Advertisement

There are three route options for participants: a 13km, 26km and 55km route. The routes take you through vineyards, fynbos, shallow rivers, orchards and farmlands allowing riders the opportunity to navigate steep hill climbs and a couple of adrenalin pumping descents!

The 55km route
The 55km route will use the same layout as the Mountain Bike Challenge that took place in 2004, but with a few marked improvements. The 4km tar section towards Franschhoek has been eliminated, and replaced by an orchard trail.

This route will take the fastest riders approximately 2,5 hours to complete while the back markers can expect to be out there for 3-3,5 hours. The climbing in the last third of the route is quite intense; please do not attempt this ride unless you are an experienced mountain biker. The route requires not only endurance - but handling skills as well. After the last descent on the route, the last few kilometres are a mere formality as riders head back to the finish - very certain of the fact that they have just had a hard workout!

The 26km route
The 26km is a typical mountain bike route with about 2,5km single track, one moderate climb and a few nice descents. The route will be very similar to last year's route. The anticipated winning time will be approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes. Overall, the route can be described as flat and fast, with a nice mix of single tracks, dirt roads and jeep tracks.

The route is perfect for intermediate riders not ready for the big climbs in the 55km route. Riders with a moderate level of skills will be required to handle the single track sections while the descents require a bit more skill and a properly adjusted mountain bike.

The 13km route
The 13km route is flat and follows shady lanes for most parts. It is perfect for novice riders who are comfortable with 1-1,5 hours of riding while the fast riders will probably complete the route in only 40 minutes. Riders who know they can easily finish 13km at this stage will probably find the ride too short and should consider the more challenging 26km. A lot of supervised children ride the 13km route. Parents should make sure their child is comfortable with riding for more than an hour and keep in mind that there will be quite a few riders on the day.

All riders need to do is evaluate their fitness level – or pain threshold – decide on the distance they would like to ride, and most importantly enjoy the challenge while they take in the beauty of the Stellenbosch area.

Where and when to enter
Pre-entries will close on Friday, 25 February, but late entries will be accepted at registration. Please note that entries are limited to 1500 riders. Registration will be open all day at the Dirtopia Trail Centre near Stellenbosch on Saturday, 5 March, and at Boschendal on 6 March from 07h00 until 08h00.

Should you have any additional queries, please contact the organisers on (021) 884-4752 or email theteam@dirtopia.co.za.
 

Print this article

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Senior Secretary Gauteng - North/Sandton Infrastructure Resource Gauteng - Johannesburg Management Accountant R450,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Manager R350,000-400,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial and Project Accountant R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Accountant R380,000-420,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg SSIS Business Intelligence Specialists (SSIS; SSAS) R350,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Financial Accountant R350,000-450,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - South Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job