Kylie

Event Name: CANCELLED: Thirsti Extreme When: 28 April 2017 - 30 April 2017 Where: Thirsti Bottling Plant, Newcastle, Kwazulu-Natal Category: MTB The 28th April 2017 marks the date for the inaugural Thirsti Extreme Solo Stage race. Thirsti Natural Spring Water is water with a difference. It is sourced from deep within the Drakensberg, naturally filtered to keep the exact taste that nature intended. We are very excited to be hosting the Thirsti Extreme Solo Stage race on our property which sits in the rolling foothills of the Northern Drakensberg. We at Thirsti believe strongly in the benefits of an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. As such we are thrilled to be associated with mountain biking in South Africa. The THIRSTI EXTREME race will focus on the best SOLO riders over 3 days with a big money purse for the overall winners. The race will see men and women starting separately to ensure that all genders have a fair chance at competing for the win. 3 days - 225 km – 4537m ascent Thirsti would like to be associated with the professional riders of the future. We have decided to offer very attractive prize money to our junior riders, Boys and Girls. The THIRSTI Junior Extreme 130 caters for some tough riding with 2 categories for the u/15-16 and u/17-18. 3 days - 130km - 2600m ascent For the Weekend Warriors we have the THIRSTI Extreme 130 race which will follow the same route as the Thirsti Junior Extreme 130 race. 3 days – 130 km – 2600m ascent The OPEN DAY on Saturday 29th April 2017 will form part of day 2 and is a one day race which caters for the whole family. You will have the option of either competing in a 52km, 25km or 10km MTB race or the 15km Trail run. Segment time! With a track jacked up in the final stretch before the finish we promise to end your day on a high. Every rider participating in any one of the stage races (Extreme 225, Extreme Junior 130 or Extreme 130) has an opportunity of winning this TIMED SEGMENT. Prize money will be awarded to the rider with the fastest overall time for this SEGMENT over the 3 days. Best Local rider Local is Lekker. We have prize money for the LOCAL HERO and HEROINE. As organisers we have decided to acknowledge the best male and female rider in Northern KZN. This is only applicable to riders that frequently compete in races in N-KZN, as well as riders from the towns of Volksrust, Piet Retief, Memel and Vrede. Local rider means a rider residing in the above mentioned locations and participating in the Northern KZN events. The race organiser will remain the sole adjudicator on who is deemed to be local, if you want to be included in this category please contact us. Go to Event PageThirsti 1.tiff

In terms of women’s cycling gear in South Africa, a decent pair of baggies can be hard to find. Specialized are one of a few brands offering baggies for women. I tried both the Women’s Andorra Comp and Women’s Andorra Pro shorts for comparison. Click here to view the article

The MotoDiva are women’s specific all-round mountain bike shoes from Specialized. They feature the popular Boa dial for quick and easy fastening and adjustment, as well as an injection moulded nylon sole with SlipNot rubber tread for good grip when not on two wheels. They also have a hard moulded toe box for extra protection in the event of rock strikes. Click here to view the article

The Element is a dual suspension 29er XC-race weapon from Rocky Mountain. Click here to view the article

Stage Two of the FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) Mountain Bike (MTB) Race saw an exciting turn of events unfold at the Oak Valley Wine Estate (Elgin-Grabouw) on Saturday, 12 November 2016 with a sprint finish in both the men’s and women’s races resulting in new stage winners being crowned on the day. Click here to view the article

Agreed! If only

The mid-week Ride is traditionally the more fun event in the Wines2Whales family, arguably attracting a more relaxed crowd than the Race and the Adventure. We were looking forward to some good times and enjoyable racing. Click here to view the article

A group of courageous mountain bikers are set to make a powerful contribution to the fight against rhino poaching in KwaZulu-Natal when they tackle the daunting task of cycling 340km from Hillcrest to Hilltop Camp in Hluhluwe Game Reserve during the 2016 uBhejane Xtreme MTB Challenge on Saturday 10 December. Click here to view the article

The STBB 2-Keep-a-Breast MTB challenge is held annually at Overgauuw Wine Estate in the Bottelary Hills. It aims to raise funds to combat breast cancer, and proceeds are donated to CANSA. Click here to view the article

With lungs full of dense coastal air and legs still shaky from the Lesotho Sky, we headed out to the tranquil La Paris farm in Franschhoek for the inaugural Varsity MTB Challenge sponsored by FNB. The race features two stages both approximately 50 kilometres, making for fast-paced racing on the sharp end of the field, while remaining a comfortable distance for weekend warriors. As the name suggests, the race is a platform for inter-varsity competition, but is also open to alumni and the general public. Click here to view the article

Thank you

The final stage of Lesotho Sky 2016 took place at Semonkong Lodge, nestled next to the Maletsunyane River high in the Maluti mountains. The drive to the start of the stage was an experience of its own: nearly an hour of the most incredible winding passes. You could almost feel the air getting thinner as we headed skywards. Click here to view the article

Today made the preceding stages of Lesotho Sky look like a picnic in the park. It was not our lucky day. The legs were feeling a bit better, morale was high, and we were looking forward to a slightly shorter ride, keeping things in our comfort zone. Click here to view the article

Day 4 of Lesotho Sky saw us tackle another hefty stage, riding 78 kilometres from Roma to Ramabanta Trading post via Bushman’s Pass and the infamous Three Witches. It was another day of digging deep for us. I had forgotten to pack my legs and had to be dragged up every single incline, gasping like a fish out of water. This was not ideal since we had to climb over 2300 metres during the stage, and some heroic pulling was required. Click here to view the article

Today’s stage saw us ride 87 kilometres from Malealea Lodge to Roma with what ended up measuring around 1900 metres of vertical ascent. It is the longest stage of the race and took us into a very dark place. Click here to view the article

Day 2 of Lesotho Sky saw us take on the infamous Malealea Monster in a 55km loop from Malealea Lodge with 1,430 metres of ascent. This was probably my favourite day from last year, featuring beast climbs followed by incredible, fun, and sketchy descents, keeping the climbing to reward ratio high. The Malealea Loop did not disappoint today. Click here to view the article

The Lesotho Sky takes a different format this year and starts with a bang - there is no short prologue to ease riders into the thin air of the Maloti mountains. The race starts with the gruelling ride from Ramabanta Trading Post to Malealea Lodge over 69 kilometres with 1800 metres of vertical ascent.* After months of anticipation and days of travel to get to Ramabanta, we were eager to get going, despite the bone-chilling temperatures predicted for the week to come. Click here to view the article

The Women’s LoDown are full finger, minimalist gloves from Specialized. They offer a second skin fit for those looking for minimum interference between hand and bar. Click here to view the article

The women’s Propero 2 is a mid-range road helmet from the wizards at Specialized. It is a more economical version of the top of the range Prevail helmet, and shares many of the fundamental features - including styling based on the 4th Dimension Cooling System with the Maserati-esque front vent (referred to by Specialized as the Megamouth port) and the Tri-Fix web splitter system for comfortable and easy strap adjustments. Click here to view the article

Travelling with a bicycle can be a daunting prospect. Moving bike and worldly belongings around an airport, and in and out of different vehicles safely is an uncomfortable task; especially for those of us who shirk on gym. Luckily EVOC have developed their bike travel bag to make this process a little easier. Click here to view the article

The Silverback Salice is a do-it-all women-specific road bike from Silverback. It features a lightweight compact geometry aluminium frame, a full carbon fork for a fast, comfortable ride, and a reliable groupset at a palatable price. Click here to view the article

Awesome race! Scenic route, well marked, great water points and course elevation and distance were correct. Thanks to the organisers

For some reason I find the concept of this event sexist and patronising. But then I am definitely not the intended target market, and I am sure there are many who will enjoy it.

A really well organised event- a fun, clearly marked course, easy registration and a good spot to chill afterwards. The course was fast and the long, jeep track section at the beginning meant we didn't see much congestion on the singletrack. Thanks to the organisers!

Fantastic race and route! The organiser's have really levelled up with this one. I really appreciate the women's start batch at these races- it makes for more interesting racing and less congested single track. Thanks Advendurance