Photos: Absa Cape Epic; Leverage Corporation; Jon Ivins. Article from the March 2012 issue of Ride Magazine.
Enter now!
While we prepared the Dirty Dates calendar for 2012, most of us fell well short when we guessed how many multi-day events appear on our national mountainbiking calendar this year. There are 50. That doesn’t include tours, 24-hour events or anything outside our borders. Even if your body could handle all of these (which, at an average of one a week for the entire year, it couldn’t!), your wallet most certainly couldn’t. So, it’s necessary to consider your options carefully before selecting the one(s) in which you will participate. In fact, for some, you may even need to look at the 2013 calendar. Don’t let missing the entry cut-off be the reason an event happens without you.
Sunday 1 April: MTN Cape Times Vigne a Vigne – Lourensford Wine Estate, WC
If you didn’t get an Absa Cape Epic entry this year, you need to consider two things:
- Entries for the next year generally open immediately after the event finishes and aspiring participants can make application via the lottery. So, have your finger on the ‘Ride it!’ button on www.cape-epic.com from early April to chance your luck for a 2013 slot.
- Even if you’re not riding the whole race this year, you can still be part of the event. The Vigne a Vigne is a one-day race, which takes place at Lourensford Wine Estate, the finish venue of the Epic. Do your ride of 26 kilometres or 50 kilometres and then welcome the Epic riders home.
For more information and to enter, visit www.vigne-a-vigne.com
Entries close on 5 March. Contact: Sarah Harrop 084-206-8602
21-22 April: 24-hour Southern Skies – Parys, FS
A 24-hour event doesn’t count as a stage race, but it still requires preparation and timeous entry. This is a team relay event and each rider has a responsibility to all other team members to be fit, prepared, well-equipped and sufficiently competent, or at least entertaining if you’re killing time to the camp fire. It takes time to recruit the most suitable team members and the successful teams are those that prepare well. Preparation for a 24-hour event includes more than physical fitness. Although team members only have to ride, eat and sleep, the logistics of an event that starts in the heat of the afternoon, continues into the dark of the night, the cool of the next morning and again into the midday heat, requires planning and special equipment. All riders must have good lighting for the night ride, appropriate warm clothing, and (if last year’s event is anything to go by) good wet-weather gear. There’s also the need to feed the team (at least three meals and snacks in between) and equipment to make the base camp comfortable when not riding, i.e. tents, chairs, mattresses, sleeping bags, skottels, sunblock, etc. Leave it to the last minute at your peril.
This event requires only the team leader’s details and commitment for entry and team-member details can be confirmed closer to race day.
For more information and to enter, visit www.cratercruise.co.za
Entries close on 16 April. Contact: Johan Orton 071-233-2777
27 April-S May: Old Mutual joBerg2c – Heidelberg to Scottburgh
There are probably very few South African cyclists who don’t aspire to ride across this magnificent land of ours. Here’s the chance. For those who want to, it’s a race, but for everyone else it’s a ride. For all participants, it’s an experience – nine days of cycling the back route between Egoli and the coast, uplifting communities along the way. It’s a tried and tested formula and this event is guaranteed to become as popular as its antecedents; the sani2c and Berg and Bush.
This year, the organisers have introduced new options, with the chance of doing this as a solo ride, a Berg2c ride which cuts out the first three days, or the option of dividing the route into a relay between three pairs of riders, each riding a three-day stage from Heidelberg, Sterkfontein Dam and Hazeldean farm. There’s also a Ride like a Pro sponsorship opportunity for aspiring professionals. It’s hard to get fit for a nine-day excursion without burning out. Try to avoid starting this event tired. The trick is a good solid base, big miles early in the year and then a good rest just before the event.
For more information and to enter, visit www.joberg2c.co.za
There is space for 350 teams and entries close when all slots are filled. Contact: Nicky Green 082-569-9198
4-6 May: Oudtshoorn 300 km/30 hour/300 degrees MTB marathon
This is a brand new event on the calendar, brought to us by Dryland Events, which has well-established trail cred. This isn’t a stage race, but it is a multi-day in that participants must cover 360 kilometres within 36 hours – starting on Friday evening at 9 pm and finishing Sunday morning by 9 am. Categories include solo, teams (of two, three or four riders) and relay (four riders who each ride a stage or two riders each ride two stages). The venue is Kleinplaas Holiday Resort in Oudtshoorn and the route follows public roads in the Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp and De Rust areas.
This is a full service event, so riders won’t need any back-up, but may arrange their own support at the checkpoints. Relay teams will need to arrange transport of team members between the different handover points/checkpoints.
For more information, visit www.360mtb.co.za
Entries close on 15 April. Contact: Carel Herholdt 082-379-1177/carel@dryland.co.za
28-29 April: The Honda Mountain Trophy – Maropeng, Cradle of Humankind, GP
This is a two-stage race over a weekend, for individual riders. Based at Maropeng, stage one covers 75 kilometres and stage two is 45 kilometres, with exclusive routes on private land, amid wildlife in the heart of The Cradle of Humankind. It’s about serious riding … and serious fun. After each stage, riders will have the chance to enjoy an afternoon of entertainment, good food and good company.
Sunday 29 April: The Honda Mountain Adventure follows stage two of the stage race and accommodates riders who can’t do the full weekend of cycling. The Kiddies Honda Mountain Adventure for under 12s also takes place on the Sunday. These events aim to encourage family members to join the stage riders for the second half of the event and share the post-race victuals.
For more information and to enter, visit www.mountain-trophy.co.za
Online entries close on 10 April and manual entries close on 16 April.
Contact: Neal Corbett or Rob Jackson on 011-463-7730
15-17 May: Sani2c Trail
16-18 May: Sani2c Adventure
17-19 May: Sani2c Race
This is so popular that it’s grown from one, to two and now three events, starting a day apart in an attempt to accommodate as many riders as possible. One can still barely get into these events for love or money (or the cost of a Subaru!)
Unless you win the free entry in our Ride competition, this is the kind of event you have to enter a year in advance, so if it is on your bucket list, start making your 2013 and 2014 plans. The entry procedure starts with rush entries in early August in which online application is made. This determines who will be on the accepted list and those on the waiting list. Those who are accepted then have to pay to confirm their place. By mid-August, applicants on the waiting list may be able to fill any available spots (they are contacted according to their number on the waiting list and are required to pay within 48 hours by credit card). This is usually completed by the end of August. From September, the only way to get a slot is by means of a substitution which is done a few weeks prior to the event. To enter, visit www.sani2c.co.za.
Contact: Judy 039-976-0436/judy@sani2c.co.za
