Barberton, a small historical town bordering Swaziland, yet only a mere 4 hour drive from Johannesburg to this tranquil destination. The Barberton Rotary Club launched the Barberton Mountain Bike Classic 19 years ago, which makes it one of the oldest and first official mountain bike races in the country. This tradition will continue with the next Barberton XCM MTB Challenge taking place on 31 January 2015. Pre-entries are open and you can enter at www.cycleevents.co.za or www.barbertonxcm.co.za Barberton is known for the Barberton daisy, the first stock exchange of the world, and the newly launched Geotrail which is a very interesting route that explains the over 3.5 billion year old rocks – believed to be the oldest in the world. Don’t let the beauty of Barberton fool you! The Barberton XCM Mountain Bike Challenge is not as delicate as a daisy! Following the feedback we received from some of the cyclists the decision was made to amend some of the routes and to add an additional route. The race boosts 5 different categories; · The “very delicate” 20km Fun ride · The “delicate” 30km Half marathon · The “not so delicate” 48km half marathon · The “not so delicate” 77km Full marathon and · The “not so delicate” 110km Ultra marathon The Barberton XCM route is one of the toughest in the country and rubs shoulders with races such as the Cape Epic and even the “Le Tour de France”. The Ultra Marathon cyclists will peak their 110km route at just under 1,800m above sea-level, whilst the 20km fun ride cyclists will peak at just under 700m above sea-level. All races will start and end at the Barberton High School sports fields. With a festival-like atmosphere, there is much for the fans and supporters to do whilst waiting for the cyclists to return from their thrilling adventure ride. This incredibly scenic route takes you up the Makhonjwa Mountains with majestic views over the De Kaap Valley, through nature reserves, dams and very close to the Swaziland border. According to Nic Eksteen, President of the Barberton Rotary Club, this race is the perfect opportunity for cyclists to test their fitness and skill. Eksteen is very excited about the changes to the current routes which include single tracks, guaranteed to make the race more exciting and challenging. For more information regarding the routes and profiles, the Rotary, stalls, sponsorships, accommodation in town and tourist attractions, please visit www.barbertonxcm.co.za. To stay updated with the latest news and updates follow us on Twitter @BarbertonXCM and Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarbertonXCM The Barberton Mountain Bike Challenge – Not as delicate as a daisy!