2015 Ashburton Investments NATIONAL MTB SERIES #3 Clarens by ADVENDURANCE

#3Clarens Race Summary

DONATING YOUR MEDAL GOES A LONG WAY At Qhubeka we believe that when we give bicycles to people who earned them, we are not just giving them a means of transportation but the gift of hope. This is one of reasons we chose the name “Qhubeka”, an Nguni (Zulu, Xhosa) word that means “to carry on”, “to progress” or “to move forward”. As World Bicycle Relief’s programme in South Africa, we believe in giving a hand-up not a hand-out. This is why we help people progress by giving bicycles in return for work done to improve communities, the environment or academic results.

MOBILISING PEOPLE

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Table of contents

Warm Welcome

p5-6

Race Summary

p9-10

History & Winners

p13-14

Route & Features

p15-16

Feeding & Technical Zones

p19-20

Spectator Zones

p25-26

Day Programme

p31-32

Leaders Jersey & Prize Money

p33-34

Broadcast Times

p37

Sponsors & Partners

p38

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Warm welcome

Welcome to the Ashburton Investments National MTB Series As the proud new sponsor of South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier marathon mountain biking series, Ashburton Investments is looking forward to bringing professional cyclists and weekend warriors alike access to more of the beauty that our country offers. With diverse venues from the beautiful Cape wine lands to the rocky landscapes of the Free State we believe that the series holds a little something for everyone. Mountain biking is a rapidly growing sport and the profile of participants fits well within Ashburton Investments target market. Ashburton Investments is the FirstRand Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new generation, Africa based investment management business. Blending traditional and non-traditional investment expertise we strive to give investors access to more sources of return, broader investment capabilities and greater risk management. We believe that the Ashburton Investments National MTB Series gives us a new and exciting platform to engage with our clients, colleagues and cyclists from all walks of life. For more information about Ashburton please visit our website on www.ashburtoninvestments.com. The National MTB Series has grown and matured over more than a decade to include internationally acclaimed events with UCI status, and some of the biggest one day events in the country making the series the biggest of its kind in the world. The third event in the Ashburton Investments National MTB Series for 2015 takes us to the beautiful Free State town of Clarens in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains. This picturesque part of the world promises some exciting cycling for amateur and professional cyclists alike. We look forward to welcoming you at this fun filled event with its beautiful scenery, and trust that you will have a safe and memorable experience with us. Regards, Boshoff Grobler CEO Ashburton Investments

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Race summary

Leg Number

Ashburton Investments NATIONAL MTB SERIES #3 Clarens

Venue

Town Square, Clarens, Free State, South Africa

Registration

Fri 16h00-19h00 & Sat 06h00-08h30 Sun 06h30-09h00

Date

18/19 April 2015

Elevation

1700m Above Sea Level

Distances

8km | 20km | 45km | 74km | 118km

Participants 2000+

Clarens is a small town situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the Free State province of South Africa, nicknamed the “Jewel of the Eastern Free State”. It was established in 1912 and named after the town of Clarens in Switzerland where exiled Paul Kruger spent his last days. Clarens is an artists’ haven with many well-known artists, and many art galleries scattered around the village square and the town. The tranquil village ambience combined with scenic views and a mild climate makes Clarens a popular getaway for city dwellers. The race starts in the Town Square heading out along the spectacular sandstone mountains toward the exit of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The route then turns toward the Maluti mountains, one of the few places in our beautiful country where you can actually ride on the what’s commonly referred to as “slick rock”. It is one of the most picturesque spots in South Africa, offering unique views over the Golden Gate National Park and Lesotho.

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10.

Starting h t 0 3 y a M

30 May 2

015

11 July 2015 29 Aug

ust 201

03 Octo

ber 201

31 October 2015

TrailSeekerseries.co.za

@TrailSeekerMTB

TrailSeekerMTB

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History & winners

The Clarens leg of the Ashburton Investments National MTB Series is owned by ADVENDURANCE. The event was first started in 2004 with 250 mountain bikers who set out towards Lesotho and rode along the border on cattle tracks and duel tracks, which was quite extreme with portage sections. In 2009 it was taken over by ADVENDURANCE and adapted to be more friendly for various levels of riders. The Ultra distance was introduced with sections along the Golden Gate National Park with unique “slick rock” sections. The race and route was inspired by the unique “slick rock” riding in Utah, United States of America. With the help of Paul Pretorius and Rodney Wainwright who had good relations with land owners in the area, it was possible to create a route over many private and “never before” cycled areas around Clarens. With purposely hand built single track and spectacular views, the race grew tremendously to 2000 participants in 2014. The event supports local business and the local community

Year

Men

Time

Women

Time

2010

Kevin Evans

04:26.46

Yolande Speedy

03:41.47

2011

Adrien Niyonshuti

05:45.05

Yolande Speedy

04:18.44

2012

Max Knox

04:47.04

Theresa Ralph

03:21.03

2013

Max Knox

04:18.17

Samantha Sanders

03:14.51

2014

Nico Bell

04:54.47

Theresa Ralph

03:25.34

2009

Kevin Evans

04:13.15

Ischen Stopforth

03:40.22

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Route & features

Half-Marathon This route boasts breath-taking views over the surrounding farm lands with neatly planted peach and apple orchards before climbing up to the top of the Rooiberg Mountains that surround Clarens. For 2015 the route features a shortened distance, 8km of brand new trails, with 7km less gravel roads and 4km more single track. The route heads out past the aptly named “Titanic” sandstone rock face, which welcomes the visitors into town along the main road before turning off along the foot of the Rooiberg mountain range that surrounds Clarens. The route moves in a clockwise direction along the old classic route that has made Clarens mountain-biking famous. The route becomes really testing around the 16km mark before riders ascend up along “The Caravan Climb” before being spoilt down flowing rock faces on “Never Ending Story”. “Race Snakes” will find challenging sections to test technical skills, while the sharp climbs and steep down hills will test both fitness and courage. Marathon Approximately 15km of new trail has been added, riders can look forward to 7km less gravel road and 8km more single track. After crossing the Ash River, riders will be faced with the first major climb called “Robs Backside” up to Queen of the Mountains. This climb is approximately 4km long and features slick rock with some hand built switch back sections. It’s a challenging and exciting route with a lot of variables in terrain, surfaces and some tranquil views of the town. The “Witkrans Rock Trail” has some surprises in store... The hardest part of the race is around the 56km mark as soon as you pass “The Nipple”. Each of the three mountains that await you have rewarding sections for you to discover. Once you conquer “The Titanic” you’ll descend along rewarding flowing rock contours on the “Porcupine Trail” back down towards town. The recreational riders will find this route very challenging and may find themselves portaging for short distances. Please don’t underestimate the marathon route, its really challenging mountainous terrain, we suggest you study the profile and water point locations. The “Ultra” will do a combination of the two distances. Ultra Marathon The ultra marathon route is a combination of the marathon and the half marathon. NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

16.

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Tech & feed zones

Water Point #1

19.2km

Water Point #4

61.3km

KOM / QOM

22.7km

FTA #2

73.1km

Water Point #2

36.3km

Water Point #5

73.2km

FTA #1

51.6km

Water Point #6

91.3km

Water Point #3

51.7km

FTA #3 (Neutral)

102.6km

Water Point #7

102.7km

Directions to FTA Zones

FTA #1: 28°27’52.92”S 28°22’50.90”E After turning left onto the R712 travel for 6.2km. Turn left travel for 1.8km. Turn left travel a further 1.8km, past the farm house, park next to the barn. FTA #2: 28°30’44.75”S 28°25’07.26”E This point is less than 500m from the finish. From the finish in Market Street West, travel over Church street in Van Zyl street onto berg street. Park on the right hand side. FTA #3: This point is neutral. No teams will be allowed at this point. Please provide bottles to Torq Zone before the start. Access to the FTA Zones (Feed & Technical Assistance Zone) Report to registration where we will issue you with your Team Zone access card. Only teams have access to setup in the team designated area. Rules & Regulations Feeding and technical assistance will only be allowed at these designated areas. They are clearly marked and support crews must stay out of the way of riders. A UCI Commissaire will be on site to monitor the proceedings. No support vehicle will be tolerated on the race route - severe penalties or disqualifications will follow. This event makes use of CSA / SA-MTB rules and is ultimately affiliated to the UCI. NB: FTA Zones are only for UCI Men & Marathon Ladies “A” ULTRA cut-off: 5th Water point 4h30min after UCI Elite start due to overlap. NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

20.

Ultra marathon 1

2600m 2500m 2400m 2300m 2200m 2100m 2000m 1900m 1800m 1700m 1600m

21.

10km NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

20km

30km

40km

50km

60km

Feed & Tech King of the Mountain Spectator Zone

Water Point

3 Ascent:

2363m

Distance:

118km

Official Mapping Partner

Official Nutrition Partner

70km

80km

90km

100km

110km NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

22.

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Spectator zones

Spectator Zone #1

4.5km from Venue (Ultra & Marathon) 14.0km into race

Spectator Zone #3

0.5km from Venue (Ultra & Marathon) 73.0km into race

Spectator Zone #2

11.5km from Venue (Ultra & Marathon) 51.7km into race

Directions to Spectator Zones SZ #1 : 28°23’57.70”S 28°22’35.77”E From Clarens turn left onto the R712. Travel for 12.5km. Turn left. Travel for 2.0km. Park along the road. The riders will approach from the front and exit that road after crossing the bridge to your right. SZ #2 : 28°27’52.92”S 28°22’50.90”E After turning left onto the R712 travel for 6.2km. Turn left travel for 1.8km. Turn left travel a further 1.8km, past the farm house, park next to the barn. SZ #3 : 28°30’44.75”S 28°25’07.26”E This point is less than 500m from the finish. From the finish in Market Street West, walk over Church Street in Van Zyl street onto berg street. Please keep in mind that directions are from the race venue. None of the dirt roads are accessible by normal vehicles. Access to the Spectator Zones Supporter zones are open to the public. Please use only the directions given to get to these zones. Bring a camping chair and shade and support the participants as they make their way past. Rules & Regulations No outside assistance is allowed. No one may interfere with the race in any way. If caught assisting or feeding participants penalties will apply.

NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

26.

Marathon 1

2600m 2500m 2400m 2300m 2200m 2100m 2000m 1900m 1800m 1700m 1600m

27.

10km NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

20km

30km

40km

50km

60km

70km

1/2

Marathon

Feed & Tech King of the Mountain Spectator Zone Water Point

2600m 2500m 2400m

Ascent:

2363m

Distance:

118km

2300m 2200m

Official Mapping Partner

2100m 2000m 1900m

Official Nutrition Partner

1800m 1700m 1600m

70km

10km

20km

30km

40km NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

28.

Scan here with your mobile phone to share your experience on vavavox.com

Don’t be sheepish, Let us know what you think!

We want to offer you only the best cycling experiences, so if you tell us what you did or didn’t like today, you’ll help us make that a reality. Simply visit www.vavavox.com on your phone, tablet or computer and share your experience.

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BETTER CHOICES THROUGH SHARED EXPERIENCES

Are you part of SAS? SASeeding (SAS) is an exciting race administration system aimed at improving the standard of cycling events. Upon registering with SAS each cyclist receives a permanent and unique SAS number; which also doubles as a race number and timing chip. SAS gathers race results from various race organisers and uses these to create a race index. This enables SAS to divide large numbers into smaller batches in accordance with a riders ability which effectively eliminates congestion. Riders are provided with a more enjoyable and safer riding experience. SAS recently started the first MTB ranking system in conjunction with KIA, so riders can now view their national ranking on www.kiarankings.co.za

Web: saseeding.co.za Facebook: facebook.com/saseeding

Twitter: @saseeding Queries: info@saseeding.co.za

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Day programme

Date

Friday 17th April 2015

16:00 - 19:00

Registration & On-line entries

Date

Saturday 18th April 2015

06:05

Riders call up / Interviews / Briefing

07:20

Start Marathon 74km Ladies “UCI Licensed”.

07:45

Start Marathon 74km Men “A”. Batches 5min

10:45

Winner of Marathon 74km Expected

06:00 - 09:00

Registration & Late entries

07:15

Start Ultra 118km Pro / Elite “UCI Licensed”

07:35

Start Ultra 118km Amateur “Non-UCI”

Expected arrival times 12:05

Winner of ULTRA 118km Pro / Elite Men

Date

Sunday 19th April 2015

08:05

Start ½ Marathon 45km Women “A”. Batches 5min

08:55

Start Fun Ride 8km “All”

09:25

Winner of Fun Race 20km

Prize giving at 13:00 (Or once the top 10 Ultra men have finished) 08:00

Start ½ Marathon 45km Men “A”.

08:45

Start Fun Race 20km “A”. Batches 5min

Expected arrival times 10:15

Winner of ½ Marathon 45km

Prize giving at 12:00 (Or once the Half-Marathon categories have finished) NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

32.

Pos

Prize money Ultra

Marathon

Overall

U23 19-22

Vet 40-49

Male R 25,000.00

R 12,000.00

550.00

R 3,000.00

R 1,500.00

500.00

R 12,000.00

R 6,000.00

330.00

R 1,500.00

750.00

300.00

R 3,000.00

250.00

500.00

200.00

3 4 5

R 3,000.00 R 1,500.00

750.00

600.00

500.00

400.00

300.00

33.

Male

Marathon

R 6,000.00

Female

Marathon Male

R 1,500.00 R

750.00

KOM R 1,000.00

NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

QOM R 1,000.00

750.00 Senior 23-29

Female

Male

Master 50-59

Female

500.00

300.00

200.00

Sub Vet 30-39

500.00

300.00

200.00

Pos

Half Marathon

Overall

Female

Male

Fun Race

Junior

17-18

Male

Female

Overall Male

Female

500.00

R 1,000.00

Prize

300.00

500.00

Prize

200.00

300.00

Prize

Sub Jun

13-14

Youth

15-16

500.00

300.00

200.00

Master

50-59

500.00

Prize

300.00

Prize

200.00

Prize

Sprog

11-12

Grand Master

60+

500.00

Prize

300.00

Prize

200.00

Prize

Nipper

<11

Prize

NATIONALMTBSERIES.COM

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Date

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27 April 2015

Episode 5 - Ashburton Investments National MTB Series #3 Clarens - Saturday

Advendurance TV