{"id":12795,"date":"2022-11-20T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2022\/11\/20\/sas-mtb-party-of-the-year-continues-to-set-the-bar-r8506\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T08:50:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T06:50:55","slug":"sas-mtb-party-of-the-year-continues-to-set-the-bar-r8506","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/sas-mtb-party-of-the-year-continues-to-set-the-bar-r8506\/","title":{"rendered":"SA\u2019s \u2018MTB Party of the Year\u2019 continues to set the bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe 2022 Savanna Origin of Trails MTB Experience closed off on a high note at Coetzenburg Stellenbosch University on Sunday 20 November. Not only did the Stage treat mountain bikers to a vast network of world-class and exclusive trails, but it also boasted an unheard-of on-route experience that included ice cold Savanna at the water points, a Van Ryn\u2019s Brandy Tasting, live entertainment and even ice cream to mention just a few offerings.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Stage Two doubled up as Dress Up Day. Chelsea Frost (Vredehoek) and Benno van der Merwe (Stellenbosch) proved to be the most creative riders on the day with their interpretation of the theme \u201cwhen life gives you lemons\u201d. \u00a0Benno completed the entire stage in a suit with a monkey on his helmet. His outfit was inspired by Savanna\u2019s \u201cdo you know your money stole my Savanna\u201d ad. Photo Credit: Chris Hitchcock<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur goal was to take the rider experience to the next level in 2022 and thanks to our fantastic sponsors and partners we were able to include fantastic on route offerings that are unheard of at MTB events,\u201d says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the event. \u201cWe are thankful to each and every participant for bringing the \u2018gees\u2019 and adding to the experience. We can\u2019t wait to welcome you back in 2023.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Luyanda Thobigunya and Jean de Villiers attack the first climb just after the start of Stage Two. Photo Credit: Chris Hitchcock<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Savanna Origin of Trails MTB Experience highlights the \u2018fun side\u2019 of mountain biking \u2013 there is no pressure, only exciting routes and spectacular views,\u201d says Kavir Gangiah, Media, Sponsorship and Events Manager Distell Southern Africa. \u201cThis is something that our brand stands for, being able to compete and have fun at the same time. This year we were excited to incorporate comedy into the festivities by having Dalin Oliver perform live over the weekend. We also loved the idea of the Pub Ride as it introduced entrants to some of Stellenbosch\u2019s many hidden gems. The Savanna Origin of Trails has truly been the perfect end of year celebration, the \u2018MTB Party\u2019 of the Year.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Savanna Origin of Trails lived up to its reputation of being SA\u2019s \u2018MTB Party\u2019 of the year,\u201d says Riaan Oosthuizen, General Manager of First Ascent. \u201cEach stage featured an incredible route that boasted views that are out of this world, while the vibe was indescribable. Riders looked fantastic in their First Ascent Rider Jerseys and First Ascent Finisher Tees. We can\u2019t wait to be part of the experience again in 2023.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMarathon riders were treated to a +-48km route that featured open roads and easier single track. Farms forming part of this stage included Blaauwklippen, Stellenrust, Annandale, Alto, Ernie Els, Guardian Peak, Audacia and Spier.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLuyanda Thobigunya (Idas Valley, Stellenbosch) achieved his goal of claiming two consecutive stage victories in the Marathon. \u201cMy goal was to keep the overall first position,\u201d admits Thobigunya. \u201cThe stage was easy for me, because I know the Stellenbosch trails. I lead from the start, and I had fun. Of course, I\u2019ll come back next year.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Luyanda Thobigunya claimed his second stage victory of the weekend. Photo Credit: Chris Hitchcock<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Half Marathon featured a +-31km route that consisted predominantly of open flat trails through Blaauwklippen, Stellenrust, Audacia, Annandale and Spier.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tJackie Lochner (Stellenbosch) absolutely loved the Half Marathon. \u201cThe Origin of Trails is my favorite race,\u201d says Lochner. \u201cThe organization is fantastic, and the trails are always amazing. The water stops are festive and lekker. There\u2019s always some funny challenge, like a climb when you least expect it, but it\u2019s just brilliant. Stage Two wasn\u2019t as tough as yesterday\u2019s stage and most of the climbing was at the beginning of the race. It was very nice; you could put your head down and go for it until the end.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\tStage Two doubled up as Dress Up Day. Chelsea Frost (Vredehoek) and Benno van der Merwe (Stellenbosch) proved to be the most creative riders on the day with their interpretation of the theme \u201cwhen life gives you lemons\u201d. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t\"image.jpeg\"Stage Two of the Savanna Origin of Trails included a fun brandy tasting at Van Rhyn\u2019s in Stellenbosch. Photo Credit: Chris Hitchcock<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2022 Savanna Origin of Trails MTB Experience closed off on a high note at Coetzenburg Stellenbosch University on Sunday 20 November. Not only did the Stage treat mountain bikers to a vast network of world-class and exclusive trails, but it also boasted an unheard-of on-route experience that included ice cold Savanna at the water […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-12795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12795"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62051,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12795\/revisions\/62051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12795"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=12795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}