I was lucky to garner an entry into the Luxliner Route 66 MTB Experience, but the questions raced through my mind. For starters, after not racing for some time, could I actually do this? – By Jason Martin
Tag: mountain biking
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Nedbank Tour de Tuli Route Launch
Organisers have proudly unveiled the awe-inspiring route for the exclusive 2022 Nedbank Tour de Tuli, the internationally acclaimed mountain bike tour, and one-of-a-kind wilderness adventure that traverses three countries, namely South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Kicking off on 19 July, the Tour serves as the primary fundraiser for Children in the Wilderness (CITW), Wilderness Safaris’ non-profit partner, which facilitates sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa.
Each year, the route is tailored to ensure that the Tour remains exciting and continues to incorporate new regions and cultural sites. This year’s route will once again traverse the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area. Upholding its 16-year tradition, the riders predominantly follow ancient elephant trails and rural tracks, allowing participants the opportunity to experience cultural interactions with villagers, while also spotting wildlife against the backdrop of Africa’s unspoiled natural wilderness – a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list journey.
Starting and ending at the World Heritage Site in South Africa, the riding route takes adventure-seekers through two protected wilderness areas – the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, in Botswana, and the multi-country Mapungubwe National Park. Riders cover between 60 km and 85 km per day, over a course of four consecutive days, by which time they will have covered approximately 300 km of mountain biking trails.
Impactful Conservation
“As the sole beneficiary of the Tour, the Children in the Wilderness programme is an environmental and life skills, educational initiative for children that is focused on producing the next generation of decision-makers. The programme is intended to inspire them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future,” noted Tour Director, Bronwen Blunden.
Bronwen points out that corporate sponsorship remains the backbone for the work done by CITW, which primarily focuses on the natural heritage within communities to develop proactive skills and leadership for children. It utilises an organised structure covering mentor training, Eco-Clubs, annual educational camps, youth stewardship programmes and scholarships for schooling and tertiary education.
Long-term sponsor
“Nedbank is proud to have been associated with this unique and exciting African adventure for the past decade. Supporting the Tour and the work done by CITW aligns directly with the ethos of our brand, and we are actively involved in supporting surrounding communities,” added Kelly Thompson, Sponsorship Manager at Nedbank
Conservation remains top of mind for Nedbank, and all funds raised by the Tour de Tuli are channeled into the CITW programme, helping to ensure the sustainability of the programme across all the regions within which it operates.
“Over the last 15 years, the Tour has hosted approximately 3 900 participants and raised over R20 million for CITW. This, in turn, has enabled over 5 600 children to be hosted on our CITW camp programme, and over 11 000 children on the Eco-Club programme,” commented Grant Woodrow, COO of Wilderness Business Development and Children in the Wilderness South Africa board member.
This world-class mountain bike tour is renowned for the unique experience it offers, riding through some of Africa’s most pristine wildlife and geologically rich areas. The event follows strict environmental practices, working with communities and traversing unforgettable routes, allowing participants to fully immerse themselves in their amazing wilderness surroundings.
New, improved routes designed by local cyclists for this year’s Knysna Cycle Tour
This year the organisers of the Knysna Cycle Tour have announced new, improved routes for their biggest events, the 104km road race as well as the 30 and 50km Mountain Bike races.
Route Manager Andrew Finn said that there is an exciting new route for the longer road race, which is now a 104 km ride. Says Finn: “The route will take riders on a thrilling, scenic adventure through one of the most picturesque sections of the Garden Route, revealing stunning views of ocean and beach, mountains and pristine forest along the way.
“Leaving and returning to Knysna along the N2, cyclists will experience the Knysna Lagoon then, after the first big climb up Kytersnek they will turn off to Buffalo Bay with all its beautiful views of the sea en route to what is arguably the best beach and surfing spot in the Knysna area. Then, after another stretch along the N2, there will be some great climbs through natural forests and farmlands on the way up to Barrington.
“The most interesting addition to this race is a brief 2,1 km gravel pass along the Seven Passes Road between Barrington and Karatara. From Karatara, it’s fast downhill all the way back to the N2.”
The tour’s MTB routes have been designed and are being maintained by a group of keen local cyclists led by Stuart Lightley, Greg Penrith and David Correia who volunteer their time and promote the beautiful tracks available in Knysna’s backyard at every opportunity.
Lightley explains: “I was asked to contribute to a route redesign for the 30 and 50 km MTB routes and to incorporate more single track, making the routes more fun and technically challenging. The idea with both the mountain and road events is to show off some of the areas where the Knysna locals ride.
“I’ve been riding mountain bikes and exploring the Knysna forests for almost 30 years and know the forest quite well. I enjoy the more technical type of riding, and actively help and encourage others to improve their technical skills. With this in mind, I have built tens of kilometers of single track, mostly in the Concordia Contours Trails area, to the north of Knysna, near Simola. We have selected a number of these trails for the mountain bike events.”
Says Finn: “The end result is that this year, for the first time, our 50 km and 30 km MTB events will take participants along routes created by locals. After the climb up the Simola hill, both routes will use single track sections designed and built by these local track designers and builders which will add a new dimension to both events.
“Our official route managers, Corne Botha and Pat October from Jakhals Events in Oudtshoorn will oversee safety, the marshals, and all signage on these routes amongst other things.”
The MTB races have all had exciting single track added to the first sections of the route, including a lap of the stunning Oakhill School purpose-designed track, the Life of Brian single track link to Narnia Village, the Knysna Montessori single track to the drop-off onto the Salt River farm track, and the iconic SANParks single-track Petrus Se Brand through to Harkerville.
Once back at the finish on the Knysna High School sports field there’ll be plenty of entertainment for the whole family and time for cyclists to relax with food from local food stalls, listen to some music and enjoy a beer or two.
Online entries for the Knysna Cycle Tour races close on 14 June. For more information and to enter go to the website: www.knysnacycle.co.za