GO 3 May 2018

INSIDE: FAMOUS BOXER'S FAMILY SURVIVED THROUGH GRANTS PAGE 10
S P O RT
Hudson hockey team excels - see pg 11
Newsdesk: (043) 702-2048
Advertising: (043) 702-2031
(043) 702-2043
g o ex p r e s s @ t i s o bl a ck s t a r. c o . z a
Thursday, M ay 3, 2018
Rugby dram at Stirling Derby- see pg 11
TIME TO LOOSEN UP: LIam Victor, one of the riders, takes time off for some exercise after completing
the race at Kei Mouth
Picture: SEBASTIAN WHITWARD
Great Kei
ALMOST THERE: A Cyclist approaches the finish line and admires the magnificent view at Kei Mouth
Picture: CAROL WATHEN
Trek epic
Mountain bikers show top form
RIAAN ODENDAAL
THE inaugural Great Kei Trek took place over
the weekend of 27 April 2018, a three-day
Mountain Bike event that started at
Roydon’s Game Lodge just outside Komani
before winding its way to Kei Mouth where the
Kei Mouth Country Club hosted the riders for
lunch on Sunday.
The main prize-giving took place at the Morgan
Bay Hotel.
The Great Kei Trek is the brainchild of Rob
Jackson of The Leverage Corporation.
Riders – mostly from upcountry – enjoyed the
Eastern Cape scenery and the hospitality of the
local Thomas River and Komga farmers. Thomas
River and Komga were also the location of the
two overnight stops where riders arrived to an
already pitched tent and rider box. The smaller
tents had comfortable mattresses where the
larger tents (an optional extra) had room to
stand and a stretcher instead of bare
mattresses. Roydon Game Reserve hosted the
riders on the Friday night with a braai and warm
fires as well as a hearty breakfast on Saturday
morning, that signalled the stage one start. o
The first stage was from Queenstown to
Thomas River, a tough stage of 95km consisting
of gravel roads, single track and jeep track.
Every stage had three water points hosted by the
local farmers. Route planner Dean Sheared
made sure riders would work hard between
water points two and three. s
A final 11km brought them to Thomas River,
where once again the local farmers ensured
riders were well fed and rested,
Sunday morning was another early rise with a
scheduled start time of 7am. The day’s stage
consisted of district roads, single track and jeep
track with a forest section and amazing scenery.
The stage ended 95km away in Komga where
the local traffic authorities escorted cyclists to
the finish line.
The Komga showgrounds were the venue for
the evening and the local farmers ensured that
everyone was well cared for.
Monday saw the last and final stage of the
event – Komga to Kei Mouth – that was a
shorter stage of 72km.
A second event, the Farmers’ Ride, was added
to Sunday where the Trek riders were joined by
social riders participating in only the final stage.
The route took riders through the wind farms
and along the Ocean View road down to Black
Rock Farm and onto the Morgan Bay cliffs for a
compulsory 10-minute stop – the final water
point manned by Emerald Vale Brewery. This
final stop slowed the pace and forced the riders
to soak up the breathtaking beauty of the cliffs
with a well-deserved ale.
A big thank you to all the sponsors and
congratulation to Rob Jackson from Leverage
Corporation and his team who did a great job in
putting together a very successful Great Kei
Tr e k .