MTB Reserve attracts foreign riders
SIMUNYE - Despite that it was a ride, the Swazi MTB Reserve attracted cyclists from outside the country.
This being a ride means no competition but simply a promotion of tourism in the country, while at the same time fundraising for different organisations helping the underprivileged.
It was not about who crossed the finish line first but cyclists came in their numbers to contribute to the charity. Some of the beneficiaries among others, are Lessons in Conservation (LiC). Riders did not only come from all corners of Eswatini but as far as Mozambique and South Africa.
The Costa family from Mozambique narrated how they enjoyed riding while siteseeing around the Mlawula Game Reserve. The ride which attracted 110 riders started and finished inside the premises of the game reserve passing to the Mbuluzi Game Reserve before returning to the starting point.
Making up the Costa family was Pedro, Alice Fernando, Ohmar,
Sofia and Cidalia Lista.
Ohmar said the ride was well organised. “It is nice that we can now travel with no COVID-19 restrictions and get to partake in events like these. We came here to ride as a family and we slept at the game reserve. I should say the place is beautiful. The people are welcoming and riding in the trails and small bushes was a beautiful adventure, seeing the animals and the vegetation was breathtaking,” Ohmar said.
PIETERMARITZBURG
Meanwhile, Angelina Frances van Niekerk said she came with her family from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “We came here at the Mbuluzi Game Reserve last
WHAT OTHER RIDERS HAD TO SAY:
“We represented Thembelisha Preparatory School. We had our support team here, the teachers and parents. This was my third time doing this ride and it was exciting. I enjoyed it and looking forward to it next year.”
“It was a good ride. I did not expect to come third in the ride because I thought there were lots of competitive riders when we started. I liked the route a lot, but some of the downhills were tricky. Overall I had a great time.”
SOME PARTICIPANTS’ VIEWS:
“I am very happy about how the tournament is organised. This is a good platform for the youngsters to showcase their talent. This will help in the improvement of the sport in the country as I saw a lot of talent from the boys here today. I was impressed with the Dark City player who was wearing jersey number eight; he is one for the future. I was also happy to see parents here it encourages the boys to do well.”
“We had a good game against Dark City even though we lost it due to the fact that some of our players were not available today. Overall we got the needed experience as young players. Thank you so much to Pick n Pay for the sponsorship.”
“It was a good game, but we failed to score today. We started badly as they scored first. We were not good in the middle of the park.”
“It was a normal game like the others, but they gave us a scare when they equalised that is why I told the boys that we should push harder as you saw that we scored the second goal. I was happy to be named the best player of the match, but it wasn’t my day today.
Sunday and we are going back home on Tuesday.
“So, we saw in the newspaper that there will be a ride here and my family felt we should try it out. I should say it was the best experience of my life, seeing the animals, and the people here are friendly. It was just a perfect outing for me with my family,” Niekerk shared.
Nelspruit-based rider Kobus Smith also praised the organisers for staging a successful ride.
“I came all the way from Nelspruit to partake in this wonderful ride. It was such an amazing ride and it was well marked. The water points also came in handy when we needed them. The beautiful scenery also made the ride enjoyable,” he said.
The over 100 riders partook in the different categories, namely; the 70km, 45km, 27km and 10km.
“The ride went well for me, lot of single trails, shades along the route. I came here to ride for fun and it was not about competing. It was a worthwhile experience for me.”
“The ride was enjoyable. I had no challenges as there were no climbs. I had an easy ride although the scorching heat made it a bit challenging. I had an awesome experience and I did not expect to win the ride. I was doing it for fun.”