CYCLING NEWS - Julian and Katy Robinet, the organisers of the Road to Desolation gravel race, launched their inaugural event on 7 October.
Registration took place at Lot 44 on Somerset Street in Graaff-Reinet on 6 October.
Participants had the option to gather on Friday for a warm-up ride through the scenic Camdeboo National Park and for those who preferred a more relaxed approach, a wine-tasting event by The Wine Miller was held on the porch of Lot 44 during the registration period.
On a brisk Saturday morning, 75 riders assembled at 05:30, braving cold and wet weather conditions to embark on one of two challenging races. The course traverses the picturesque Sneeuberg Mountains and Camdeboo National Park.
Riders were advised to equip their bikes with lights as the initial 25 minutes of the race unfolded in the early dawn. The first race, known as the Road to Desolation gravel race, covered an impressive 178km and involved a challenging elevation gain of 2 773m.
The cut-off time for this race was 16:00 at the entrance to the Valley of Desolation. Meanwhile, the second race, the Taste of Desolation, offered a shorter 65km route with an elevation gain of 1 287m.
This race also departed from Lot 44 with cut-off time at 16:00, but it started at 11:00. Both racecourses featured minimal route markings, and participants had to navigate using GPX tracks loaded onto their devices. Some sections of the route were so challenging that riders had to dismount and push their bikes.
Winners
Hayley Preen rode a flawless race, breaking away from the other women right from the start and covering a significant portion of the race solo. Not only did she win the women's race, but she also finished twelfth overall.
Rebecca van Huyssteen came in second, followed by Carien Visser, who was riding out of competition with TT bars as part of her training for The Munga MTB. Therefore, the third-place spot goes to Kylie Hanekom, who finished just two minutes behind. In the men's race, pro rider Marc Pritzen broke away early with Dan Loubser, Tom Briggs and Ryno van Wyk. Pritzen clinched the victory in a nail-biting finish, completing the challenging race in six hours and 31 minutes, including a gruelling 7km climb to the finish line, just five seconds ahead of Loubser. Briggs secured the final spot on the podium with an impressive ride, finishing in under seven hours.
Organisers chuffed
The Robinets are thrilled about the first Road to Desolation event. They say the riders found the rainy weather - uncharacteristic for the Karoo - added to the exhilaration of the experience.
"We had great support from the town as well in terms of volunteers from the hospitality school and other locals, donations from various businesses such as Electro Cool, Pick 'n Pay, Camdeboo Supermeats, Pure Water, Drosdy Toyota and Afrikanis rum," the Robinets say. "We made an effort to support local businesses, such as customising medals into luggage tags crafted by Tess of Plasticity.
After the ride, we had a fantastic post-braai event at Coldstream where cyclists received their medals and shared stories from the day. Many cyclists visited Graaff-Reinet for the first time and expressed their joy at spending the weekend here. Everyone is eagerly looking forward to Road to Desolation 2024."
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
