Urban Descent attracts downhill racers
Downhill longboards set to zoom through the streets of Glenwood.
THE Urban Descent downhill longboard race will kick off on the streets of Glenwood on Sunday 6 October. The event is a collaboration between Quiksilver and Gunslinger Longboards and is expected to attract close to one hundred of the best and fastest downhill longboarders South Africa has to offer.
Downhill longboarding has flourished over the past two years in KwaZulu-Natal. This year has seen a number of events pop up on the calendar which have contributedto the growth of the sport in KZN. The Urban Descent route will start in Maze Road descending right into J.B Marks Road (old Chelmsford) towards Glenwood Boys’ High School along Alan Paton Road.
The route, which is in excess of one kilometer, will consist of several chicanes with numerous amounts of hay-bales used as safety mechanisms for the high-flying competitors. Riders are expected to reach speeds of between 65km/h and 70km/h at certain points of the route.
The race is expected to attract top riders like Raoul Van Den Burgh, Ricki Allardice and Anton Pratt all from Cape Town but they won’t have it all their own way with likes of Bryce Gardner, Stuart Purchase and Jed Kenny, all of Durban, also hoping to impress and clinch top honours.
The days racing kicks off with several rounds of qualifying, starting at 9am. Age divisions consist of Open Men’s, Junior Boys 1 (8-14 years), Junior Boys 2 (15-17 years) and Open Ladies. Qualifiers will be selected by riders who cross the finish line first, top finishers will make their way into the finals which are scheduled for noon onwards with prize-giving expected to be around 4pm at the finish line.
Prizes include a cash purse of R5 000 and product from Quiksilver, Gunslinger, GoPro and DC Shoes.
Entries to participate in the event are open to the public at R100 per division and can be done at: www.quiksilver.co.za/urbandescent. For those who can’t get to the event on the day, tune in to Boardriders TV on SuperSport 8 on Thursday 24 of October to watch the highlights.
Follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: #UrbanDescent.
