WITH a storm that swept across KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, riders were faced with the toughest staging of the uBhejane Xtreme iSimangaliso Edition MTB Challenge.
Driving rains and strong winds were forecast for Saturday and the brave riders still set off for the 350km and 270km Long Horn and Short Horn rides. They opted to leave a few hours earlier than planned to ensure they had enough time to ride through iSimangaliso Wetland Park to the final destination, Bonamanzi.
Once the riders reached the dirt roads around Mtunzini, they were greeted by muddy roads that sapped their energy and drained their average riding speed. This put their ability to finish the entire ride during the safety of daylight in jeopardy.
The 350km and 270km riding groups both opted to head for the nearby highways and use 53km of tar riding to keep their end goal realistic.
“The conditions could not possibly have been any tougher,” said event co-ordinator Cliff Wills. “We expected the wind to change direction during the day, but instead we had a solid headwind all the way. The storm seemed to hover over us for the entire ride!”
“It was totally energy sapping to slip and skid around on 130km of mud. The decision to head for tar roads to Mtubatuba was an easy one to make,” he said.
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The riders converged with the 130km and 60km riders later in the day and they enjoyed the easier, quicker ride through iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
“There is a magic spot called the Aerial Boardwalk where you get a view over the whole Lake St Lucia heartland, which was special because it was a sharp reminder to every single rider that they were each riding to raise funds to help in the fight against rhino poaching,” he said. “We didn’t see any elephants, but there was plenty of fresh evidence that they had been there,” he added.
Former rugby player, Joe Pietersen hosted his own group on the 130km ride and represented Nkombe Rhino project.
“We had some fantastic stops at local taverns where the locals literally took hundreds of selfies with the uBhejaneX riders. The finish at Bonamanzi was festive as well. Joe Pietersen arranged a great band and singer Bok van Blerk, which made the celebration special after such a brutal day on the bike,” said Wills.
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