The ever-popular Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run in KwaZulu-Natal will have a new look in 2019, including a new race venue and some revamped routes. 

This year’s event on April 28 will be based at the Gwahumbe Game Lodge and Spa which will provide an idyllic and spectator-friendly venue for supporters, while also ensuring a more relaxed setting for riders and runners after they have completed their events. 

The route for the 60km Husqvarna Classic MTB X-treme event, which targets the province’s elite and experienced mountain bikers, will be similar to the 2018 event, although there are a few tweaks to update and improve the course with some extra single track. The popular 40km Safire MTB Classic will have the most changes of all the mountain bike rides with the course shortened back to 40km while extra single track has been added. The highest climb - at just under 1000m - is early on in the race at 13.5km. The return loop has a gentler gradient.  

"The trail runners will have the biggest changes with new routes starting at the Gwahumbe Game Lodge on top of the plateau before finishing at a beautiful waterfall setting in the valley, where shuttles will transport runners back to the start/finish area and prizegiving. “The event has now outgrown the Mid Illovo Club, which hosted the Husqvarna Classic for 10 years,” said race organiser Shanon MacKenzie this week.

“We made the decision to move the start and finish venue to Gwahumbe Game Lodge that lends itself to an ideal area for relaxation and chilling after the competitors have completed their runs and rides. “More people will be able to enjoy the vibe and atmosphere that will make for a wonderful family atmosphere. 

“We have also changed the routes a little. With changes over the years the 40km had become 46km and some of the return climbs were tough for the riders we were attracting, so we got rid of some of the smaller ascents on the return route and reduced the distance. We have kept most of the single track so it will certainly be a more enjoyable ride.” The trail runs will have new routes starting at Gwahumbe and dropping down into the valley which should make for some fun, fast running in spectacular scenery. “The Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run was the first ever ROAG event all those years ago. This year will be our 11th event and we have built tremendous credibility within the mountain biking community who know that we host a superb event. The routes are always well thought out and the single track is manicured, well prepared and marked,” MacKenzie added. 

Riders and runners have a choice of six events at the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run. There are two trails runs, the 16km Farmer’s Agri-Care Trail Run for the fit and experienced runners and the 8km Gwahumbe Trail Run for those who are looking for something a little less strenuous. Mountain bikers have four events ranging from the 60km Husqvarna Classic MTB X-treme, which is also part of the Quattro ROAG Series for the elite riders. The 40km Safire MTB is aimed at riders looking to test themselves while the 18km Gwahumbe Family Experience is a family-orientated ride for newbies, those still getting confidence on a mountain bike or trying to get fit. The 10km Fun Ride targets the younger set and U12 riders can enter this event for free. 

There are 800 Uzwelo shopper bags and 600 Quick Dry, Microfibre towels for the first entrants.  Each year, the Mid-Illovo community benefits from hosting the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run, as proceeds from the event go towards community upliftment.   

Every entrant also has the opportunity to give back and help a child in this Midlands community by purchasing an Uzwelo School Bag, with a built-in raincoat poncho, for R150. 

Enter online at www.roag.co.za or contact ROAG on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 086 100 ROAG/7624.  

Entry Fees (early entry prices – entries close 24 April)

For more information, visit www.husqvarnaclassic.co.za

Calling all mountain bikers and trail runners – entries are now open for the 2019 Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run, with race options to suit the whole family.

This popular event has limited entries so don’t delay in entering.  The race starts on Sunday 28 April at Gwahumbe Game & Spa in Mid-Illovo in KZN.

The serious mountain bikers can choose either the 60km Husqvarna Classic MTB X-treme or the 40km Safire Classic route, while fun riders have the choice of an 18km Gwahumbe Family Experience or the 10km route, which is free entry for the under 12s.

For trail runners, the Farmers Agri-Care 16km or the 9km Gwahumbe trail routes offer spectacular trails through indigenous KZN bushlands and grasslands. Each year, the Mid-Illovo community benefits from hosting the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run, as proceeds from the event go towards community upliftment. Every entrant also has the opportunity to give back and help a child in this Midlands community by purchasing an Uzwelo School Bag, with a built-in raincoat poncho, for R150. Enter online at www.roag.co.za or contact ROAG on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 086 100 ROAG/7624.

Entry Fees

For more information, visit www.husqvarnaclassic.co.za

SOUTH Africa U23 champion Julian Jessop continued his dream month when he beat off the challenge of Tyronne White in a dash for the line at the 60km mountain bike race at the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge and Trail Run on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Jessop - who is coming off a dream 12th position finish at the recent Absa Cape Epic and so claimed the prestigious African Jersey title with Matthys Beukes - and White approached the finish together. However the young PYGA Eurosteel rider had too much firepower for his more experienced challenger and powered across to line to win in a time of 2:32:08, two seconds ahead of White.

Quattro ROAG Series leader Andrew Johnson claimed third position just 29-seconds further back and his third position in Sunday's second leg of the series, combined with his win in the opening leg at Wartburg in February, ensures the Ballito resident holds top spot in the race for South Africa's richest prize for a mountain bike series.David Low and Brennan Anderson rounded out the top five.

In the women's 60km race, Christie Leigh Hearder made her first appearance at a Quattro ROAG Series event of the year and notched up a convincing five-minute win to put the pressure on series leader Andrea de Boer. De Boer was second and keeps a firm grasp on the series lead going into the third leg at Karkloof in May, but will be aware that Hearder is lurking.

One of the most intriguing dices of the day was the women's 40km Safire MTB that saw matric pupil Tiffany Keep edge out Frances Janse van Rensburg by two minutes, while schoolboy Travis Stedman was clear winner in the men's 40km race.In the trail runs, Derek Wasserfall cruised to victory with Thierry Pletinckx just over two minutes off the pace in the 16km Farmers Agri-Care race while Mark Mackenzie was third. Mackenzie's third, when combined with his third position in the opening leg, is enough to move him to the top of the standings in the Quattro ROAG Series.

Sarah Gray enjoyed a two-minute win in the women's 16km trail run with Megan Wassung recording her second runner-up spot in two races after she was edged out by Wendy Mills at Wartburg. The two runner-up finishes are just enough to edge her to the top of the Quattro ROAG Series leaderboard, but Mills, who was fourth on Sunday, is now just eight points behind on the log.

Jacqui Cochran, the marketing manager from Husqvarna, was full of praise for the Mid Illovo event which she has seen grow substantially in the time her company has been involved with the popular race."Husqvarna is proud and delighted to partner with the Mid Illovo community for the past eight years. It has been a joy and delight to watch the race grow, but still retain its community following and hands-on approach by the local residents of the farming community."This event is not just a commercial success, but has managed to keep its personality that it always has had."

Riders and runners at the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge and Trail Run on Sunday are in for some exciting new track with some completely revamped routes – and according to one of the province’s top riders the MTB changes are simply “awesome”.

Part of the ROAG Quattro Series, the Husqvarna Classic has always been one of the most popular mountain bike events on the calendar, partly because riders, and more recently runners, have a wide choice of distances and partly because the organisers are constantly striving to improve the overall experience for riders and runners.The mountain bikers have a wide choice of routes ranging from the 60km Husqvarna X-treme Classic (which was introduced in 2016), the always popular 40km Safire MTB, the family-orientated 18km Gwahumbe Experience and the 10km Fun Ride, while runners can select from the 16km Farmers Agri-Care or the 9km Gwahumbe trail runs.

MTB Course designer Bruce Smith, a farmer in the Mid-Illovo area, oversees the creation of new track and for the 2018 race he has had to work extra hard after he was unable to use some sections of the 2017 course.But the extra effort looks to have been worthwhile as the changes have already received a stamp of approval from one of the province’s top riders. Leeroy Emslie was given permission to ride the route as an unofficial test at the weekend and his message back to Smith was a simple: “Awesome route”.“We have added new trails to the 60km, and the 40km is completely revamped,” said Smith after more work fine tuning the trails at the weekend.

“There will be a bit more climbing in the 60km this year, but it will not be too much … about 1 200m of vertical ascent which will make this event an ideal preparation race for those riders intending to take part in the sani2c.

“The route is not overly technical but it has some nice sections of single track and I think the riders will enjoy the whole experience.

“The first 18km of the 40km is different to last year and there are now some nice sections of completely custom-built track which will be ridden for the first time this year.”According to Smith, the 16km and 9km trails runs are both also very different to 2017 and will offer some new challenges for the runners.

The 9km Gwahumbe Trail Run and the 16km Farmers Agri-Care Trail Run start the action at 6.30am on Sunday, while the mountain bike events get underway at 8am with the 60km Husqvarna Classic MTB X-Treme, followed by the 18km Gwahumbe Family Experience at 8:40am and then the 40km Safire at 9:10am and the 10km Fun Ride at 9:30am.

All pre-entries are via www.roag.co.za, with entries closing at midnight on Wednesday.

The events form the second leg of the Roag Quattro Series and late entries will be taken on the day.

Mid-Illovo – Stuart Marais is making a habit of winning mountain bike races this year with the latest victory coming in the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge and Trail Run on Sunday.

In the main 60km race, the Howick mechanical engineer overcame a fall which could have proved costly, but he picked himself up and rode on to a solid three-minute win over defending champion, Mid-Illovo local Derrin Smith, who in turn was two minutes ahead of the in-form David Low.

In the women’s race, young 16-year-old Tiffany Keep once again showed she is a massive talent by winning her first attempt at the longer 60km event. The Thomas More College schoolgirl beat off the challenge of Christie-Leigh Hearder with veteran Natalie Bergstrom claiming third.Both Marais and Keep were full of praise for the route which has been designed and created by local farmer Bruce Smith with the help of other local farmers in the area.

“The trails were phenomenal,” said Marais. “They have obviously put in so much work on the course and they have made then absolutely stunning. Everyone said I’d enjoy the race – and I did!“I had a bit of a mishap on one of the bridges. My front wheel slipped out and I fell off as I was crossing it. Apart from that that I had a good ride and I felt really good.“This season I would like to try and make a bit of a habit of this winning,” he said with a laugh.

Keep said she also “really enjoyed the single track” and it showed as she kept her older and more experienced rivals at bay on the fun-filled, but tough and testing course.“I’ve participated in the race before but on the shorter distances – today was the first time I’ve done the 60km,” said the South African junior road team member.

In the 18km iNsingizi Trail Run Derek Wasserfall was dominant, outpacing Mark Mackenzie and Rhain Hoskins by almost three minutes despite a silly mistake which could have proved costly.Wasserfall, who also won the Husqvarna Mid-Illovo Trail Run in 2012, said he was impressed by the course, but also had to overcome some issues before claiming the win.“It was a very nice route – very fast which, as a road runner, is what I like,” said Wasserfall.

“Mark Mackenzie who finished second and I ran together for the first part and then I got away on one of the hills. But then I went off the route and had to get back which meant I was about seventh. They told us which markers to follow and then I went and followed some of the mountain bike markers – it was completely my fault.”

In the women’s trail run, Xoli Madida finished up just over two minutes ahead of Robyn Greyling and Wendy Mills.Jacqui Cochran, the marketing manager from Husqvarna, was delighted with the event:“It is obvious from the riders and runners reactions that this race just continues to improve every year. It is fantastic to be involved in an event that is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and still continues to get better and better each year, while at the same time somehow manages to puts so much back into the community in the Mid-Illovo area.“I think having the race here is such a win-win scenario: The riders and runners get to enjoy a fantastic event; we are able to reward a community that is a big supporter of Husqvarna; and with the help of entrants and other corporates we can contribute to uplifting schools and the community – like with 240 Uzwelo school bags which are pledged to children in the area by race goers and corporates such as Illovo.”

For the less serious riders and runners there was also the 45km Safire MTB race and a relatively gentle 18km Gwahumbe Family Ride as well as the 9km iNsingizi Trail Run.

RESULTS:

60km MTB  Men 

1 Stuart Marais 2:30:41

2 Derrin Smith 2:33:56

3 David Low 2:35:56

4 Brennan Anderson 2:36:21

5 Komborero Bere 2:38:12

Women 

1 Tiffany Keep 2:56:04

2 Christie-Leigh Hearder 2:57:50

3 Natalie Bergstrom 3:01:15 

18km Trail Run 

Men

1 Derek Wasserfall 1:24:33

2 Mark Mackenzie 1:27:12

3 Rhain Hoskins 1:27:22

Women

1 Xoli Madida 1:36:47

2 Robyn Greyling 1:39:06

3 Wendy Mills 1:42:16 

THIS weekend sees the fourth leg of the Quattro ROAG Series for mountain bikers and trail runners, and it represents a watershed for the popular KZN-based series which offers the biggest prizemoney of any mountain biking series in the country.

With competitors needing to compete in six of the nine events to qualify as a series finisher, any rider who has not already taken part in one of the first three events needs to compete in the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge and Trail Run on Sunday to have any chance of qualifying for the R25 000 first prize.

The Compendium Hill 2 Hill which took place over Easter saw two new leaders emerge in the mountain biking series. Leeroy Emslie’s fourth place in the tough 100km marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Shongweni allowed him to take over the series lead in the men’s category.His 202 point from three events put him a meagre 22 points ahead of Stuart Marais, who missed the Hill 2 Hill due to other racing commitments in Gauteng.

In the women’s division, young Christie-Leigh Hearder’s consistent finishes has allowed her to open up a sizable gap in the standings. Her 246 points are a 60 points more than second-placed veteran Natalie Bergstrom.

In the trail running log, Mark Mackenzie grew his lead and goes into the fourth event with a 57-point gap over David Mercer, despite finding the pace tough at the Hill 2 Hill trail run where he finished 12th.

In the women’s trail running, Wendy Mills and Alison Wasserfall have opened up a huge lead over the chasing bunch with Mills in pole position on 260-points with Wasserfall 44 points back.

The 60km Husqvarna Classic is one of the most popular one day mountain bike events and the race organiser’s emphasis on superb trails means it is rare for a rider to not drive back from the event with a smile on his or her face.

The event was also one of the first mountain bike races in the province to realise that a trail running event was a good addition to the day’s outdoor offerings. This has meant the Mid Illovo Classic is the oldest trail run event to be included in the new Quattro ROAG Trail Running Series which this year takes place in conjunction with the mountain biking series.

After the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge and Trail Run this weekend, riders and runners have a month to recover until the Sappi Karkloof Classic in on May 27-28.

Entries for the Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge and Trail Run close at midnight on Thursday 27 April.  Enter on www.roag.co.za. Late entries on the day will be accepted. 

Latest Quattro ROAG Series Standings 

MTB Men:

1. Leeroy Emslie 202

2. Stuart Marais 186

3. Jedson Tooms 151

4. David Low 142

5. Brennan Anderson 131

6. Andrew Johnson 130

=6. Hendrik Bester 130

8. Matthew Wilkinson 110

9. Carl Calverley 102

10. Brendon Davids 100

=10. Julian Jessop 100 

MTB Women:

1. Christie-Leigh Hearder 246

2. Natalie Bergstrom 186

3. Belinda Mason 149

4. Tarryn Morgan 139

5. Jeannie Bomford 100

=5. Cherie Redecker 100

7. Frances Marsburg 88

8. Bronwyn Evans 78

=8. Erika Velissariou 78

=8. Linda Erskine 78 

Trail running Men:

1. Mark Mackenzie 216

2. David Mercer 159

3. Haydn Bam 115

4. Mthobisi Mzolo 100

=4. Mthokozisi Chamane 100 

Trail running Women

1. Wendy Mills 260

2. Alison Wasserfall 216

3. Erin Bargate 100

=3. Amy Burger 100

5. Patricia Dammann 86 

Writer:  Tim Whitfield
Image:  Supplied

Get into gear for one of the best-loved (and well-organised) races on the mountain biking and trail running calendar. The 2017 Husqvarna Classic Mid-Illovo MTB Challenge & Trail Run is happening just less than two weeks before the gruelling Sani2C, making it a non-negotiable for those who are following a ruthless training schedule.  

“The best single track of any single day event” – that is how some riders have described this MTB route.  If that is not enough, the scenery is magnificent.  

Part of the ROAG series, there are various races, each of which run the gauntlet from relatively simple to strenuous.  

If a game viewing ride is on your sporting bucket list, don’t miss the 40km Safire MTB Classic that traverses two picturesque Game Reserves, Gwahumbe Game & Spa and iNsingizi.   

For serious riders, the 60km Husqvarna Classic MTB X-treme will test your resolve, but there are options for the whole family, including the 18km Gwahumbe Family Experience and the 10km Fun Ride.

It’s a great way to get the kids interested in sports and spending more time outdoors and as each of the tracks has different scenery, you could aim to do a different race every year.      

The 18km and the 9km iNsingizi trail runs cover rugged terrain through the game reserve.    

The trail run events will start early – at 6.30am – so that competitors have an opportunity to do a Biathlon by competing in both the run / walk and mountain bike races.   

Do your bit! Give an Uzwelo school bag to an underprivileged Mid-Illovo child, when you add a R130 donation to your entry.  

The first 800 entries will receive an Uzwelo goodie bag. Entries close on 26 April 2017 at midnight, but late entries will be accepted on the day.

Registration begins at 05.30 on the day, with the first MTB race (60km) starting at 07h30.  

Enter online at www.roag.co.za or contact ROAG on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 086 100 ROAG/7624.  

Entry Fees

• 60km Husqvarna Classic MTB X-treme - R190
• 40km Safire MTB Classic - R160
• 18km Gwahumbe MTB Family Experience - R140
• 10km Fun Ride - R70 (free for under 12s)
• 18km iNsingizi Trail Run - R115
• 9km iNsingizi Trail Run - R85  

For more information, visit www.husqvarnaclassic.co.za