Monday, 08 November 2010 13:57
Finish venue change for top Durban MTB race
South Africa’s finest mountain bikers will converge on Durban on Sunday, 14 November, for the third edition of the OUTsurance KZN Expedition and a truly African experience once again awaits participants in Durban’s biggest mountain bike event. Entries for the event close today, so riders who haven’t got their entry can go to www.cyclelab.com. The first 900 entries receive a free t-shirt.
The event has been bolstered with the city making Blue Lagoon available as finish venue this year to replace Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World.
The race will finish on the lush green lawns on the banks of the Umgeni River at the Kingfisher Canoe club just before the N2 bridge and the beachfront. There is ample parking and wonderful shade, courtesy of scores of trees.
“This finish makes much more sense to us,” said race director Wynand de Villiers. “Suncoast is a great venue, but it’s not quite conducive to a mountain bike environment.
“We’ve always wanted to finish the event on the beachfront at Suncoast, but due to a myriad of circumstances it seems this will never be possible,” he said.
The new finish venue is accessible and is set against a beautiful backdrop – the final 3km final stretch next to the river with a spectacular view of the river and the ocean is just sublime.
“This also makes the event much safer with us not having to take on traffic in the city centre at all. The entire run-in to the finish is off-road,” he said.
With the venue change, the number collection venue has also moved to Power Cycles, which is situated adjacent to the Absa Stadium in Umgeni Road. Registration times remain on Friday 12 November from 9:00 – 17:00 and on Saturday 13 November from 9:00 – 15:00.
The Expedition attracted more than 1,600 riders last year in only the second edition of the event which presents an awe-inspiring route from Giba Gorge in Pinetown, through the Valley of a Thousand Hills to Blue Lagoon.
Legendary Tour de France commentator Phil Liggett will act as master of ceremonies with former professional and SABC commentator Johnny Koen.
The Expedition has become known for its good organisation among very tough and truly African surroundings which present riders with a unique mountain bike adventure that’s rivalled by very few other single-day MTB events in South Africa.
The 70km race starts at Giba Gorge, one of South Africa’s finest mountain bike parks, and takes in a gradual 10km climb up to Hillcrest before dropping down into the Valley of a Thousand Hills on some sublime singletrack which takes riders almost all the way to Inanda Dam where the 40km route starts.
From Inanda riders track their way around the dam and then follow the great trails on both sides of the Umgeni River all the way to Durban, past the Springfield MotoX track and then onto the Windsor Golf course, exiting the golf course and into Blue Lagoon.
The Expedition provides mountain bikers with an easy-as-you’d-like experience off the bike, but in the same breath representing the essence of the sport when they’re out there testing themselves against the naturally beautifully sculpted routes and nature’s elements.
The 70km event starts at Giba Gorge at 6:00 while the 40km riders start at Inanda Dam at 9:00.
There are four waterpoints on the route that will be well stocked, courtesy of 100 Plus. The timing will again be done by Elite Timing.
There are massive logistics involved on the route with various river crossings with the most spectacular undoubtedly the 600m pipe bridge, which presents itself around 20km from the finish.
It’s a truly exhilarating experience being suspended 300m in the air on a wooded latched bridge while you cross the river. The bridge is well marshaled and the marshals will help slower riders get across – especially riders who suffer from a fear of heights.
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