With less than one month to go until the 2015 Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge, the majority of available entries for the event – especially the longer 55km route – have already been snapped up. Less than 2 000 entries are still available for the four routes at this year’s MTB Challenge, which kicks off the annual Cape Town Cycle Tour Lifecycle Week on 28 February 2014.
Entries for the 2015 event opened in September last year, coinciding with the announcement of the newly-named Cape Town Cycle Tour and MTB Challenge. Following rave reviews from riders who tackled the race in its new location in 2014, the MTB Challenge will return to Le Bonheur Wine Estate in the Greater Simonsberg Conservancy in Stellenbosch this year.
Well-known trail builder and mountain biking enthusiast, Meurant Botha of Dirtopia, has crafted the four routes specifically for this event. Botha shares some insight into what riders can expect, saying: “After moving the race to its new home at Le Bonheur Wine Estate last year, the feedback from riders has been overwhelmingly positive. Developing trails in this area is part of our legacy project, so we didn’t want to simply rehash 2014’s routes. Instead, we’ve introduced new scenic and shady areas for riders. We’ve also incorporated a lot more single-track – the most in the history of this event – and hope that this contributes to our aim of continuously improving the overall experience for our participants.”
The two shorter routes (14km and 22km) take place on Saturday, 28 February. Aspiring MTB-ers looking to enjoy a scenic ride through the beautiful Stellenbosch winelands are encouraged to secure their entries as soon as possible, with 600 entries still available for the 14km route, and 800 for the 22km route.
The MTB Challenge’s longer and more intense routes (38km and 55km) takes place on Sunday with some specially crafted trails. These two routes will see some of South Africa’s top mountain bikers compete for bragging rights as they conquer the wealth of dirt and single-track on offer. Eager participants should hurry as there are only 80 and less than 300 entries still available for the two long routes, respectively.
To ensure a pleasant and safe riding experience for all cyclists, the 14km and 22km routes on the Saturday are limited to a total of 2 000 riders, while the longer 38km and 55km routes on the Sunday are limited to 2 500 riders.
How to enter:
To enter the 2015 event, the following information is required:
- Your ID or passport
- A valid credit card
- Your medical aid details and membership number
- An emergency contact number
Visit www.cycletour.co.za, select the ‘Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge’ event from the list of Lifecycle Week events, and follow the easy instructions.
Keep informed of developments of the Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge by joining their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/cycletour or by following them on Twitter @TheMTBChallenge.
