TRANQUILITAS ADDS MORE GRAVITY-STYLE STAGES FOR ENDURO SERIES OPENER

Expect a lot less pedalling and some really long descents! That’s the word from Glenn Harrison, trailmaster at Tranquilitas, host venue of Round 1 of the 2023 Mpumalanga Enduro Series on Saturday 4 March. The iconic trails venue, which hosted Round 1 of last year’s provincial series, has kept Harrison busy over the last few weeks preparing six superb stages.

“Last year we had some pedally bits at this event and some of the riders said they didn’t appreciate that,” said series organiser, Schalk Potas. “Mike and Ruth Behr, owners of Tranquilitas, have taken that feedback and made sure this year’s event will be quite different. Glenn has been focussed on creating fresh lines to complement some of the existing thrillers.”

The stages are all reasonably long with the shortest being 1.5km and the longest at 3.6km. They are as follows:

Stage 1: 3.6km 271m decent
Stage 2: 2.3 km 132m decent
Stage 3: 2.6 km 134m decent
Stage 4: 1.5 km 95 m decent
Stage 5: 2.6 km 91m decent
Stage 6: 1.6 km 60 m decent

“All stages are different from last year’s Enduro stages – some sections will be repeated. All the stages are part of the existing trail network at Tranquilitas, with some newly built sections and bridges. Links have been cut to make the Enduro stages more gravity orientated,” explained Harrison.

“Riders can expect some tight turns in the forest and some off-camber sections that need a bit of focus. There are no gap jumps or large drops and skilled riders can ride all stages blind,” he added.

The full Enduro – all six stages – will be approximately 25km in total distance, while the Lite Enduro will include Stages 1, 2, 3 and 6 and will be a total of 18km.

Tranquilitas is near Waterval Boven in the Mpumalanga Highveld. It’s a 2H30m drive from Pretoria and a little longer from Joburg. Rather choose the Machadadorp road as the Waterval Boven road is washed out. The building accommodation at the venue is already booked, but there is camping site space still available – details here: https://tranquilitas.com There is a range of other accommodation in the area too.

The 2023 Mpumalanga Enduro Series will feature five rounds at different venues in the province. Because it’s a relatively short drive from Gauteng, many Joburg and Pretoria riders participate in the events, in addition to the growing Mpumalanga Enduro racing community.

Timing for the series will be done by TAC Timing, which uses exactly the same system as that used in Gauteng and Western Cape, timing accurately down to 1000^th of a second.

Mpumalanga Enduro Series 2023:

Round 1: 4 March – Tranquilitas, Waterval Boven
Round 2: 8 April – MTO Trails, White River
Round 3: 20 May – Gustav Klingbiel Reserve, Lydenburg
Round 4: 16 September – Trailworx, Nelspruit
Round 5: York/Safcol Forests, Sabie
Entries can be done online until Thursday 2 March at midnight. No late entries will be accepted. For more information or to enter, click here.