Second Jakkalberry a muddy mountain bike adventure

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CYCLING NEWS - Heavy rain and soggy dirt roads did not deter a group of adventurous mountain bikers who took part in the second Finovo Jakkalberry Extreme Mountain Bike Race last Saturday, 17 December.

The Jakkalberry Extreme stretched over 108km, starting from Redberry Farm in George along the Outeniqua Mountains, to Jakkalsvlei Winery near Herbertsdale, while the shorter "HalfJakk" race started two hours later from Ruiterbosch Lodge near Hartenbos and covered 50km.

The route follows mostly district gravel roads, here and there moving to Jeep tracks, through Herbertsdale until reaching the finish line at Jakkalsvlei Wine Cellars.

In the Jakkalberry Extreme race, Gert Nel from Pretoria walked away with the laurels in the men's division, while Rethe Mostert from George won the women's division. Jaco Jacobs won the men's division in the HalfJakk race, and Chanell van Niekerk the women's division.

Gert Nel (in front), Martin Cilliers and Hanno Smit. Photo: Deidre Cloete

Worthy cause

All the proceeds of the event went towards the George Vryburgers Food For Kidz project, through which local schools' nutrition projects have been supported for years.

"Through the project, children from needy circumstances can receive a nutritious food package at school every day," said one of the organisers, Hanno Maritz of George Vryburgers. Maritz said a safety first approach was followed for this year's event, under the watchful eye of an official from Cycling South Africa and an experienced first-aid team.

PHOTO GALLERY: Finovo Jakkalberry Extreme Mountain Bike Race

Riders were treated to delicious refreshments along the way at well-supplied water points, and could enjoy a nice pizza and boutique beer at the finish line.

"The Finovo Jakkalberry Extreme Mountain Bike Race is one of the most challenging mountain bike races in the country and a prestigious event and we hope it will become one of the most popular races on the annual mountain bike calendar," said Maritz.

For more information, visit the website www.jakkalberry.com or the Facebook page of Jakkalberry Extreme MTB Race.

The Jakkalberry Extreme stretched over 108km, starting from Redberry Farm in George, to Jakkalsvlei Winery near Herbertsdale.