international riders take part, and there
were quite a few Saff as riding, plus I met
the odd Italian and Dutch rider. It is also
relatively inexpensive and you get plenty of
inclusions, such as lunch and dinner daily,
an ice-cold beer (or two) at the fi nish line
each day, and good water stations along
the route. I guess the biggest barrier to
entry is the cost of getting to Mauritius
and your accommodation, but if the timing
works over school holidays, then it’s a great
opportunity to get the family into one of
the nearby resorts, such as Sugar Beach,
and enjoy a MTB tour and family holiday in
one. The CMT also off ers a well-supported
kids’ race on the fi nal day.
The three days cover around 160km
(60km, 53km, 50km) and 2 200m of
climbing. All-in-all the distances and
climbing are not too tough; it’s more the
terrain and humidity that are the real
challenges. Back home, I’m used to the
manicured singletrack of Paul Cluver and
Oak Valley, but in Mauritius it’s generally
rough and rocky throughout. There are
some nice smooth tracks through the
forests and sugar cane fi elds, but you
are really tested over the rocky, volcanic
sections. We rode some interesting terrain,
from river boulder crossings in forests to
lava-strewn jeep tracks through grassland
reserves. The views above the valleys, with
the pristine turquoise waters far below,
were mind-blowing and worth the climb.
Only in its third year, this race is
continually improving. I think there should
be more singletrack, but unfortunately
they do have to rely on the private hunting
estates to allow them access each year.
There are some great parts to each day,
especially when you hit the Black River
Forests and the routes running next to and
over the pristine Mauritian beaches.
I found the mass starts each morning,
with the pros and novices together, a bit
daunting. There was a 5km neutral start
zone through the amazing Casela Safari
Reserve each day, after which I was pretty
shattered, as the pros “slow” neutral pace
is typically my fl at-out, hold-on-for-dear-
life pace! The organisers are considering
introducing staggered starts in future,
which I would much prefer.
The race village was fantastic, with lots
of little extras thrown in – ice cream at
the fi nish, or an ice-cold beer and fresh
baguette. The food was good and plentiful
and the vibe very chilled, as it should be
on an island. There were plenty of local
bucket list busting | MTB | 141