The fourth edition of the “Ride2Nowhere” three-day stage race took place this year during the month of September in McGregor, Western Cape, South Africa. The race is known as an event where the racing snakes and weekend warriors meet to compete for proper mountain biking fun! The racing snakes use the event as training for upcoming events in the cycling season, whereas the weekend warriors just want to have fun and ensure they still have time to enjoy an ice-cold refreshment after the ride! The event has established a relaxed and festive atmosphere and invites riders to bring their friends and family along to enjoy the weekend with them.
You might wonder why the race has such a strange name, but rest assured the route is clearly marked all the way! The name originates from the town where it is based – McGregor, with a main road that is called the “road to nowhere” and thus to add to the authenticity of the event it got this unique name.
There is a long route of 60 km per day and a short route of 40km per day which you can choose from. The organizers also launched a trail run of 6km or 12km in distance, on the second day of the event where friends and families joining for the weekend can compete in.
The September month signals the start of spring in the Western Cape of South Africa so riders were spoiled with colourful scenery all around from an abundance of early spring flowers. The daily route consists more or less of 30% open gravel roads or jeep tracks, with a good combination of flat, rolling hills and one or two steeper climbs. 70% of the daily route is single track or cattle paths and this is of course where the proper mountain bike bliss lies in! The terrain is mostly hard rock formation and few loose gravel sections (No crazy stuff, just Mother Nature providing us with some fun tracks and trails!). The route has a clover leaf route format with each day’s start and finish from the same venue in McGregor which ensures riders have time to relax after a day of riding and explore the town at their own leisure.
Last year there was one rider from the UAE that joined the event, and this year there were four riders, currently living in Qatar that took the trip down to South Africa to experience these amazing mountain bike trails.
We asked them a few questions about their training, experience at the event and if they would recommend it to fellow riders, this is what they had to say:
How did you experience the race from a Middle East Expat perspective?
Kevin and Ela Hickey: “The three days provided such a variety of terrain; from challenging high mountains on the first day with steeper technical climbs and descents, rolling fast hills on the second day through the carpets of flowers and grassy meadows, to pure fun trails with miles of amazing single track and water crossings on the final day. The people were very friendly and it was good to be able to experience a different culture from the saddle of a bike! Getting to South Africa is easy with frequent flights from the Middle East, and thanks to the current exchange rate, when you are there everything is very good value for money!”
Davy Muller: “I think the race offers a great value for money with an excellent organization. Awesome homemade cooking, great trails, great group of people participating.”
Do you feel you were able to adequately prepare for this type of race given the challenge in terrain and weather in the Middle East, Qatar?
Kevin and Ela Hickey: Training involved a mix of evening road riding and early mornings (5:00 a.m.) mountain bike rides at Duhail, Qatar. Despite the heat and humidity it’s actually feasible to get the hours in to train for the event, and there is always someone out on the trails or roads to ride with and provide encouragement. The terrain for the Ride2Nowhere was a broad mix of everything from grassy meadows to patches of sand; practice riding on the loose, sandy and rocky terrain in the Middle East certainly helped us keep riding where others were pushing.
Davy Muller: We don’t have any mountains in Qatar so specific training for the event is difficult, I spent a lot of time on the indoor trainer doing climbing training. Climbing with the road bike on the trainer is completely different then climbing with the mountain bike on rocky step climbs, but in the end it’s all about time in the saddle I guess, I didn’t win the race but was definitely not the slowest riders on the course.
Would you recommend the race and why?
Kevin and Ela Hickey: The Ride2Nowhere is a great introduction to stage racing; it provides all the challenges of a mountain bike race, but in a relaxed and friendly format. Race is fully catered, with wholesome, tasty, locally produced meals. Extend your stay in South Africa with a tour of the famous Garden Route. We managed nine days (out of 14) of more amazing mountain biking, alongside horseback safaris, swimming with seals, kayaking with whales and lots of amazing food.”
Davy Muller: Overall great organization, great people, great scenery, great trails, great water stops, great food for what I think a very reasonable price, of course you have to fly to South Africa but combined with a holiday, which I recommend, as it is an awesome country… just awesome!”
The Ride2Nowhere event will take place from 9 – 11 September 2016 so why not come and join fellow expats from around the world to experience the mountains, valleys and amazing scenery of McGregor in South Africa from the saddle of your bike.
Words by: Eulogy van Dyk
Photos by: Johan Theron & Richard Voges
