Mankele Avalanche an adrenalin rush
The Mankele Mountain Bike Park is regarded as one of the best in the country and offers a scenic route in the hills of the Lowveld.
Mankele Mountain Biking hosted the sixth edition of the Valencia Mankele Avalanche this past weekend, with riders feeling the need for speed on numerous downhill slopes. Cyclists from all over the country participated.
The Mankele Mountain Bike Park is regarded as one of the best in the country and offers a scenic route in the hills of the Lowveld.
This race is known for its unique format based on super downhills which make for loads of adrenalin-packed action.
According to Mark Meyer, co-founder of Mankele, each rider is shuttled to the start via Westvaal trucks.
“Theyare set off individually 30 seconds apart. A participant must complete at least one run per stage with each consisting of two runs with the fastest time counting.”
Each stage is seven kilometres in length and is mainly composed of downhill sections with loads of single track, bush tunnels and boardwalks.
According to Meyer, the event has grown immensely and has attracted the most entries to date this year.
“The Avalanche had a record number of entries with more than 100 participants,” he said.
Local downhill pro elite rider Dirk Lourens, dominated despite having his fair share of mechanical challenges. Hilton Frost of PMB and Mark Meyer of Mankele battled it out for second and third.
Samantha Sanders, professional cyclist for Valencia Cycles, put her cross-country skills to the test. She managed to pull off an unbelievable overall top-10 result and claimed the first place in the women’s section.
The whole event was a fun ride where the ever-growing sport of mountain biking was the winner on the day.
As the Mankele website’s general info jokingly states: “You will leave here being more of a machine. Even Steve Hofmeyr would leave here, with some street credit!”
