{"id":69054,"date":"2024-07-17T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/?p=69054"},"modified":"2024-07-25T11:14:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T09:14:09","slug":"kap-sani2c-og-the-original-gangsta-of-sa-mountain-biking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/kap-sani2c-og-the-original-gangsta-of-sa-mountain-biking\/","title":{"rendered":"KAP sani2c \u2018OG\u2019 – the original gangsta of SA mountain biking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is in a name? When William Shakespeare penned that line, he used it to suggest that naming things is irrelevant, that a rose, called by another name, would smell as sweet. Well, the team at sani2c, the legendary 3-day South African mountain bike stage race, including its founder \u2018Farmer\u2019 Glen Haw, decided to take another look at the names of the three events at sani2c, because they think it does matter, and perhaps it can help some riders figure out where they \u2018fit\u2019 when they enter KAP sani2c in 2025<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three versions of the same event because there are a lot<\/strong> of people who want to ride sani2c, and a lot of them want to do it again, and again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If a beautiful bit of singletrack can be built, anywhere, Farmer Glen and the team will build it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are many, (some might say most), things at sani2c that are the same at each event, and the most important and obvious one is the point-to-point route. All three events start at Glencairn Farm near Underberg and cover the same 265 kms of thrilling trails with a ridiculously high proportion of singletrack, some gut-busting climbs, leg-wobbling descents and a whole lot of fun. All riders stay at the same overnight race villages at Mackenzie Club and Jolivet Farm, and all riders cross the finish line on the grass at Scottburgh Golf Club at the coast, generally with a big smile on their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KZN dairy farmer Glen Haw, who started this event in 2005, is at pains to try and differentiate between three events that pretty much do the same thing, because they were duplicated simply to cater for more riders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we start looking at the differences between the events, this is where it can get tricky, as we hate to generalise about who enters which race, or put them in a box\u201d, he chuckles. \u201cBut to help us to understand the \u2018characters\u2019 of sani2c and how each event differs, and what it may offer riders, we are going to try,\u201d says Glen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The descent into the Umkomaas Valley is one of the many reasons riders keep coing back again and again<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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What was formerly known as the KAP sani2c Race, is renamed KAP sani2c \u2018OG\u2019.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These riders are the \u2018original gangstas\u2019 of sani2c. They have been around for a while and love being part of the \u2018first\u2019 event, even though it is the last to start and finish each year. This is where you will find the three \u2018last riders standing\u2019, Flavio, Grant and George, who have completed all twenty of the previous KAP sani2c events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The racing will still happen here. The sani2c \u2018OG\u2019 will continue to be a UCI sanctioned event and elite riders can accumulate valuable points, and a Prologue will take place the day before \u2018OG\u2019 starts. The presence of the pro teams in the race village creates a certain frisson in the air that you may not find at the other two events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018OG\u2019 is authentic sani2c, and that authenticity extends to hospitality and the welcoming of new riders. \u2018OG\u2019s\u2019 are always keen to share their love of sani2c, so this is a good place for first-timers to see what it is all about – in a limited field of 1000 riders, the pro teams make up a very small percentage of the field. There are family groups, fathers with sons or daughters, and mothers with sons or daughters, husband and wife teams and big groups of mates. We have even seen three generations taking part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some fast forest singletrack mixed up with indigenous forest trails, nature reserve, river crossings, and flow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Glen says they look forward to increasing the women\u2019s field again next year: \u201csani2c \u2018OG\u2019 is where we would like to encourage the women to enter. We are thrilled with how many women are coming into the sport; they are loving it and thriving. There are many talented women riders getting into racing, but also groups of women who are out to have fun riding their bikes while pushing themselves to achieve beyond what they had thought possible. This is what sani2c is about – it is why Iconic is so tough – that sani2c finishline feeling stays with you forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The KAP sani2c Adventure will keep its name<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glen says of the Adventure: \u201cThese riders will not be happy if we alter the name, they are all so determined to be part of the Adventure, that even when this event is sold-out they insist on remaining on the waiting list, rather than signing up for the \u2018OG\u2019 or e-Trail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adventure riders think they have the most fun. Some of them are pretty hardcore racers but they like to shine in the middle event, and not try and fight it out with the pros. The beers flow fast and strong after a challenging morning out on the bike, and the stories of conquering the Unitrans Iconic Climb flow as readily. These are the guys and girls  lining up to get their socks at Jolivet who swear they did not put a foot down, but managed the brutal climb with finesse. These riders like a challenge for sure and some are here to push themselves, while also connecting with good friends or colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018OG\u2019 riders are committed and loyal to \u2018their\u2019 event too, and cannot figure out what the fuss is about at the Adventure, so you will just have to choose which of the two you\u2019d like to try, unless of course, you\u2019d like to enter on an e-bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 3 is known for its fast and flowing trails, but there is plenty of climbing in Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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What was formerly known as the KAP sani2c Trail, is renamed KAP sani2c e-Trail<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This new name is an obvious shift, just to make it very clear that this is the e-bike race, though all riders are welcome here. This event promises to develop its character over time, as 2024 was the first year that e-bikes were put into one focused event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sani2c e-Trail will cater for just 250 teams, or 500 riders. This event will remain half the size of the \u2018OG\u2019 and Adventure, allowing for a more intimate experience. Tamika Gandar, Farmer Glen\u2019s daughter and race organiser, says the luxury tents will be more readily available at the e-Trail due to the smaller field, and they are making plans for other extras, like the option of table bookings, in order for large groups to comfortably sit together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glen says he has noticed a positive shift in the sentiment towards e-bikes across the full spectrum of riders, and that it made a big difference having a dedicated e-bike event: \u201cAt e-Trail the e-bikes feel welcome and don\u2019t have to worry about putting anyone\u2019s nose out of joint, because the conventional riders doing the e-Trail are here in full knowlegde that the e-bikes are catered for. What we did do was start the conventional riders who did not have e-bikers in their group, a good 30 minutes later, which worked really well, and we had no complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also seeing more riders now, who have such a wide range of commitments between work and family, that they cannot make the time to train as fully as they\u2019d like for a sani2c. With the kind of e-bikes being produced now, the whole sport of riding e-bikes has changed and it\u2019s not about not being fit enough so you ride an e-bike, it\u2019s about allowing the bike to give you that bit of power you may lack so that you can really enjoy the ride as if you were in peak shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It really gives you the best of both worlds, and that is what we have here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racing is a thing at e-Trail too though, says Glen: \u201cThese e-bike racers can ride! It is a serious business, and this year we had leaders\u2019 jerseys in the e-bike race and the competition was fierce, so we look forward to seeing this category develop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some sharp switchback riding keeps you on your toes descending the Umkomaas Drop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A good night\u2019s rest, on a bed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The KAP sani2c team is launching a project to build steel beds for sani2c, which will be a significant employment creation project, in line with the sani2c vision of improving livelihoods and developing skills within the communities along the sani2c route. It\u2019s a win-win for riders and the all-important people behind the scenes that make this amazing ride possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Learn More and Enter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Enter now via the sani2c website:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KAP sani2c e-Trail: Tuesday to Thursday, 6-8 May 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KAP sani2c Adventure: Wednesday to Friday, 7-9 May 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KAP sani2c \u2018OG\u2019: Thursday to Saturday, 8-10 May 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That sani2c finishline feeling can\u2019t be beaten<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is in a name? When William Shakespeare penned that line, he used it to suggest that naming things is irrelevant, that a rose, called by another name, would smell as sweet. Well, the team at sani2c, the legendary 3-day South African mountain bike stage race, including its founder \u2018Farmer\u2019 Glen Haw, decided to take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":69056,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[53],"featured_location":[338],"class_list":["post-69054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-sani2c","featured_location-bottom-row"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69054","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=69054"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69071,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69054\/revisions\/69071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69054"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=69054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}