Gravel racers, mountain bikers and a few road-racing professionals, from the Eastern side of the country are setting their sights on the Underberg Gran Fondo, which takes place in the foothills of the southern Drakensberg on Sunday 30 July.
Paid partnership with Underberg Gran Fondo
In just its second year, the Underberg Gran Fondo has made it onto the global stage with the event being included on the Gran Fondo World Tour Gravel Series calendar for 2023. The international recognition, and the fact the event takes place at altitude with similar conditions, makes it a perfect event for elite riders preparing for the SA Gravel champs at Karkloof in August.
With the rising prominence of gravel racing, and the reduction in road racing events, Gauteng-based professionals Team Honeycomb Pro Cycling has confirmed that four of its members will be on the start line.
“We are doing the SA Gravel Champs at Karkloof in August so want the guys to do some gravel races in preparation for that and there are not many in Gauteng, so the Underberg Gran Fondo is perfect for us,” said team owner and rider, Kyle Mitchell.
“The event ticks a few boxes for us. It is a gravel race, it has the distance we need for a good training event and it has the altitude and similar conditions we are expecting when we get to Karkloof.
“We have entered four riders: Jaco van Dyk, Casper Kruger, Jaedon Terlouw and myself. Casper and Jaco were first and second at the Gauteng Gravel Champs, so they should do well and Jaedon is a very strong Under-23 rider, who was third at this year’s Cape Town Cycle Tour and third at the African XCO Champs in mountain biking,” said Mitchell.
Entrants at this year’s event will have the option for the 140km and 94km races as was the case at the inaugural edition in 2022, but for riders who are daunted by the distances, a new, shorter 45km Tour De Farms has been introduced.
Top KwaZulu-Natal mountain bike racers, Brent Yelland and Haley Smith have also added their names to the start list of the Underberg Gran Fondo.
“I’m not very familiar with the discipline and I’ve only ever done one race, that was the Berg 100 but I did it on a mountain bike. I’ve now got myself a gravel bike and I was surprised that it was a lot more comfortable than I thought,” said Yelland.
“I have done four-and-a-half to five hour rides and it was quite comfortable. I was worried it was going to be very bumpy. My training hasn’t been too specific lately, but I’ve managed to get in a few long gravel rides in the Midlands, which has been good for me and a good way to prepare,” the Varsity College student said.
“I’m preparing for the Cape Pioneer at the beginning of September, so this will be a great opportunity to get some time in the saddle. I won the Berg and Bush mixed race and then finished second at the Karkloof Classic, so it’s been good but there hasn’t been much racing since then, so this will be a good chance to train in racing conditions.” said Smith.
“I will be riding a mountain bike as well so I don’t have any expectations and I’m just going to try and hold onto the bunch for as long as I can! I see gravel races popping up on the calendar all the time and it’s really growing in popularity, so I am excited to give it a go,” added Smith.
Entries for the Underberg Gran Fondo are open, and you can enter here https://underberggranfondo.co.za/how-to-enter/
