Last call to enter the Amarider 100Miler or 50Miler

All entries close this Wednesday night 10 April for the 11th edition of the Amarider 100Miler & 50Miler, presented by Bike Hub taking place on Saturday, 13th of April.

The long distance of 160km start at Malmesbury Showgrounds and the 80km option start at Delico, Riebeck Kasteel. This iconic event has become firmly entrenched on the Western Cape calendar as a season highlight and gives riders the perfect intro into endurance riding. Riders will start at 7h30 when the sun rises over Malmesbury to attempt to finish the 160km in 10.5 hours.

The 50-mile option takes the fastest riders around 3 hours and with open gravel roads all the way, is non-technical. Views go on for days and beautiful Autumn weather is predicted this weekend.

A look at the profile will show that the first 40km is fairly flat and makes for fast riding. You need to keep something in the tank for the last 30km, with some sharp climbs after the 2nd (and last) water station.

Note that the 50-mile ride starts 9am at Delico butchery outside Riebeeck Kasteel, about 20km from Malmesbury so arrange a lift or book one of the shuttles.

The 100-mile option, although strenuous is a much easier ride than some of the other 100’s out there, with the course record, held by Erik Kleinhans, standing at a phenomenal 05h33. This should highlight the fact that, despite some proper climbs, the route is fast and flowing. Erik broke the record using a gravel bike with front suspension, and more and more riders are bringing their gravel bikes to this event. Just a note to the rest of the field, he beat the 2nd place rider by 30 minutes…

All this said, the 100 Mile option is not easy, especially as the bulk of the climbing happens in the last 40km of the race and really tests the middle and back-of-the-pack riders’ resolve towards the end.

Cut-off for the 100Miler is at 18h00, meaning you need to maintain around 16km/h to receive your finishers’ medal. And yes, the official race distance is 167km.

In terms of entrants, the 50 Miler is becoming more and more popular, with twice as many riders opting for the shorter option.

For both routes, well-stocked feed zones are laid out with 100 miler riders having a dedicated breakfast and lunch points as part of their 5 stops. Support from Enduren at these stations and Squirt to keep your chain well lubed!

The midway point, and start of the 50 Miler, is a festive affair with Delico butchery keeping the braai fires going throughout the day until cut-off.

If you are worried about getting stranded out on route, miles from home, Day Trippers are on hand with shuttle busses to get you back to civilisation.

As with previous editions, the Malmesbury Fietsryklub provide support services to the race in return for financial remuneration which they plough back into their local trail projects. The club has been very active in getting singletrack built in and around the town and as Amarider we cannot be happier for the event to support this great initiative in our host town. Having the locals on route looking after us, not only adds gees to the day, but there is always someone close by to help you understand just exactly where you are!