One of the country’s premier one-day MTB marathon events, the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival, will return and once again will offer something for everyone with the popular trail-running events also on the cards over the weekend of 27 to 28 May.
The event will incorporate trail-running aspects on the Saturday with the 21km and 9km trail runs and once again will give runners the opportunity to take in the splendour of the Karkloof with views of the Karkloof River, Albert Falls Dam and the Karkloof Valley.
“The trail runs are going to follow very similar routes to last year and the 21km route is almost identical to 2022. For the 21km run, runners will be running through grassland, dairy farmland and pastures into a beautiful section of indigenous bush, back onto the farmland, across the Karkloof River again and then back to the club,” said Nick Stubbs, route builder at the Karkloof Club.
“In the 9km race, you cross the Karkloof River and meander along the river to the main Cramond Road where it carries along the river all the way to the club.”
Sunday’s MTB racing feeds riders’ adrenalin fix as they take on the famous Karkloof trails over various distances. There are four different rides to choose from that will test and entertain riders from beginners to elites.
The main, flagship event is the 60km marathon and this year, the race is expected to once again attract some of the top mountain biking talent around to battle it out for the coveted title of Karkloof Classic champion.
“The major changes to the 60km route for this year is that we have taken Colby’s Crunch and Rockward’s Angel out of the route with the focus on decreasing the amount of boring, long gravel sections. We are trying to add more single track which makes it more technical and a lot of fun,” Stubbs added.
There is a shorter 40km race and this will be an exciting ride for riders who are not ready for the full marathon or are looking for something more manageable.
“With the 40km route we’ve tried to make it a little bit more accessible for riders who found the 40km route a little too technical in the past. We’ve decreased the rocky, technical single track and increased the more flowing, fun single track for the everyday rider. It’s a very easy route and the riders will get a good view of the Karkloof Falls on their way back to the club.”
The 20km ride is an easy ride for anyone with very little single track experience and riders will be able to see the famous Karkloof Falls as they enjoy a drink at the water table.
The shortest ride is the 10km trail which is ideal for anyone starting out on a mountain bike and for those youngsters who are eager to test themselves. The 10km route remains a kids’ favourite at the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival.
