Written by Sean Badenhorst [172 hits]
 The Sabie Experience, voted one of South Africa’s top cycling events for the past two years, has finally secured the perfect sponsor in York Timbers, the JSE-listed largest manufacturer of sawmill timber in South Africa.
Celebrating its fifth anniversary from 13-16 December, the four-day mountain bike stage race, based in the town of Sabie in Mpumalanga, is expected to reach even greater heights with the financial support from York Timbers.
Last year, Sabie Experience was ranked by Bicycling magazine’s race rating system as the second-best race overall and second-best mountain bike event in the country behind the Subaru Sani2C. And in 2006, Sabie Experience was ranked third overall and top mountain bike event on the same ranking system, which is based solely on participant opinion.
“We’ve have a limited number of entries at 450 teams of two, and have no problem filling that quota,” explained Fiona Coward, Race Organiser.
Now our goal is to raise the quality of the event where ever we can and the York Timbers sponsorship will help us tremendously. We’ve been operating for four years without a title sponsor, but the match with York Timbers is so appropriate, so the wait has been worth it.
“The York Timbers sponsorship of the Sabie Experience is a perfect fit,” confirmed Lance Cooper, York Timbers CEO, who has also done all four previous editions of the race as a competitor. “Besides building brand awareness to our customers, we’re also helping uplift the local community through the tourism boost the Sabie Experience brings as well as the increased national exposure for the region via the media.”
Besides financial sponsorship, which is for one year with an option to extend until 2010, York Timbers also hosts the start/finish venue for the Sabie Experience at its sports grounds, prepares much of the race route, which is on York Timbers property and supplies staff to man water points during the event.
“We are the only JSE-listed company with a corporate HQ in Mpumalanga and quite a few of our investors are mountain bikers and take part in the race each year too,” explained Cooper. “So on many levels, it makes sense to be the title sponsor for a world-class mountain bike race right in our backyard.”
The other sponsors of the 2008 York Timbers Sabie Experience are Komatiland Forests, M-Power FM, Powerade, Nando’s, Honeystinger and VW Commercial Vehicles.
The 900 participants will face a similar format to previous years, with three marathon-distance stages followed by a short time trial stage to complete the event. Since all the long stages start and finish in the Sabie valley, they’re characterised by long ascents early on through cultivated and natural forests before emerging on the plateaus and mountain summits with spectacular views of the lowveld. The returns to the stage finishes are naturally predominantly downhill.
2008 York Timbers Sabie Experience
* Saturday 13 December – Stage 1: 77km (1750m ascent)
* Sunday 14 December – Stage 2: 74km (1900m ascent)
* Monday 15 December – Stage 3: 74km (1650m ascent)
* Tuesday 16 December – Stage 4: 26km time trial (600m ascent)
For more information, visit www.sabiexperience.co.za |
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