The Liberty Waterberg Encounter will remain a strong challenge for next month’s competitors despite some changes which route director Mel Meyer has introduced to the mountain bike event.
Taking place near Bela-Bela in Limpopo, the race from June 9 to 11 is the second in the Encounter Series, following the successful Liberty Winelands Encounter in the Western Cape last month.
With only two venues being used as race villages this year – Sondela Nature Reserve and Elements Golf Estate – Meyer said they had tweaked the overall distance to create a better mountain bike experience for the riders.
“Because of the distances, we previously used a lot of road riding to get the cyclists from one point to another, but the new, shorter format means it is purer in terms of mountain biking,” he said.
Despite a slightly shorter route, mountain bikers will still be tested in the Liberty Waterberg Encounter which takes place near Bela Bela in Limpopo from June 9 to 11. Photo: Ewald Sadie
He added that it would still be a proper test for the riders, with 800 metres of ascent in the 62km opening stage.
“Make no mistake, it will be no picnic and even the faster guys will have to pace themselves.”
Meyer said the second day, which would start and finish at Elements, would expose the riders to a number of new trails they had created.
“It is the shortest of the three stages, but 1 100 metres of ascent will still give it a lot of teeth.”
He said a main feature of the final stage of 59km would be a new stretch of single-track in Sondela, making for a fast and flat finish.
“There is some ascent, as well as a sandy patch for 3km which I like to call ‘horizontal climbing’, but we have a new 14km section in Sondela which riders should enjoy.”
