Most of the country’s top Enduro racers will contest Round 3 of the 2024 Enduro SA Cup at Cascades, Pietermaritzburg this weekend on a course that’s considered one of the best tests of all-round racing ability.
The five-stage event will take place at Cascades, the same venue hosted the 2023 South African Enduro Championships. The top three overall men: Jason Boulle (Western Cape) – pictured above – Matt Lombardi (Western Cape) and Danny Fowler (Gauteng) from Round 2 at Summerplace Game Reserve last month, have confirmed their entries, setting up what should be another tight tussle for podium places.
Reigning South African Enduro champion, Frankie du Toit (Western Cape), has confirmed she will be racing, with her primary opposition likely to come from rising Junior stars including Arielle Behr (Gauteng), Amber Cole (KwaZulu-Natal) and Tashane Ehlers (Limpopo).
The stages are as follows:
Stage 1: Flow Trails to N3 Tables
Stage 2: Left Right
Stage 3: Boulder Dam Left, Pipeline, FGYW
Stage 4: Gums, Jikaduze
Stage 5: DH trail from N3, Pallets, Pick-up Sticks
There will be an additional stage for those in the eBike category – a power stage up the DH course from Cloud 9. The Lite category will do three of the stages – Stage 1, Stage 4 and Stage 5.
Sprogs and Nippers cannot take part in the national series events. However, this event doubles as a round of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Series so Sprogs and Nippers can participate in the Lite event, but they do not get national series recognition.
While many South African Enduro venues require riders to generate speed (pedalling), or have very short stages, Cascades has sufficient gradient and length of slope to ensure there’s a higher volume controlling speed (braking) that’s generated by the steepness of the trails. The stage lengths are also generous, which makes it one of the riders’ favourite Enduro venues.
The event is organised by KZN Gravity and presented by Greg Minnaar Cycles. Entries can be done online via the ROAG events portal here.
