The Piketberg Mountain Bike Challenge is being held on Saturday 10 December as part of the Summer Festival at the Org de Rac Wine Estate on the outskirts of Piketberg.
“Org de Rac has made the trails and paths on its wine farm available for the event, which includes a 65 km, 25 km and 20 km mountain-bike challenge and 5 km fun ride to promote cycling and encourage beginner cyclists,” said Mike Tippett, manager of The Sports Trust Cycling Development Programme.
Its team is organising the event in partnership with the West Coast cycling, Bergrivier Municipality and West Coast Tourism. The organisers expect 200 cyclists from all over the Western Cape. Among them are 50 cyclists from the Nedbank Sports Trust Cycling Development Programme, a highly successful initiative, funded since 2005 by Nedbank with The Sports Trust.
The programme supplied bikes to under-resourced high schools in the Boland, Cape Metro and on the West Coast, and supported the training and participation of more than 200 cyclists annually. “The atmosphere and camaraderie at these events is incredible,’ says Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Group Sponsorships and Cause Marketing at Nedbank. “They are truly owned by the community; everyone participates, whether in the cycling or the fun run or providing food, cooldrinks and crafts.”
From the municipality’s side it supported the event with such logistics as ambulance and traffic services.
Nomonde Ndlangisa, CEO of Bergrivier Tourism, says: “The event is a huge boost for the region; it brings in income and gives us national exposure through The Sports Trust’s media channels, including SuperSport.”
Bike maintenance and repair teams are on hand to assist the cyclists and to ensure their equipment is working properly.
Piketberg’s annual cycling event started several years ago as a local community cycle race hosted by Steynville Senior Secondary, one of the high schools participating in The Nedbank Sports Trust Cycling Development Programme. The race has since developed into a highly popular event and festival on the West Coast calendar.
The day will see local communities uniting to celebrate the various community activities. There will be food, arts and various other activities for all to partake in on the day.
“We organise a number of community cycle challenges each year to encourage participation in a wide range of communities that would not otherwise be exposed to cycling,” said Tippett. “We are most appreciative of the support we get from the wine estates, which are increasingly offering their properties for road and mountain bike cycling events.
“We had a similar, highly successful event at Goedverwacht in the Bergrivier municipal district earlier this year.”
