03 Apr 2024

Children under 18 will on Saturday participate in the 2024 first series of the four-part Paratus Bike Shredders Mountain Bike (MTB) challenge in Mokolodi 1/Kgale.

The race is presented by Lifecycle Bicycle Coaching and Tuition. 

The first Paratus Bike Shredders challenge started in 2019, with a little more than 20 children displaying their skills on some single tracks where it is now Louville Kgale. 

Since then, the race has gained popularity with children and the numbers keep rising with every challenge. 

“We now register more than 60 children in every event we hold, which is a massive jump from when we started,” said the event organiser, Gobona Mantle. 

Mantle, who is also the owner of Lifecycle Bicycle Coaching and Tuition, said this year, they had introduced a junior category, which would have some semi-professional riders.

“We have introduced this category as a motivation to the young riders,” Mantle said. 

The race will also have five, 10 and 20km categories. 

Their aim, she said was to see more young riders graduating to cycling clubs and performing to their best abilities. 

Also, she said they hoped to collaborate with cycling scouters as they thrived to grow the young riders’ talents. 

Mantle further applauded the media saying the race event initiative gained popularity among the cycling community through their support. 

However, she has called for parents support and appealed for more sponsors saying the initiative did not only test the young riders’ skills on the bike but it also kept them focused and in the mood for a year long competition. 

She said the series challenge inspired children to be more athletic and encouraged healthy competition with their peers as well as family outing. 

Meanwhile, young riders should brace themselves for a challenging Kgale route, with technical bits and elevation and flowing single tracks on the 20km distance route. 

The route also has some rocks and sand to test the young cyclists’ agility and ability to manoeuvre through with ease. 

The 5km and 10km route distances have an easy flowing single track with a long stretch of jeep track at the end, which will test the young riders’ cadence.

The challenge is supported by GRIP, Noble Supplies and Lifecycle Bicycle Coaching and Tuition as well as Paratus. ENDs