Raleigh Marathon bike, I was keen to test it on the harsh Magalies course. And it didn’t disappoint! This new frame has a far more active suspension than the previous RDS incarnation. The new suspension, attached to a Fox RP23 makes for an awesome bike for tackling technical routes.  The ProPedal is now either on or off and the level is pre-selected. I have mine set on the most ProPedal when it is on, and when it is off it is fully active. I have dubbed the ProPedal switch the “fun button”. When the down hills get ragged and rocky, just hit the fun button and glide over all the trail clutter.

The race followed the same route as last year. If you have any intention of riding the Cape Epic and you are wondering what the daily routes are like, come and ride the Monster. This race, for me, is the closest that you will get to an Epic day. Naturally it is significantly shorter, but it has all the aspects - sand, rocks, portage and singletrack galore! For a more detailed description of the route, see my previous review.

The race was won by Richard Beswick, in the absence of all the Nationals riders, in an unbelievable time of 03:25. I noticed that he was also riding a dual suspension.

The race was superbly organized by Karl Schubert. This guy loves the Magaliesberg and has an intimate knowledge of the area. He has gone to great lengths to get the land access, and believe me, we appreciate this effort. Everything ran very smoothly, there were plenty, well stocked, watering points and in a race this tough that is really needed.

One small criticism; the guys started taking down the banners long before the last riders were home. I really think that it is terrible to have to ride in after 6 hours on the bike to and empty finish area.

Don’t miss this one, next year. It is the best race on the calendar!

Overall Results

Full Race Results