Sondela Extreme MTB & Off-road Duathlon – CANCELLED

Conditions of participation

• This event is affiliated with CSA.
• Participants must be in good physical condition to participate in any of the events organised by Sondela Nature Reserve. The minimum age to enter is 16 years.

Late entries

• Online entries are open until Wednesday at 12H00 am before every event. Late entry fees will apply from Friday and race day at registration.

Withdrawal

• Participants who wish to withdraw from the race must inform the organisers immediately.
• Failure to inform the race directors may cause a search and rescue action the cost of which will be for the participant’s account.
• If you need to withdraw from the race for whatever reason, you need to inform any one of the following personnel directly:
  • Paramedics
  • Sondela Nature Reserve personnel at any one of the checkpoints.
  • Call our emergency number.
• Merely informing another participant of your withdrawal will not be deemed sufficient notice of withdrawal. In such an instance, the race organisers cannot be held liable for any costs involving a search party.

Fair play

• Slower participants must make way for faster riders.
• Riders must take caution when the route is not clear or coming to an intersection or road crossing.
• Riders should be prepared to brake before steep down-hills.
• Riders must obey all traffic rules.
• Bike repairs should be done in a visible area on the edge of the trail, road or path and not on the trail itself.
• In case of a sprint to the finish, you must hold your line.
• No outside seconding or assistance is permitted under any circumstances. Outside assistance includes assisting with bike maintenance, water and nutrition support and physically assisting riders.

Safety & Bad sportsmanship

• These rules are essential to the safety of riders and if disregarded may lead to immediate disqualification. Sondela Nature Reserve has the right to disqualify any participant on the following grounds:
  • Technical or equipment problems.
  • If a rider has been declared medically unfit to ride by a medical official.
  • Disregarding any of the fair play rules.
  • Unsportsmanlike behaviour.
  • ”Pushing” or “pulling” by a third party.
  • Any disrespect to the environment or race personnel.
  • Not wearing a helmet.
  • All helmets must comply with international ‘ANSI’ standards.
  • Appropriate riding attire, including a shirt, must be worn at all times.
  • Smoking on the route is not permitted.

Rider Identification

• Riders must display their race numbers at all times.
• Bike numbers must be firmly fixed on the front of the bike, and may not be obscured by cables or any other item.
• Race numbers may not be modified or mutilated in any way, including cutting, adding stickers, removing existing stickers or trimming.
• Removing or obscuring any official sponsor logos or advertising may result in disqualification from the race.

Nutrition & Water points

• Riders retain the ultimate responsibility to carry enough water and nutrition with them.
• Sondela Nature Reserve  will provide water at official water points on the route.

Environment

• We will enforce littering, cutting trails and environmental abuse with stiff penalties. Every participant who is caught disregarding the environment will be fined with a two (2) hundred Rand penalty for the first offence and disqualification for the second offence.
• In the case of environmental concerns, Sondela Nature Reserve has the right to cancel, delay or reroute the race. Participants will not be reimbursed in a situation where the event or part of an event had to be cancelled due to environmental conditions that were out of Sondela Nature Reserve’s control.

Refund policy

• The organisers, sponsors, volunteers and event personnel are not responsible for any injury or damage that may occur during the event, or cancellations, delays or re-routing due to extreme weather (including, but not limited to, heat, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, storms, lightning and floods), accidents, acts of war or terrorism, military conflicts or riots, pandemic or endemic outbreaks or for any reason that, in the organiser’s discretion, will protect the safety and security of Event participants and spectators. In the event of such cancellation, there will be no refund of registration fees.
• By entering this event, participants agree that Sondela Nature Reserve, their agents, officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and sponsors shall not be held responsible for any death, illness, injury, loss or damage of any kind sustained by any rider while participating in this event and all related activities, caused in any manner whatsoever.

Liability

• No entry fee shall be refunded to a participant for a cancellation of the Event due to acts of God (so-called Force Majeure), which acts shall include but not be limited to adverse weather conditions, riots, strikes, political unrest and/or any other occurrence not within the control of the event organiser.
• No refund shall be given if a participant cancels their entry into the event. The event organiser may consider a refund under exceptional circumstances such as illness and/or any other extraordinary circumstance. In that case, the organiser will evaluate a request for a refund on its merits and such refund shall be at the discretion of the Event Organiser.

Discretion of the Chief Commissaire

• Where any additional rule interpretation is required, or where specific provision for any incident has not been made in these rules, the decision of the chief commissaire will be final.
• There will be no reimbursement of costs to the participant in case of disqualification.

Basic Mountain Bike racing rules & etiquette

• Riders must complete the entire route, and the responsibility for following the official route lies with the rider.
• A rider is not permitted to take any shortcuts or take advantage of a similar nature against competitors.
• Riders who exit the course for any reason must return to the course at the same point from which they exited.
• Any walking, running or riding by a rider, carried out without the intention of directly re-joining the course, or other activity in breach of the regulations, which takes place outside of the marked course area, can result in disqualification.
• A rider cannot receive any technical assistance along the course from an outside party.
• Riders must respect the countryside and ride only on the official route