Rave reviews for Dusi Mfula
4 June 2008
"This was an absolutely beautiful experience. It is amazing how this event has sprung up out of nowhere and taken the sporting world by storm". This is how Graeme Pope-Ellis, 15-time winner of the Dusi Canoe Marathon, described the Jonsson Dusi Mfula Mountain Bike Experience.
He and his wife, Wendy, took part in the race on the weekend of 31 May and 1 June, with the "Dusi King" finishing 112th out of the 650 entrants.
After a cold start to the two-day event at Bishopstowe in Pietermaritzburg, the weather played its part in a slick operation and warmed up to over 22 degrees Celsius, which made for comfortable conditions.
Winners
Roan Exelby and his teammate David Leimanin won the men's race in a time of 4:55:28, while the ladies' race honours went the way of Gillian Marnewick and Glynis Pretorius in a time of seven hours and 11 minutes.
Seven-time Dusi Canoe Marathon winner Martin Dreyer won the mixed doubles title with his partner Jeannie Bomford in an excellent time of five hours and 47 minutes.
Afterwards, Dreyer joked that he had chosen a strong female cyclist to pull him along; she, however, proved a much better cyclist than he was and it was tough, he laughed.
Format
The race format requires that teams of two participate and they may not be more than two minutes apart at any time on the route; it is a popular format that has become the norm in long distance mountain bike races.
Ray de Vries, the race director, was thrilled with the way the race went off and his enthusiasm was backed up by very positive feedback from the participants.
"The event is so much more than just a race," he said. "It is an African experience that follows unique trails alongside the Dusi and Umgeni rivers – the Dusi on a mountain bike if you will.
"The event was simply terrific," he continued. "It is a very challenging event to put on as the logistics are mind boggling. We have received dozens and dozens of e-mails praising the SA Police Service for their terrific work. They often come in for criticism and it was a pleasure for us to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for a job well done."
International competitors
The Dusi Mfula attracted a number of international riders and the organisers say they are very confident that many more will come to the event in the future.
The race number more than doubled the previous year's entry and the organisers are already considering ways in which they can accommodate a much bigger demand for the 2009 race.
De Vries said: "This event has really caught the imagination of the MTB/Adventure world. We will be marketing the event overseas in the next few weeks and are confident that we will attract an increased number of international sports tourists."
SAinfo reporter
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