Adventure News: NEW MTB TRACK LAUNCHED IN PAARL

Adventure News: NEW MTB TRACK LAUNCHED IN PAARL - Ndorfin, South Africa

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Monday, 09 July 2012
NEW MTB TRACK LAUNCHED IN PAARL

Abongile Busakwe (115) of Kayamandi High School finished in the top ten of the Sub Junior Boys Category of the Spur Schools MTB League challenge
(Photo Courtesy Peridot)

Mountain bike enthusiasts in Paarl can look forward to tackling a brand new mountain bike track on the banks of the Berg River. The track at the Boy Louw Sports Grounds will officially open with the second Spur School Mountain Bike League event on Saturday, 14 July.

This joint venture was a collaborative effort between Drakenstein Municipality, Amarider and the Spur School Mountain Bike League. The municipality made the grounds available, while Amarider was responsible for track building and maintenance with the funding for the initiative provided by the Spur School Mountain Bike League.

According to league co-ordinator Meurant Botha of Amarider, the League has shown explosive growth since its launch in 2009. Currently more than 2300 riders have taken to the tracks in 2011 compared to only 887 riders in the first year and the league is successfully expanding the footprint of mountain-biking as a sport countrywide.

�By promoting existing events and facilitating new events in as many locations as possible, we are making participation easy and accessible. The League gives high school pupils the chance to represent their schools in cycling in the same way as they do with the more traditional team sports. It also provides an annual showcase for promising, young talent,� mentions Botha.

According to Botha, the track consists of a relatively easy 3km route to make it more accessible to beginners. However, the more advance riders should not mistake the flatter route for an easy ride as competition is bound to be fierce during the second race of the Western Cape leg of the 2012 Spur School Mountain Bike League.

The first league event was hosted at Willowbridge in June and the top mountain biking schools will be determined to retain their positions on the log going into the next race.

All mountain-bikers between the ages of 13 and 18 are welcome to enter in one of three age categories: Sub-Junior (13-14), Youth (15-16) and Junior (17-18) for boys and girls respectively. In the Western Cape, KZN and Mpumalanga, primary schools are also included with the Nippers (9-10) and Sprogs (11-12) categories aimed at providing a fun introduction to the sport. The entry fee is R40 and registration starts at 07h30. The day will conclude with the prize-giving at 13h15.

For more information and an update on the national calendar visit www.spur.co.za/mtb or contact Amarider on 021 8844547.

Meurant Botha in Action
(Photo Courtesy Peridot)