Durban - Riding in a car behind a group of cyclists, muscles straining as they pedal up a steep hill, brings home how fit you need to be.
The organisers of the iSimangaliso MTB 4 Day timed mountain bike event, within the Wetland Park between August 22-25, mentioned that on the first day cyclists would be riding into the Lebombo Mountains. This casual statement belies the rough terrain, as the road climbs ever upwards. I felt breathless, even in a car… yet they were still able to chat to one another.
On this dry run, cyclists set off from Mantuma Camp in uMkhuze Game Reserve – the starting point for the event. This was the easy bit, but just outside the eMshophi park gate the action kicked up several notches. The scenery grew more wild and spectacular, and at more than 500m elevation, we could see some 80km across the Makhathini Flats to the sea.
The organiser of the 280km event, Shane Webster, said it was the only mountain bike race in which entrants could see both the starting point and the finish. What was more, there were two more similar hills to climb that day, along the 60km route back to Mantuma Camp.
Top riders, he said, would probably average 23-25km/h up the steep hills, and reach around 60km/h as they sped down again.
Andrew Zaloumis, the chief executive of the Wetland Park Authority, who will participate in the event, said: “I go to Lesotho to ride this kind of hard terrain, and here it is in my own back garden.” Both men regard this sector along the Lebombo mountains as a hidden jewel for cyclists.
We had to leave them at this point, as cars could not proceed where the men doing the test run would whizz back down the mountain.
That evening, weary but elated, all were filled with enthusiasm for what they had seen and what they still expected to encounter.
Still ahead lay day two, the longest of the event – uMkhuze to Bonamanzi, via iSimangaliso’s False Bay section. The 93km ride entails a climb through velvet bush willow forest in Mkhuze’s Umkhombi section on to Lebombo plateau grasslands (with its fresh water cairns), a 13km section of the Phinda Private Game Reserve, the northern part of False Bay, where riders follow a winding single track in sand forest, then along the shores of Lake St Lucia and past the Hluhluwe River Lodge before finishing in Bonamanzi.
Day three’s 75km had riders traversing iSimangaliso’s western shores section, crossing Lake St Lucia’s Nyalazi flood plain and the Mzinene river flood plain, using natural single tracks, then riding the iGwalaGwala forest trail alongside the Lake St Lucia estuary.
Webster showed me photographs of a challenging wooden pedestrian bridge, used by villagers to cross the Hluhluwe River, which the riders will cycle across, as well as the Nyalazi River salt water barrier, built to prevent sea water from Lake St Lucia mixing with Nyalazi River’s fresh water.
I already had some insight into some of the challenges facing the Wetland Park Authority to ensure riders get the highest level of excitement out of their adventure, without getting bogged down.
Accompanying Zaloumis and other staff, we walked a small section of the route. As it proved too marshy for cyclists, the natural lie of the land and hippo paths were assessed, before cutting a short section of narrow, single track to divert riders away from the muddy slush.
The final 53km day saw entrants head towards the beach, using the Lake St Lucia estuary boardwalk along a beach route, up the eastern shores to Mission Rocks and back to the town of St Lucia.
Chatting to the race doctor, Beth McLeod, of Kloof, provided insight into all that goes into ensuring the safety of riders. She was riding several sectors herself to assess the danger points where cyclists might come a cropper.
“There will be a team of ambulances and paramedics, as well as a helicopter to airlift anyone with a serious head injury,” she said.
According to Webster there will be “sweeping” bicycles in the front, middle and back, with marshalls at designated spots.
The iSimangaliso MTB 4, which follows the route of the animals’ historic migratory paths, is not just about riders having fun. The aim is to raise funds for conservation and community development. According to Zaloumis, many of the cyclists have contributed a further donation, over and above the compulsory cost of the ride.
“A ride through a World Heritage Site is in itself a privilege,” he said. In showcasing what the Wetland Park has to offer, they suggest that cyclists, “tune out the world, meld with your bike, and hit iSimangaliso’s big game tracks smoothed by paw and hoof”.
The inaugural event has attracted some 120 cyclists, but the organisers are convinced once word goes out, numbers will swell to thousands in years to come. - Sunday Tribine
* Call Webster at 083 626 5450.