Nic White shares his Nedbank sani2c experience with us.
Rob Sim and Nic White (Trek Robert Daniel).
It has taken me until the 10th edition of the sani2c to make it to the event. In a last minute invitation to ride with Robert Sim for Trek Robert Daniel.
I got the opportunity to race in the 40+ veteran’s category. Racing with Robert Sim, we had a solid ride to end up as the winners in the category, and finish in the top ten of the race.
Legend has it that the sani2c race is one that all mountain bikers want to participate in. I was treated to the experience and now know why so many people flock to the town of Underberg for the start of the three-day mountain bike event.
The god father of this race, Farmer Glen, has created a magnificent trail that extends 260km from Underberg at the foot of the Drakensberg, down to the sea at Scottsburgh. The popularity of the event has grown to the extent that they limit entries to 1500 riders and now have three departures – Tuesday the Trail starts, the following day the Adventure, and the final day Thursday, the Race when the most competitive level begins.
During that Thursday morning, it can be said that a certain time, there are riders spaced every 50m along that magnificent trail, all the way between Underberg and Scottsburgh, a distance of 260km!
I now understand the attraction that draws people from all over the country and world wide. The riders are treated to an extraordinary gift package of clothing, (Aca Joe and Salomon come to the party!) and then the race villages where there is fantastic food and drink on tap at the first stop at Mackenzie Club, and then again in Jolivet Farm for the second night.
Then there are the trails! Over the years they have developed with the assistance of the local communities who also benefit from the race, and you have flowing tracks in the forests between a few stretches of district dirt road.
The many river crossings have been bridged over by a variety of bridges, constructed by Farmer Glen. It is one of his hobbies I think, to see what sort of bridge he can construct. To the extent of a 600m winding bridge through the lagoon onto the beach at Scottsburgh!
Set up on our Trek Superfly mountain bikes. Rob and I were kitted out very similarly and it turned out that our riding style, and strengths were quite close. Despite the age difference of eight years, we made good progress through the field on stage one, and entered the first forests tracks in good position.
Read the full blog here.
