THIS year’s edition of the uBhejane Xtreme MTB Challenge saw riders brave some extreme weather conditions as they rode from Hillcrest to Hilltop Camp over 340km in aid of Project Rhino and anti-poaching efforts on Saturday.

Having set off from Hillcrest at 1am on Saturday morning the event is seen as one of the most gruelling mountain bike rides in the province, however the weather made sections of the ride that much more difficult.

South African adventurer Sibusiso Vilane took part in the 250km event, which was one of the five events on offer, and the task that he took on became a lot more challenging than he thought it might have, however he understood the importance of what he was doing.

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“I felt that when I got through the first 40km I had maxed out,” Vilane said. “It made me realise that they don’t call it the uBhejane Xtreme for nothing and it threw absolutely everything it could at us. The conditions made it so much more tough as there was a big storm on Friday night and there was a lot of mud on the roads. When it got tough I just reminded myself of why I am doing this and the importance of the cause we are representing. I just knew that the cause was way bigger than me and it was the motivation that I needed to keep on going,” he added.

In more recent times as the plight of rhinos has come to the forefront of conservation in South Africa there are many initiatives that support anti-poaching efforts and Vilane believes that the work of events like the uBhejane Xtreme will see us win the battle against rhino poaching.

“These sorts of events not only raise funds for fight against rhino poaching but they also grow awareness of the fight that we are currently in. It is our duty to make sure that we do all we can to win the fight against the rhino poachers and I genuinely believe that we are starting to turn the tide in the battle. In my lifetime I hope that I can do all I can do to make a difference in the current fight that we have on our hands,” Vilane added.

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