Van Kervel weathers the storm

GEORGE NEWS - A heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds on Monday evening and Tuesday night flattened the majority of the 350 one-man tents erected at the Cape Pioneer Trek Race Village on the Van Kervel School rugby field.

Barries Barnard, one of the teachers responsible for the Race Village, told the George Herald that on Monday everything was in place for the mountain bike riders who slept in the tents at the school on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"As we all know, the heavens opened up on Monday night. The accompanying wind uprooted the small tents and blew them into the school's perimeter fence," said Barnard.

Early Tuesday morning the Van Kervel race village teams arrived to find their previous day's hard work in shambles. The teams dug in their heels and hastily re-erected the tents. When the first riders arrived in the early afternoon, everything was in place.

Van Kervel headmaster Trevor Ellis said the school has been hosting the Cape Pioneer Trek since 2009.