ICYMI: 10 out of 10 for Sandton cyclists

Two Sandton residents will be enduring a gruelling 265km mountain bike race for their 10th time, therefore achieving ‘Black Mamba’ status.

The locals, along with another team from Dunkeld, will be competing in the Kap Sani 2 C mountain bike race from 15 to 18 May. The race was started by Glen Haw in 2005, an avid mountain biker, who wanted to create a world-class route for avid mountain bikers like himself.

Since 2009, Richard van Breda, Werner van Oudenhove, Peter Winn and Mike von Holdt have competed in the race as two teams. The first day will see them travel 82km from the Glencairn Farm in the Drakensberg and ending at the MacKenzie Country Club in Donnybrook. On the second day, they will travel 97km to Jolivet Farm in KwaZulu-Natal. To finish, the team will cycle 86km to the town of Scottburgh.

In 2014 the race celebrated its tenth birthday and the 20 riders had participated in all 10 events. The Black Mambas club was established to honour these stalwarts. Every year additional riders join the club as they ride their tenth Sani 2 C.

Van Breda, who is originally from Sandton but now lives in Switzerland, said that the race is a great opportunity to catch up with friends.

“It’s a great adventure, so well organised and a great shared experience of riding in areas you would never otherwise be able to see. It is a proper challenge but a really fun time, and we land up catching up with a lot of old friends.”

For Van Breda, the Sani 2 C was his first ever stage race in 2010, and he and Van Oudenhove have found themselves returning year after year to experience one of the oldest mountain bike races in the country. “It’s a good way to force yourself to get fit at the beginning of the year,” he added.

Share your thoughts on the riders’ upcoming trip on the Sandton Chronicle Facebook page

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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/181423/its-about-the-bike-2/

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/120201/bryanston-resident-races-hard/