From the beginning of the planning phase it was decided that all the income generated by entries would be donated to a charity and Famsa was then selected as the official event beneficiary. Thanks to the many devoted riders who participated, R14 000 was raised and donated to Famsa, a non-profit organisation specialising in relationship counselling.
The challenge on 1 June consisted of a 60km and 30km cycle. The 30km event was designed around the novice or "not so fit" rider who wanted to complete a scenic route through the indigenous forest on the outskirts of George while taking in spectacular views of the Garden Route Dam. Most of the route consisted of jeep tracks and forestry roads with gentle climbs and descents.
The 60km route mirrored the 30km route and then split at the 20km mark where the challenging sections and ascent to the mast above George began. The reward for the long climb was the spectacular views over George and awesome single track riding.
The first riders to reach the mast were not only "crowned" King and Queen of the mast, but also took home R1 500 in prize money each! Coming in first place for the men's open 60km challenge was Gert Heyns with a time of 2:13:24, Neill Ungerer took se-cond place with a time of 2:27:57 and Billy Flattery came in third at 2:29:08. The ladies open 60km was won by Ischen Stopforth in a time of 2:36:38, Thea-Mari van der Sandt took second place with a time of 2:58:27 and Mellusca Farnham came in third place with a time of 3:01:56.
Not only did the winners take home lovely cash prizes, but the first 200 entrants also each received a goodie bag packed with cycling products, samples, a T-shirt and a water bottle. A lucky draw added to the excitement and some big prizes were given away. These included a brand new Silverback mountain bike, a weekend at the Town Lodge for three lucky winners, two enormous Biogen hampers, restaurant vouchers, Game vouchers and so much more!
A special thanks to all the sponsors who helped make the event possible. They are Cycle & Sports Centre, Spur, Town Lodge, Cape Union Mart, Dis-Chem, McDonald's, Squirt, Almandy Laboratories (Loobit), Game, King Pie, Ocean Basket, Musica, Coimbra Cycle House, Wetherlys, Garden Route Mountain Bike Trips, NMMU, Cape Pine, Cape Nature and the George Municipality.
The first riders to reach the mast were not only crowned King and Queen of the mast, but also took home R1 500 in prize money each! They were Gert Heyns with a time of 2:13:24 and Ischen Stopforth in a time of 2:36:38.
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