By Richard Arderne

St Francis College MTB Race

Last Saturday, Greg West and Piero de Marco marked the 30km course for this Saturday’s St Francis College MTB Race.

They stopped every few minutes to stick bright red or bright green tape next to the route to indicate where to go. And where not to go!

I rode with them and can assure you that the 30km route is not to be missed (and apparently the 60km, too). Just see the photos.

Locals and out-of-towners would be crazy not to take this rare opportunity to ride over private land. It includes vistas of the Kromme and Geelhout rivers and dairy and cattle farming operations.

No Tar

The route has NO tar .. just a jeep track and some great single track, through farmland and some pristine indigenous forests.

The 30km course is manageable for cyclists who ride infrequently, with not many hills, none too long, and there is time to walk them anyway.

The race is a fundraising event for St Francis College, with First Choice as the anchor sponsor. The event is endorsed by St Francis Cycling Club, Coimbra Cycle Centre and St Francis Sport. The sponsors are Cape St Francis Resort, Client Care, Custom Construction and Pam Golding Properties.

Dane Shaw is the race director, and he would like you to enter in advance at www.entryninja.com.  You can enter on the day when there will be a 7.30 am race briefing and 8 am staggered starts for the various distances. 60km, 30km (both open to e-bikes too), 10km (only bikes), and 5km and 3km (only for kids).

Substantial Prize Money

The prize money totals a very substantial R14,400 … so stay at home at your peril!

This is the first time in about ten years that St Francis has held an MTB Race outside of the Christmas season. So, we had three very successful St Francis MTB Challenges in 2009, 2010 and 2011. They started and finished at the Links. Then it rained the following two years .. and sadly, the event faded away. And now, at last, it is revived!