Greetings all, welcome to our 4th Newsletter

It’s getting a little chillier in the mornings down in the Gorge and I am amazed to see that we have more riders arriving before sunrise and setting off for a dirty wake up call to start the day than ever before, only the hard core!!!!

Word seems to be spreading faster than a veld fire in winter as we again keep breaking records with number of riders coming through the park. We had our busiest week to date last week and the amazing thing is that over 300 of these are new riders! Welcome to you guys and I hope you enjoy the Giba Gabba as much as riding our fast and flowing Single Track. Its all about news and updates of what’s going on and what’s up and coming in the future, so sit back and enjoy.

Giba Gorge will officially be launching on the 30th of June.
Make a note of this in your diaries now! This is not to be missed.
We will be having a Giba Groms race in the morning for all the kids, a BMX meeting and a 4 hour race in the afternoon and early evening! Start getting a team together as it promises to be an incredible event. There will be bands in the evening with a big party celebrating the opening! We are negotiating with sponsors from SAB, PowerAde, Fox Clothing, etc. It promises to be an awesome event going on into the night.

On Sunday we will also be hosting our 1st adventure race! There will be a pro and also a primary (for all the schools and kids) category and this promises to be a spectacular event.

We will keep you up to speed with all the details so you can plan accordingly.

Guys don’t forget its Mothers Day on Sunday! Bring your Mom to Giba Gorge on Sunday for a treat, she will ride for free! That’s right, all Mom’s ride free of charge this Sunday! Get your Mothers day voucher at the trails centre.

With the last 2 weeks having been mostly dry with no rain, the trails are running beautifully. Our new loop has compacted nice and hard and you can easily get all the way to the top without putting your foot down.
We are learning daily and are always open to suggestions from you, the riders!
Please remember that a fresh cut trail will take a while to compact & establish itself before it starts riding sweetly.

We would like to give a huge shout out and thank you to STIHL Pinetown who have donated us a brand new top of the range brush cutter which will increase the speed of our trail building in a massive way! Thank you, guys it is greatly appreciated!
We are always looking for timber to help build some wood (North shore) trails. We also want to construct a skills area, so if anyone can assist it will be a great help.

The Grom’s are flying around the park at unprecedented speeds and showing off to all their mates, like some kind of TV stars! Hold on, they actually are!
Yes that’s right, the Giba Groms were showcased on national television 2 Fridays ago and if like me, you did not see it, we have some exiting news.
The 1st Giba Groms Camp Out!
Next Friday, 18th May.

Amy and I be looking after you guys , the camp will start at 5pm and then we will be getting ready for the 1st ever Groms night ride followed by a screening of the Yo TV show of the holiday camp and followed by some of the latest mtb DVD’s.
Then we will wake early and go for a morning ride before parents pick you up at 10am. Booking is essential, please let Amy know if you are keen on amy@gibagorge.co.za.
The cost is R150 per grom and includes dinner, breakfast and snacks. We will be sleeping in the conference room so please bring a mattress, sleeping bag and pillow plus a bike light for the night ride. We do theses available at Giba in the trail centre.

We have started a Giba Gals afternoon ride and it looks like we are going to have to add another one again, this time for a weekend day! I did not know that so many mountain biking ladies existed; it is absolutely awesome to see how this is growing.
And even more interesting is seeing that some of the Giba Gals are now giving lessons to their husbands and boyfriends, you go Gals!
As most of you know it’s Karkloof this Sunday and there is a huge contingent of Giba Gals going up to ride together, give it horns!
With the Gals growing at such a rapid rate I would like to just communicate the following information on how to become a Giba Gal,

• If you have just started riding or you are not sure of your ability yet, then come and join us on a Wednesday Morning at 8am for a skills session and fun ride.
• Tuesday mornings are our technical mornings also starting at 8am
• Thursdays are for a good workout, stretch of the legs 20 – 25km. Also starting at 8 o’clock!
• Wednesday evenings at 4:30pm, a sunset ride where we will coach you into confidence on a mountain bike.

It’s all about the cappuccino at the end I am told, some come and join us!

Remember to be a Giba Gal one has to come for 3 rides and we welcome any ladies from whatever club to ride with us.

Coming soon to the Gals will be the 1st ladies only night ride, watch this space….

It has also been noticed that the number of guys riding on a Tuesday morning at 8am has increased dramatically, one would wonder why…….

THIS SATURDAY WE WILL HAVE A BIG SCREEN FOR THE RUGBY!!!!!!!

The Giba Club Rides on Saturday are getting busier and definitely more fun although rumour has it that there was a lot of moaning and nearly a mutiny last Saturday as a group leader adventured a little further than normal……
This Saturday should be fun….., we will be changing the start time to 13hoo for those wanting to watch the rugby.
The kids ride will be at 2:15 which has been a total hit and the kids love having their own ride, watch this space for a new route.

We are very excited and proud to be associated with the Jonssons Mfula Mountain Bike Experience!

This coming Tuesday Evening, 15th May, at Giba, we will be having a Jonssons Umfula  evening. Andrew and Devlin, will be talking on the event, going over the route and any questions you may have. There will also be a talk on  hydration by USN. Then most of coarse most importantly there will be a braai afterwards where you can discuss the finer points of this amazing event over a beer. Those who want to go for a ride before can do so.
The afternoon ride will start at 3:15 and the talk will be 6 for 6:30 followed by a braai.
Come and meet fellow competitors and mates from last year’s race. This promises to be a great evening.

As we are getting busier we have noticed, (plus it has also been brought to our attention by many) that people are arriving, unpacking and going for a ride without paying and signing in at the trail centre.
This is extremely important, especially from a liability aspect, we need everyone on a bicycle to sign in (the indemnity form), before you go for a ride!

This also includes small children and kids using the BMX track, everyone must sign in & pay R 10!
We have also noticed some adults riding without helmets! Please be responsible and ride with a helmet at all times, especially when taking kids for a ride. They look at you as their role model and if you don’t have a helmet on, then they wont want to either.
No Helmet, No Ride, No Exception
We do have helmets for hire at only R10 at the trail centre.

Karkloof Classic this weekend, have a great one, this is one of the top events of the calendar, not one to be missed.
Why not stop on your way home for a slice of milk tart on the veranda at Giba?

Have a great weekend and we will see you in the Saddle!