As the 2012 UCI MTB Marathon World Championship draws near, local mountain bike marathon athletes have a last opportunity at qualifying for the national team that will be travelling to Ornans, France in October.<\/p>\n
The Sabie Classic marathon in February was one of the first events held as a MTB marathon selection race, with the Karkloof Classic and The Big Induna held in April and June adding to the riders\u2019 points tally as well.<\/p>\n
The remaining single event to count toward the selection process is the upcoming SA MTB Marathon Champs, the Gravel Travel, which will be held on 25-26 August in Wellington, Western Cape.<\/p>\n
Just outside Cape Town nestled in between the orchard-filled valleys, lies the town of Wellington, hosting this prestigious event. With countless kilometres of snaking hand built singletrack surrounding the valley, there’s no doubt why this race was voted in favour of hosting the Elite and Junior men and women\u2019s SA MTB Marathon Championships.<\/p>\n
Pieter van Wyk and his crew put in hundreds of hours each year hand building some of the best mountain biking trails in the country. Diemersfontein is known for its beauty, informal elegance, and grace \u2013 an idyllic country destination only 45 minutes drive from Cape Town and is situated near the Cape’s famous Wine Routes.<\/p>\n
Nominated XCM Selection events 2012:<\/span><\/p>\n Men: Distance 80 \u2013 120+ km:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Sabie Classic \u2013 Ultra XCM \u2013 February 2012<\/p>\n Karkloof Classic \u2013 Marathon \u2013 22 April 2012<\/p>\n The Big Induna \u2013 Ultra XCM \u2013 9 June 2012<\/p>\n SA XCM Champs\u2013Ultra\u2013Gravel Travel\u201325 Aug<\/p>\n Women: Distance 60 \u2013 120+ km: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Sabie Classic \u2013 Marathon \u2013 February 2012<\/p>\n Karkloof Classic \u2013 Marathon \u2013 22 April 2012<\/p>\n The Big Induna \u2013 Marathon \u2013 9 June 2012<\/p>\n SA XCM Champs\u2013Marathon\u2013Gravel Travel\u201325 Aug \t\t\t<\/p>\n The spread of Mountain Bike Marathon events listed above was designed to allow a race every 2nd month, and also to avoid some of the major MTB Stage Races such as the Cape Epic and Sani2C.<\/p>\n