MTB race expected to be ‘raw and untamed’
Large portions of the trail is not ridable through the year due to overgrowth which gives those taking on the challenge an opportunity to test themselves on new trails that run through the bush surrounding the Scottburgh town.
THE 2019 edition of the Sappi Scottburgh MTB and Trail Weekend on July 20 and 21 will lure runners and cyclists excited by the hosts commitment to offer appealing trails that have not been intensively manicured but rather reflect the inherent South Coast canelands terrain.
“We’ve always said that we want to try and keep the race raw and untamed,” race organiser Flavio Scarpa said.
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“There are obviously some sections that will be well prepared but we want riders to have some sections that will test them and I think over the years we have managed to get a good balance.”
Large portions of the trail is not ridable through the year due to overgrowth which gives those taking on the challenge an opportunity to test themselves on new trails that run through the bush surrounding the Scottburgh town.
With such a loyal following of local riders, Scarpa is hoping to bring in a few more outsiders for the various mountain biking events on Sunday and the trail runs on Saturday.
Scarpa and his team pride themselves on the fact that the riding isn’t like anything else you would experience and tries to mix up the manicured with the wild and technical.
“The trail this year will be almost identical to previous years and we are always looking forward to the feedback from riders. We will be using a short bit of trail through the newly built Widenham Retirement Village as well.”
The weekend’s events kick off with the Funky Pants Trail run on the Saturday and runners will have the option of doing the 5km family run, the 12km trail run or for the more experienced and fit, the 22km trail run.
Then Sunday’s action begins with the Sappi Scottburgh 45km Classic, the Wardkiss 28km MTB race and then finally the Wardkiss 10km Family Ride.
The trail runs on the Saturday will give those runners the opportunity to push themselves over longer distances.
“There are a lot of running events and clubs in the area so there is definitely an interest in trail running,” Scarpa added.
“We want those who would usually do 5km on a Saturday morning to come through and take on one of the longer runs. The route is awesome and we love hosting the trail runners.”
There is a distinct family appeal to the event with races that will cater for all members of the family.
“The trail running has really helped open up the market in that those who don’t ride to have the option to run. It’s also a great weekend away and we encourage people from out of town to come down to Scottburgh and enjoy a winter weekend at the coast,” Scarpa commented.
For more info, contact Flavio Scarpa at 084 3306029.
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