{"id":18634,"date":"2016-02-29T12:45:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2016\/02\/29\/shorter-sharper-2016-cape-pioneer-trek-route-revealed-r4242\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T08:37:16","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T08:37:16","slug":"shorter-sharper-2016-cape-pioneer-trek-route-revealed-r4242","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/shorter-sharper-2016-cape-pioneer-trek-route-revealed-r4242\/","title":{"rendered":"Shorter, sharper 2016 Cape Pioneer Trek route revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The route for the eighth Cape Pioneer Trek international mountain bike stage race has been revealed and it\u2019s shorter than any of the previous editions. This is in line with an ongoing quest by the organisers to offer quality over quantity and a more rewarding racing experience.<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-76524400-1456750002.jpg\"<\/a>The coastal town of Mossel Bay will host the first two days of the Cape Pioneer Trek international mountain bike stage race to be held in South Africa from 16-22 October. Photo credit: www.zooncronje.com<\/span><\/p>\n

The seven-day race, from 16\u201322 October, once again carries International Cycling Union (UCI) grading, which means guaranteed minimum prize money, television coverage and UCI rankings points for the top finishers. This ensures a strong international field will be on the start line and also sees the rest of the field benefit from the exceptionally high standards.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s race will cover 496km over the seven days (including the prologue) and will include a total 9 620 meters of vertical ascent. As it did in 2015, the route will kick-off with a coastal prologue at Mossel Bay and will finish seven days later in Oudtshoorn. The in-between days have a new complexion, with the organisers opting for multiple night stay-overs to ensure a more relaxed off-the-bike environment for riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the early editions we tried to make the Cape Pioneer Trek the toughest stage race in South Africa. And it wasn\u2019t difficult to do that with the kind of rugged terrain and long, steep gradients we have in the Karoo. But we realised a few years back that route distance wasn\u2019t as important to riders as route experience and began to fine-tune the race, steadily making it shorter and faster,\u201d said Henco Rademeyer of Dryland Event Management, the company that owns the Cape Pioneer Trek.<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-29001300-1456750002.jpg\"<\/a>Wildlife encounters will be even more prevalent as a number of game reserves have been included to host sections of trail during the Cape Pioneer Trek international mountain bike stage race to be held in South Africa from 16-22 October. Photo credit: www.zooncronje.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe take our rider feedback very seriously. After the 2015 race, when creating the 2016 event, we kept what the riders loved and changed a few things that will make their race more enjoyable, but no less challenging on the bike,\u201d added Rademeyer.<\/p>\n

After including the Swartberg Pass in the last few editions \u2013 and actually summiting the iconic mountain twice on consecutive days last year \u2013 the organisers have opted to exclude it from the 2016 race. This allowed them to design a more compact route, which will be focussed around three towns, Mossel Bay, George and Oudtshoorn. As the crow flies, the towns are all fairly close together, but they occupy very different ecospheres, which will see riders tackling a huge variety of terrain and gradients – and possibly weather.<\/p>\n

From flat beach sand to the shaded indigenous and planted forest slopes of the Outeniqua Mountains; from firm loamy soil to hard, loose rock; from moist coastal air to the hot, dry desert atmosphere, the contrast will remain extreme and very much signature Cape Pioneer Trek.<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-53130600-1456750002.jpg\"<\/a>Top competitors from abroad, such as former world champion, Esther Suss (right), are expected to contest the prize money and rankings points on offer for top finishers at the Cape Pioneer Trek international mountain bike stage race to be held in South Africa from 16-22 October. Photo credit: www.zooncronje.com<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe route, although shorter, will be just as challenging as before. Shorter distances usually translate to a faster average race pace and a higher intensity of competition. We\u2019re also developing a lot more new singletrack sections, which makes for a higher skills challenge too. We have an increasing number of strong international riders entering the Cape Pioneer Trek each year, as well as from other regions in South Africa. We love to show off our beautiful part of the country with scenic and dramatic route choices that make the experience even more memorable,\u201d added Rademeyer.<\/p>\n

Cape Pioneer Trek 2016 route summary:<\/h2>\n

Sunday 16 October, Prologue<\/strong>
Mossel Bay Beachfront: 13km, 320 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start and Finish: Mossel Bay Beachfront
Similar to 2015, Day 1\u2019s route will be incredibly scenic with some stunning singletrack above the Indian Ocean coastline as well as the passing of some local historic and cultural landmarks and memorials.<\/p>\n

Monday 17 October, Stage 1<\/strong>
Mossel Bay\u2013Mossel Bay: 94km, 1 650 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start: Milkwood Primary School, Mossel Bay. Finish: Milkwood primary School, Mossel Bay
Day 2 will showcase the Mossel Bay area, especially the new singletrack sections through Gondwana Private Game Reserve, where Africa\u2019s Big Five roam free. Don\u2019t underestimate this stage, it\u2019s still tough but very rewarding. The night is spent on the water\u2019s edge before the journey continues.<\/p>\n

Tuesday 18 October, Stage 2<\/strong>
Mossel Bay\u2013George: 99km, 2 200 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start: Milkwood Primary School, Mossel Bay. Finish: Van Kervel High School, George
Day 3 is likely to be the toughest of the race with over 2 000m of climbing in just under 100km. This day will include a beach riding section, more game reserve sections and indigenous forests, finishing with some fast singletrack.<\/p>\n

Wednesday 19 October, Stage 3<\/strong>
George\u2013George: 56km, 1 150 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start: Van Kervel High School, George. Finish: Van Kervel High School, George
Day 4 is the shortest stage but will include 90% singletrack. The race often visits George but never has it truly made the most of the amazing, established forest singletrack in the capital of the Garden Route region.<\/p>\n

Thursday 20 October, Stage 4<\/strong>
George\u2013Oudtshoorn: 93km, 1 700 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start: Van Kervel High School, George. Finish: Langenhoven Gimnasium, Oudtshoorn
Day 5 is a return to the 2009 route between George and Oudtshoorn, which includes the historic Montagu Pass and the new singletrack sections at Herold Wines. The views are spectacular and the descents near the end are thrilling.<\/p>\n

Friday 21 October, Stage 5<\/strong>
Oudtshoorn\u2013Oudtshoorn: 84km, 1 400 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start: Langenhoven Gimnasium, Oudtshoorn. Finish: Langenhoven Gimnasium, Oudtshoorn
Day 6 takes riders towards the Kamanassie mountains, but for the first time years, the race won\u2019t venture into the wilderness reserve, but will instead circle the Kamanassie Dam and pass through another private game reserve.<\/p>\n

Saturday 22 October, Stage 6<\/strong>
Oudtshoorn\u2013Oudtshoorn: 57km, 1 200 metres ascent<\/strong>
Start: Chandelier Game Reserve, Oudtshoorn. Finish: Queens Hotel, Oudtshoorn
Day 7 sees the start at Chandelier Game Reserve, home to the Fairview Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge. This shorter stage includes many jeep track climbs and singletrack descents, with a fast and furious dash to the finish at the Queens Hotel in the town.<\/p>\n

Total distance:<\/strong> 496km.
Total elevation:<\/strong> 9 620m<\/p>\n

For more in-depth route descriptions of the 2016 race, visit www.capepioneer.co.za<\/a> where you can also enter in either Team or Solo divisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The route for the eighth Cape Pioneer Trek international mountain bike stage race has been revealed and it\u2019s shorter than any of the previous editions. This is in line with an ongoing quest by the organisers to offer quality over quantity and a more rewarding racing experience. The coastal town of Mossel Bay will host […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[30],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-18634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-cape-pioneer-trek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18634","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=18634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18634"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=18634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}