MAKHADO – The Soutpansberg Akkedis Mountain Bike Challenge on Saturday, October 8, is to be the first ever mountain bike race in the Soutpansberg region.

The Akkedis is proudly presented in collaboration with the Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre and the P&L Hardware Cycling Club. This race has all the potential to become one of the big sporting events in our region, just like the Kremetart One-day Stage race.

As the extreme sport grew in our country, the time arrived to stage a big mountain bike event in the Soutpansberg. This only became possible after companies like Macsteel Roofing, Coca-Cola Fortune Makhado, Cycle Centre, P&L Hardware and several land owners became involved in the Akkedis. The name Akkedis is adopted from the endemic lizard of the Soutpansberg, Platysaurus relictus, commonly known as the Soutpansberg Flat Lizard.

The main race will be the 70km marathon which starts at the Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre. Riders will meander through the Happy Rest Nature Reserve and neighbouring farms Bristol, Perth, Buzzard Mountain Retreat, Heimat, to the Schoemansdal Museum, past La Ndou guesthouse up to the Hanglip picnic spot in the Komatiland forest, on to the famous Bluegumsport road, into Magoni, then via the Air Force Radar towers, down the mountain at Buzzard Montain Retreat and finally return to the Centre. The marathon is a great ride including single-track, jeep track, gravel road, good climbs and fast descents. There will be ample water points including rock pools to cool down in.

The secondary event will be a 35km route which is non-technical and designed to include road bikers, while still offering all the thrills of mountain biking. This race, which also starts at the Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre, will take riders onto the Cilliersrust road, down to the Cilliersrust station, alongside the railroad just past Schoemansdal station, turning north through local farms, into the Schoemansdal museum up to Heimat, through Buzzard Mountain Retreat, Perth and Bristol and back to the finish at the Centre.

There will also be a 10km fun ride which is child friendly, with lots of single tracks.

For more information visit www.soutpansberg-mountainbike.co.za or send an e-mail to [email protected]. For race enquiries contact Johan or David at Tel (015) 516 4881 or 082 740 8740.