Post-race round up

Timau, Kenya. Friday 18-20 February 2022 (Mount Kenya Trust):

The overall male winner of this year’s Extreme 10to4 Mountain Bike Race was Sule Kangangi in a record time of 6 hours, 2 minutes and 52 seconds, closely followed hot on his wheels just 13 seconds later by Kenneth Karaya of the Safari Simbaz, with fellow Simba Joseph Kamau coming in third place. The first female over the finish line was Hannifa Said with an overall time of 11 hours, 2 minutes and 16 seconds. All of the race results can be found here.

Kangangi is a former pro road racer who finished on the podium at the 2017 Tour du Rwanda. He transitioned to gravel and off-road racing as an ambassador for Giant Kenya in 2021 and his role expanded to become global brand ambassador in 2022, focusing on major gravel and marathon XC races in Africa and beyond. Sule mainly trains in the Rift Valley, mostly in a town called Iten, and will race in the Rwanda Epic and Cape Epic this year. Speaking of the Hardcore race on Day 1 of the 10to4 weekend, Sule says “The race really started fast. The first half was quite hard but very beautiful. As the dust settled a bit in the middle, we passed some wild animals which is always quite thrilling. Beautiful scenery and even more beautiful track.”

Over 200 people, aged from not quite 3-years old to intrepid 60 pluses took part in the 10to4 mountain bike event this year to raise vital funds for the Mount Kenya Trust, a conservation organisation that has been working in close partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service for over two decades. Over 8 million KSH were raised for mountain conservation projects around Mt Kenya and the surrounding Ngare Ndare & Borana Wildlife Conservancy this year. Profits go towards planting hundreds of thousands of indigenous trees onto the slopes of Mt Kenya, ranger team salaries and patrols, and environmental education and awareness projects in the six counties surrounding Mt Kenya.

The 10to4 is a unique sporting event that challenges elite cyclists as well as accommodating beginners and families, all in the name of mountain conservation. Taking place over three days, this year’s Tropic Air 10to4 was designed to be fun for both participants and spectators, with events for children and adults. With a selection of routes and races for varying biking levels, as well as the hugely popular Mini 10to4 for those under 12 years old, the event is one for all the family.

The 80km Hardcore took place on Friday on Borana Conservancy, and on Saturday the 60km Classic and the 57km Rush took riders through the Mt. Kenya Forest Reserve, stunning farms, rural roads and Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve. Saturday’s Slide included cyclists age 10 years and up of all abilities and took riders straight through farmland and the Ngare Ndare Forest to finish at Borana Race Village where all races ended.

‘We love the mountain for all it represents to Kenya – not only an iconic peak but also a lifeline for thousands. The 10to4 event is a key fundraiser for the Mount Kenya Trust and we are proud sponsors and partners, working together not only during the mountain bike event but all year round through fire-fighting training or ranger support. We are a team!’ Jamie Roberts, Tropic Air – headline 10to4 sponsors for the fifth year running.

The 10to4 Team also welcomes back Dormans as a Platinum PLUS sponsor, with new supporters Osho Chemical Industries (Gold sponsor) and Eastafricn (Mini 10to4 Sponsor) joining over 40 sponsors and partners supporting the event and Mt Kenya Trust.

The support crew for the event is huge with over 100 rangers and volunteers out at the water stops through rain and sunshine. The event village is hosted on Borana Wildlife Conservancy. “Borana Conservancy welcomes each and every participant and we hope they enjoyed the ride whether it was uphill, downhill or through the rivers! Each shilling is raised in the name of conservation and we have been working with MKT 10to4 Mountain Bike Team for over a decade to protect these wilderness areas” Michel Dyer, Borana Conservancy.

Camping and accommodation options are available for the whole weekend hosted at Borana Race Village. “The pandemic’s negative knock-on effects for conservation funding, tourism, events and local businesses mean we need to keep pushing harder to raise awareness about our natural resources, diversifying income sources and having a sense of togetherness. The community in the Mount Kenya Region is remarkable and it is events like this that remind us how many people and organisations show up to support us. Taking part in this event means you have directly helped to plant trees, protect wildlife habitats and let river waters flow” says Susie Weeks, Executive Director, Mount Kenya Trust.

Participation in the Tropic Air 10to4 raises money for the Mount Kenya Trust, a Kenyan not-for-profit working to protect the wildlife, forests, and people of this iconic mountain, which provides water and livelihoods for millions of Kenyans and supports habitats that host a third of the country’s 30,000 elephants. Contributions are also made to Borana Conservancy and the Nagre Ndare Forest Trust. Threats to the mountain ecosystems include illegal logging, wildlife poaching, overgrazing and fires. Mount Kenya Trust depends on the funds raised from this event to bridge gaps in project funding for our many of our programmes and partnership programmes. From ranger salaries, fencing human-wildlife conflict zones, education and keeping vehicles on the mountain, every shilling raised is put towards protecting the beating heart of Kenya.

To find out more about the title sponsor, please visit the Tropic Air website, and for advance information on next year’s event, please sign up to the 10to4 mailing list using the contact form at the bottom of the 10to4 Home page.