Just wondered if you guys were aware of the Tour of Arae (pronounced Ara) that's going on in the Karoo at the moment.35 entrants with only South African-made classic bikes allowed - they're going MTBing across gravel, sand and everything indigenous. A bit like the early TdF. There's a thread here on the Hub, as a FB page, and www.tourofarae.co.za. The Tour of Arae, named in Latin for the southern-hemisphere constellation Ara, is a prestige race that will be ridden on vintage South African built steel bicycles in the proud tradition of the early Italian multi-day stage races. Open to only 35 racers, the first edition - 23 to 28 August of 2014 - will take riders, predominantly over hard gravel roads, from the mountains of Franschoek to Robertson, past the Anysberg Nature Reserve north to Touwsriver, then south of the N1 to Laingsburg. From there north-east to the little town of Merweville, then a climb into the west to Sutherland, after which the last stage to the south will be a race to the finish in the heart of the Karoo at the Matjiesfontein Hotel. The Tour of Arae will take place over 6 days and about 666 km. Racing against the clock, stages will be difficult and challenging, predominately over varying quality dirt roads, with the longest day being about 160 km. Riders will encounter soft sand, corrugated roads, loose stones and sharp tyre-shredding rocks, and possibly even rain and snow. On the sixth and final day, all competitors will race to a point outside Matjiesfontein, where the clock will be stopped. When all active racers are together, there will be a sprint for the finish line outside the historic and majestic Matjiesfontein Hotel. The sprint finish time will be added to their final overall time. There is no prize, but the racer with the overall fastest time will receive the champion's woolen jersey in their size - bearing the race name, year and their name, and a custom Tour of Arae frame badge honoring their victory in 2014. They will also hold, for one year, the floating ring that will bear the initials of each year's winner (preferably displayed in their closest bike shop in it's custom display case). The Tour of Arae is completely independent, and paid for by the entrants - there are no sponsors or patrons, and we aim to keep it that way. This race is ridden entirely at your own risk. You cannot hold anybody but yourself responsible for what might transpire during the Tour of Arae. So don't come crying if you get a flat or lose a finger.
