The memories of the Nitida race are still fresh in our minds, and we’re on our way again for this Saturday’s kick-off at Tri-Active Adventures (oops, the rugby is getting to me!). Henning says this is the best course out of all we’ve done so far this year, so get yourselves ready for a great time on your bike and with your team mate on Saturday! We have sent you the mail about accomodation packages at the luxury tent camp of Tri-Active, so contact them if you’re interested.

Talking about the kick-off, don’t fret about the rugby! We will record the match of the Springboks against Fiji on Saturday morning, then after prizegiving we will watch it all together on one of Intellisport’s big screens! (over a glass of red wine, of course!)

After the high-handicappers had some fun staying away from the racing snakes at Nitida, the BIG question is: what’s going to happen this time? We will have a reverse order start sequence again, and our calculators are red-hot in working out just what those start gaps should be for this race……

Once again, please send us the info below by Wednesday 14 September at the VERY LATEST to enable us to calculate handicaps and start times and have it ready for you at the race.

Kindly note that the start times are calculated using the info that we receive from you, therefore we need the following info again from every team :
• Will you be there on Sunday?
• Who will be the team members for this race?
• If there are “new” substitutes, kindly send us their vital statistics so we can calculate a new handicap for your team (if you can’t find a partner, contact us, maybe we can hook you up)

Venue

Tri-Active Adventures, Elgin (at the entrance to Paul Cluver Wine Estate)

Registration start

7h30; Race brief 8h15

Start of Race

8h30 (first start time)

Total distance

45,4 km

Water Points

1 Water point with Powerade, Wilde Juice and eats at kindly hosted again by Re/Max Helderberg

Total vertical climb

930 m

Handicap Weighting

Due to the nature of the course and the amount of climbing, the weighting for the BMI part of the handicap has been kept at maximum. The performance- or fitness factor has been reviewed for all teams after Race #4, and further adjustments have been made.

Reverse order start sequence:

The handicap for this race will again be applied in the form of the starting time. Therefore the teams with the higher handicaps will start 1st and get the advantage over the lower-handicapped teams by starting ahead of them. A unique start time is calculated for each team, these start times will be made available at registration on Sunday. You need to be ready to start, at the start line, at least 10 minutes before you start. If you are late it will be to your disadvantage, as your actual start time can’t be re-calculated into the results.

Bar facilities

A very cosy bar with a fire crackling in an old fireplace, watching the rugby!

Food and coffee

Coffee will be available at registration, light meals and snacks will be available afterwards.

Order Of Merit

Teams who have not done 4 races yet, this is your chance to gain maximum points on your Order of Merit! Those who have done all 4 races, get in some training, and do better than your worst previous score to improve your Order of Merit standings on the overall points log!

Rider Tracking

Free tracking units will be made available to the first 10 teams who notified us via e-mail, there-after you may hire a Shadosport Unit @ R55, buy a demo @ R 1650, or buy a new unit @
R 2450. Remember you can’t be in line for the Speed trap prize if we can’t track your speed!

Technical Support

Technical support will be provided at the start and at the water point by Helderberg Cycle World. See race rules that apply to outside help and technical support (on the website).

Terrain

We will treat you to one of the vey best riding experiences available in the Western Cape, including the scenery offered by the trails and tracks, as well as flora and bird life of the Groenlandberg
Conservancy at Paul Cluver, Thandi Estate and Oak Valley. Bring some moolah to buy some of their great wines that will be on offer at the race!

How to get there

Take N2 from Cape Town to Caledon direction.
Go past Grabouw turn-off’s, continue to large Kromco apple warehouses on the left.
Take the Kromco/Paul Cluver turnoff at the Kromco Warehouses
Follow Paul Cluver signs.
Cross railway line and turn right to the Tri Active premises.
GPS Co-ordinates:
34°10’40.7″ S 19°04’49.14″ E

The Cape winter weather finally gave us a break and allowed for perfect mountain biking conditions, but not before a few frowns were cast at the clouds that brought a few unexpected showers during the early hours of Sunday morning. The riders went out again from the picture-perfect venue of Cassia Restaurant on the Nitida Wine Estate on the reverse order start sequence (with the higher handicaps starting first, each team having a specific start time as per handicap), and it turned out that the technical nature of the course, (which was a duo loop of 20km and 6km), kept the strong riders at bay and allowed the higher handicapped riders to stay away and be on the podium this time! Halfway through the 2nd loop the excitement on the faces of Team Prophet, the AR Wannbees and NMC Building Trust was evident as they sensed that victory was possible if they kept their act together, put their heads down and cut out mistakes as they managed to keep the racing snakes behind them at bay!
This was the shortest race in the series so far, but it wasn’t an easy 26km by any means! Again the climbing and variation in the course, as well as the nature of the single track, of which there was plenty (narrow, rocky and bumpy most of the way) made the riders concentrate and work all the way, with little chance to rest, eat and drink. Said one of the riders: “I promised myself a drink just as soon as we finished with this section of track, and the next moment we are into the next section, and again the next, and half an hour later I still haven’t drunk anything!” But the beauty of the fynbos, the views over Table Bay, Robben Island and the canola fields and hills north of Durbanville, as well as being able to race flat-out in awesome singletrack without being held up by a clogged course, are what most riders will remember about this race.

Consistency pays!

All through the season Team Suunto have been making noises about how they are enjoying the series, but that their eyes were really on winning the yellow jersey and staying in yellow. They haven’t missed a single race, and their finishing positions in the League so far was 2 8th places, a 2nd and a 9th, and the next moment they were in yellow! They were over the moon as they were announced as the new series leaders at the prize-giving, and it looks as if it going to take a big effort from the other teams to get them out of yellow! Their enthusiasm before and during each race is contagious.

Pedal Talk Cover

Remember to watch Pedal Talk on SABC 2 @ 13h30 for coverage of the race – it’s always good to see how the Corporate MTB League is experienced by the viewers out there! Thanks again to Johnny Koen for his initiatives as MC and presenter – good job Johnny!

Main Contenders

With 2 races left the points standing on the top of the points log is as follows.

Podium winners

Position	Start Time	Team Name	Rider 1	Rider 2	Team H'cap	Pts Earned	Total Points
1	08:16:30	AR Wannabees	Brendon Thorpe	Rob Flashman	39	35	51
2	08:38:30	Prophet	Paul Stofberg	Mark van Tonder	31	31	47
3	08:27:30	NMC Building Trust	Adrian Hammond	Michael Baker	35	27	41

Overall points log

Team Name	Rider 1	Rider 2	Team H'Cap	Total Points
Suunto	Martin Prest	Deon vd Merwe	25	87
Non-Pareille	Willem Vegter	Petrus Malherbe	15	79
D4DR Media	Willem Grobler	Danie du Toit	29	78
Wilde Juice	Jacques Groenewald	Tobie Visser	39	76
UCS Solutions	Joao Mendes	Craig Woods	11	71
Team Merida	Henning van Wyk	Christo Groenewald	14	68

From the next race, (17 Septmber, Elgin)the Order of Merit kicks in, where teams who have completed 4 races already can improve their position on the Points Log only by achieving a result that’s better than the worst of the previous 4. Now is the time for doing that interval training!

Thanks again to our Prize Sponsors:

1st Place: Rudy Project Genetyk Impact X Photochromic Sunglasses : AR Wannabees
2nd Place: Giro Bravo Full Finger Gloves : Team Prophet
3rd Place: Nitida Wine Hampers and Cassia Restaurant Vouchers : NMC Building Trust
Prize for Competitive Spirit : Hamper of Hammer Nutrition: Britos Young Guns and Britos Old Bullets for fighting it out to the last meter so far in the series
Kleen Kanteen Рa big thanks to Ren̩ Haselbacher our celeb rider for his enthusiastic participation

Dear Corporate League Rider,

We trust that you have used the extra time since the last race to get ready for your next Corporate MTB event on 4 September! Also that all the colds and viruses that plagued so many of you have now gone for good.

After the fun and successful reverse order start race we had at Middelvlei, we decided to do it again this time.

Please send us the info below by Wednesday 31 August at the VERY LATEST if you have not done so already, to enable us to calculate handicaps and start times and have it ready for you at the race.

Kindly note that the start times are calculated using the info that we receive from you, therefore we need the following info from every team :

Will you be there on Sunday?
Who will be the team members for this race?
If there are “new” substitutes, kindly send us their vital statistics so we can calculate a new handicap for your team

Race information

Venue: Cassia Restaurant, Nitida Farm, Durbanville
Registration start: 7h30; Race brief 7h50
Start of Race: 8h00 (first start time)
Total distance: 30,3 km
Water Points: 1 Water point with Powerade, Wilde Juice and eats kindly hosted again by Re/Max Helderberg
Total vertical climb: 750 m

Handicap Weighting

Due to the nature of the course and the amount of climbing, the weighting for the BMI part of the handicap has been kept at maximum. The performance- or fitness factor has been reviewed for all teams after Race #3, and further adjustments have been made.

Reverse order start sequence:

The handicap for this race will again be applied in the form of the starting time. Therefore the teams with the higher handicaps will start 1st and get the advantage over the lower-handicapped teams by starting ahead of them. A unique start time is calculated for each team, these start times will be made available at registration on Sunday. You need to be ready to start, at the start line, at least 10 minutes before you start. If you are late it will be to your disadvantage, as your actual start time can’t be re-calculated into the results.

Bar facilities

A cash bar right at the start/finish/function area.

Food and coffee

Coffee will be available at registration, light meals and snacks will be available afterwards. We will send you a short menu with prices of what light meals will be available afterwards, and you are also welcome to book a table at the main restaurant after the race (it is fabulous!)

Order Of Merit

Life is uncertain, so come and race to make sure you maximise your Order of Merit points standing!

Rider Tracking

Free tracking units will be made available to the first 10 teams who notified us via e-mail, there-after you may hire a Shadosport Unit @ R55, buy a demo @ R 1650, or buy a new unit @ R 2450

Technical Support

Technical support will be provided at the start and at the water point by Helderberg Cycle World. See race rules that apply to outside help and technical support (on the website).

Terrain

We will treat you to the fantastic riding experience and scenery offered by the trails and tracks on Nitida, Bloemendal, Hillcrest, Kliprug and Contermanskloof. Our thanks go to Tygerberg MTB Club, who have reserved the trails specially for us for Sunday!

How to get there

Go to www.nitida.co.za for a detailled map

Happy Riding!
The Corporate MTB Team

Position	Start Time	Team Name	Rider 1 Name	Rider 2 Name	Team H'Cap	Log Points	Total Points
1	9:18	Non-Pareille	Willem Vegter	Petrus Malherbe	21	35	77
2	9:02	Team Suunto	Martin Prest	Deon vd Merwe	29	31	78
3	9:26	Team Merida	Christo Groenewald	Lawrence Lindeque	17	27	64
4	9:10	Daisyway	Spook Groenewald	Louise Prins	25	24	28
5	9:10	D4DR Media	Willem Grobler	Anthonie vd Smit	25	21	61
6	8:50	E+PC Engineering	Johan Groenewald	Andre vd Merwe	35	19	19
7	9:12	Bricks with Attitude	Jonathan Innes	Haden Franckeiss	24	17	42
8	9:14	Britos Young Guns	Mario da Silva	Gareth Sayers	23	15	36
9	8:30	M-Race	Johan Malherbe	Mare Malherbe	45	13	34
10	9:00	K-Pack	Paul de Klerk	Johan Buijs	30	11	40
11	9:06	Deo Banana Promotions	Miriam Stronkhorst	Dave Surridge	27	10	32
12	8:58	Prophet	Paul Stofberg	Mark van Tonder	31	9	16
13	9:14	Kamikaze Kids	Richard Williamson	James Rimmell	23	8	11
14	8:42	Britos Old Bullets	Mark Sayers	Riaan Jordaan	39	7	9
15	8:46	AR Wannabees	Brendon Thorpe	Rob Flashman	37	6	16
16	8:44	NMC Building Trust	David Elliott	Ricky Andersen	38	5	14
17	8:34	Indy Oil	Trevor Pothecary	John Lederle	43	4	4
18	9:02	Wilde Juice	Jacques Groenewald	Tobie Visser	29	3	65
19	9:04	Team Roch	Jacques van Dyk	Michelle van Dyk	28	2	2
20	9:30	Team Intellisports	Etienne Changuion	Oliver Bailey	13	1	1
99		UCS Solutions	Joao Mendes	Carel Bezuidenhoud	9	0	70
99		Chuggers	Francois Rozon	Marina Rust	25	0	20
99		Klico	Andeon Louw	Xavier Louw	17	0	0
99		Lifesmith Financial	Stephen Dimond	Mike Smit	31	0	9
99		Secure Capital Investments	Jacques Jacobs	Jannie du Plessis	18	0	5
99		Inside Living	Warwick McCance-Prince	Niel du Pisani	23	0	8
99		Padmakers	Andrew Gibbard	Riaan Landman	31	0	2
99		Maitland	Rassie van Niekerk	Johan Senekal	33	0	6
99		Ride Mag	Steve Shapiro	Bernard Weiss	39	0	3
99		Daisyway Mixed	Alberto Prins	Joritha Prins	11	0	6
99=	No Start

It was a beautiful day with perfect weather that greeted the riders at the picture-perfect venue that Middelvlei Wine Estate provided for Race #3. The hospitality provided by the Momberg family blended in perfectly with the hospitality that was afforded to the Corporate MTB League by the land-owners of the Bottelary Bewarea, making it possible to present the riders yet again with a course of breath-taking beauty and riding pleasure that included almost every variation of track and vegetation possible, riding back “home” to a cold beer, traditional roosterbrood, Ouma Annie se lamspastei and boerewors en hoendersosatie. And to top it off : the Middelvlei Pinotage, that simply does not have an equal!
But the riding, and in particular enjoying the course and winning the race, was foremost in the minds of the riders. Those who could not attend due to colds and flu, as well as the long week-end, missed out for sure as those who braved the early-morning cold, experienced for the 1st time the excitement of the handicap applied in the reverse-order start, where the higher-handicapped teams start ahead of younger, fitter riders, and in the case of Team M-Race, leading the race for a good 27km! Then the young Malherbe (Petrus), decided he has paid enough respects to mom (Mare) and dad (Johan), and called upon his Non-Pareille team mate, Willem Vegter, to open up the 2nd carburettor, and see if they could make up the 48min they started behind his parents.
This they did as they passed all the teams (16!) who started ahead of them during the course of the morning to finish the tough 45km (1150m climbing) 1st in a time of 2h30 and in doing so, claimed the yellow jersey after UCS Solutions, who have been in yellow since the 1st race and who had a handsome lead in the Order of Merit, was unfortunate to miss the race due to flu (Joao Mendes), and other commitments (Carel Bezuidenhoud).

The Pedals Talk!

MC/Presenter Johnny Koen entertained everyone again with a lot of wit and creativity, and the TV crew made sure there will be some nice footage again next Sunday afternoon (14 Aug) on Pedal Talk (SABC2, 14:30)

Main Contenders

Intellisports tracked the progress of the participating riders for the benefit of those staying behind at the venue, and Team Merida walked away with the prize of being caught doing the highest speed at the speed trap. They each received a Shadosport satellite tracking device for their efforts! The podium positions were as follows:

Position	Start Time	Team Name	Rider 1 Name	Rider 2 Name	Team H'Cap	Log Points	Total Points
1	09:18	Non-Pareille	Willem Vegter	Petrus Malherbe	21	35	77
2	09:02	Team Suunto	Martin Prest	Deon vd Merwe	29	31	74
3	09:26	Team Merida	Christo Groenewald	Lawrence Lindeque	17	27	64

Thanks to the Prize Sponsors:
• 1st Place: Rudy Project Rydon Photochromic sunglasses
• 2nd Place: Thule Xpress bike racks
• 3rd Place: Corporate MTB League cycling shirts
• Best Team Spirit : Wine from Middelvlei (Team M-Race: Johan & Mare Malherbe)
• Speed Trap : Shadosport units by Intellisports
• Klean Kanteen: Team who responds best to Corporate MTB League Communications: AR Wannabees

Dear Corporate League Rider,

Before we tell you about Race #3, kindly note that Race #4 has been moved to 21 August due to a clash with the MTN National at Tulbagh.

We are set to entertain you again on 6 August, and trust the weather will hold, as it has been holding so nicely for the past month or so. There are a couple of minor changes for 6 August, viz:

1. Due to the fact that the race will be on a Saturday, Oude Libertas is not available to us as a venue. Instead, we move over to the Middelvlei Wine Estate, which is directly adjacent to the area of Stellenbosch where Oude Libertas is situated. Visit www.middelvlei.co.za for directions.
2. The original route went through Middelvlei on both the outward and inward legs of the race, therefore we have added a small loop that contains delightful singletrack in order to make up some of the distance lost between Oude Libertas and Middelvlei. The total distance will be shorter by approximately 3km, the speed trap will be at 10,5km, and the water point will be at 23km.

Kindly note that the start times are calculated using the info that we receive from you, therefore we need the following info from every team :
• Will you be there on Saturday?
• Who will be the team members for this race?
• If there are “new” substitutes, kindly send us their vital statistics so we can calculate a new handicap for your team

Race information:

Registration start : 7h30

Start of Race : 8h30 (first start time)

Total distance : 43 km

Water Points : 1 Water point with Powerade, Wilde Juice and eats at 23 m, kindly hosted again by Re/Max Helderberg

Total vertical climb : 1150 m

Handicap Weighting

Due to the nature of the course and the amount of climbing, the weighting for the BMI part of the handicap has been kept at maximum. The performance- or fitness factor have been reviewed for all teams after Race #2, and further adjustments have been made.

Reverse order start sequence

As per our previous mail, the handicap for this race will be applied in the form of the starting time. Therefore the teams with the higher handicaps will start 1st and get the advantage over the lower-handicapped teams by starting ahead of them. A unique start time is calculated for each team, these start times will be made available at registration on Sunday. You need to be ready to start, at the start line, at least 10 minutes before you start. If you are late it will be to your disadvantage, as your actual start time can’t be re-calculated into the results.

Tar road crossings

Your attention is drawn to the fact that the route crosses public tar roads and streets 4 times. You have to follow the rules of the road UNLESS a marshall or official indicates that you have right of way and that it is safe to proceed with crossing the road.

Facilities

Toilets and good protection from bad weather is provided at the venue.

Bar facilities

A cash bar right at the start/finish/function area.

Food and coffee

Coffee will be available to purchase at registration, light meals and snacks will be available afterwards

Prizes

1st place : Rydon Impact X sunglasses from Rudy Project.
2nd place: Bike racks by Thule Stellenbosch.
3rd place : Corporate MTB Cycling kit. Fastest at Speed Trap : A pair of Shadosport GPS tracking units

Order Of Merit

Teams who have missed out on the 1st 2 races can still score maximum points on the Order of Merit by doing this race as well as Races 4, 5 and 6!

Rider Tracking

Refer to our previous mail regarding this. Free tracking units will be made available to the first 10 teams who notified us via e-mail, there-after you may hire a Shadosport Unit @ R55, buy a demo @ R 1650, or buy a new unit @ R 2450

Advertising on big screen

For a once-off R500, for the rest of the series your company logo will be displayed on the big screen that tracks the riders around the course. Please contact Jan le Roux of Intellibureau at 079 508 2431, or jan.leroux@intellibureau.co.za

Other route info

The route mainly utilizes the new Bottelary Bewarea Trails, which were officially opened
during April this year. The trails will be open to members of the public – your courtesy towards them will be appreciated.

Technical Support

Technical support will be provided at the start and at the water point by Helderberg Cycle World. See race rules that apply to outside help and technical support (on thewebsite).

Terrain

Again amazing riding awaits you on a wide variety of farm roads, district road, jeep track and single track. The route covers the farms and conservancy areas of the Bottelary Hills, with breath-taking views of the Peninsula, False Bay and Stellenbosch in a slow-moving 360 deg arc. The soil type varies from sandy to clay – beware of downhill sections which are wet and especially where green moss has started growing! Warning signs will be erected where it will be very slippery, however riders must be aware that falls may occur anywhere if you stray off the line or use your brakes injudiciously.

How to get there

Directions to Middelvlei from Cape Town
• Take the N2 – direction Somerset West
• Take the Baden Powell/ Stellenbosch turnoff – exit 33
• Turn LEFT onto the R310 (direction Stellenbosch) at the stop sign
• Carry on for approximately 13 km until a T-junction is reached
• Turn RIGHT (R310 Stellenbosch)
• At the first set of traffic lights (Distell on right hand side), turn LEFT into Oude Libertas Road
• At the top of Oude Libertas Road, keep LEFT at the split (Flamingo street)
• Continue along Flamingo street – the entrance of Middelvlei is at the end of the road

Safe Parking

Safe parking will be provided by LifeXchange

Other activities at Venue

The town centre of Stellenbosch, with it’s myriad of coffee shops and tourist attractions, is only 8 minutes drive time from Middelvlei. The famous Slow Food Market
will also be on at Oude Libertas, 5 minutes away from Middelvlei. There are also sprawling lawns, farm animals and lots of space where the kids can play and ride their bikes in safety.

Happy Riding!

The Corporate MTB Team

Many of you may have missed out on the 1st 2 races of the Corporate MTB League, and think that it’s now too late to enter. No worries – the League winners are decided on the Order of Merit : the best 5 results of the 6 races count towards the Order of Merit Points Log.

So if you’re thinking of still doing the Corporate League or just trying out the concept of handicap racing, enter your team on www.cmtbl.com, pay a single race fee (R500/team) if you only want to do 1 race, or R2000/team if you want to do the remaining 4 races, and come and enjoy mountain bike racing where you stand a very good chance to be a winner! Race no. 3 is in Stellenbosch on 19 June, so don’t miss out on this opportunity!

If you have further questions, contact Petie @ 082 323 3502.