How do you top up the R250.00?
- It's only for the Gran Fondo (171km solo) entrants.
- Click on the link below, it will ask you to log in to Entry Ninja and it will then take you to "My Entries" on your drop down menu.
- https://www.entryninja.com/registrations
- You can then click on "detail >>" on your Swartberg 100 Gran Fondo entry and make payment.
Why do we want to change the date to early March in 2023?
- We found that 10 hours is a little tight for some to complete the race. Late April doesn't give us enough daylight hours to extend, Early March gives us a 30 minute earlier start and a 90 minute later sunset, allowing us to extend to 11 hours for cut-off time.
- Temperatures are safer for both riders and marshals in March at the higher altitudes in the Swartberg.
- There will be more willingness to enjoy the luxury tents on the accommodation field in a warmer climate allowing for more entrants.
- The beer tastes better at a dusty, warm, sunny finish in March than a cold, dark finish in late April.
- People are happier when the sun shines.
- We do realise that it will be 1 week before the Cape Town Cycle Tour and 2 weeks before the start of the Epic each year, so you don't need to remind us of this.
Race Rules
All Races
All Races
- Gravel Bike racing is at this time not regulated by any governing body, it remains pure and for this reason we would like to keep the rules simple, as we trust in our participants sense of sportsmanship and fair play.
- The event sponsors, organisers, staff and anyone having anything to do with this event are not responsible for your safety or well being. You are responsible for you! We will however go out of our way to ensure that you can safely navigate the course with medics, marshals and radio communications on-hand to assist you.
- Participants must conduct themselves at all times in a manner that will not bring discredit to themselves, or to the event.
- It is a cycle race, participants must complete the entire course on the same bicycle frame, all other components and equipment may be repaired or replaced during the event.
- Logic prevails, participants can’t take shortcuts or hitch a lift in a vehicle.
- No outside support is allowed, spectators may not follow riders around the course.
- Drafting is allowed, drafting behind motorised vehicles or spectator e-bikes is forbidden.
- Aero Bars with elbow rests or bars that protrude into the cockpit area of the bicycle will not be allowed. We will allow the design as pictured below, two straight bars of no more than 20cm will also be allowed if fastened in the same manner as in the picture. This is for your own safety and the safety of other cyclists - no debates, not negotiable
- Participants must wear a properly approved helmet while operating their bicycle.
- There is no e-bike category on the Gran Fondo, e-bikes will not be allowed to participate in the Gran Fondo.
- You can use any bicycle on the race, we did however design the course for gravel bikes.
- For your own safety we do not recommend using a pure racing roadbike, the head angle on gravel descents and the tyre width will be a safety issue.
- There are no road closures, participants must obey all rules of the road. There will however be assistance at the intersections with marshals and traffic police. Please obey marshals at all times.
- You are responsible to get yourself around the course or get picked up if you decide to abandon. We will assist where we can with cut-off and where riders abandon but we cannot guarantee transport back to the start.
- You may not pass a cut-off point on the Gran Fondo if asked to stop by a race official.
e-Fondo
The race is only for e-bikes, no other bicycles will be allowed. An e-bike will be defined by the fact that it is pedal-assisted by means of an electric motor.
In clearer terms: The bicycle can only remain stationary if not pedalled. (excluding the push mode some e-bikes have)
Important notice to Riders that are licensed with a cycling association/governing body.
Please be aware that we are at present not sanctioning this race with any cycling association or governing body, we are following the practice of all gravel bike events worldwide.
The law states we need to comply to the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events act, 2010, which we will and have so in the past.
If a cycling association or governing body provides some benefit to the participants of a gravel bike race, or UCI creates a gravel bike racing category, we will certainly consider sanctioning it with such a body.
If you are a member of a cycling association, that cycling association may have rules about you entering cycling events that are not sanctioned by them, please be sure that you understand them before entering.
Important notice to Riders that are licensed with a cycling association/governing body.
Please be aware that we are at present not sanctioning this race with any cycling association or governing body, we are following the practice of all gravel bike events worldwide.
The law states we need to comply to the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events act, 2010, which we will and have so in the past.
If a cycling association or governing body provides some benefit to the participants of a gravel bike race, or UCI creates a gravel bike racing category, we will certainly consider sanctioning it with such a body.
If you are a member of a cycling association, that cycling association may have rules about you entering cycling events that are not sanctioned by them, please be sure that you understand them before entering.
Refund and Substitution Policy:
- The entry fee will be refunded if the rider is unable to participate due to death or hospitalisation.
- Should an entrant cancel his/her entry 3 or more months prior to the entry closing date, he/she shall be entitled to a refund of the entry fee (if not carried over from a previous date), and will be subject to deduction of a cancellation fee, having regard to the potential of the organisers to find an alternative entrant before the entry closing date.
- If riders are unable to take part in the event and wish to have their entry substituted, they must ensure that the substitute rider follows the correct substitution procedure which is found on the website. No substitutions will be allowed after the entry closing date. The substitute rider must pay an additional entry fee.
- The race will take place regardless of bad weather and will only be cancelled, re-routed or stopped for reasons of safety. In this event, entry fees are not refundable.
- The organiser reserves the right to refuse any person’s entry, or cancel any person’s entry up to the day before the race. In that event the person’s entry fee will be refunded.
- No Transfers to the following year will be allowed.
