Dr Evil Classic offers even more unique opportunities this year
THE 2016 Penny- pinchers Dr Evil Classic will feature the best mountain-biking the Garden Route has to offer, and this year will be something of a coming- of-age for the event.
Now five years old, the three-day stage race taking place from September 15-17 will feature a number of innovations, chief of which is a different start/finish village for each day of the three.
“This means no doubling up on routes in and out of the villages,” explains route designer and event co-owner Leon Evans.
“It also makes for three very diverse riding days,” adds Evans, who is an avid rider and designed the routes to take in a combination of all his favourite routes.
One of several unique selling points of the Dr Evil is that, apart from the joy of riding through indigenous forests, it offers a rare opportunity to traverse some of the prime private farms and nature reserves around Plett, Wittedrift and The Crags.
The routes comprise a combination of single track, scenic district roads and forest trails. Stage one covers 72.4km, with a 1,201m ascent from Wittedrift School, featuring forest and farmland trails.
Stage two is perhaps the mainstay at 50.2km with some 980m of climbing, taking in the coastal trails of Harkerville.
The third and final stage is 37.8km with 1,120m of climbing through the Plett Winelands.
“All routes are designed with the average rider in mind,” says Evans. “However, they’re challenging enough for those wanting to race.”
The emphasis of the event is on the quality of the ride, as routes offer an opportunity for riders to access properties of many private landowners.
The shorter final day distance is specifically designed so that riders doing the Lions Karoo to Coast on Sunday September 18 are allowed to save their legs. Indeed, the Dr Evil Classic is an ideal warm-up for Pennypinchers Lions Karoo to Coast, and also the only way of still securing an entry into that sold-out event.
Dr Evil has reserved a limited number of entries for those still wanting to do both events. If you’ve already entered Karoo to Coast and you enter the Dr Evil Classic, you will secure a preferential start position.
The event sold out in 2015 and there is space for only 350 riders in 2016, of which only a limited number of spots are still available. Email zandile@ drevilclassic.com to enter.
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