After an overwhelming response and a fantastic day of racing at the first leg, it is without doubt that this year’s Stihl 2016 SA MTB Cup XCO Series will be one for the books. Online pre-entries for the second round, taking place outside just Somerset West on Helderberg Farm in the Western Cape on Saturday 27 February are now open.
With a UCI Category 1 rating for Pro Elite Men and Women, some of the nation’s top cross-country fanatics will once again be taking to the tracks and trails for an early opportunity to increase their UCI points tally towards their Rio Olympics 2016 qualification in the all-important Olympic year. A Full Racing License is required to participate in the Pro Elite categories.
Local landowner and keen mountain biker, Jan van Schalkwyk, is constantly developing both the cross-country as well as downhill courses on the farm. Van Schalkwyk has a great passion for the sport. His willingness to listen to advice from, and to take into consideration the input of, the riders is on going, resulting in the courses always leaning in favour of the mountain bike enthusiasts.
With the help of the Neethling Brothers, Andrew and Jonty, and their international mountain biking experience, the standard of the trails are on par with other international cross-country tracks.
The course offers many sharp climbs and super fun downhill sections, as well as thrilling steep berms. The climbs are on an open section of the trail to allow riders to pass. Both feed zones are in close proximity to the finish line, so that back-up crews are able to stay in contact with their riders right up to the finish line.
The third round of the Stihl 2016 SA XCO Cup Series is made possible by the valued support of XCO Andreas Stihl (Pty) Ltd, as well as the contributions of the local land owners, Subaru Cape Town, Giant, Western Cape Cycling and Durbanville Commercial Printers.
Online pre-entries are open, and close at midnight on Tuesday 23 February. Click here to enter: https://entries.cyclingsa.com/events/4441-sa-cup-series-xco-2. Late entries will be accepted at registration, with a nominal charge of R50 in addition to the entry fee.
For event information and route map, please visit http://www.cyclingsa.com/2016-sa-mtb-cup-series/, or contact Dellah Paul on 082 781 5656 (for administration info).
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