Nedbank Tour de Tuli 2014 : Day 0

As a true-blue Oom, I’m a bit beyond all the hype surrounding mountain bike racing. Give me a wilderness trail any day of the year, though, and I’d be as keen as the next guy to saddle up and explore beyond the horizons.

NEDBANK Tour de Tuli allows you to do exactly this, with endless gritty game trails traversing premier Big 5 reserves situated within the Tuli Block where South Africa borders on Botswana and Zimbabwe. The riding is tough in places, with lots of rocks, some sand and a gazillion thorns, but the rewards are huge.

If you survive the drop-offs and thorns, there are still thousands of elephant, lion, buffalo, crocs and cheetah ranging free upon these arid plains to consider. It is exactly this sense of free-riding within a dangerous game environment that draws the hundreds of cyclists who come to take part in the TOUR DE TULI 4-day Stage Race every year.

If you do saddle up, the joys of riding wild upon ellie tracks awaits, and you will probably never think of mountain biking in the same way again. Groups are in the company of experienced wilderness guides to ensure their safety, and have the opportunity to come face to face with animals, up close and personal and across their handle bars.

The rider contributions go towards funding CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS, a charity educating kids about wild life and the environment. Last year, in excess of R1.6 million was raised towards this cause, hopefully ensuring a sustainable outdoor environment for many generations to come.

The photos below are from the day before the event, with riders arriving at the Limpopo Valley Airfield where a colourful COLEMAN Tent Village had been erected to house them for the registration and opening ceremonies. Ahead of everyone, four days of free-range riding awaited, with myself and Peter Kirk fortunate enough to join the participants – on the trails on our MTBs – in order to capture their adventure.

For more info, feel free to check out the #NedbankTdT Facebook Page, or go to www.childreninthewilderness.com

Click here to view the pics

As a true-blue Oom, I’m a bit beyond all the hype surrounding mountain bike racing. Give me a wilderness trail any day of the year, though, and I’d be as keen as the next guy to saddle up and explore beyond the horizons.NEDBANK Tour de Tuli allows you to do exactly this, with endless gritty game trails traversing premier Big 5 reserves situated within the Tuli Block where South Africa borders on Botswana and Zimbabwe. The riding is tough in places, with lots of rocks, some sand and a gazillion thorns, but the rewards are huge.

If you survive the drop-offs and thorns, there are still thousands of elephant, lion, buffalo, crocs and cheetah ranging free upon these arid plains to consider. It is exactly this sense of free-riding within a dangerous game environment that draws the hundreds of cyclists who come to take part in the TOUR DE TULI 4-day Stage Race every year.

If you do saddle up, the joys of riding wild upon ellie tracks awaits, and you will probably never think of mountain biking in the same way again. Groups are in the company of experienced wilderness guides to ensure their safety, and have the opportunity to come face to face with animals, up close and personal and across their handle bars.

The rider contributions go towards funding CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS, a charity educating kids about wild life and the environment. Last year, in excess of R1.6 million was raised towards this cause, hopefully ensuring a sustainable outdoor environment for many generations to come.

The photos below are from the day before the event, with riders arriving at the Limpopo Valley Airfield where a colourful COLEMAN Tent Village had been erected to house them for the registration and opening ceremonies. Ahead of everyone, four days of free-range riding awaited, with myself and Peter Kirk fortunate enough to join the participants – on the trails on our MTBs – in order to capture their adventure.

For more info, feel free to check out the #NedbankTdT Facebook Page, or go to www.childreninthewilderness.com

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Crossing the mighty Limpopo River on the final leg of the Tour de Tuli stage ride. Four fantastic days of riding through the Big 5 Tuli region spanning Botswana,  Zimbabwe and South Africa. #NedbankTdT14 #mtb #africa #sony #xperiaZ2 #phonetography
A mountain biker pedals past Rhodes' Baobab, an ancient 'upside-down tree' perched atop a rugged sandstone outcrop. This was part of the Day 1 route of the annual Tour de Tuli stage ride, passing through RSA, Botswana and Zimbabwe. #NedbankTdT14 #mtb #BuffZA #merrell #mindshiftgear #sony #photography
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