THE SUBARU KALAHARI CHALLENGE
2 DAY MTB RACE
BOTSWANA 2011
Saturday July 23 to Sunday, July 24 2011
Update No. 1 : 23rd March 2011
“more single track than any other event…”
“boutique race, great value for money”
The Gaborone Cycling Club is once again grateful and proud to have
SUBARU GABORONE,
as its lead sponsor of the 2011 event.
IMPORTANT STUFF
Entries are staring to fill up fast and the cut-off date of June 18, 2011 will be enforced. 150 teams maximum.
We say it every year, BUT Nobody listens- it can get Extremely Cold at the Overnight Camp (e.g. –6 degrees in 2009). Come prepared with warm kit! Tents come with plenty of blankets
Passports are required to enter into the sovereign country of Botswana
To give us some idea of how much space to allow and how much food to provide, PLEASE mark on the Entrance Form how many friends or supporters will be overnighting with you. All are welcome.
Please DO NOT bring your own food and drink to the Overnight Stop. We have made arrangements to feed you all, and provide a full Bar.
The Course
The 2011 route will be similar to that in 2010. We will look to add even more single track again and will be sending out route finding teams out to trim the thorny sections.
Day 1 will again be long and rough and tough and a gradual climb to the camp (approx 98km).
Day 2 should be a fast and rollocking 94km downhill(ish) ride all the way home to the Yacht club.
We have dodged most of the desert, but there’ll still be the odd patch of sand (“horizontal hills as we call them in Botswana”) guaranteed to blip the heart-rate.
We have found some real hills, a bit of wildlife, some water, and every variety of thorn known to man. Our Southern African visitors have learnt to their surprise that “flat”in Botswana does not mean “easy”, it just means you have to pedal all the way!
But don’t be frightened, the event is structured so that any (marathon-) fit rider can have a great ride in a great country amongst really friendly people with great water stops, and an overnight stop while providing more than enough challenges for the racing snakes.
Application, Entrance, Participation & Briefing
You can enter ON LINE at the Gaborone Cycling Club’s website www.gcc.org.bw
Or Alternatively ENTER on the application form provided, and send to Marius mpdewet@gmail.com or fax to +267 3931659. The event is strictly limited to 150 teams.
No Entry Changes will be accepted after 15 July 2011 so make sure to get the correct partner on board.
Age Categories.
Open (19 – 39), Veterans (40 – 49), Masters (50 and over), Juniors (Under 19), Mixed and Women’s team categories.
Your age will be as on the date of the event 23rd July 2011
Where team members are different age categories the younger member will apply.
Costs
In Botswana: P3,000 per team
In South Africa: R3,000.00 per team.
Entrance includes a goodie bag, free registration dinner, 3 meals at overnight campsite, a 2 Man Tent (erected), mattresses, full bedding including pillows and blankets, chairs, table and lantern
Individual Tents will cost an extra R500.00 / P500.00
Spectator Tents will cost R500.00 / P500.00 single / sharing is R750.00 / P750.00
Spectator Meals at the overnight campsite are R40.00 / P40.00 per meal
Spectator Meals at registration are R30.00 / P30.00 per person
Refund Policy
Cancellation prior to 18 June 2011- 50% refund
Cancellation after 18 June 2011 – No refund
You can pay by internet banking to:
Account Name : Pula Print
Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Mafikeng
Branch No: 240340
Current Account No: 52910490508
Reference: “KalChal + (one team member’s surname)”
Or
Account Name : Gaborone Cycling Club
Stanbic Bank
Branch: Fairgrounds
Branch No: 06-49-67
Cheque Account No: 0140006192300
Reference: “KalChal + (one team member’s surname)”
The Briefing will be held on Friday evening July 22, 2011 at the Gaborone Yacht Club, while registration is in progress. A free pasta meal will be provided for the entrants and pre-event carbo-loading refreshments will be on sale.
Good cash prizes and impressive trophies will be awarded to Open (19 – 39), Veterans (40 – 49), Masters (50 and over), Juniors (Under 19), first Botswana resident team - Mixed and Women’s team categories. All participants will receive a memorable high quality event-specific mountain bike shirt, a Long sleeve event T shirt, and lots more in their fabulous goodie bags (like you used to get in the good old days!)
Out of town Visitors
You will have to sort out your own accommodation requirements before and after the event. Camping and ablutions are available at the Gaborone Yacht Club which is the Registration Venue and, more importantly, the Finish Venue. You can leave your cars there till you get back on the Sunday. The start is at Game City which is only a couple of km’s so you can ride there.
A truck will pick up your overnight gear at the GYC and from the Start, for transport to the overnight venue, and will return the gear back to the GYC on the Sunday morning.
Accommodation in Gaborone
Limited chalet and campsite accommodation is available at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, a long-time supporter of the event (see www.mokolodi.com for details). Accommodation information follows:
Hotels & Lodges -
(in order of proximity to the start)
| Mokolodi Nature Reserve | (267) 3911414 | cheap |
| Cresta Lodge | 3975375 | mid |
| Metcourt Inn (Grand Palm) | 3637777 | mid |
| Gaborone Sun Hotel (Maru a Pula) | 3616000 | expensive |
Limited home-hosting is available. Like minded mountain bike families will be able to offer some down-home Botswana comfort.
Contact Marius if you want to be home hosted, and we will see if we can fit you in.
Border Posts
Botswana is a sovereign country and visitors must have a passport.
Visitors will also have to pay a road tax on the Botswana side, so bring along P130 if possible, otherwise you will have to find a money changer at the border and get ripped off.
Tlokweng (main road from Zeerust to Gaborone) 0600 - 2400
Ramotswa (from Zeerust via Lehurutshe and Witkiegat) 0700 – 1900
(brings you out close to Mokolodi Nature Reserve)
Pioneer Gate (Lobatse) (main road from Zeerust to Lobatse) 0600 - 2200
The Overnight Stop
Is in a lovely vlei on a farm in the hills near Otse, on the way to Lobatse
*WARNING – IT GET’s PRETTY COLD*
It is also quite remote, and very rocky this year and you’ll need a reasonable ground-clearance on your vehicle to get there (DO NOT BRING SMALL SEDANS- we will not have time to tow you home). We’ll have plenty of big fires and lights. Transport of riders’ personal gear to and from the overnight stop is provided.
There will be plenty to eat and drink (spirits, beer, wine and soft drinks).Please do not bring your own drinks, as the bar profits go towards the NGK Lobatse church charities. The event will provide Light lunch, Substantial dinner and Hearty breakfast at the overnight stop for the riders.
There will be great HOT starlight showers and we’ll have some entertainment and Music in the evening
On the track
We will have 3 main refuelling stations and an additional water stop on each day (read the reviews – they are fantastic), which could well delay your progress, as you sample the stunning array of drinks and snacks available (with thanks to our many wonderful sponsors). For the riding parts, we strongly recommend a hydrapak (you’ve gotta carry a spare tube anyway!) and trail-food. You’ll also want to carry cosmetics, sunscreen, tools, a cellphone (international roaming please). RIDE Magazine recommends a dual-suss bike for most riders with tubeless tires. There will be a travelling bike shop with us, and medical back-up available. Marshals will help with the few significant road crossings. Otherwise, route-marking will follow international practice.
Botswana dilemna: sand or thorns??? We face it every weekend, and have the crashes and cuts to show. But, beware the thorns: they are many, various and vicious. Preferably go tubeless, or, wear double tyre-liners with plenty of fresh slime. We can guarantee that you will leave at a least a small part of your anatomy attached to Botswana’s ubiquitous flora (as Fritz Pienaar said, it’s hard to do 30km/h on Botswana single-track without getting scratched!). Adele Tait calls them “Kalahari Kisses” Bring a few plasters, and look to ride with arm warmers or long sleeve shirts
Sand-riding: We in Botswana pride ourselves on our sand-riding (and sand-avoidance) techniques. We will share some of them with our foreign visitors unless of course, you are faster than us.
Supporters
Riders will not need support from start to finish (all to be provided by the event), but family and friends are welcome, especially at the overnight stop. Spectator points will be advised at the briefing.
Training
Many people underestimate this ride, and did not do enough training last year.
They hurt. There are 18 weeks to go, so not a bad time to start stretching your distance training. You will need a few weekends of double-day distance rides under your belt. Your hands, shoulders and butt (as well as your legs) need to get habituated to the long hours in the saddle.
Any queries, contact Marius de Wet at e-mail: mpdewet@gmail.com or check the website www.gcc.org.bw
GET THOSE ENTRIES IN EARLY – INTEREST IN OUR EVENT IS STRONGER THAN EVER
Until our next update……..stay on the bike, and stay fit
More Event Quotes
“One has to marvel at the effort that the race organizers put in to creating and marking a single-track route that covers such a distance” (Gavin Briggs)
“…an amazing two days of mountain biking, amazing trails, beautiful scenery and superb event organization! I couldn't have wished for a better first Botswana experience” (Yolande Speedy)
“…we got to ride through amazing country side and never once were subjected to kilometers of “epic type” roads” (Paul Cordes)
“A whole chapter could be written about this race under the heading of “’hospitality’”
“…it is almost surreal to meet so many apparently content people… bemused elders and cheering kids waving Botswana flags…”
“Despite the fact that the race has a character unique to Botswana, the event is staged at a level that puts many races with more lavish resources to shame.”
“More singletrack in one day, than I have seen all year...”
“It is so good you just want to tell everyone to go… but don’t…”
“…best value…”
Check out the “RIDE MAGAZINE” race reports of September 07, October 08
& September 09,November 10
