Greetings All

Wow, what a weekend!!!!
The launch, it was amazing, the whole vibe, the people, the atmosphere, the riders, the weather, everything was just unreal.

A huge thank you to all those that came down and supported us and also to our sponsors, especially Powerade, Emily , Craig and their crew, thank you guys for all your hard work, energy and backing over the launch! It is greatly appreciated.

Greg from Sterling SAB, nice one, thanks for all your hard work and sponsorship.
Also a big Shout Out to Adventure Educators (0834445000), Graham and team who kept kids and adults entertained with the massive foosball, archery and clowns, thanks guys for your effort.

Then to the Bike Industry, the shops and brands that came down and got involved, even at such short notice, thank you, you guys where awesome, I had people saying it felt like a European bike event with the whole mini expo and bike demo’s going on, it was great. Greg Kemp Shimano/Giant, Neil Cocker Mongoose/GT, Sean, Trudy and Mark Foster, Sean’s Power Cycles, Steve Thule, Kyle from Fox, Clint from Jeep, Greg Alberts Cyclesphere, Johann, Aletta, Tania Maverick, Navin Hattons, Leon, Pan, Tyrone Rocky Mountain, Sydney Webster, John Saul BMX and Ryan, Brian from Cycle Lab, all for your effort and help to make the event such a success.

On the Saturday we managed to raise R750 for SA MTB, for a donation towards our national squad going to the Olympics, from a portion of the entry fees for the 4hour fun event, thank you to all those who entered.

The adventure race on the Sunday was also a huge success, many thanks to Tim and Ewen for putting on such an excellent event, well done, people are still raving about it.

A Giba 1st so don’t miss out!!!
Our 1st Downhill Mountain Biking Contest.
This Saturday we will be hosting the 4th stage of the Greg Minnaar Downhill Series.
There will be plenty of action going on all day and will be great spectator value. So bring your cow bells and tin cans and rattle them as the riders come down, this will be an event to watch.

The Downhill course has been built separate to any of the existing trails which means that you will still be able to come and ride on any of the normal trails in the Park without interruption.

Road Closed
Please note that St Hillier’s Road has been closed to vehicles due to the amount of riders and volume of cars that are using this route in to the Park. The safety of the riders is our top priority! This is now under threat so the road has been closed. It is only open to residents in the valley! This means no exit either from the bottom to the top. Those coming down from Hillcrest, please use Stockville Road instead.
Hill 2 Hill

Nutrition Talk and Social Evening, Next Wednesday Evening 25th July.
Collin Allan will be back sharing his knowledge on race nutrition, focusing mainly on preparing for the Hill 2 Hill. We will have a braai buffet afterwards for R60; this promises to be an informative and fun evening. Please RSVP info@gibagorge.co.za
Our web site is live so go and check out www.gibagorge.co.za , there are some great pictures from our resident photographer Michael Jonk, well worth a look!

We have also started with our Park entry fee system. It has taken us 6 months of intense debate and feedback from riders, newsletters and research to come up with the system and charges that we have implemented.

Generally it has been well received but there have been a few complaints with the charge of R10 for a non rider.

There are quite a few reasons as to why we took this route and I am sure that after it is explained you will understand and agree too that it is the most fair. I’m sure there will be lots of debate about it as well & we are always open to constructive criticism & advice!
Our business model is based on that of a recreational park where there is an entrance fee to enter, just like Ushaka or even the Msinsi resorts.

The question is this, is it worth R10 entry as a non rider, what do you get for that?
For starters, secure parking, the facilities; I am sure the ladies will agree, especially with our toilet facilities, we have tried to go the extra mile here, hot showers too.
And what price can you put on freedom, the freedom that the kids have, been able to ride their bikes around the grass areas or go to the waterfall while you sit and have a cappuccino and relax. You can go and drink coffee at a shopping centre for free, can your children ride their bikes in the car park, and is it safe?

It is still early days and we will get things wrong and their will always be change.
What can you get for R10, most places that’s what you pay for parking for an hour, so is R10 for entry fee for a whole day worthwhile, we believe so.

We will be offering a pensioners price so Granny can bring the grandchildren and also have a loyalty programme, all in due coarse.

So just to clarify here is how it works;

• On entering Giba Gorge, you will be issued with a ticket which you take to the trail centre & pay.
• If it is your 1st time through you will need to fill in an indemnity form and list your contact details on our system.
• You pay the following entrance fees
  • Adult Park Entrance R10
  • Adult Rider R20
  • All children 12 years and younger R10, riding or not is the same price
• Then you get our slip stamped and on your way out you hand it to the staff member at the exit.
• No slip, no exit! Please remember to pay before leaving as our staff are under strict instructions not to let any vehicle out unless they have a stamped ticket!

Putting in new systems is never easy and deciding on what to charge has been an on going debate. Majority have welcomed our official operating procedure with a few people complaining about being charged entry to just come and have coffee.

We offer a sanctuary, a relaxing atmosphere where you can hang out with your friends and family, your cars are safe, you are safe and you can stay the whole day. We have also tried other options in offering good value, especially if you and your family are regular visitors, by selling annual and monthly memberships.

We are running an opening special for the month of July only

• Adult Annual Membership, R999
• Kids Annual Membership, R499

This is proving to be popular so don’t miss out, only 11 days of the special left.

The trails are dry and dusty at present due to no rain for the past few weeks.
This means that you need to be a bit more cautious on the brakes as some places will be very slippery.

We have opened a new route around the famous Pallet Drop for those wishing to ride another way around. It is fun and will be even better once we get some rain to settle the trail.

 The Free Ride Trail is coming on in leaps and bounds but is not finished yet. There are signs up indicating work in progress so please adhere to these sighs. Tim has said that we can expect the full trail to be complete by mid August. There will be a See-saw, more wooden platforms and some even scarier drops, watch this space it is going to be awesome.

136
That’s the number of new Giba Groms!
Well done to all those who came and completed the Giba Groms clinics this past holiday, you where all awesome and a pleasure to have. Amy Jane again sharing her skills and passion with the kids and lots of fun was had by all.

We would like to wish all our Groms that are competing in the Mongoose Schools series this Saturday at Steinbank Nature Reserve, good luck, bring back the medals!
Check out the following link for more details www.drakensbergmtb.co.za

The holidays are Over!
With kids back to school on Monday, we will be getting back to the Giba Gals rides, starting this Tuesday at 8:30am with a “get back on the bus fun ride”.

Then Wednesday we will have our regular ride for all new riders and Thursday at 8:30am will be a nice 18-20km ride.

Well done to the Wednesday evening Giba Gals who have been giving it horns and have been keeping it going all through the holidays, you go Gals!

Their will be a ride leaving this Saturday at 8am from Giba, all welcome and bring a friend and join in, meet new friends and have a laugh and remember it’s all about the cappuccino at the end.

That’s it for now; see you all in the saddle