On your marks... get set for G2C
Cyclists who missed the online entry registration for Sunday’s Pennypinchers Grahamstown to Sea (G2C) need not panic.
Registration and late entries will take place at the Pennypinchers warehouse in the industrial area from 2pm to 5pm tomorrow and from 6.30am to 7.30am on the morning of the race.
The fourth G2C takes place from 8.30am on Sunday, the final day of the National Arts Festival, and riders have until 1pm to reach the finish.
Local tour guide and raconteur Basil Mills will fire the cannon-sounding starting gun to signal the start of the 2016 mountain bike race from Grahamstown to Port Alfred.
From the start of the race at the Pennypinchers warehouse, the field will ride up and over Mountain Drive and take the undulating Southwell road to the finish at Port Alfred’s Rosehill Mall shopping centre on the outskirts of the town, 58km later.
The first person to reach the finish line will be only the second person to claim the G2C title. Three times previous winner, Jason Meaton, did not enter this year as he is a member of the organising committee.
The race is organised by the Albany Saints & Sinners MultiSport Club, while the sponsors are the Grahamstown and Port Alfred branches of Pennypinchers.
This year’s prize-money totals a whopping R6 600, with the winning male and female riders each taking home R750, the runners-up R500 each and the third-placed finishers R250 each. There are also age category prizes and numerous spot prizes. Late entry fee is R250. Riders will enjoy a kilometre or so of tar before making a left turn and climbing all the way to the top of Mountain Drive via gravel road.
Once they reach the Toposcope they will start a downhill rush on a tricky single track to Woesthill Pass where they will meet more tar for about seven kilometres.
Then the undulating Southwell gravel road continues until cyclists reach the coast, with a few mean uphill sec- tions thrown in to test riders’ stamina. Upon inhaling their first breath of crisp sea air as they approach the finish, bikers will make a sharp left turn on to a farm road and ride the last couple of kilometres with renewed energy, approaching Rosehill Mall from the rear.
They will be met at the finish by a carnival-type atmosphere with banners, flags and stalls, plus music and live commentary provided by Neil Bisseker of AlgoaFM.
For more race information, visit website www.grahamstown2sea.co.za
Somewhere along the route in the Southwell farming district, riders will be met by the Grocott’s Mail team at the side of the dusty road, offering them ice-cold energy drinks and water, plus plenty of encouragement. Riders wanting to stop and have a chat with the team are welcome to do so.