The second half of 2014 has rather snuck up on us and soon it’ll be too late to book your spot in that race you’ve been meaning to enter for ages. So here’s a list of races in the second half of 2014 which you don’t want to miss.
Storms River Traverse: 8 – 10 August:
The Storms River Traverse is a real must do event for the social rider. There’s no real racing vibe but if you’re more interested in enjoying amazing trails and great camaraderie than busting your lungs to get to the finish then the Traverse is the race for you. Rob de Lange wrote about the 2013 race for Full Sus in the September 2013 issue and you can read his report (and all the other relevant ones as indicated by the issue in brackets) by going to www.issuu.com/fullsussa if you’re keen on making an informed decision.
Find out more at www.the36one.com/storms.
Potberg & De Hoop MTB: 9 – 10 August:
The Potberg MTB race started years ago when the little local school, Ouplaas decided that the growing sport of mountain biking would make a great addition to its annual fundraiser, the Potberg half marathon (a half marathon of the running kind). Garden Route events took over the organisation and have turned it into a two day stage race, taking in the banks of the Breede River, the Potberg Mountain and the pains of De Hoop Nature Reserve.
Find out more at www.dehoopmtb.co.za.
Dr Evil Classic: 18-20 September:
The Dr Evil Classic is Leon Evans’s chance to prove that he’s actually a very nice man. The route is designed around the philosophy that “riders [should…] go out there and have fun and enjoy themselves in a special area,” Evans said. And the three day clover-leaf formatted route includes a preferential start sport for the ever popular Karoo to Coast. Both Garry Kroukamp and Jeanne-Louise Wiese covered the Karoo to Coast in the November 2013 issue of Full Sus and if the Dr Evil Classic is up to the same standard you can enter the race with the highest expectations.
Find out more at www.drevilclassic.com.
Lesotho Sky: 21 – 26 September:
The Lesotho Sky is a mountain biking adventure in the heart of that little country landlocked by South Africa. It’s by all accounts an amazing event jam-packed with some of the best mountain biking around. Jacques Marais (July 2013 issue) did a trails feature on part of the route and Dylan Chilcott (November 2013 issue) finished it on a fully ridged purple GT from the 90’s after he broke the frame of his bike during the 2013 race. The entries are capped at 80 riders so you’ve got to be quick if you don’t want to miss out on the “best natural single track in the world”.
Find out more at www.lesothosky.com.
Origin of Trails: 28 – 29 November:
The inaugural Origin of Trails might have caused a bit of pain and suffering on day one, when a hastily rejigged route out of the Banghoek Valley, brought about by torrential rain the week before the race, and scorching temperatures conspired against the riders. But as usual with Stillwater events everything else was excellent and more than made up for a bit of suffering on the bike. The 2014 Origins is slotting in as part of a week-long cycling spectacular in Stellenbosch, so read Kate Slegrova and Seamus Allardice’s report on the 2013 race (January 2014) and go enter.
Find out more at www.stillwatersports.com.
Races that need no introduction:
In addition to these hand-picked events don’t forget about Jozi2Kozi, Ride the Rhino, the Cape Pioneer Trek, 3 Towers, Berg and Bush or Wines2Whales, which all fall in the latter half of the year.
