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Dec/Jan 2016, Vol 30
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Berg & Bush FS
Having a Blast
AT THE B&B Above Left: Em’Seni camp on the banks of “The Mighty Tugela” River. Above Right: The Berg & Bush singletracks are among the best in the business!
BOTH PHOTOS BY EMGATLAND.COM | NIKON/LEXAR
Winterton is the KZN equivalent of good old “Putsonderwater”, you know how we affectionately refer to the middle of nowhere. Well, this is pretty much the same. Except it hosts one of the best stage races in the country, writes Shayne Dowling.
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interton boasts rugged farmland, ringed by the majestic Drakensberg and nestled in the shadow of the great escarpment. This is land that is respected, appreciated and valued by the tough farmers and folk that make it their home. The exact same can be said about how these farmers, come event organisers, respect, appreciate and value the riders of the Berg & Bush – and it’s this courtesy, congeniality and friendliness that, in my opinion, make it such a special event. Gary Green – farmer. Solly Prinsloo – farmer. Their families – farmers. But underneath it all they love mountain biking, and it is quite apparent. It is easy to forget when you are hurtling down kilometre
after kilometre of singletrack that the routes have been lovingly cut, engineered and “’n boer maak ’n plan” out of cliffs, cattle tracks, river beds and harsh bush that these guys are at the heart of it, farmers! The land is important to them and it’s been in the clutches of a massive drought for a few years now. But it’s only another challenge that Gary and his team face and get on with. The community is completely involved and yes, this happens at other races, but I have yet to see in other hugely remote areas and in sweltering heat a local resident standing, smiling, while manning his or her gate, or at the foot of a remote climb on a district road that only Google maps knows about. Or when you come around a corner and half of the town
is there manning a water table. This ride is really put into a league of its own by the amazing people!
Day 1 So let’s chat about the riding. Well where to begin really… the start is in the Free State. Yes you heard right. You need to travel from the delightful Em’Seni camp, which is home for the duration, on the banks of “The Mighty Tugela” (I swear there are people that left the race thinking that’s its actual name) up to the Border Post on top of the Drakensberg and the escarpment. Shortly after being set off you find yourself slack-jawed and reaching for your camera as you look out over what seems to be the entire KZN. Once you have regained your
composure, taken the obligatory 10 selfies, remembered that you “mustn’t overtake on the right” (there is the small matter of a sheer cliff) you hit Solly’s Folly: a hand-cut singletrack that descends for over 14km! It is sheer joy and the best jelly legs you will ever have! There really are no words! The day is filled with surprises and challenges – most probably because of the fact that you are on your bike for 95kms. For most of us this is a first, and a huge challenge in itself – then the small matter of 38 degree heat. The area is trapped in the worst drought in over a century. The land is lifeless in large areas and if it weren’t for
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