Times Of Swaziland: GEAR UP FOR BUMPER MTB SEASON

GEAR UP FOR BUMPER MTB SEASON
================================================================================
Sanele Jele on 18/08/2022 08:58:00


MBABANE – The Eswatini cycling community is gearing up for what promises to be
an action-packed Mountain Bike (MTB) season.
Cyclists will be back to the rocky, bushy and muddy trails from September this
year. This was contained in a press release issued by the Eswatini Cycling
Association (ECA), President Sifiso ‘Zwide’ Ndwandwe. He announced a revised
calendar of events for the rest of the year. “As you may recall, our cycling
events were decimated by the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. As with
everyone else, we took a huge knock and are only just getting on track with the
recovery.
“As a result, in trying to find our footing we are, unfortunately, forced to
keep making adjustments as we respond to the situation on the ground,” said
Ndwandwe. The president pointed out that due to delays in finalising and closing
agreements with sponsors for some of the events, the association had to grant
permission for postponements, as race organisers indicated a desire to ensure
maximum exposure for their event sponsors and allowed sufficient time for
planning and execution of the events at a highly desirable level,” he said.
Challenge
The revised Eswatini ECA calendar of events will see four weeks of back-to-back
MTB action that will be kicked off by the Nedbank Imvelo MTB Challenge that will
be making a return following a two-year absence. This race will be hosted by Big
Game Parks at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary on September 3. It will be followed by
the Inyatsi Nkonyeni G2G on September 17. A week later, focus will shift to the
Swazi Reserves MTB. It will be staged at Mlawula in the Lubombo Region. The
Mormond STIX Charity MTB event will be the final MTB race of the season on
October 8.
“It’s an exciting season for MTB enthusiasts as we welcome back the warmth
of summer after a very long cold winter. We would like, as an association, to
encourage cyclists to sign up for the events and support as best they can, as
this is the only way we can grow the sport,” he said. The location settings of
the MTB events also offer a chance to experience the picturesque scenery of the
Kingdom of Eswatini, so it is not only about the competition, but also the
experience of the Eswatini outdoors. He said these races are open to all who
want to ride, not just those looking to win.