Popular KZN bicycle owner Hayley Smith will deal with the 2024 Underberg Gran Fondo on Saturday 27 July with a world aim in thoughts.
The South Coast resident has persistently been one of many province’s high off-road racers over the previous decade.
Underberg Gran Fondo proves a stepping stone
Now she has plans to tackle one of many world’s main stage races subsequent month with the testing Underberg Gran Fondo as a part of her preparation.
“I really enjoyed the Underberg Gran Fondo last year and I’ve entered for the Swiss Epic (mountain bike race) in August, so I thought this would just be a nice block towards that before we leave,” stated the Bell Equipment rider who completed as runner-up to Joanne van der Winkel within the 2023 Underberg occasion.
She additionally stated: “I will be doing it on a mountain bike again this year as part of our training for Switzerland.”
“I definitely did struggle on my mountain bike last year, but because we are using this as a bit of a training ride, I am happy to just ride it out on my mountain bike again. I’ll just ride at a pace that I feel comfortable. I’m riding with Sanchia Malan, my partner at the Swiss Epic, so at least there will be a bit of a group of us.”
Smith, like lots of the elite riders who tackled the lengthy 140km occasion, needed to dig deep at instances as she tackled the undulating 140km course.
“It is quite a tough route – it is 140 kilometres and that is always going to be difficult. Last year once we hit 100 kilometres I was like “I still have 40 kays to go!”
“But I suppose we’ll just have to see what happens on the day and how the legs are feeling. It will be a nice test to where the fitness is and if everything has been going according to plan with how the training has been going for Switzerland.”
Relishing the problem
Despite the powerful nature of the race, Smith is trying ahead to her second Underberg Gran Fondo.
“Last year I really enjoyed the event. It has a really nice venue and the event is nice for the whole family because they have got the three different distances. I think is quite nice that they’ve been able to include the various races so the younger riders coming through have options.”
“It’s also in a great area with beautiful views of the Drakensberg.”
The predominant 140km route takes riders on a round course from simply outdoors the city of Underberg, by some spectacular surroundings within the foothills of the Drakensberg. Competitors soak up three totally different valley techniques, creating a nice mixture of hills and descents to check the health, energy and expertise of the riders.
Riders even have the choice for a shorter 90km occasion that follows the identical route because the lengthy occasion for the primary 63km, earlier than it peels off and “shortcuts” its manner again to the race village on the outskirts of Underberg.
For these riders who’re in search of one thing a little extra stress-free, however nonetheless wish to expertise the vibe of the occasion, the 41km Tour de Farms gives a comparatively straightforward choice with out the lengthy distances.
Entries are open at MyActive.co.za. and extra data could be discovered at https://underberggranfondo.co.za/
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