Swartberg 100 Grand Fondo Opts To Postpone 2020 Event
One of the pioneers of the gravel bike event movement has wisely decided not to take a chance, and postponed the April celebration of gravel biking to early Spring.
The organisers of the ground-breaking Swartberg100 Gran Fondo have announced the postponement of the April 25, 2020 edition of the event to early spring, 2020.
In a statement from the Swartberg 100 Gran Fondo, founder John Swanepoel (signed Chief Domestique; he really is one of us) explains the move to mid- to late-August is preemptive, taking into account the uncertainty around exactly how long the government ban on gatherings of more than 100 people is likely to last.
“Further to the State of Emergency announcement in South Africa and taking into account the events and information made available around the world in the last 8 hours, in particular the announcements in the USA, France, Italy and the UK, we have decided to postpone the following MTBAfrica events.
19th March 2020 – Karoo GravelGrinder
2nd April 2020 – Karoo GravelGrinder
25th of April 2020 – Swartberg 100 Gran Fondo and supporting races
30th April 2020 – Karoo GravelGrinder
14th May 2020 – Karoo GravelGrinder
It is a massive blow to us, being a new startup business in a small Karoo town, we will however be listing new events with dates into next year so that existing Karoo GravelGrinder entrants and groups can decide on which future event suits them to move their entries to.”
The hunt is now on for a date in August that won’t clash with other major events, and that meets with approval from the municipalities and other stakeholders in the event.
“As the medieval Persian adage goes: “This too shall pass” and we will mount those bikes and ride again in joyous groups of happy, healthy people. (the last bit was mine, not medieval Persian.)”
The Swartberg 100 Gran Fondo is a 170km race based out of Prince Albert in the Karoo, with a heady mix of fast tar and gravel stretches, 3 000m of climbing and a closing sting in its tail called Swartberg Pass – 25km of relentless climb, with 140km in the riders legs. Now in its 6th year, it attracts sold out fields in the Gran Fondo, relay, 50km Medio Fondo, E-Bike and other events.
READ MORE ON: coronavirus Gravel Riding postponed swartberg100