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<\/a><\/p>\nThe third edition of the three-day race will take place from 13-15 February 2015 and once again promises to draw a world-class line-up to challenge for the various category titles. With similar terrain and distance-to-elevation ratio to the ABSA Cape Epic, the Tankwa Trek is becoming a preferred form-tester for those committed to Cape Epic participation.<\/p>\n
The Tankwa Trek is held near Ceres, a prolific fruit-producing valley 150km northeast of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The geography of the region makes it a mountain bike route designer\u2019s dream. The routes for each of the three stages are developed by three different mountain bikers that live in the area, each giving \u2018his stage\u2019 a different character, which helps add significant depth to the revered Tankwa Trek route.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween Hannes Hannekom (Stage 1), Mauritz Walters (Stage 2) and Charl van der Merwe (Stage 3), we have the ultimate route design team for the Tankwa Trek route,\u201d said Carel Herholdt of Dryland Event Management, the company that organizes the DUTOIT Tankwa Trek.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs mountain bikers, they understand what\u2019s important, what\u2019s dangerous and what\u2019s stimulating. And since they live and ride in the area, they are able to spend a lot of time preparing the route so that it\u2019s truly awesome. When you have a race route that\u2019s so highly praised, it\u2019s hard to better it, but these guys are doing just that for 2015,\u201d added Herholdt.<\/p>\n
The geography of the Ceres Valley is perfect for creating stimulating, varied mountain bike routes and one of the reasons for the rapid success of the DUTOIT Tanka Trek.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStage 1 will be a little bit different from 2014, but will still retain the amazing views and challenging climbs. I\u2019ve eliminated the sand section near the end, which nobody appreciated, and have added in a couple of sections of natural singletrack that will be a welcome surprise,\u201d said Hannes Hannekom.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a few changes to Stage 2 for 2015. I\u2019ve left in the DUTOIT\u2019s Drop singletrack downhill as well as the Merino Monster climb and descent. I\u2019ll move the first water point further into the stage and it will be inside a fruit pack house, which is appropriate since this is the country\u2019s prime fruit produce region,\u201d said Mauritz Walters. \u201cI\u2019ll also eliminate one of the tar road crossings by taking the riders under the highway and I think I\u2019ll make some other minor changes in the last 10km too.\u201d<\/p>\n Stage 3 will see an innovation, introduced by Van der Merwe, designed specifically to improve rider flow.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will have a few sections where you can choose your singletrack option. They won\u2019t run next to each other but each takes the riders on a different route for a while. Some will be equal in distance and technical difficulty simply to improve flow, but other options will offer a longer, less technical section or a shorter technically challenging section to cater specifically riders of different skill levels.<\/p>\n The elevation gained by the climb up the Merino Monster on Stage 2 of the DUTOIT Tankwa Trek offers incredible views of the surrounding fruit farming region.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll also add in some more bridges this year,\u201d explained Van der Merwe, who has been resourceful in creating continuous singletrack through the region\u2019s huge sandstone rock formations.<\/p>\n \u201cBy having such dedicated, expert route designers, we are able to focus on fine-tuning the rest of the racing experience for riders at the DUTOIT Tankwa Trek, such as the food, accommodation and ablutions, all of which are as essential to a stage race as a memorable route,\u201d added Herholdt.<\/p>\n Entries are open for the 2015 DUTOUIT Tankwa Trek, but the field size is limited and cannot be expanded due to the potential capacity of the host venue, Kaleo. There are both team and solo rider packages available, which include three nights of accommodation.<\/p>\n For more information, or to enter, visit www.tankwatrek.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n