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Botswana: A Ride On the Wild Side
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The Voice (Francistown)
20 May 2008
Posted to the web 20 May 2008
Guy Brina
Francistown
The Tachila Nature Reserve management team is looking to get the Francistown Park's fundraising efforts rolling with a multi-event mountain bike competition.
The May 25th Tachila Mountain Bike Classic will feature four separate races of varying distances. The "Dassie Dash", held over 500 meters, will be open to kids under the age of seven. This free race is designed to be a fun event that will give young riders an easy, safe course that will hopefully get them excited about riding away from the dangers of public roads.
The "Springhare Sprint", for kids 9 & under, 11 & under and 13& under, will cover five kilometers. This is a more challenging race and includes three dry river bed crossings, some jeep track and a steepish hill at the end of the course.
The 15 kilometer "Porcupine Pursuit" will be for 11 & under, 15 & under, 18 & under, senior and 40 & over. Cyclists can look forward to some rolling jeep track, numerous dry river bed crossings, some single-track dust roads and a few hills.
Finally, the 30 kilometer "Cobra Classic" will consist of two circuits of the 15 kilometer course and it will be open for the same categories as the Porcupine Pursuit.
According to Tachila Manager, Graham McCulloch, the idea is to cater to as many riding abilities as possible.
"We have put a lot of thought into designing a course that will be as user-friendly as possible and at the same time allow riders to experience some of the more out of the way places in Tachila. The entire course is on existing tracks and will be well marked. We have taken great care to sweep all the soft sand away and to trim back the odd thorn bush."
John Mackenzie teacher and Francistown bike fundi Kelby Murray helped organize the event and he has some simple tips for all the riders interested in competing.
"Ride your bike. This is the best way to check all the components are working as they should. Check your tyre pressure - read the guide lines on the side of your tyre wall. It is a good idea to invest in some tyre liners and some anti puncture fluid which you place inside your tube to help avoid the dreaded punctures. All the above are available locally.
"Make any adjustments you need to make to your seat and handle bar height. You should be comfortable after riding for some time. Invest in a good pair of riding pants.
Remember: No helmet, No ride! Try to ride away from traffic at all times.
Make sure you have adequate juice or water with you. You only really need to consider a sports drink if you are riding longer than an hour or so. And, finally, enjoy yourself.
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"You can cover a surprising amount of ground and see some really amazing sights. A few kilometers from Francistown I have seen hyena, kudu, impala, African wild cats, mambas, python, leopard spoor (no joke, I had my tracking for dummies book) and plenty of bird life."
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