Cycling | Karkloof Road Race starts new Hills and Waves series

HOWICK – "Spring has sprung" and that means it is time for KwaZulu-Natal cyclists to emerge from their winter hibernation, and this year there is something more than warmer weather and flowers blooming alongside the roads to get local riders onto their bikes.

This Sunday's Brink Karkloof Road Race on Sunday is the opening event of the post-winter season but also doubles as the inaugural event in the new Hills & Waves Road Cycling Series presented by MD24 – an exciting new cycling series designed to re-envigorate road cycling in the province.

Riders at the Karkloof Road Race have the option of their traditional 80km and 40km distances, with both races starting and finishing at La Petite France on the Karkloof Road just outside Howick. Race organisers, Burg Wheelers Cycling Club, have a reputation for putting on slickly organised events, and riders can expect a perfect outing to shake off the winter cobwebs.

But just as importantly, it will see riders beginning a seven-month journey in the Hills & Waves series, which culminates in the finale at the new-look aQuellé Tour Durban in April.

The 2025/26 series will be made up of six events:

• Brink Karkloof Road Race (Karkloof / Howick) – 14th September 2025
• Biggarsberg Road Challenge (Dundee) – 19th October 2025
• Durban M13 Cycle Challenge (Durban) – 30th November 2025
• South Coast Cycle Tour (Scottburgh / Port Edward) – 7th December 2025
• Richards Bay Cycle Challenge (Richards Bay) – March 2026
• aQuellé Tour Durban (Durban) – 19th April 2026

The clear purpose of the series is to promote road cycling in KZN and incentivise riders to take part in a series of quality road races throughout the province and thus raise the profile of road cycling.

The series will reward all entrants via lucky prizes for all riders, while the racing snakes can earn points on a series log as well as earning entry into the aQuellé Tour Durban invitation race in April.