A bonus inclusion to the Enduro racing calendar will see an Inter-provincial Race taking place at Thaba Trails, Johannesburg on Sunday 8 October. Besides top racers from three provinces – Gauteng, North West and Limpopo – the weather is predicted to be hot, setting the scene for what should be a scorcher of an event, which is titled the Send-It-Into-Summer Enduro.
An interprovincial Enduro was held in 2022 for the first time, also at Thaba Trails. That doubled as the Gauteng Enduro Championships. However, this year, racers get a bonus event in a discipline that’s growing in popularity. Provincial teams have been selected to compete and racers from those team are eligible to earn provincial colours.
Seven stages have been prepared for the event as follows:
Stage 1: The Alps
Stage 2: The Andes
Stage 3: The Prairie
Stage 4: Little Pinky
Stage 5: Cracker Jack
Stage 6: Foeva
Stage 7: Panorama
The Lite, Sprogs, Nippers and Sport classes will contest Stages 3, 5, 6 and 7.
Changes that have been made include moving the starts for Stages 1 and 2 higher up the hill. This adds around 20 metres to Stage 1, but a more stable starting point than previously; and about 100 metres to Stage 2 and adding great value with a couple of tricky holes to negotiate as well as a steep roll-down. Stage 3 will also have some changes and is likely to be run like a blind stage on race day as it has been closed for any practice.
Stage 7 – Panorama – was a blind stage at the Gauteng Champs in August, but has been ridden in and is now a little more predictable, but still interesting as it offers a line choices at three key sections.
Although billed as an inter-provincial event, it’s open to all riders. As usual, the Lite option is ideal for those keen to give Enduro a go, but want a lower-risk course on which to race.
Following the success of the King, Queen, Prince and Princess titles at the 2023 Gauteng Champs, this feature will be repeated on Sunday. When competitors ‘clock out’ after completing all the stages, those with the fastest times on Stage 6 will occupy the ‘Hot Seat’ until a faster time is recorded. The fastest on the day for Stage 6 in the following categories will be awarded a special prize:
Enduro King: Males 17 years and older
Enduro Queen: Females 17 years and older
Enduro Prince: Males under 17 years
Enduro Princess: Females under 17 years.
“We are hoping to appeal to the Weekend Warriors out there who want to try Enduro but did not venture to the Gauteng Cups. We have ensured that all the lines in the Lite event can be ridden on a normal XC bike, provided you have some level of skill; and B-lines are available,” said Paola Damilano, event organiser.
“This is the perfect race to try out Enduro if you have never ventured to the fun side before. It’s great way of upping one’s skills but in a fun and chilled environment given that the climbs are not timed,” added Damilano.
On Sunday at Thaba Trails, all the usual CSA categories will be contested. Entry is online only and closes at midnight on Friday 6 October. Racing starts at 09h00 on Sunday 8 October with registration from 07h30. Entry is via the Cycling South Africa portal here or via the CSA app.
Suzuki is the presenting sponsor the 2023 Gauteng Enduro Series. Other brands that have invested in the sponsoring the Gauteng Enduro Series are EcoLogic (bike wash products), 100% (eyewear products), 32GI (performance supplements), Med Guys (medical support), Complete Cyclist (technical support) and SHRED (media partner). Timing will once again be done by Send It, which records down to 1000th of a second.
For more information, join the Gauteng Cycling Gravity Group on Telegram, here; or contact Paola Damilano on 0832523752 or paola.damilano@me.com
