Mpumalanga, South Africa – Today, 13 January 2019 the third stage of the 4th Mpumalanga Cycle Tour started at Forever Resort Swadini and finished at Forever Resort Blyde Canyon. The Mpumalanga Cycle Tour of seven days is the longest cycle tour in South Africa with an overall distance of 817km and a climb of 15 495m.  Today was also the final stage for the Veterans, Juniors and Open Groups. The Elite group will continue with the rest of the Mpumalanga Cycle Tour.   

Distance: 90.3km

Start for the Veterans, Juniors and Open Groups: 08:30

Start for Elite Group: 09:15

Start Elevation: 628M

Max Elevation: 1274 M

Gain: 1756M 

Final Prize-giving Results for the three day tour so far in the Category: Juniors & Vets:
Best Young Rider, KOM (King of the Mountain) and Points: Travis Stedman – Rider 614 

Final Prize-giving Results for the three day tour in the Category: Veterans 40+: Johan Naudé – Rider 476 

Final Prize-giving Results for the three day tour in the Category: Veterans 30+: Phillip Mudau – Rider 347

Overall Category winner (Juniors, Veterans and Open) for the three day tour: Damon Fouchee (17yrs) – Rider 618 

Stage 3 Results:

• Stage Open Category Winner: Shaun Ramahlodi – Rider 976
• Stage Junior Category Winner: Travis Stedman – Rider 614 2019 

Mpumalanga Cycle Tour Race Stages:

Monday, 14 January 2019: Stage 4: Forever Resort Blyde Canyon to Mbombela Stadium
Distance: 148,3 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1163 Metres
Max Elevation: 1721 Metres  

Tuesday, 15 January 2019: Stage 5: Forever Hotel White River
Distance: 129,5 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 943 Metres
Max Elevation: 972 Metres 

Wednesday, 16 January 2019: Stage 6: Mbombela to Forever Resort Badplaas
Distance: 97 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 682 Metres
Max Elevation: 1557 Metres

Thursday, 17 January 2019: Stage 7: Forever Resort Badplaas to Forever Resort Loskopdam
Distance: 197,2 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1112 Metres
Max Elevation: 1791 Metres

Mpumalanga, South Africa – On 11 January 2019 the first stage of the 4th Mpumalanga Cycle Tour started at Forever Resort Blyde Canyon and finished at Forever Resort Swadini. The Mpumalanga Cycle Tour of seven days is the longest cycle tour in South Africa with a distance of 817km and a climb of 15 495m.

Distance: 90.3kmStart: 09:00
Start Elevation: 1164
MMax Elevation: 1274 M
Gain: 1223 M 

Top 3 finalists for day 1, stage 1:

1. Rider 6 - Willie Smit from NAD with a time of 02:15:56
2. Rider 23 - Jayde Julius from ProTouch Sports 
3. Rider 14 - Calvin Beneke from Luso ACDC Pro Cycling Team 

First KOM @ 2km results:

1. Rider 1 - Matthew Beers from NAD
2. Rider 32 - Jean Pierre Lloyd from OfficeGuru Racing U23 Cycling Team 
3. Rider 42 - Alex Miller from Nam Nat Team (Namibian team) 

First Hotspot @ 14.2km results:

1. Rider 28 - Myles van Musschenbroek from Pro Touch Continental
2. Rider 15 - Andries Nigiri from Luso ACDC Pro Cycling Team 
3. Rider 26 - Rohan du Plooy from Pro Touch Continental 

Second KOM @ 26.6km results:

1. Rider 31 - Travis Barrett from Office Guru
2. Rider 1 - Matthew Beers from NAD 
3. Rider 16 - Christiaan Jooste from Luso ACDC Pro Cycling Team  

Second Hotspot @ 39.7km results:

1. Rider 2 - Gawie Combrink from NAD
2. Rider 6 - Willie Smit from NAD 
3. Rider 3 - Nico Bell from NAD 

Third Hotspot @ 55km results:

1. Rider 14 - Calvin Beneke from Luso ACDC Pro Cycling Team
2. Rider 1 - Matthew Beers from NAD 
3. Rider 29 - Dillan Girdelstone from Office Guru 

2019 Mpumalanga Cycle Tour Race Stages:

Saturday, 12 January 2019: Stage 2: Forever Resort Swadini to Orpen Gate and back to Forever Resort Swadini
Distance: 121 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 636 Metres
Max Elevation: 742 Metres 

Sunday, 13 January 2019: Stage 3: Forever Resort Swadini to Forever Resort Blyde Canyon
Distance: 90,3 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 628 Metres
Max Elevation: 1274 Metres 

Monday, 14 January 2019: Stage 4: Forever Resort Blyde Canyon to Mbombela Stadium
Distance: 148,3 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1163 Metres
Max Elevation: 1721 Metres 

Tuesday, 15 January 2019: Stage 5: Forever Hotel White River
Distance: 129,5 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 943 Metres
Max Elevation: 972 Metres 

Wednesday, 16 January 2019: Stage 6: Mbombela to Forever Resort Badplaas
Distance: 97 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 682 Metres
Max Elevation: 1557 Metres

Thursday, 17 January 2019: Stage 7: Forever Resort Badplaas to Forever Resort Loskopdam
Distance: 197,2 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1112 Metres
Max Elevation: 1791 Metres

Mpumalanga, South Africa – On 11 January 2019 the 4th Mpumalanga Cycle Tour took place starting at Forever Resort Blyde Canyon.  There are a total of seven stages across Mpumalanga and approximately 100 long distance road cyclists are expected to participate including some international riders. Apart from competing for the various titles the total value of the prizes add up to approximately R128 000.00.

Willie Smit is one of the well-known riders, was approached by the Italian team, Katusha Alpecin after his results last year. This year Smit will be participating alongside some of his Katusha Alpecin team members.

2019 Mpumalanga Cycle Tour Race Stages:
Friday, 11 January 2019: Stage 1: Forever Resort Blyde Canyon to Forever Resort Swadini
Distance: 90,3 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1164Metres Max
Elevation: 1274 Metres

Saturday, 12 January 2019: Stage 2: Forever Resort Swadini to Orpen Gate and back to Forever Resort Swadini
Distance: 121 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 636 Metres
Max Elevation: 742 Metres

Sunday, 13 January 2019: Stage 3: Forever Resort Swadini to Forever Resort Blyde Canyon
Distance: 90,3 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 628 Metres
Max Elevation: 1274 Metres

Monday, 14 January 2019: Stage 4: Forever Resort Blyde Canyon to Mbombela Stadium
Distance: 148,3 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1163 Metres
Max Elevation: 1721 Metres

Tuesday, 15 January 2019: Stage 5: Forever Hotel White River
Distance: 129,5 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 943 Metres
Max Elevation: 972 Metres

Wednesday, 16 January 2019: Stage 6: Mbombela to Forever Resort Badplaas
Distance: 97 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 682 Metres
Max Elevation: 1557 Metres

Thursday, 17 January 2019: Stage 7: Forever Resort Badplaas to Forever Resort Loskopdam
Distance: 197,2 Kilometres
Start Elevation: 1112 Metres
Max Elevation: 1791 Metres

2017 Best Results:
Clover Lowveld Tour (1st Overall)
Volta Cyclista ó Ribeiro (1st)
Vuelta Ciclista a Leon (1st)
Vuelta a Segovia (1st)
African Continental Championship (1st Road race, 4th individual time-trial)

South African National Road Championships (2nd individual time-trial, 3rd road race)

Winner Mpumalanga tour 2016 and 2017

KWAZULU-NATAL, PIETERMARITZBURG, 10 June 2016 – The Cascades Lifestyle Centre is pulling out all the stops for well-known NPO ‘The COWS’ as its Pietermaritzburg’s venue to hold the 2016 ‘100 Miles of Nowhere’ annual cyclethon to raise funds for their CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation, happening on 24^th of June 2016.

Says Lynda Lees, Consultant to Cascades Lifestyle Centre, “Cascades Lifestyle Centre is very happy to support this important COWS initiative for the CHOC foundation. We encourage Martizburg residents and cyclists to come out in full force to the centre on the 24^th June from 2pm to support this international challenge. Many of our retailers are supporting this initiative.”

Supported by Cadence Cycling Performance Centres around the country, the Pietermaritzburg Cadence Performance Centre, which recently moved into the Cascades Centre Business Park (Nedbank building), is supplying the Cascades Centre with 20 of their new stationary bikes and monitoring equipment.

This year, the cyclethon of 100 miles (160km) aims to raise R250 000 for CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation, and is open to everyone. The distance can be completed as a team of one cyclist, two or four cyclists. However the team is made up, the distance must be completed on the Cadence Performance Centre stationary bikes.

Says Tessa Hesse, Manager of the Pietermaritzburg Cadence Performance Centre, “The 100 Miles of Nowhere Challenge is a great event that we’re proud to be supporting. We will be transporting 20 of our new stationary bikes and equipment to the Cascades Centre ready for set up and cycling. It’s a fun, family-orientated event that the whole community gets behind, and we want to thank the Cascades Centre for hosting the event.”

As part of the fundraiser, cyclists pay an entry fee donation of R1 000 for a solo rider, R600 per rider for teams of two, and R350 per rider for teams of four, and are also encouraged to get their friends, family and colleagues to sponsor them per km or to complete the distance, all of which goes directly to CHOC.

The 100 Miles of Nowhere concept is now an international fundraising initiative that was unintentionally started by Eldon Nelson, an American blogger who owns the www.fatcyclist.com blog.

The cyclethon will be hosted at eight Cadence Performance Centres based in Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town, and all centres will run the cyclethon simultaneously on 24 June from 2pm - 7 pm.

To enter the 2016 100 Miles of Nowhere, visit Cascades Cadence at the Cascades Centre Business Park or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To find out more about the event and how you can get involved in other ways, go to the 100 Miles of Nowhere website here or like them on Facebook here.

Editors Notes
For more information please contact Tessa Hesse at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About 100 Miles of Nowhere
In 2008, American blogger Eldon Nelson did the first 100 Miles of Nowhere in his garage as a personal challenge to support his ailing wife whilst she was being treated for cancer. The idea was to reach 100 miles in the most mind-numbing way to pay respect to the mind-numbing and painful repetition of unpleasant cancer treatments like chemotherapy. His blog followers loved the concept, and wanted to join him, and so it grew into a worldwide initiative to raise funds for cancer.

In 2011, The Cows, which is a NPO that continuously raises funds and awareness for CHOC by taking part in various sports events in their infamous black and white spotted cow suits, launched the first 100 Miles of Nowhere event in South Africa. Back then only 10 cyclists took part.

In 2015, over 300 cyclists across KwaZulu-Natal raised a total of R160 000 for CHOC. This was used to fund a ‘CHOC Block’ at the paediatric oncology unit at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban. The CHOC Block provides a private rooming-in facility for a child with cancer, and their care-giver, during their often lengthy treatments. Each room costs R150 a day to run, which includes two meals a day for the child and carer, and laundry facilities.