21 February 2020

‘If 10% of your business products provided 50% of your income, would you not work very hard to protect that 10%? In South Africa, half of our river flow is supplied by only 10% of the land – a small area that forms our vital water source areas, yet not enough is done to protect these water-supplying landscapes’ (WWF 2020)

Barbara Dallas-Daw and Nives Schabort have been putting in the hard yards in the build-up to the ABSA Cape Epic 2020. These races have taken them through some of the Cape’s most beautiful and rugged catchments, some of which fall within our country’s most important water source areas! In this post, we showcase some of the races they have ridden so far, spotlighting rivers and wetlands they’ve crossed along the way.

 May 2019 – Houw Hoek MTB Weekend

This was a two-day stage race from Houw Hoek to Onrus, that traverses rugged mountainous terrain with coastal lowland areas. The race begun in the Boland Mountains water source area – an area responsible for supplying the City of Cape Town with 97.1% of its water. The Berg, Breede and Riviersonderend are among the largest rivers flowing through this area, supplying dams like the Theewaterskloof – Cape Town’s largest water supply dam!

September 2019 – The Rock MTB Stage Race

This is a two-day mountain bike event around Rhebokskloof, nestled between the Boland and Table Mountain water source areas. The Table Mountain water source area is the smallest, but one of the most important water source areas in the country, because of its proximity to the City of Cape Town, and its iconic status. There are seven dams in and around Cape Town supplying water to the metro, although the Table Mountain water source area only supplies the City with 1.6% of its water.

October 2019 – STBB MTB Race

This year’s STBB4GOOD MTB Challenge and Family Day, hosted at the picturesque Overgaauw Wine Estate in Stellenbosch on the 12^th October raised funds for the Miles for Smiles Foundation.

October 2019 – FNB Wines2Whales

This multi-day stage race, took the riders through the Boland water source area, and down to the coastal plains around Hermanus. The riders climbed a cumulative 4600m while covering a distance of nearly 200km over the three-day race!

January 2020 – Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge

For the very brave, the Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge took the riders 121km, with a 2900m vertical ascent, through the desert and mountains of the Klein Karoo with a finish at the Garden Route Coast. Despite cold and rainy conditions, team FRC dug deep and completed the leg in good time, stopping to admire the beauty of the river ecosystems they crossed along the way.

February 2020 – Tankwa Trek

The iconic four-stage race winds through breathtaking trails of the Bokkeveld and Witzenburg plateaus, features some of the most unique scenery South Africa has to offer. This water-scarce area is home to some of the region’s most unique and threatened freshwater biodiversity, including the the fabled Clanwilliam sandfish.

The riders are now entering the buildup to the main event – the ABSA Cape Epic. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for updates as the journey unfolds, and support the Riding for Rivers and Wetlands campaign here.

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