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Just some info on the MTB routes of the 99er taking place on 11 February. Last year there were a 35 km and a 10 km route. A lot of riders underestimated the 35 km route, especially the climb up Dorstberg (Meerendal Koppie). This year we have included a 20 km route as well, which does not include the Dorstberg climb. The 20 km, as well as the 8 km, start and finish at Meerendal, while the 35 km starts and finish at the Race Course together with the roadies.
We have made two small changes to the 35 km route that will hopefully eliminate some of the bottlenecks of last year. We have cut out the steep downhill on the first piece of single track on Meerendal (the “mine shaft”) by cutting a temporary route via the wheat fields. We will also put a detour in around the top part of “Stairway to Heaven” to bypass the concrete pavers that caused serious problems and anxiety amongst some of the riders last year.
The bridges over the fences at the dam will be put up for the race and all the routes will go across the dam wall.
There seems to be fewer thorns this year, but there are still lots around, especially on the route over Diemersdal. Slime and tire-liners are a must, as well as at least two spare tubes. Try and stay on the racing line of the race-snakes up front and you should be fine. If you were thinking of converting to tubeless, now is the time to do so.
