In the short time that we knew late former President Nelson Mandela as a leader in our country and internationally, he left us with a very special part of his legacy being his extreme love for sport and his belief that sport would cross and cover all barriers and boundaries.
The mountain bike race will start and finish at the monumental Nelson Mandela Capture Site in the beautiful KwaZulu-Natal Midlands for the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash on Saturday 29 August 2015. © Darren Goddard
We saw this in events such as the 1995 Rugby World Cup, his profound influence on our national cricket team, his links to our aquatics team and more, and so the privilege to be able to use his name and to have his on-going legacy connected to cycling in our country is just wonderful.
Such an event, now in its second year and set to become entrenched on the annual cycling calendar going forward, would not be possible without the leadership and generosity of the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, located in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. As sport lovers we are indebted to our local political fathers and mothers who lead our regional area and districts and municipalities, which include the seven local municipalities Impendle – Impendle, Mkhambathini – Camperdown, Mpofana – Mooi River, Msunduzi – Pietermaritzburg, Richmond – Richmond, uMngeni – Howick, and uMshwathi – New Hanover/Wartburg.
Their generous funding for this event is a marriage between their desire and that of Mandela’s to continue seeing barriers broken down and sport becoming an influence in our social and sporting lives, accessible for all people.
The Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash is paralleled to the running marathon race and is a “triumph of the human spirit” presenting distances of 42km, 21km and 10km mountain bike routes.
Participants will experience a new and improved challenging but scenic route at the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site (R103) KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday 29 August 2015. © Darren Goddard
Of great significance, the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash begins and ends at the internationally famous Nelson Mandela Capture Site, where Madiba was apprehended in 1962 and taken into captivity and incarcerated, mainly on Robben Island for some 27 years until his release in 1994. It is ironic that we should be using his name under a banner of freedom at his original capture site.
Cycling KZN President, Greg Stedman, says: “We at Cycling KwaZulu-Natal (CKZN) are glad to be involved in the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash, not only as the sanctioning body but also as part of the organisation of such a prestigious event, which is now in its second year. All events that are run by CKZN have a strong focus on development, and this event is no different. By developing the young cyclists of KwaZulu-Natal, we believe that this will make a huge impact on increasing our talent pool and discovering our future champions in the province.”
Participants of the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash will be experiencing a new revamped route with the valuable input from maestro mountain bike course designer, Nick Floros.
The 42km route includes the popular and newly established trails through the Sappi forests in the Lions River Valley from David and Dwayne Arpin of Big Wheel Cycles. Extending into Howick, the Howick MTB Club’s well-maintained trail network will also be utilised.
Pitched at the regular rider, competitors will still require a reasonable level of fitness in order to enjoy the 42km race, bearing in mind that the route needs to be challenging for the top riders as well.
For those considering mountain biking or for those who have lost a little of their fitness, the 20km race is a great stepping stone to mountain biking and to getting back into the sport. The 10km is along a relatively flat route, also along a totally revamped course with a great amount of singletrack included as well.
Riders of all ages will be able to compete in either the 42km, 21km or 10km race Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site (R103) KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday 29 August 2015. © Darren Goddard
On behalf of Floros and KZN MTB, we extend a huge thanks to Sappi and to all the landowners on whose properties the race routes will traverse.
Online pre-entries for the Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash are open, and close on Wednesday 26 August. Late entries will be accepted at registration, which is at Greg Minnaar Cycles, Town Bush Road, Pietermaritzburg from 12:00-17:00 on 28 August, and at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site from 06:30-08:00 on race day, 29 August.
Race Start Time Pre Entry Fee Late Entry Fee
10km Fun Ride 08:30 R 80,00 R 100,00
21km MTB Intermediate 08:15 R 100,00 R 120,00
42km MTB Classic 08:00 R 130,00 R 150,00
The total prize purse of R120 000 is up for grabs with a break down amongst the categories and distances as per the table below.
For information on the 2015 Mandela Day Marathon MTB Dash, visit the official website – http://www.mandelamarathon.co.za/
For more information on KZN MTB Commission, visit – http://www.kznmtb.co.za/
For the online event entries, visit the ROAG website – http://www.roag.co.za/eventinfo.aspx?EventID=1599
