LIMPOPO – Organisers of the Liberty Waterberg Encounter have slightly shortened the overall distance of the three-stage race, but route director Mel Meyer has promised it will still be a rigorous test for entrants.
Taking place near Bela-Bela in Limpopo, the mountain bike race from 9 to 11 June is the second in the Encounter Series, following the successful Liberty Winelands Encounter in the Western Cape last month.
Meyer said the decision to limit the event to two race villages, at Sondela Nature Reserve and Elements Golf Estate, had allowed them to design a more compact route.
“This has enabled us to add a much better mountain bike feel to the first day, rather than the longer route we used previously which meant there was more road riding to get the cyclists from point A to point B.
“This time we used a minimum of properties to create the trails which will give the riders a real flavour of the bushveld in the region. The wildlife in the areas adjacent to the trails are amazing,” he said.
He added, though, that the amount of single-track would ensure a strong challenge, particularly once you considered the climbing that had to be done.
“Make no mistake, the 62 km route with an ascent of around 800 m means it will be no picnic and even the faster guys will have to pace themselves.”
The second day will see a clover-leaf route from Elements and Meyer said they were preparing plenty of new trails over the 54 km distance.
“It is the shortest of the three stages, but a 1 100 m ascent will still give it a lot of teeth,” Meyer added.
“We have been able to develop some amazing single-track trails on Elements over 23 km and we have changed the Shakana climb to do it in reverse. There are also some new trails which were built in the Shakana area so that should be a good experience for many of the riders.”
Meyer said the final stage of 59 km would provide a comfortable finish to the Liberty Waterberg Encounter, in partnership with Stanlib, with a highlight being a new stretch of single-track in Sondela.
“There is some ascent, as well as a sandy patch for 3 km which I like to call ‘horisontal climbing’, but we have a new 14 km section in Sondela which riders should enjoy. It’s quite flat and fast, giving you a nice boost towards the finish line in the reserve.”
Go to www.waterbergencounter.co.za to enter or for more information.
