Nanyuki, Kenya. Friday to Sunday 14 – 16 February 2020 (Mount Kenya Trust):
A round up of the 10to4 Mountain Bike Race that lived up to its mountain weather, with a weekend of mud, hail storms and adventurous, unwavering riders!
Over 500 people, including those from 4-years old up to over 60 took to the 10to4 mountain event this year to raise vital funds for the Mount Kenya Trust, a mountain conservation organisation working in close partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service based in Nanyuki.
The organisers were up for a challenging task, rapidly assessing changing weather conditions after rain through Friday and Saturday night and early morning caused havoc on the trail. A delayed start, after unpredictable road conditions to the start line and continued rain made the road unpassable and cyclists had to push their bikes for half an hour to the start line.
2020 will be remembered as the year of mud. Thankfully all Friday races started as planned, with a delayed start time on Saturday of almost two hours. The Mini 10to4, held on Sunday was cut short due to conditions, but around 100 children took to the track and raced around a 4.5km muddy course, all in the name of conservation. Every child was given a tree to plant for participating!
The races
The races included the 80km Hardcore, 60km Classic race, the Rush 56km and the Slide at 40km.
Held over two days, the Extreme combines both the Hardcore and Classic. This event challenges the fitness and technical abilities of seasoned mountain bikers and elite teams. Covering 80km over a day, riders face an elevation gain and loss of nearly 2000m with fast technical sections and single track all on Borana Conservancy.
Day 2 follows with the Roller Coaster, a 62km race, that has become synonymous with the 10to4.
Results
The Extreme male race winner was Davidson Kamau with a winning time of 6 hours 50 minutes and the female winner Nicola Greene with a winning time of 11 hours and 15 minutes. The Classic race male winner was Peter Maina with a winning time of 3 hours and 4 minutes and female Kerry Glen with a winning time of 4 hours and 16 minutes. The Rush male winner was Brian Nyakora winning in 3 hours and 44 minutes and the female winner was Asmin Kabiru in 3 hours and 48 minutes. The Slide male winner was Johnson Munjama winning in 1 hour and 48 minutes and the female winner was Joanna Turner in 2 hours and 37 minutes. The U18 Slide winners were Tristan Jacobs in 1 hour 43 minutes and Maya Pabari in 2 hours and 30 minutes. The Enduro winner was Vincent Barbier in 17 minutes 43 seconds.
Sponsored for the third year running by Tropic Air, a leading air charter company operating throughout East Africa and based at Nanyuki, the 10to4 now runs eight events covering over 300km of mountain and savannah terrain.
‘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!’ says Jamie Roberts, Founder and Managing Director Tropic Air.
The 10to4 also welcomed Dormans back as a Platinum sponsor, Royal African Safaris as a Gold sponsor as well as Braeburn Group as the Mini 10to4 Sponsor, with over 50 sponsors and partners supporting Mt Kenya.
The support crew was huge – with over 100 rangers and volunteers out at the water stops through pouring rain and mist and fog. The event was hosted on Borana Wildlife Conservancy.
‘Borana Conservancy welcomes each and every participant and hope they enjoyed the ride, whether it was up hill, downhill or through the rivers! Each shilling is raised in the name of conservation and we have been working with 10to4 Mountain Bike team for over a decade to project these wilderness areas. Particularly impressive this year was how easy it was for us to manage the recycling as the 10to4 committed to be single use plastic free. This sets a bench mark for similar events on sustainability ensuring that our natural capital is secure long into the future,’ says Micheal Dyer, Borana Conservancy Director.
The 10to4 is a unique sporting event that challenges elite cyclists and horse riders and accommodates beginners and families, all in the name of mountain conservation.
Taking place over three days on February 14th, 15th and 16th, this year’s Tropic Air 10to4 is 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 Braeburn Mini 10to4 for those under 12 years old, the event is one for all of the family. Camping and accommodation options are available for the whole weekend hosted on the exclusive Borana Conservancy at Borana Race Village.
“Taking part in the 10to4 directly support Mount Kenya is more ways than you can imagine. The funds raised plant trees, protect wildlife habitats, pay for ranger boots, fencing, school books, landcruiser tyres and so much more. We are grateful to all of the participants, sponsors and of course the 10to4 event organisers for going the extra mile and standing up to be counted for conservation,” says Susie Weeks, Executive Director Mount Kenya Trust.
Participants of the Tropic Air 10to4 raise 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 which host a third of the country’s 30,000 elephants.
Threats to the mountain include illegal logging, wildlife poaching, and overgrazing, which together risk the collapse of this fragile ecosystem. Mount Kenya Trust depend on the funds raised from this event in many different ways. Paying ranger salaries, fencing human-conflict zones or keeping vehicles on the mountain, every shilling is put towards the great mountain.
For information on all of the races taking place and details on how to apply, take part, watch or volunteer please visit www.10to4.org. For more information on the title sponsor, please visit https://www.tropicairkenya.com/