CSA-MTBs National Cup Series culminates with the 4th leg in KwaZulu-Natal on 23rd and 24th June. Local track builders have been placing the finishing touches on the cross-country and downhill tracks this past weekend at World’s View in Hilton, the new venue for the event.
Participants and their supporters will now have a change of scenery at the World’s View venue that offers panoramic views overlooking the city of Pietermaritzburg below, including the previously scheduled Cascades world cup venue.
Trail builder and accomplished veteran mountain biker Kim Phillips has tackled KZNs old favourite venue with a vengeance and believes he has created an enjoyable yet challenging cross-country course for the 2012 season finale. World Cup downhill course builder Nigel Hicks has been overseeing the final additions and extensions to the existing World’s View downhill track, designed and built by local rider Shane Martin.
With ample plantation and a few trails already in place, Phillips and Martin have been cutting some new track to add to the existing trails, and the DHI and XCO events will be located within metres of each other.
Enjoyable Yet Challenging XCO
Natural rock gardens, variable terrain and different types of soil conditions have provided Phillips with the perfect canvas to create an enjoyable track with singletrack and jeep track making up almost 4km of the 6km lap, presenting 125m per lap in the form of short steep climbs.
The singletrack loop located in the Pine forests by the mast has been incorporated into the lap, which is predominantly situated on the plateau on the top with small excursions down to provide the climb back up. That is sure to get the heart rate going! The lap passes the start/finish feed zone at approximately half way before descending downward through the trees and back up again to complete the lap.
The longest climb measures about 400m and is technical and rocky, yet rideable. Most of the track follows the contours along single and dual trails through the trees, encountering four to five natural rock gardens – the rocks are like huge boulders and riders will have to ride over them or navigate around them. Whilst working, Phillips also came across new trail to the trig beacon on the top of World’s View – a footpath hugging the mountain – and that has been incorporated as well.
Focus Will See You Good on DHI Track
Local downhillers who participated in the KZN provincial race recently will be familiar with the majority of the DHI track for next weekend’s race. Martin has created a 1.6km track with a total elevation loss of 220m that is designed to test the riders’ skill and stamina over the fast course.
The course is divided into 3 distinct sections; an initial 2m high rock drop, 20m from the start immediately puts the riders into the thick of things. The top of the track consists of fast swooping singletrack, littered with jumps, that drops the rider through “The Subway” across an access road and into the steep technical section of “Protein Pass” just past the halfway mark. Protein Pass will make or break your run with a tight and steep off camber section and a rock garden at the bottom to double out of.
The lower portion of the track opens out onto a large grassed area that descends towards Wiley Park offering an old-school style flat-out section with large open turns down to the finish. This section will generate high speed with riders expected to clock 60-70km/hour, but even though there are no big jumps to contend with, riders are cautioned of the dangers lurking in the grass as hidden holes and big rocks will ensure that they remain focussed throughout their run.
Season Finale
For the regular competitors this is the fourth and final leg of the 2012 CSA-MTB National Cup Series, in a year that has seen new talent brought to the fore. Riders have the last chance to earn series championship points on 23rd and 24th June. One more race remains in 2012, and that is the one-off Championship race to be held at Mankele in Mpumalanga in July.
KwaZulu-Natal is well known for their abundance of forestry trails encouraging a bustling mountain biking community, and the XCO and DHI course builders have gone the extra mile to develop the perfect track to end a fantastic season, and are ready to welcome SAs best in less than two weeks.
Online entries are open – click here to enter the CSA-MTB National Cup Series # 4 XCO/DHI
Pre-entries close on Wednesday 20th June. Late entries will be accepted at registration on Friday only for the XCO, and on Friday and Saturday for the DHI race.
For any further information please contact Vicky Peddle at KZN MTB on 082 896 6864 or email info@kznmtb.co.za
