CyclingSA and the MTB Commission are excited to announce that Gravel racing will now become a recognised discipline offering cyclists the opportunity to race for a South African National title. The inaugural South African National Gravel Bike Championships for 2022 has been awarded to the King Price Race to the Sea, one of the Faces Africa events, and will take place on 3 September 2022.
“This decision comes after the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced the new mass-participation UCI Gravel World Series. CyclingSA MTB has been hard at work to find the right event to kick-start Gravel in SA, and believe the King Price Race to the Sea to be worthy of a national champion title,” said Paola Damilano, Director of CyclingSA MTB.
The National Championship event will cover a distance of 164km and 2,330m of ascent from Franschhoek to Benguela Cove in Hermanus, which is open to riders over the age of 19 competing on either gravel or mountain bikes.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CATEGORIES
Elite (19+)
Sub Vet (30 – 39)
Veterans (40 – 49)
Masters (50 – 59)
Grand Masters (60+)
Gravel has grown in popularity and is now booming worldwide. The discipline is popular with riders seeking new challenges as gravel combines road and mountain bike elements and takes place mainly on forest tracks, farm roads, cobbles, and gravel.
Source: Cycling South Africa
Photo credit: King Price Race to the Sea/Nick Muzik
