A few days before the start of the Absa Cape Epic, most of the contenders for the upcoming stage race were at the township of Khayamandi, near Stellenbosch, for the Songo.info charity race, otherwise known as the “unofficial world championships”. Aptly named – Gold and bronze from the Olympic cross-country race were competing, plus a number of other luminaries such as Christoph Sauser, Topeak-Ergon’s Alban Lakata, Scott / Swisspower’s Florian Vogel, Cannondale’s Manuel Fumic (like Fontana in his baggies), and Kohei Yamamoto also of Songo / Specialized. Plus, most unusually for an XC race, French enduro racer Jerome Clementz. A hell of a field for a Wednesday evening!
Quite some front row
A fast and furious start
Songo is a charity that Sauser set up with local community leader Songo Fipaza in 2008; its objective is to “strive to improve the lives of children living in townships by providing them a safe place to play, grow and develop”. In its early days, it also allowed Sauser to ride the Absa Cape Epic with Burry Stander when the two were racing for different trade sponsors; subsequently Sauser brought Stander into the Specialized team, and they won the Epic as Songo / Specialized.
Khayamandi is a classic township of about 30,000 people, established in 1941 just outside Stellenbosch, characterised by poverty and high disease rates. From the admittedly somewhat superficial impression MarathonMTB.com was able to form while attending the race, Songo seems to done some pretty amazing things in the township, most visibly by building a new community centre with an accompanying BMX pump track, and being able to inspire a lot of enthusiasm for bike racing in the local inhabitants.
Cheered on by hordes of people, the race was extremely hotly contested. Kulhavy, Sauser and Yamamoto from the “home” team soon formed a group with Marco Fontana, with others such as Lakata not far behind. The course started on a football field, before pushing up a steep pitch to the BMX track, then further up a sharp climb into the houses of the township proper, taking in back alleys, steps and sharp corners before barrelling back down the hill again. Hard and fast racing, with the locals getting fully into the spirit.
Fittingly, Songo / Specialized were able to take a 1,2,3, with Sauser on the top spot followed by Yamamoto, whose break midway through had made the race, and Kulhavy.
Lakata on the climb; and on his prototype Canyon 29er full-sus
Kulhavy – big guy for these steep climbs
Sauser and Vogel
Sauser and Kulhavy hit the final descent to the arena
An amazing backdrop to this race
It wasn’t just the riders stylin’ it up for the cameras…
Fontana in full flow
Enduro rider Jerome Clementz – he took some noticeably different and faster lines through the township obstacles
Kulhavy and some enthusiastic locals
Yamamoto flies down the steps, Fontana in hot pursuit
Kulhavy on the steps
Lukas Buchli
All smiles at the start
Spectators line the ridge