The Isuzu Trucks PE Plett Mountain Bike stage race is in its third year of existence and Isuzu Truck South Africa is once again proud to be the title sponsor. The race extends over a four-day period and a distance of 340 kilometres, from Port Elizabeth to Plettenberg Bay, so training for a race of this nature takes a lot of time and effort in trying to successfully complete the tough route. Isuzu Trucks struck a chord with cyclists in April when they announced a competition as a lead-up to this year’s Isuzu Trucks PE Plett Mountain Bike stage race.
To make participation a little more exciting – and to even possibly cover some of the expenses – 2015 saw Isuzu Trucks take a new approach with its involvement in the race by developing a competition to assist potential race entrants with their training schedule. In partnership with The Hub SA, South Africa’s number one community for cyclists, the competition spanned the period 21 April – 17 May. During their training, contestants could either make use of an existing Strava account or register a new one to sync their participation in the Isuzu Trucks Endurance Challenge competition.
Once the Strava account was synced, or a new account registered, participants automatically received a Sign Up and First Ride Badge. For the duration of the challenge they had to ride to collect various badges, including altitude, distance and time, in order to stand a chance of winning team entries plus R5 000 towards travelling expenses to the 2015 Isuzu Trucks PE Plett race taking place from 03 – 06 September in Port Elizabeth.
On Sunday, 17 May 2015, the curtain came down on the competition, with nearly 5 000 rides completed, over 200 000 kilometres ridden, a noteworthy 10 000 hours spent in the saddle gaining 2,8 million metres of altitude and an overall total of 6,4 million calories burnt. The competition drew 417 participants, who earned 3 540 badges, with 124 people qualifying to stand a chance at claiming the prize.
The winners of the Isuzu Trucks Endurance Challenge team entries were Nicole Dale Kuys, Graham Pearson, Clive Garrett and Manie Redelinghuys, who will square up against the rest of the entrants for the fun but gruelling race, PE Plett, dubbed “the mini epic”.
“The Isuzu Trucks Endurance Challenge has proven to be a fantastic means of engaging cyclists digitally and, most importantly, getting people on bikes in the real world. Praise to the sponsors, Isuzu Truck South Africa, for making this happen,” says The Hub SA founder, Matt Eagar
“The Eastern Cape has been the home for the Isuzu Truck South Africa assembly plant since the early seventies and we are always on the lookout for opportunities to make an economic impact on the greater Province. The PE Plett Mountain Bike stage race is definitely a platform for the brand to continue making a contribution,” says Craig Uren, Chief Operating Officer, Isuzu Truck South Africa.
