Beautiful weather was the order of the day as 2 500 riders set off from Lourensford in Somerset West for the ride of their lives on the second Contego Wines2Whales MTN Adventure bike ride.
By 2.30pm yesterday, half had completed the first day, reaching Elgin after 70km.
“This event is more of a fun race, filled with competitors just looking to take in as much of the great scenery as possible,” said Michal Meyer, W2W director.
Today, riders were back in the saddle from 7am, leaving according to their finishing times yesterday, and facing a 65km circular track, again ending in Elgin.
“The track will feature mountainous terrain, single tracks, and it will also have an elevation of 1 175m. This means that there will be an element of climbing,” Meyer said, adding that the route would take in a winding path known as the Pofadder, introduced during last year’s event.
The race ends tomorrow at the Onrus Caravan Park just outside Hermanus.
The Wines2Whales Mountain Bike race takes place over the same route next weekend, but the field will be for professionals for whom there will be no stopping for the scenery.
“In the adventure event we have [former Springbok] Victor Matfield joining us. We will have many professional riders, which makes the event quicker and more exciting,” Meyer said.
Weekend Argus