Gauteng’s top Enduro racers have their sights set on Round 2 of the 2021 Sox Footwear Enduro Series, presented by SHRED, which takes place at Buffelsdrift, Pretoria on Sunday 17 October 2021. A large field is expected to contest Provincial Series points on some short, but rugged surface lines.
Round 1 saw more than 120 riders tackle the seven lines at Grootfontein Bike Park in late August. But the Buffelsdrift lines are quite different in that they’re mostly rockier and steeper at the top, gradually easing off into more pedally sections punctuated with mostly flat corners.
Enduro Lines 2, 4, 5, 6 will be used and the Supertubes descending trail will also be included to offer a total of five race runs. Gauteng Cycling has also purchased its own iTime timing system from iRideAfrica to ensure the highest quality timing and rapid post-race results.
“The timing for Enduro racing is critical, both in terms of accuracy and immediacy. We hired the iTime system for Round 1 and were impressed. Because we have plans to organise a number of Enduro events in future, we decided to invest in buying our own iTime system, which comprises 200 wrist tags and 21 pods,” said Paola Damilano, Gauteng Cycling MTB Chairperson and series organiser.
Sam Bull and Lauriesian Brett were the overall winners of the men and women’s divisions at Round 1. They’re sure to head up the field at Round 2 in an effort to both extend and defend their respective leads. This is the first year that Gauteng Cycling is hosting a provincial enduro series.
In order to help riders be better prepared for the event, Gauteng Cycling has arranged an Enduro Skills Session at Buffelsdrift on Sunday 10 October, 2021. The fee is R185 which includes group skills coaching with a professional mountain bike skills coach as well as your day pass to Buffelsdrift.
The session runs from 09h00-13h00 and will include some of the more formidable sections on the race lines. To book online, head over here.
All the race lines are cleaned up and open for practice until Saturday 16 October. Follow the Enduro signs from the trailhead. The Supertubes line is set further away from the regular Enduro line starts. Ask at the Trailhead if you’re unsure how to reach it.
Online entry is open via this link.
For more information, join the Gauteng Cycling Gravity Group on Telegram, here; or contact Paola Damilano on 0832523752 or paola.damilano@me.com
