Karkloof Classic gears up for yet another bumper MTB weekend
South Africa’s largest mountain biking festival, the Sappi Karkloof Classic MTB Festival, is fast approaching and many of the country’s leading men’s and women’s competitors as well as thousands of MTB enthusiasts of a variety of ages and abilities are all gearing up for another bumper adventure weekend in the Karkloof area from 19-21 April.
Having recently welcomed on board new title sponsors Sappi, the land owners through which much of the hugely popular route flows, the event hopes to take the three day affair to an even higher level in 2013 with route alterations, programme tweaks and many more subtle enhancements adding even more value to the already existing winning formula many have come to enjoy in recent years.
Those preparing to tackle the hugely popular feature race, the Sappi 60km Karkloof Classic, will be in for another memorable trip through the iconic Karkloof trails with the increasingly spoken about feature – the lengthened high speed decent from Lebanon – set to be a highlight for many thrill seekers and adventurers alike.
Course designer Hylton Turvey has also placed a large percentage of his preparation time and efforts on the aQuellé 40km Half Marathon route this year with a major highlight awaiting this year’s participants being the altered route taking riders down to the spectacular Karkloof Falls as well as heading through a variety of forest, grassland and wetland stretches.
The popular Peri Karkloof Night Race which takes place on Friday evening at 18h00 offers participants a unique opportunity to experience the park’s trails in a very different, adrenalin pumping manner whilst still having a primary focus on the fun factor.
Saturday will see riders heading for the hills as they tackle the second edition of the Stihl Karkloof Enduro where entrants get to socially enjoy the testing yet still manageable uphill sections in a relaxed, untimed environment before pushing as hard as they can on the two timed downhill sections of the course.
Other than the 60km and 40km events, Sunday’s programme will also see the aQuellé 20km Family Ride and aQuellé 10km Kids Ride take place with both events offering those not quite confident of tackling the longer races or seeking a fun, family orientated adventure the perfect chance to get out there and enjoy the areas magnificent trails.
Despite already having a national appeal to many of the country’s top competitors this year’s festival will also enjoy an added draw card likely to further attract the vast majority of KZN’s premier MTB cyclists across all age groups and genders after the recent decision to include the iconic event as the second event on the calendar of the hugely successful nine-legged Quattro ROAG Series.
The festival’s normal entry fees apply up until 14 April, after which late entry fees will be charged, so those interested in participating are encouraged to enter as soon as possible. There are a host of accommodation options in the area with camping being available at the venue itself.
The Sappi Karkloof Classic MTB Festival takes place from 19-21 April at Karkloof Country Club. Riders and spectators alike can stay up to speed with all the news and developments via the event’s Facebook page – Karkloof Mountain Bike Club – or on Twitter – @KarkloofMTB.