[Event] BestMed Jock Cycle Classique, Presented By ASG

[ASG]

Event Name: BestMed Jock Cycle Classique, Presented By ASG

When: 20 July 2013

Where: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, Mpumulanga

Category: Road

 

2013 Jock features a new route, and new start at Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

 

The 2013 Bestmed Jock Cycle Classique, presented by ASG, takes place on 20 July 2013 and will feature a new route due to road works on the N4 highway between Nelspruit and Kaapmuiden. The organization has been hard at work securing the de-tour route and all is in place for yet another memorable edition of South Africa's toughest single day road bike challenge. The 2013 Jock will start and finish at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit with the stages linking White River and Sabie to the Lowveld's capital for a total 3-stage distance of 151km.

 

The stages are as follows:

Stage 1: Nelspruit – White River: 43km

Stage 2: White River – Sabie (via Spitskop): 45km

Stage 3: Sabie; Nelspruit (via Long Tom Pass): 63km

 

 

Stage 1: The first stage, which starts at 6:30, goes out from the Mbombela Stadium towards the Sabie road around Nelspruit. Competitors will ride 20km out until they turn down onto the Brondal road, past Heidel Eggs and ending at the Rob Ferreira School in White River at 43 km.

 

Stage 2: At 09:00 riders will start tackling the second stage (in the same order as the first. The race moves out of White River onto the Sabie road over Spitskop and will end at the entrance towards Sabie. It's a 45km ride after which the field will settle down to lunch at the Sabie Primary School before gearing up for the final leg.

 

Stage 3: The third stage starts at 12:30 from the School and riders almost immediately hit the first (and only) big obstacle - The Long Tom Pass. The pass is a monster, totaling 12km with an average gradient of 7 percent. The good news is that; after Long Tom - the riding becomes easier as the stage progresses all the way back to Nelspruit to finish back at the Mbombela Stadium.

 

Entry limit: Riders must please note that only 1500 entries for the 3-stage event will be accepted.

 

Cut-off and Prize Giving: The cut-off in Nelspruit is at 17:30 and prize giving will take place at 16:00.

 

Entry fees:

3-stage: R580

2-stage: R400

1-stage: R150

 

Spectator Packages: Spectators can book a package which will enable them to follow the race in one of the spectator busses and also eat breakfast and lunch with their loved ones taking part in the race. The spectator packages are R350 each (kids under 7 can come along and eat and ride for free with their parent/s)

 

Your entry fee includes:

Special Jock long sleeved shirt

Breakfast and lunch (for 3-stage riders, 2-stage riders will receive lunch only), catered by the parents; committees of schools in Sabie and White River.

Tog bag vehicles (please note your tog bag has to be on the tog bag vehicles 15 minutes prior to each stage start)

Goody bags with nutritional supplements and other rider aids

Some of the best water points and local hospitality you'll ever experience

Well marshalled roads

Excellent race control

Great camaraderie!

Lovely Lowveld sunshine

The satisfaction of conquering some of cycling's greatest climbs and the prestige of having completed South Africa's toughest single day race!

 

Registration: The stadium will play host to registration on Friday afternoon before race day from 14:00 - 16:00. The Joburg registration will be at Cycle Lab in Fourways on the Thursday prior to race day from 10:00 - 16:00. All sorts of eats, drinks and entertainment will be put on at the stadium on Friday and Staturday and there is more than ample, safe, parking for participants.

 

Official Vehicle Partner: NTT Toyota will again be the official vehicle partner to the Jock and have made more than 20 vehicles available to the organization.

 

Official Accomodation Partner: The Protea Hotel Nelspruit is the official accomodation partner for the 2013 Jock. The race headquarters will be at the Protea Hotel Nelspruit. For accomodation enquiries contact them on:

Email: res2@phnelspruit.co.za

Tel: 013 752 3948

 

Website: www.proteahotels/nelspruit.com

 

Tog bag vehicles: Tog bag vehicles will be available to transport rider's tog bags between stages. Please note that riders are only allowed one tog bag. The tog bag vehicles will be parked adjacent to the Food Service area at every stage finish. Please note your tog bag has to be on the tog bag vehicles 15 minutes prior to each stage start.

 

Riders must please note that only 1500 entries for the 3-stage event will be accepted. Prize giving will take place at Mbombela Stadium at 16h00 and the race will end at 17h30 officially. With every Jock medal worn, again a cyclist is born!

 

For further enquiries phone the race office on 076 621 1807 or email eventsupport@asgworld.co.za

 

Go to Event Page

Edited June 11, 2013 by ASG

[ASG]

Jock takes a detour – no Hilltop or Boulders

 

 

South Africa’s toughest one-day race, the BESTmed Jock Cycle Classique, will take a detour on a brand-new route when it is held for the 30^th time on July 20.

 

The three-stage national classic, which is presented by ASG, traditionally takes place on a triangular route between Barberton, Kaapmuiden and Nelspruit in Mpumalanga. But this year it has been diverted for the most mundane of reasons: roadworks.

 

“The route changes are due to roadworks on the N4 toll route in the area of Mara Valley and the Gorge,” says route director Egbert de Bruyn.

 

“There are stop/go controls there and the route over Boulders is the alternative, so the concessionaire (TRAC) would not give us permission to use that road at all.”

 

De Bruyn says having to work around these obstructions has essentially resulted in a whole new race.

 

“Everything changes … from start and stop-over points, to new waterpoints. And where Barberton used to be the main focal point of the race, we are not even going to pass through it this year. The race will now centre on Nelspruit.”

 

This means the infamous Hilltop and Boulders climbs, which have been the undoing of many a roadie, are now conspicuous by their absence.

 

But, says De Bruyn, the new course still offers riders a leg-numbing, heart-racing 151km challenge in the heart of winter.

 

“As everybody knows, the Jock is the toughest one-dayer in the country and this new route has some fresh challenges of its own.”

 

The 43km first stage starts from the Mbombela Stadium near Nelspruit at 06.30 and includes 20km of hard pedalling on gradients of between two and six per cent.

 

“Then we have the extremely challenging Heidel Eggs climb. At two kilometres long, it is shorter than Hilltop but more or less the same ascent.”

 

The stage finished along the White River Road with breakfast at the Rob Ferreira School.

 

At 09:00, the 45km second stage begins when the riders head out in the direction of Sabie, over the 7km Spitskop climb, which is the same length as Boulders. For those who make it over the top, a welcome lunch break awaits at Sabie Primary School.

 

“Although stage two is shorter than the second stage last year, the first 15 kilometres will now be over rolling hills as opposed to the previous flat roads,” says De Bruyn.

 

After lunch, at around 12:30, the 63km final stage takes the riders back to Nelspruit via Long Tom Pass. “The last stage begins with ten kilometres of tough climbing up the pass that will drain riders’ energy right from the start.”

 

It is mostly downhill after that but, De Bruyn says, the legs will have to last 18km longer than the previous year. “So, all in all, it’s still a tough race all round.”

 

With 20 lead-out vehicles as well as motorcyclists and traffic officials on hand, De Bruyn says the one thing riders do not have to worry about is their safety.

 

“Many races, such as the national championships and the Panorama Tour, are held annually on these routes and the motorists in this area are much more relaxed and forgiving.”

 

Race organiser Wynand de Villiers says the field will be limited to 1 500 participants.

 

“The nature of the riding terrain in the Lowveld is such that no cycling event is going to be easy; the road either goes up or down. So this year’s Jock will be as tough, if not tougher than previous years.”

 

In the absence of reigning champion Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, a new crop of pros will compete to take the title of toughest rider.

 

“I think the MTN-Qhubeka feeder team will be the ones to beat this year,” says De Villiers. “They have shown themselves to be a complete outfit by winning the team time-trial at the SA champs and their African riders are very good climbers.”

 

He says riders who would like to do only two stages will join the tour in White River, and those wishing to complete just one leg will start with the final lot in Sabie. The 17:30 cut-off time will be strictly enforced on the last stage.

 

“Riders should not think they can tackle the Jock without training. It’s a tough ride in anyone’s terms. If you don’t train, you won’t make it,” says De Villiers.

 

Enter online at www.asgevents.co.za before July 9. For updates, find the race on Facebook or follow @jockcycle.

[ivr32]

Hi

 

This is my first Jock race.

Any tips?

Should I drink recovery drinks after each stage?

What must be packed in the tog bag?

 

What do you drink while riding?

 

Do you change clothing during the race?

Please help

 

Thanks

Ian

[Joe Low]

Hi

 

This is my first Jock race.

Any tips?

Should I drink recovery drinks after each stage?

What must be packed in the tog bag?

 

What do you drink while riding?

 

Do you change clothing during the race?

Please help

 

Thanks

Ian

Eat and drink what you would normally on a 5.5hr-6.5hr ride. Have a stash of what you like in case you dont want what theyve got between stages. Tog bag - shammy cream would be my top tip; you might want to start with arm-warmers and then lose them after the 1st stage; sun-block. otherwise, whatever makes you happy.

[Joe Low]

Organizers - please can you extend the registration at the stadium beyond 4pm on the Friday?

 

Going from the East side of Jo'burg makes Cyclelab in Fourways a real schlep and it would be good to know we can register in Nelspruit til 6 or 7. it allows for work and traffic problems. Thanks.

[Agteros]

Organizers - please can you extend the registration at the stadium beyond 4pm on the Friday?

 

Going from the East side of Jo'burg makes Cyclelab in Fourways a real schlep and it would be good to know we can register in Nelspruit til 6 or 7. it allows for work and traffic problems. Thanks.

Think I'll skip this one. Got me bee-hind handed to me by a Mr. Low. Time for a secret training camp. No 'racing', just train train train train..

[ivr32]

Only 1 month to go and still so much training to do

[Prince]

Remember to eat 'proper food' ie not only energy bars during the day and it will be HOT in the afternoon so be prepared!

[ivr32]

The proper food is included in breakfast and lunch?

[ebenvn]

Does anybody know what the spectators package involves?

[ivr32]

Spectator Packages: Spectators can book a package which will enable them to follow the race in one of the spectator busses and also eat breakfast and lunch with their loved ones taking part in the race. The spectator packages are R350 each (kids under 7 can come along and eat and ride for free with their parent/s)

 

Includes b/f and lunch and the bus that follows the riders

[Turk182]

Does anyone know if the ASG phone number actually works???

[ivr32]

Am I the only one stressing about this event?

[ebenvn]

Am I the only one stressing about this event?

 

No!

 

Make that a +1

[Bassman]

Looking forward! Gonna suffer!

Edited July 18, 2013 by Bassman

[Underachiever]

Just had a look on Google Earth on the profiles a climbing. Although not 100% accurate, this is going to be hard on the body. I actually think this might be tougher than the normal route. Slow poison from the word go. Thank heavens for the downhill section on st. 3