Mountain bike enthusiasts are urged to get their entries in for this exclusive event as soon as possible, to avoid missing out on a cycling experience of a lifetime.
According to race owner Lenore Collett, the seven-stage event will, as in the past two years, take competitors along a challenging 750km route from Knysna to Franschhoek, but with a few changes to certain stages of the race, from previous years.
Boksburg mountain biker Robert Rostoll rode for 38 hours in this year’s TransCape MTB race.
Rostoll, along with his Team Speztic teammate Albert van der Berg, completed the gruelling race in exactly 38:00:37 hours, good enough for seventh in the men’s teams and 17th overall.
“We listened to the riders’ comments from the first two races who found stage two, from George to Calitzdorp, and stage four from Riversdal to Swellendam, particularly tough so with this in mind our route coordinators are working on some tweaks to these sections and fine-tuning the other five stages of the race to make it a little less intense,” says Collett.
But don’t be fooled, she adds. “It still won’t be a walk in the park, so riders can still expect a helluva challenge with all the amazing scenery, fine dining and creature comforts competitors have come to expect from the TransCape!”
While it will provide a stern but fair challenge for pro riders, dedicated amateur mountain bikers will also find it achievable, with every finisher sure to leave with a true sense of accomplishment.
The seven-day event, open to individual riders and teams of two cyclists (men’s/women’s/mixed), will see the field taken on a classic route from Knysna to George on day one, then onto Calitzdorp on day two before heading to Riversdal on day three.
Stage four will see the group of riders tackle the tweaked route from Riversdal to Swellendam before the intrepid field heads to Greyton on day five with the next stop Villiersdorp on the penultimate day. On the final day it’s a short (under 80km) but hard ride, from Villiersdorp to the finish line and a medal of honour at the beautiful La Couronne Wine Farm in Franschhoek.
As has become customary in the race, cyclists will be spend their evenings enjoying the best wine the Cape has to offer while enjoying scrumptious local fare prepared under the watchful eye of well-known chef, Nic van Wyk in the evenings. Riders also get to spend race nights sleeping snuggly in hotels, guest houses and other comfy sleeping quarters.
To make sure each participant gets personal attention and is treated like a king or a queen from start to finish, only 130 entries are accepted into this exclusive event so entering as soon as possible is paramount.
To avoid missing out on an adventure of a lifetime that offers a demanding on-the-bike race coupled with a first-class off-the-bike experience, visit www.transcapemtb.co.za now to enter or call Lenore Collett on 082 575 0716 for further information.
