Events

Naas Botha and co call Burry Stander Fundraiser MTB Series to life

· By Matt · 0 comments

Mountain bikers who are passionate about the sport and appreciate the contribution made by the late Burry Stander to South African mountain biking, will get an opportunity next Saturday (11 May) to ride in honour of his memory and to raise funds for the Burry Stander Foundation that is starting to find its feet.

The idea to create a Burry Stander Mountain Bike Series is the brainchild of Alan Roxton Wiggill from Community Sport and Recreation, who is an avid mountain biker himself. With this series Community Sports hopes to not only aid the Burry Stander Foundation financially, but to in the long run also create new permanent MTB trails.

Community Sport and Recreation has already donated R10 000 towards the foundation in addition to some of the proceeds going towards the cause as well. Roxton Wiggill urges every rider who enters to make a further donation towards the Burry Stander Foundation.

Naas Botha, the legendary former Springbok fly half, is a director of the organization behind the race organization. The series will consist of three races, the second of which will take place on 6 September. “This is only a small beginning, but I sincerely hope that it will snowball into something much bigger that will enable the Foundation to make a difference to cycle safety in South Africa,” said Roxton Wiggill.

A good aspect of the Burry Stander Mountain Bike Series is that riders will not have to drive hundreds of kilometres to be able to take part. With the constant increase in the price of petrol and diesel this is definitely an added bonus. Saturday’s race (11 May) will start and finish at the Nokeng Eco Lodge, which is only a 40-minute drive north of Pretoria.

Roxton Wiggill promises that the riders will be in for a real treat. “They will enjoy a true bushveld experience. The riders will ride along the Elands River for long stretches and there will even be a few river crossings.

“They will also ride around the Rust de Winter Dam. When we were planning the routes for the 70km, 40km and 20km races, we did our very best to keep to the true principles of mountain biking and we offer riders exclusive access to virgin trails never ridden before with breath taking views of the bushveld.

“This means that riders can expect to ride along challenging single-track and jeep-track sections. Although there will be one or two really tough climbs on the route, our emphasis when planning the route was on providing fun to the participants. Those who tackle the 70 km route are in for some awesome and challenging riding in some great hills.

“I urge riders who do not focus entirely on winning, to enjoy the scenery. The route passes through some privately owned game farms and the rust de Winter Nature Reserve, chances are good that they might encounter antelope species such as Giraffe, Kudu, Njala and Wildebeest on their journey.

“Furthermore, the bird life in the area is something else.”

As part of their effort to create a true family day, the organizers decided to offer 2km and 6km races as well.These races will be absolutely free. There are walks, Wild Golf, food, and drinks available at the venue. For those who wish to spend a night or two in the bush there is a wide range of accommodation available.

“We want families to come out and enjoy themselves.”

What excited the trustees of the Burry Stander Foundation is the long term goal of the events to create permanent routes on the three main ridges through the Pretoria area where mountain bikers could safely practice the sport they hold dear.

For event and accommodation enquires Email dinokengjunxion@gmail.com

For Race entries visit www.eventry.co.za/event_entry/basket/35751

For more information visit the Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/burrystanderseries

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