More than 120 cyclists from all over the Eastern Cape will gather on the outskirts of Grahamstown on Sunday morning for the start of the inaugural Pennypinchers G2C (Grahamstown to Sea) mountain bike ride to Port Alfred.
More than 120 cyclists from all over the Eastern Cape will gather on the outskirts of Grahamstown on Sunday morning for the start of the inaugural Pennypinchers G2C (Grahamstown to Sea) mountain bike ride to Port Alfred.
The race spans a distance of 58km and comprises, in the main, of gravel roads and tracks.
Included in the field will be riders from East London, Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown and Port Alfred, as well as other centres.
The ride, being sponsored in the main by Pennypinchers Grahamstown and Pennypinchers Port Alfred, begins at the Pennypinchers warehouse in the industrial area to the west of Grahamstown, and finishes in the Rosehill Mall parking lot just outside Port Alfred.
The starting time is 8.30am.
From the start at 640m above sea level, the field will climb to the top of Mountain Drive at 740 metres above sea level, then descend to the finish at 70 metres above sea level.
The first few kilometres of the route will see riders making the arduous climb up Mountain Drive, before descending into the Woesthill Pass and then passing through various farming districts before catching the smell and sight of the Indian Ocean.
Organisers, the Saints & Sinners Cycling Club, have announced a change in the route over the last three or four kilometres.
Club chairman Doug Cuppleditch said the cyclists would not be led onto the busy R72 tarred road between Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea in order to reach the finish.
“Just before the R72 the bikers will turn off onto a private farm, with plenty of buck watching them pass by, and make their way to Rosehill Mall, finishing under the huge SuperSpar sign,” said Cuppleditch.
There they will be met by Port Alfred townsfolk, supporters and family members, as well as commentator Neil Bisseker from AlgoaFM, and Gary Botha, who will provide live music.
Most of the entries for Sunday’s ride have been made online, and will continue to be accepted until 5pm today Friday 5 July.
Online entries at www.grahamstown2sea.co.za cost R90 per rider, while entries taken at registration at Pennypinchers in Industrial Area from 3pm to 6pm on Saturday 6 July cost R130.
Registration for out-of-town riders will take place at the start in the industrial area from 7am to 8am on Sunday – ample parking is available. Entrants will be given a goodie bag each at registration.
Organisers have stressed that the ruling, “no helmet, no ride” will be strictly enforced.
From the start the field will climb to the top of Mountain Drive, a tough introduction to the inaugural G2C, and then tackle the remainder of the undulating route on gravel roads past farmlands to the coast.
Cuppleditch said: “Because it’s basically a downhill ride from the hills of Grahamstown to the coast, riders must not be under the impression it will be plain sailing all the way. There are some challenging hills en route to test riders’ stamina.”\
On the gravel road section, riders will encounter two water stations.
At the brightly-coloured banner and flag-festooned finish in the Rosehill Mall parking lot, they will be met with commentary by Neil Bisseker and music by Gary Botha, and each finisher will be handed a voucher for a cooldrink and a boerewors roll.
Refreshments and boerewors rolls will also be on sale to supporters at the finish area where there is ample parking.
At the prize-giving after the ride, cash prizes will be awarded to the first three finishers overall and the first lady, while lucky-draw prizes will also be handed out.
Pennypinchers Grahamstown and Pennypinchers Port Alfred are the title sponsors, while co-sponsors are Grocott's Mail, Rosehill SuperSpar, Hi-Tec Security, Powerade, Rosehill Mall, Coca-Cola, Dupliprint, Magiclight and The Cycle Asylum.
Further information and online entry facilities are available on the event’s website www.grahamstown2sea.co.za
