South Africa’s top riders are expected at this year’s Stellenbosch Mountain Bike Challenge, renowned as a favourite competitive and picturesque route by the mountain biking fraternity.

Presented for the first time this year by Die Burger, the event is now also one of the official venues for the 2008 Mazda MTN National Championships.

The challenge will take place on Saturday, 2 August, 2008 and will start and finish at the Markötter Fields at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch.

Due to the consistently high standards of the route and outstanding race organisation, the organisers of the National MTB Championships have added the challenge to their roster of Series status events.

Organisers are expecting SA’s top riders to compete, including defending SA champ Kevin Evans of Team MTN, Olympic MTB star and number two in the world Burry Stander (Team MTN) and SA cross-country champ Brandon Steward (Team USN).

Cape Epic champion Yolanda de Villiers (Cycle Lab/Toyota), national series leader Carla Rowley (Team MTN) and Olympic rider Yolande Speedy (IMC) will add excitement to the women’s race.

There will be two routes for the national champs. The first is the 42km national half-marathon for junior licensed riders, which has been described as “not for the fainthearted.” It will start through the back of Stellenbosch and riders will have to contend with two major ascents: Delaire’s Botmaskop, as well as the climb from Rustenberg up the lower Simonsberg to Delheim Estate. The course for the 42km national champs and 42km Stellenbosch MTB Challenge will be identical, although only licensed riders will be able to take part in the national championship race.

The second route is the 75km national marathon. After completing the 42km route, riders will have to contend with technical descents and lots of single-track trails on Delheim. Beyond the mountain sections they can expect fast, flat riding for 20km for the final ascent around Papegaaiberg and an innovative, traffic-free entrance to Stellenbosch to complete the course. The expected finish time will be three hours, with back markers preparing for a four- to five-hour race.

The 42km and 75km series races are only open to licensed riders. A once-off day Cyclesport licence can, however, be purchased by entrants wanting to participate in these events. Riders in the 42km and 60km Stellenbosch MTB Challenge races will be seeded according the Mountain Bike Challenge Seeding Series that was instituted in 2007.

Meurant Botha of Dirtopia, who has been designing and maintaining trails for more than eight years, says that riders should expect “some surprises” along the way. “The route passes through 21 wine farms and in considered one of the best and most beautiful in the country. With the top riders, including Tania Raats, John-Paul Pearton and David George in attendance, the standard of competition will be very high.”

Fritz Pienaar says that another attraction to using the Stellenbosch MTB Challenge as a venue is Botha’s expertise at designing tracks. “Meurant Botha is renowned for his excellent courses – they are interesting and always challenging,” he says.

David Bellairs encourages all riders to ensure that they enter as soon as possible as the field is limited to 2 500 places. “It really is a fantastic family event and there will be plenty of entertainment for everyone, so we encourage people to bring their friends and family and come and have fun,” he adds.

The race will form part of the seeding series for the 2009 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Mountain Bike Challenge that takes place at Boschendal Wine Estate on 1 March 2009.