Nashua signs on as naming rights sponsor for new-look Grape Escape

Local office automation company Nashua has signed on as the new naming rights sponsor of the Nashua Grape Escape. Entries for the 2013 iteration of this fast-evolving MTB stage race are now open.

The event, now in its third year, offers a brand new route and a three-day or two-day option for local mountain bike enthusiasts, and has been evolved to include a Race Village where riders can camp and stay in the midst of the action and experience all the pre- and post-race excitement and atmosphere.

David Bellairs, Marketing and Sponsorship Director of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust, organisers of the Nashua Grape Escape, says that the tremendous success of the past two years has allowed them to evolve the race into a must-do MTB stage race. “Since our inaugural race in 2011 we have grown the Grape Escape into an annual highlight for local and international riders. This year, we offer a brand-new route, camping facilities, increased prize money and a host of other improvements that should give riders an unforgettable MTB experience. This growth in stature of the event is perfectly complemented by our new naming rights sponsor Nashua, who we will work with over the next few years to put the Nashua Grape Escape firmly top-of-mind among  MTB enthusiasts; we trust that this is the beginning of a very successful long-term partnership.”

Dave Hallas, Marketing Director of Nashua Limited, says he sees a bright future for their involvement in this exciting event. “As a company, we pride ourselves on our commitment to sports development in South Africa. We are excited to align ourselves with the Grape Escape and to help make this event one of the top mountain bike experiences in South Africa.”

The 2013 Nashua Grape Escape offers a brand-new route designed by experienced MTB trail enthusiast and guru Meurant Botha, and starts at the Riebeek Kasteel Primary in Riebeeck Kasteel on Thursday 28 February 2013. Riders will follow a 75km route on Day 1 and finish at the DJ de Villiers Stadium in Wellington, where the official Race Village will also be located for the duration of the event.

Day 2 starts and finishes at the DJ de Villiers Stadium and takes riders on a short, although very challenging, 60km route. On Day 3, riders will tackle a 70km trail to the finish line at Boschendal Wine Estate.

Entry information

Riders can enter by visiting www.grapeescape.co.za. Entries are limited to 600 solo riders (no team categories) and close on 31 January 2013 or when entries are full. The three-day race entry fee is R2350 per person, while the entry fee for the two-day race is R1600.

For event-related queries, please contact the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust Events Office on 021 681 4333 during office hours.

"Is Winning Everything?"

Is Winning Everything? is a personal reflection on the exceptional career of legendary South African cyclist, Malcolm Lange. The 200-page full-colour book contains over 180 photographs, most of which are previously unpublished. Lange won a total of 409 major races in a career that spanned two decades, making him one of the most successful South African sportsmen ever and certainly one of the most prolific cycle race winners anywhere in the world.

Written in the first person with the assistance of premier cycling journalist, Sean Badenhorst, Is Winning Everything? takes the reader through Lange’s career with in depth descriptions of his early influences, his ability to win, his controversial omission from the 1996 Olympic Games team, his decision to refuse to race with the use of performance enhancing drugs and his recent retirement to run his own successful professional bike racing teams.

Throughout the book Lange offers advice on the concept of winning the way he sees it and has invited a variety of successful South Africans to give their views on winning in the book too, including some of the country’s leading businessmen with whom Lange has made acquaintance through his beloved sport of cycling. Is Winning Everything? is a question that’s answered in the book, but it’s not a straight-forward ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because cycling by nature is a sport of immense depth and complexity. Celebrated international cycling commentator, Phil Liggett has written the foreword of a book that’s easy to navigate, visually impactful and which offers insight into the life both on and off  the bike of one of South Africa’s most successful achievers.

Full title:            IS WINNING EVERYTHING? Success as defined by cycling legend Malcolm Lange
Authors:            Sean Badenhorst and Malcolm Lange
Publisher:          Fresh Media Solutions
Price:                R265 (R10 from each book sale goes to South African Institute for Drug-free Sport)
Available from:   Cycle Lab stores nationwide and online at www.teambonitas.co.za

Route updates for the 2012 Coronation Double Century

The 2012 Coronation Double Century will go ahead as planned, however slight amendments have been made to the route due to the collapse of a section of the R60 road.  Organisers are appealing to cyclists to take note of the route update.

David Bellairs, Marketing and Sponsorship Director of CTCCT, explains “The Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust has been working closely with the Provincial Department of Transport, MEC Robin Carlisle and the contractors VELA VKE since the damage occurred, however repairs to the affected stretch - approximately 15km before Swellendam - will not be complete by race day on 24 November.”

The start and the finish venue will remain in Swellendam however there will be a compulsory portage point at the site of the collapsed road. The estimated distance across the portage point is 350m on a newly created gravel road. All support vehicles will be diverted to Swellendam via a gravel road approximately 18km before Swellendam (3km before the collapse).

Bellairs concludes “While we realise this is not an ideal situation, we believe it is the most practical solution that allows us to proceed with the event with the least amount of inconvenience to all concerned.”

All teams travelling to Swellendam are encouraged to avoid the road between Ashton and Swellendam as the closure of the R60 will result in lengthy detours.

Another One!

Cycling champion David George on Tuesday admitted to having used the banned drug EPO (Erythropoietin) and said he was prepared to suffer the consequences.

"I will not be asking for a B sample to be tested as I know the result will ultimately be the same," George said in a statement.
"I fully understand the consequences of my admission and will bear the results of this."
George tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test conducted by the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) on August 29.
"Cycling, as you know, has been a confusing space and although it has given me incredible moments it has also given me experiences that no person or young athlete should have to go through," George said.
"I would like to apologise to my sponsors, who have given me every opportunity to chase a dream, and team mates, for whom I have the utmost respect. I will endeavour to make right where humanly possible."

One of South Africa's top cyclists, he is a former Olympian, a podium finisher in the Cape Epic, and a former Lance Armstrong team-mate on the United States Postal Service Cycling team 1999-2000.

EPO is a hormone which increases the red blood cell count, thereby increasing the athlete's oxygen-carrying capacity and enhancing performance.

"The drug is especially beneficial in endurance sports where athletes are competing over long distances in sports like cycling, running and triathlon," SAIDS CEO Khalid Galant said.
"We had warned the sports community a year ago that we would be vigorous in our testing of both blood and urine of our top athletes. We will continue to aggressively target EPO dopers."

George was suspended with immediate effect from competing in any event while the SAIDS process took its course, said Cycling SA.

"We respect the independence of the SAIDS process and will respect the outcome," Cycling SA president William Newman said.
"Cycling SA further reiterates its zero-tolerance to doping in sport, and confirms that there is no evidence of this being an endemic problem in the sport in South Africa."

Meanwhile, Nedbank reacted to the news of George's positive doping test, by suspending its sponsored professional cycling team, Team 360Life, for which he rode.

"The suspension of the team will continue until further notice," spokeswoman Tabby Tsengiwe said in a statement.

She said Nedbank did not tolerate the use of banned substances or performance-enhancing drugs and supported the SAIDS, Cycling SA and Union Cycliste International in promoting clean conduct in the sport.

Another Cycling Scandal?

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is to open an investigation into allegations that Olympic champion Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan bribed Russian Alexandre Kolobnev to win the 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, the governing body said on Monday (November 5).

Vinokourov won the one-day race by beating Kolobnev in a two-man finish.
The investigation is starting because the UCI has received a case file from an Italian public prosecutor who is investigating alleged corruption in cycling.

UCI President Pat McQuaid said that both riders have been summoned to the UCI headquarters in Aigle,Switzerland and that if they were found guilty, the license commission would re-evaluate the world tour licenses of the Astana and Katusha teams.

On Saturday the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper published details of the Padua investigation into Vinokourov's victory, including the email exchange between the two riders about payments and bank details. Both riders are also alleged to be clients of Dr. Ferrari, with details of Vinokourov's payments to the disgraced doctor revealed in the recent USADA evidence.

Police in Padua are investigating the possibility of a team doping programme at Astana by Dr Ferrari after Leonardo Bertagnolli and Volodymyr Bileka gave sworn statements to police that they saw several Astana riders working with Dr. Ferrari at altitude.

Vinokourov officially retired after winning gold in the Olympic road race in London but will stay in cycling as the head of the Astana team in 2013. The UCI recently awarded Astana a WorldTour licence for 2013 but the team's place in the highest echelon of cycling could be at risk if it is proved that Vinokourov paid-off Kolobnev to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Astana has signed Vincenzo Nibali as team leader for 2013.