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There seems to be no
stopping the flood of new races onto the events
calendars. Gone are the days when a couple of mates,
or the local church group got together and plotted
out the route, invited some locals to assist and put
on a race. Now days its big fancy names with event
management, sponsors, websites, all sorts of
services, attractions and hundreds of other add-ons
that you never even know about. The competition
crazed South African just can't get enough of these
events. Even if you are not into the racing, its
often the locations and the full service fair that
makes it a want to do event. How many of the events
will be around in the years to come we will have to
see, I guess the strongest will survive.
Here is a pick of
some of the more interesting events and destinations
that are on offer in the coming year.
Wines to Whales
multi stage race
The W2W is a new
multi-stage MTB concept for the CAPE. It is hosted
in partnership with 19 wineries on-route - wineries
are water- and spectator points and wines are part
of the race pack.
The W2W consist of
two events - W2W RIDE (25 - 27 April 09) & W2W RACE
(Nov - Dec) both events use the same route - starts
at Lourensford, Somerset West and finishes in
Hermanus- 220km of garvel, jeep and single tracks.
The RIDE village is situated in Oak Valley Estate,
Elgin and riders overnight there on the 25 & 26
April.
The W2W RIDE is a
more social event - riders enter as team (pairs) one
of three categories; FASTER, AVERAGE, SLOWER - and
each category has 2 - 3 team leaders. No marshalls,
no markings, no timing - if the pace is too fast -
teams can wait at water points for following
category or change next day to faster category.
Entries are limited to 150 teams (300 total) and on
line entries open @ 06h00 on Feb 26 2009. Visit
www.wines2whales.co.za for more detail and
photos of the route and the pioneers ride.
The W2W RACE will be
a competitive event with the required logistics and
support.
Somerset West Accommodation
Hermanus Accommodation
The Cape Pioneer
Trek
This race has got a
bit of a “well if the Cape Epic won't come through
the Karoo anymore then we will just do it ourselves”
type of vibe. Still in the preliminary stages and
organised by the Dryland Event coordinators who also
do the Attakwas Race.
The Cape Pioneer Trek
is not only designed around giving the rider a tough
physical challenge, it is more about experiencing
the beautiful Karoo and garden route. Enjoying the
culinary delights of the local cuisine, sampling the
wines of the area and experiencing the breathtaking
views from the top of the Swartberg and Outeniqua
mountains.
www.capepioneer.co.za
Central Karoo Accommodation
Little Karoo Accommodation
3 Towers Stage
Race
Proudly hosted by the
acclaimed Mankele Mountain Biking, situated near to
Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga, 30km from Nelspruit and
only 270km from Pretoria. The race takes place over
a period of three days starting on the 24th of
September 2009, teams of two riders will cover a
total distance of 205km with 3880m of ascent.
Mankele Mountain
Biking is renowned for its sometimes technical, but
always flowing, single track and big mountain trail
riding, three days will leave you in MTB heaven! All
stages start and finish at Mankele and climb to the
three highest 'Towers' in the area. More info at
www.mankele.co.za
Mpumalanga Accommodation
White River Accommodation
Nelspruit Accommodation
Rooiberg Eco Ride
The Garmin Rooiberg Eco
Ride is a two day mountain bike stage race held
every winter in Rooiberg, situated in the Waterberg
area of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Entries
are open for single riders, and categories are
available for Open Men, Open Women, Veterans,
Sub-veterans, and Master men.
The Rooiberg Eco Ride
Foundation Trust, a non profit organization, owns
the event. Its aim to use the event as a tool to
promote the tourism potential of the Rooiberg area,
and specifically its accessibility as a weekend
mountain biking destination by developing trails and
facilities. Through this process the Foundation will
be providing income and development opportunities
for the small local community.
This race was run
successfully in 2008 more info at
www.rooibergecoride.co.za
Waterberg Accommodation
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