A big field of keen mountain bike riders is expected to compete in the final of the KwaZulu-Natal Spur School Mountain Bike series presented at the Fulton School for the Deaf in Hillcrest on Saturday, 20 September.
The Spur School Mountain Bike league was launched in 2009 as a joint initiative between the Spur Group and league facilitator Amarider to create a national platform for school kids to have fun by participating in dedicated mountain biking events, while increasing the footprint of the sport in South Africa.
According to KZN league co-ordinator, Ewan Cochran, the local high school series in particular has grown significantly. “I think many schools are now starting to see the value of mountain biking, with some schools even making it an official school sport and investing in building mountain bike tracks on their grounds,” says Cochran.
Fulton School for the Deaf in Hillcrest is one such a school. Although the school has been running a road cycling program for pupils competing in triathlons, the decision was made this year to expand and build a mountain bike track on the school grounds in order to provide a safe environment for both primary and high school learners.
KZN Spur School Mountain Bike series
Some of schools that will be competing on Saturday include Martizburg College, Northwood Boys, Thomas More and Hillcrest High.
Registration takes place from 12h00 and racing starts at 13h00 for Primary School riders, followed by the prize giving at 15h00 before the seniors take to the track at 15h30. Riders are welcome to test the course during the course practice from 11h00 to 12h45. Cost is R60 per rider.
League facilitator Meurant Botha of Amarider applauds the regional co-ordinators for growing their respective regions and driving a number of exciting local development initiatives, which according to him is paramount to the sustainability of the Spur High School Mountain Bike League.
The league culminates with the national finals on 4 and 5 October, which will be hosted for the fourth year running at Bekker School in Magaliesburg, where schools will compete in three categories, namely: best girls, best boys and best mixed team. School teams that finish their regional competitions within the top three positions in each category will automatically qualify for the Spur High School National Finals.
For more information on the league, as well as upcoming events and results, click here, join the Spur High School League Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.