![\"ccs-62657-0-83870600-1463391220.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-83870600-1463391220.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cRiders don\u2019t come back to the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival year after year because of the incredible mountain biking \u2013 and now trail running \u2013 experience alone,\u201d explains Impi Concept Events\u2019 Stu Berry. \u201cThe all-round organisation and comfort of the event is also vital to the positive experience participants and their supporters enjoy during their time with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn preparation for this year\u2019s Sappi Karkloof Classic, there have been significant upgrades to the clubhouse, the showers have been done up really nicely and there is now a permanent coffee shop as well,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
While the Club\u2019s premier event sees thousands flock to the Karkloof region annually, a significant number of cyclists, runners, walkers and nature lovers visit the club on a more regular basis, with the recent upgrades adding to their Karkloof experience as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is great to see the committee investing a huge amount of the profits generated by the Sappi Karkloof Classic back into the local MTB and trail communities via the Club\u2019s facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe upgrades won\u2019t only benefit the riders and runners of the Sappi Karkloof Classic but the many outdoors enthusiasts who visit the Club year-round as well,\u201d says Berry.<\/p>\n
Apart from the permanent upgrades, Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival goers can also look forward to enjoying the many elements of the event\u2019s comprehensive race village.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have various vendors selling a variety of delicious food and drinks; from Maddison Bakery\u2019s pizzas to the falafel guy and, of course, plenty of great hot coffee!<\/p>\n
\u201cThe event\u2019s great sense of community spirit also extends to the Howick-uMngeni Lions Club and the Cubs and Scouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Howick-uMngeni Lions Club support some of their programmes and projects through the sale of bacon and eggs rolls and boerewors rolls while the Cubs and Scouts\u2019 pancakes sales help them raise much needed funds for training and tours.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>A wide variety of delicious food and drinks, such as Maddison Bakery’s pizzas and other delights, offer riders and spectators of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival plenty of refreshment options. Anthony Grote\/ Gameplan Media<\/span>\n<\/div>\nDespite many frequenting the plethora of bed and breakfasts in the area, many out-of-towners embrace the Club\u2019s hospitality wholeheartedly as they turn the pristine location into a temporary camp site while the race-specific infrastructure adds to general atmosphere of the event as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get between 80 and 100 campers utilising the camping facilities we offer each year so it is clearly still a popular option, especially for those who travel from outside of KZN.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also invest significantly in the staff\/finish area of the event with the massive start\/finish archway and chute adding to riders\u2019 sense of being part of an event of the size of the Sappi Karkloof Classic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe check-in process is also made very easy due to the free-flowing, user-friendly batch pounds and then once participants have finished, everyone loves collecting their ice-cold aQuell\u00e9, their finishers medal and having their photo taken as they go over the photographers ramps!<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these little aspects come together and add tremendously to participants\u2019 overall Karkloof experience and are a major reason behind the success the event has enjoyed for such a long period of time,\u201d says Berry.<\/p>\n
The 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival takes place at Karkloof Country Club on Saturday, 4 and Sunday, 5 June. The event offers 21km, 10km and 5km trail running races, 60km, 40km, 20km and 10km mountain bikes events as well as an Enduro. Entries can be submitted via www.roag.co.za<\/a> while more information can be found at www.karkloofmtb.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Upgrades to the Karkloof Country Club\u2019s clubhouse and a world class race village will offer participants of the 2016 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival hospitality and comfort comparable to that of the country\u2019s top stage races when the iconic event\u2019s action unfolds on Saturday, 4 and Sunday, 5 June. Renowned for its spectacular trails through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":42618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[421,2682,1318],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-18166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-karkloof-classic","tag-karkloof-country-club","tag-sappi-karkloof-classic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18166","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=18166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18166"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=18166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}