The farmlands inland of Ballito in KZN have long been a favourite training ground for mountain bikers, but at last riders have a chance to compete in a family-orientated one-day race when the second Golovane MTB Race takes place on July 12 from Holla Trails at the Collisheen Bed and Breakfast. The main 50km course has been carefully chosen to provide riders with a superb all round test of skill and fitness, with a combination of technical and flowing single track, fast descents, jeep tracks, cane riding and district roads. The highlight of the race will be a long single-track descent through a spectacular indigenous forest.

As well as the 50km event there will be a 20km race and an easy 5km children’s ride. The venue and the timing of the starts has been carefully planned with families in mind, and an unique feature of the race will be the kids ride before the main ride so parents will be able to ride the children’s event as a perfect warmup for the longer race.

Much of the route will take riders through the lands of farmers who are themselves riders, so they have been fine-tuning the course for years, and the recent launch of Holla Trails means all the tracks are well-marked and well embedded. The highlights of the 50km main race will be some custom-built single track along the banks of a stream early in the race, and the fast downhill single track through a pristine old tropical forest. The indigenous forest ride has long been a closely guarded secret and used by some of the locals as a fun break during their training rides, and just about all those who have had the privilege of riding the sweeping single track are sorry the four-kilometre section is not longer.

The route has been re-designed so it will challenge all levels of ability, but is not daunting for relatively inexperienced riders. There will be about 850 metres of vertical ascent with most of the climbing in the first half of the race.

Parts of the route follow the historical Golovane track which winds its way along the Umhlali River and which was the narrow gauge rail line built in the early part of last century to transport sugar cane to the mills.

The 20km course is a scenic route directed at the newer and social riders just getting into the sport. While maybe a challenge for complete novices, this will be a popular race for those looking to have a fun couple of hours and still arrive back in good enough condition for a couple of beers. The track will follow some of the Golovane trail and meander through cane fields.

The 5km kids ride is an easy out and back course to the Living Earth Dam. Although not a completely flat ride, the course has been designed to provide a challenge for younger riders. The route has also been carefully laid out so riders who find they are overextending themselves can turn around and shorten their race at many places along the route. Remember, the idea here is that the adults get to do this race with the kids as warm up and to share the fun.

After the race the Holla Trails will be providing a magnificent lunch and social with a live band after the event under the trees.

Entries are limited to a total of 1200 riders for the 20km and 50km combined, so enter early.

This event is a Roag administered event so all entries must be registered with on www.roag.co.za before entering.