[Event] Ashburton Investments National MTB Series Sabie

[advendurance]

Event Name: Ashburton Investments National MTB Series Sabie
When: 18 February 2017 - 19 February 2017
Where: York Timbers Sports Grounds, Sabie, Mpumulanga
Category: MTB

Venue: York Timbers Sport Grounds, Old Lydenburg Road, Sabie, Mpumalanga

 

GPS Location: S25 06′ 00.47″ E30 45′ 20.91″

 

Elevation: 1015m

 

Terrain: Single Track, Jeep Track, Gravel Road, Rocky, Hardpack

 

Features: Hand Built single track, Bridges, River Crossings, Bush tunnels, Spectacular Views

 

Sabie is a small town nestled on the Drakensberg escarpment and is regarded as the hub of mountain biking in South Africa, with a long history of competitive and recreational riding. With downhill slaloms into pine forests, kilometres of flowing single tracks, rolling hills and picturesque trails, enthusiastic mountain bike riders from far and away line-up each year alongside the country’s top professionals to challenge the legendary Sabie mountains.

 

You can look forward to brand new re-envisioned routes with hand built single track, well stocked water points, uncongested routes with little overlap, an expo area, local food stalls & craft beer, massages, bike wash and VIP Area.

Go to Event Page

[Li Mu Bai]

Pity about the Ride4Sight clash, and this event now falls outside the Schools mid-term break.

[CleatsnCleavage]

What does everyone think of the new "stage race" style format? I am quite bleak because now unless you pay R600 upfront to enter both days, you dont have the option of waking up on the sunday, checking how the legs feel/if its raining (both valid for Sabie!) and then entering. You can only do the 10km fun ride on the sunday unless you enter upfront.

[River Rat]

Also not sure about this, I used to do the Marathon on the Saturday and ride the Half with my wife on the Sunday. I know of a number of families where Dad rode on Saturday and babysat the kids while Mom rode on Sunday. Surely, all it needs is a little bit of tweaking to make one half marathon available on the Sunday?

[Clinton H]

This two stage thing doesn't work for 90% of the families I know , until they change it back I'll skip the series entirely.

Sitting in traffic two days in a row at the same venue to get in and then out agin doesn't appeal to anyone I know .

[sirmoun10goat]

.

Edited February 11, 2017 by sirmoun10goat

[Vlakvark T]

Sal sien hoe gaan dit.

[Grondpad]

I know in the past we could enter on the morning of the race. Anyone know if its still the same cause I see the predictions are looking like hectic rain and I dont want to risk loosing over 1k in entries for the family... I know, HTFU but it does not sit good with the young ones....

[L46]

I know in the past we could enter on the morning of the race. Anyone know if its still the same cause I see the predictions are looking like hectic rain and I dont want to risk loosing over 1k in entries for the family... I know, HTFU but it does not sit good with the young ones....

 

Reply from Advendurance that the entries closes the morning of the event, unless sold out prior to that

[Pall Catt]

Good luck to anyone doing this event. Hopefully you've put in a bit of training because this thing is brutal and merciless to the underprepared.

[CleatsnCleavage]

Absolutely pouring down in mankele. We are probably heading back to JHB

[Grondpad]

Some friends of mine are already in Sabie and they say it is just rain, rain, rain. Currently is looks like it will be a huge mudfest, but according to the weather peeps the rain will clear by Saturday morning. So the race might be dry but very muddy. Sabie gaan hard klap die jaar

[Hennie VR]

Done Sabie once in such wet conditions a few years back.

 

I ended up having to replace my groupset.

Even my KCNC derailleur wheel's teeth were grinded off by the mud. Both front and rear brake pads were metal on metal and the front brake stopped working halfway through the race.

 

I literally spent the day riding from stream to stream where I had to dunk the bike to get the mud off. Toughest 7.5h of my life     

[Francoist]

Is it still raining in Sabie. We need to decide by 12H00 whether we are going or not???

[PoundedHippo]

still raining!!

[Grondpad]

How did everyone experience the race?

I was a bit bummed to be honest. For our family this is our favourite get away and race weekend of the year. So with the rain on Friday we decided to skip Saterday and we did a ride from Hazyview to Graskop. Was freaken brutal that route but still a good day out.

Sunday we left early to do the 50km, 35km & 10km with the kid but when we got there it looked as if the numbers were down from last year by plenty. We went to registration and unfortunately we could not register for the 50 & 35km. Only the 10km. That was a bit strange but we stuck around and had a look at the pro’s etc start but it all seemed like there were a serious lack in participants. Then I ask, why were we not allowed to enter… Yes, the new concept of 2 day stage race was most probably the reason and so on… Then when I tried to register for the 10km with my little 3 year old dude in tow, the ladies at registration did not know how much the entry fee was. I eventually found out but then the was already I heading for the car.

Really bummed about this cause as I said, this is our no1 race every year. Lets hold thumbs for next year, cause Sabie is n freaken awesome ride. Sadly the rest of the family feels they are done with it but I am sure I will twist their arms before next year Feb