Tonteldoos awaits cyclists from eMalahleni
What the race holds for the cyclists from eMalahleni is a tough 3 000m elevation gain over the total distance
Six cyclists from eMalahleni will be taking on the 260km race on Good Friday and they will have 24 hours to complete the challenge.
The Cullinan2Tonteldoos mountain bike single stage race will take riders and their supporting crews over the distance of 260km on unmarked district roads from Cullinan in Gauteng to Tonteldoos, a small settlement in the Mpumalanga highlands located in a peaceful valley near Dullstroom.
All riders who complete the race within 24hours will receive medals; the final cut-off will be after 27 hours.
The six local cyclists that will be competing in this race are Gert Janse van Rensburg, Patrice Gautier, Andre Potgieter, Gerald Snell, Wihl Vermaak and Jaco van Rooyen.
The race starts on Friday, April 14 at 17:00 at Piacere Italian Restaurant in Cullinan and the medal cut-off is on Saturday, April 15 at 17:00 at Tonteldoos which will form part of the festival activities at the annual Tonteldoos Highlands (Scottish) Festival.
What the race holds for the cyclists from eMalahleni is a tough 3 000m elevation gain over the total distance. The final 120km will be the toughest part of the race as fatigue will set in and there are a lot of uphill drags and higher altitude will test the cyclists’ lungs.
The route will not be marked so it is compulsory for each rider to have a GPS.
Riders will have to follow the exact route and they are not allowed to self- navigate to the various checkpoints.
There are various check points and water points along the route; cyclists will be cycling most of the race in the evening and early hours of the morning.
“We are planning on doing this race in 11 hours. We are all excited about the race and we are not sure what to expect” said Gert.
