Cycling enthusiasts should prepare to get on the saddle at the 2016 Standard Bank Cycle Fair. There are three exciting challenges … or you can just join in to support the cycling stars of the future, and have some fun in the sun.
Come to St Stithians College in Randburg, from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 October, where you can rub shoulders with the pros, get your kids’ skills levels up to speed, test your power output, and help raise awareness of Qhubeka, who give bicycles to children who need bikes to get to school. The Fair will also feature great food and drink stalls, and the opportunity to test the latest bikes and view the latest kit and accessories on show at exhibitors’ stands. Kids under 18 enter free, and daily tickets are R75, or you can save a bundle with a 3-day weekend pass for only R100. All the challenges are free to take part in, with corporate team entries into the Qhubeka Relay costing R3200 per team – this goes towards the donation of a bike to the Qhubeka project.
SATURDAY – 2016 HIGH SCHOOLS MTB INTERPROVINCIAL RACE
The first event of the weekend is the inaugural ProQuest 2016 High School MTB Interprovincial race on Saturday 22 September – it’s the first time ever that high school riders will have the chance to show off their Provincial colours before the end of this year’s season. Invited teams who featured in the year’s rankings are tackling the St Stithians XCO track, built by legendary MTB trail builder, Neil Evans, so the lineup features the best up-and-coming young talent South Africa has to offer. There are 5 races, Under 14s at 9am, Girls all ages at 10am, Under 15s at 11am, Under 16s at noon, and Juniors at 1pm. There’ll be prizes galore and medals for all participants, so come and support school teams from around the country. Other school teams and individuals can enter now at www.mtbza.co.za
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: WATT CHALLENGE
Whether you’re a serious rider or just go out on the weekends for family time in the fresh air, you can test your power output on the Phantom training system, provided by Cycleops – used by all the pros. There’ll be a leaderboard so that you can see how you match up. There’s no minimum age, so even your young kids can give it a try. Eight minutes is all it takes, then you’ll understand why Chris Froome often looks down at his monitor when he’s riding through the French hills.
SUNDAY MORNING: PRIMARY SCHOOLS CLINIC
Bring your kids along all Sunday morning to improve their mountain biking skills on a specially-built short course, with pros on hand to coach them. Find out more about the KidzOnBikes primary schools cycling programme. There’s no entry fee, and remember kids under 18 enter the Standard Bank Cycle Fair free of charge.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON: QHUBEKA RELAY CHALLENGE
Watch SA’s top professional riders in a lap race using a Qhubeka Buffalo Bike – or even bring your club, school or corporate team to compete. It’s a team relay and the playing fields will be levelled, with every rider (except children) weighted up to 100kg, including their bike. The event aims to raise awareness for the Qhubeka Foundation and the exceptional work it does in under-resourced communities. For each corporate entry of R3 200 per 4-rider team, an additional Buffalo Bike will be donated to the Qhubeka Project. CycleSure is sponsoring 15 Buffalo Bikes with helmets and accessories. Pro teams of 4 and club and school teams of 8 are invited to enter free. Prize money awards of R4 000 for the best pro team and R2 000 each for the best club and school teams are up for grabs. Entry forms are available http://protouchsports.co.za/cyclesure-qhubeka-buffalo-bike-challenge/
Tickets to the Standard Bank Africa Cycle Fair are available from www.webtickets.co.za
Adults : R75 per day or R100 for a 3-day pass
Under 18s : free
Opening Hours : Friday 21 October 12h00 – 17h00
: Saturday 22 October 09h00 – 17h00 (gates open at 06h30 for racers)
: Sunday 23 October 09h00 – 17h00
Visit www.africacyclefair.com for more information.