New ‘sweet’ ending for joberg2c

THE world’s longest full-service mountain bike stage ride, joberg2c, will have a ‘sweet’ new day nine ending at Umdoni Park Golf Club and a revised route through Sappi Forests and Illovo sugar cane farms to the sea.

After 10 years of riding the beloved country, the organisers felt it was time to change the last day from previous years to give joberg2c riders a shorter, more direct route to the sea.

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Most riders who know sani2c and joberg2c, know that the last three days of joberg2c have traditionally been the same as sani2c.

Joberg2c was conceptualised by farmer Glen Haw who started sani2c.

He wanted to extend the sani2c community inspired model to other parts of the country and create a point-to-point stage ride that would attract riders from all over.

Little did he know how the world would start to embrace this special ride through South Africa.

Joberg2c has almost a third of its riders (250) coming from overseas.

“Illovo South Africa is delighted to assist the joberg2c mountain bike ride with its new route plans to provide the ‘sweet’ new ending,” said Nozuko Basson, Illovo corporate affairs manager.

“Sappi have always been great supporters of mountain biking events in South Africa and we will continue supporting events like joberg2c, thanks to the powerful impact on local economic development through tourism and creating shared value for communities along the route,” said Mpho Lethoko, general manager communications, Sappi Southern Africa .

So why the change?

“I always wanted to ride from Joburg to the sea and, in 2010, together with Craig Wapnick and Gary Green, my two partners, we were able to realise this vision,” said Glen.

He has hinted that next year’s race will have eight ‘big days of riding’, giving the riders s deserved shorter, easier route to the sea.

“With sani2c riders, they want three full days of mountain biking and value for money. By the time joberg2c riders get to Jolivet they can smell the sea and want the shortest path to the Indian Ocean,” he laughed.

“We aim to always think of our riders and to innovate for their sake. We take feedback into account and make decisions after careful deliberation, lots of heated debate while riding and then a beer or two afterwards,” said co-organiser Craig Wapnick.

The event will still have a community inspired ending at Umdoni Park Golf Club, while the three legendary sani2c events will continue to finish at Scottburgh Golf Club.

Both joberg2c and sani2c bring incredible economic benefits to the region over the April/May period.

Gary Green, creator of Berg and Bush MTB race, and the other member of the ‘three joberg2c stooges’ said that by moving the finish to Umdoni Golf Club, they were involving another inspired South Coast community.

The joberg2c race takes place from April 24 to May 2 next year.

Visit www.joberg2c.co.za for more information.

For more information on KAP sani2c dates, please visit their website www.sani2c.co.za.

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