DirtBag

found this on www.ecmtb.co.za The Route: Stage 1 Stage one starts at Cremorne Estate, winds West along the Umzimvubu river, then heads up North into some amazing ancient forests, along paths used by the locals as short-cuts between distant villages. The route then follows some inland jeep tracks up the side of a hill, bypassing the villages toward the Mzintlava River. You will reach the highest point of the day at 317m above sea level, before pointing your steed down and Southward , following some sublime single track for many kilometres down toward Poenskop(a renowned fishing spot). From here there is 7km of arguably the most scenic gravel road in the country: All flat , and the first stretch is constantly 20m from the beach, the next section runs right on the edge of the Mighty Umzimvubu river, and just below the towering cliffs of Mount Sullivan. The stage finishes again at Cremorne Estate. Stage 2 Stage 2 starts at Cremorne Estate again, but this time there will be a neutral zone along the tar road all the way to Port st Johns town. Then we will be riding past all Port st Johns most famous beaches and world renowned surf spots. This road takes us to Silaka Game Reserve where we are almost guaranteed to see Zebra and Blou Wildebeest grazing right next to the beach!! (bring your camera’s as this is usually a once in a lifetime sight!). Then there is some climbing to do as we need to get over the back end of Mount Thesiger past some amazing coastal forests, cross over the R61, and then in to an unexpected world of farm lands along the banks of the Umzimvubu river. Here we will cross over the Umzimvubu 3 times!! Wait and see how we get across! Memories will be made here! The last 10km is jeep track hugging the banks of the Umzimvubu river, most of the time riding under canopy of ancient forests. These are routes that few ‘outsiders’ have ever seen. We finish again at Cremorne Estate.

It is going to be LEGENDARY!! There are sooooo many unbelevable tracks in this area that only the locals know knew.....untill they showed us!!

WILD COAST RAMPAGE 2 day MTB Stage Race Hi Guys Entries for a brand new race on our calendar have just opened up to the public! Welcome the “WILD COAST RAMPAGE” 2 day mountain bike stage race in Port st Johns. This race has been taylor-made for the guys who do not have a lot of leave to spare, but want to get into Stage Racing. Both stages start and finish at Cremorne Estate (4km outside Port st Johns town). Come and experience why they call Port st Johns the JEWEL OF THE WILD COAST. Race Dates: 1 – 2 September 2012 (Saturday & Sunday) Race Briefing and Registration: Friday evening 31 August 2012 Stage 1 Fast Facts 59km 1440m total vertical ascent Gravel Road = 40% Jeep Track = 34% Single Track = 25% Rocky Footpath = 1% Tar = 0% , Beach = 0% Stage 2 Fast Facts 55km 1230m total vertical ascent Gravel Road = 40% Jeep Track = 30% Single Track = 20% Rocky Footpath = 0% Tar = 10% , Beach = 0% Prize Giving will be at 14:00 on the Sunday afternoon, so there is even time to drive home afterward. The routes follow forest paths, jeep track, some gravel roads and a little tar on day 2 to get to the good stuff. No swimming through shark infested rivers or battling along sandy beaches. This is proper mountain biking The entry options are as follows: Full Team Entry: Included in the Full Team entry fee of R 4,000-00 is: Entry into the race for the two entrants, 2 nights(Friday & Sat) full hotel accommodation and all meals, quality race tops and a goodie bag with some very indigenous goodies - Accommodation will be provided by The Spotted Grunter, Port st Johns River Lodge, Umzimvubu Retreat and Outspan Inn. If however you want the above entry and want to stay right at the race village at Cremorne Estate, there is an additional R300 booking charge. There is only space for 20 teams at Cremorne. Camping – Fully Catered Option: This entry option costs R 3,000-00 per team of 2 and gives you: Entry into the race for the two entrants, 2 nights camp site(to pitch your own tent) and including all meals, quality race tops and a goodie bag(same as above goody bags). This also means you are staying within 100m of the start line! Budget Entry option: Cost= R 2,200-00 which includes: Entry into the race for the two entrants, lunch every race day, quality race tops and a goodie bag (same as above). Where is Port st Johns?: Port st Johns is a coastal town in the heart of the Wild Coast. It is 90km due East of Mthatha. It is 315km from East London (3hour drive all tar); and 239km from Port Shepstone(2hour40 drive all tar); 357km from Durban (3hour40 drive all tar) (See maps below on how to get to Port st Johns) Many people's first reaction on Port st Johns is "but isn't there lots of crime?". And the answer is: In the past Port st Johns did battle with lots of theft. But, of late there have been many government driven projects in the area driving the economy. This brought about investment in the Town - a new Super Spar and many tourist accommodation venues. Thus there are much more jobs, and therefore crime has diminished to the odd petty theft. The routes you will be riding were found by Dan Cornick, myself and a couple of avid mountain bikers in the Backpackers community. And most of the time we would be MTB'ing alone finding these routes. So according to our experiences, it is perfectly safe to come ride around The Jewel of the Wild Coast. Brought to you by the same organisers that run the Lord of the Chain Rings. For more info and online entries go to WWW.ECMTB.CO.ZA

Only 5 spots left at the Race Village!!

Hi Guys! There are only 10 spots left to stay at the awesome race village - Cremorne Estate!! Act Quickly!! B)

Where is Port st Johns?: Port st Johns is a coastal town in the heart of the Wild Coast. It is 90km due East of Mthatha. It is 315km from East London (3hour drive all tar); and 239km from Port Shepstone(2hour40 drive all tar); 357km from Durban (3hour40 drive all tar) Many people's first reaction on Port st Johns is "but isn't there lots of crime?". And the answer is: In the past Port st Johns did battle with lots of theft. But, of late there have been many government driven projects in the area driving the economy. This braught about investement in the Town - a new Super Spar and many tourist accommodation venues. Thus there are much more jobs, and therefore crime has deminished to the odd petty theft. The routes you will be riding were found by Dan Cornick, myself and a couple of avid mountain bikers in the Backpackers community. And most of the time we would be MTB'ing alone finding these routes. So according to our experiences, it is perfectly safe to come ride around The Jewel of the Wild Coast.

The Route: Stage 1 Stage one starts at Cremorne Estate, winds West along the Umzimvubu river, then heads up North into some amazing ancient forests, along paths used by the locals as short-cuts between distant villages. The route then follows some inland jeep tracks up the side of a hill, bypassing the villages toward the Mzintlava River. You will reach the highest point of the day at 317m above sea level, before pointing your steed down and Southward , following some sublime single track for many kilometres down toward Poenskop(a renowned fishing spot). From here there is 7km of arguably the most scenic gravel road in the country: All flat , and the first stretch is constantly 20m from the beach, the next section runs right on the edge of the Mighty Umzimvubu river, and just below the towering cliffs of Mount Sullivan. The stage finishes again at Cremorne Estate. Stage 2 Stage 2 starts at Cremorne Estate again, but this time there will be a neutral zone along the tar road all the way to Port st Johns town. Then we will be riding past all Port st Johns most famous beaches and world renowned surf spots. This road takes us to Silaka Game Reserve where we are almost guaranteed to see Zebra and Blou Wildebeest grazing right next to the beach!! (bring your camera’s as this is usually a once in a lifetime sight!). Then there is some climbing to do as we need to get over the back end of Mount Thesiger past some amazing coastal forests, cross over the R61, and then in to an unexpected world of farm lands along the banks of the Umzimvubu river. Here we will cross over the Umzimvubu 3 times!! Wait and see how we get across! Memories will be made here! The last 10km is jeep track hugging the banks of the Umzimvubu river, most of the time riding under canopy of ancient forests. These are routes that few ‘outsiders’ have ever seen. We finish again at Cremorne Estate.

This is one of the tracks you will be riding, right next to the wild coastline.

Hi There Izak Here it is: http://vimeo.com/36018088

Luckily all the waterpoints are stocked with Squirt Lube, so you will be able to top-up on-route :-)

Hi Guys! There are only 15 spots left to stay at the awesome race village - Cremorne Estate!! Act Quickly!! B)

Event Name: WILD COAST RAMPAGE When: 1 September 2012 - 2 September 2012 Where: Port st Johns, Eastern Cape Category: MTB The Wild Coast Rampage is a 2 day MTB stage race with each day’s stage starting and finishing in Port st Johns. Riders will cover approximately 120km over the 2 days of varied terrain: forested single track, cattle track, jeep track and varied farm roads as they make their way to the finish line. ENTRY OPTIONS: Included in the Full Team entry fee of R 4,000-00 is: Entry into the race for the two entrants, 2 nights full hotel accommodation and all meals, quality race tops and a goodie bag with some very indigenous goodies - Accommodation will be provided by The Spotted Grunter, Port st Johns River Lodge, Umzimvubu Retreat and Outspan Inn. If however you want the above entry and want to stay right at the race village at Cremorne Estate, there is an additional R300 booking charge. There is only space for 20 teams at Cremorne. Camping Full Entry Option. This entry option costs R 3,000-00 per team of 2 and gives you: Entry into the race for the two entrants, 2 nights camp site(to pitch your own tent) and including all meals, quality race tops and a goodie bag(same as above goody bags). This also means you are staying within 100m of the start line! There is a Budget entry option of R 2,200-00 which includes: Entry into the race for the two entrants, lunch every race day, quality race tops and a goodie bag (same as above). But you organise your own accommodation. For more info and online entries go to WWW.ECMTB.CO.ZA Go to Event Page

Hay Guys!! How was this MONSTROUS RIDE??

Hectic riding up ontop of the mountain!!

Hay Stockcarracer! Glad you enjoyed the event! It is always amazingly rewarding to see and hear that you guys enjoy our events! As we keep telling people, we are a bunch of mountain bikers that put together races the way we would want them all to be. And one of our driving forces behind route selection is to take Mountain Bikers, and put them back onto Mountains! Because that is where we belong. We want to be able to turn around and say....Wow! Did I just ride UP THERE!!! And we know that the tough rides are always the most memorable. Thanks for your feedback Sir! p.s. take a look at some of the photo’s I took at the compulsory stop at the top of the mountain. http://www.ecmtb.co.za/index.php?page_name=gallery.php&item_id=22

Event Name: Jeep Katberg MTB Classic When: 21 April 2012 Where: Katberg Eco Golf Estate near Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape Category: MTB It is time again for the annual Jeep Katberg Mountain Bike Classic. This event has been wildly popular amongst mountain bikers in the Eastern Cape as it really puts the “Mountain” back into mountain biking! There are 4 distances to take part in: there are the 55km or 35km Challenging rides, and a 20km fun ride and lastly a 5km kiddies ride. The kiddies ride is sponsored by Spur so they will be getting special medals, burgers, T-shirts and even discount vouchers! The rides all start and finish at the Katberg Golf Estate which is just North of Fort Beaufort, so it is a 2,5 hour drive from Port Elizabeth or a 2 hour drive from East London. And the races start from 08:45 in the morning, so there is enough time to drive through just for the day. Get more info and enter online at www.ecmtb.co.za Go to Event Page

Wow Izak, thank you for the kind words. As you said: by mtb'rs for mtb'rs. We run the race the way we would like all races to be like. We were challenged this year to grow the race just a little bit and at the same time, make it more accessible to all types of riders. So we have pushed up the number of entries to 120 teams, and added a new dormitory style accommodation option which is cheaper, but still including all meals! We are also addressing the cramped prizegivings by moving them all to a massive hall at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback. There are also some exciting new sponsors coming onboard. So......this year will be even better!

Wow Izak, thank you for the kind words. As you said: by mtb'rs for mtb'rs. We run the race the way we would like all races to be like. We were challenged this year to grow the race just a little bit and at the same time, make it more accessible to all types of riders. So we have pushed up the number of entries to 120 teams, and added a new dormitory style accommodation option which is cheaper, but still including all meals! We are also addressing the cramped prizegivings by moving them all to a massive hall at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback. There are also some exciting new sponsors coming onboard. So......this year will be even better!

Lord of the Chain Rings on TV Tonight!!! The Lord of the Chain Rings 2011 has been on DSTV a couple times this week already. We sent the info to all the riders but forgot to send it to you guys our loyal HUBSA followers!! The footage will be screening 3 more times this week and here are the times and channels: Thursday, January 12, 2012 18:00 - 18:30 SS6 Channel 206 MiWay Mountain Biking Eps. 64 Lord Of The Chainrings MTB Challenge & Friday, January 13, 2012 00:30 - 01:00 SS6 Channel 206 MiWay Mountain Biking Eps. 64 Lord Of The Chainrings MTB Challenge 10:00 - 10:30 SS6 Channel 206 MiWay Mountain Biking Eps. 64 Lord Of The Chainrings MTB Challenge Enjoy!

HAHA!! Just sent you a mail

Merida will also be giving away HEAPS and HEAPS of promotional stuff at the final evening.....last year they gave us 50 top quality Merida shirts to give away..... who can remember the insanity surrounding the actual give-aways!?!

Merida has just confirmed they are giving us a bike to the value of R 10,000-00 to give away as a lucky draw at our final evenings prize giving!! How cool!!

Jay!!! Hemmingways Casino has just agreed to sponsor 2 Development Teams entry!!! I'm sure nobody would mind if we squeeze in 2 more teams for the upliftment of our sport and some deserving riders who otherwise would never be able to experience this kind of race. Any Objections?

Hay Chaps, the organizing for this event is going amazingly well! We have our grimey little paws on awesome Salomon jackets for all the entrants, goodybags stuffed with useful stuff, 3 brand new routes, heaps of brand spanking new single track, top notch accommodation and a whole town looking forward to a raving bunch of MTB'ers. Things could not be going any better.

Hi Captain M Jip! The race is full!! We have 100 teams!! We are going to institute a waiting list, so people wanting to get on the list must email me at info@ecmtb.co.za sothat we can log their info in sequence. Please put the following in the subject field: " Lord of the Chain Rings 2011 waiting list " We want to stick to our limit of 100 teams this year, as we do not want to fall in the pitfall so many other races have fell in, where they try to grow too big too soon. And we want to keep the race special, without stuffing up the environment. So 100 teams will be our max this year. Hope you have entererd already!