26 May 2022

Life Cycle Bicycle Coaching and Tuition in partnership with Paratus Botswana, will tomorrow hold Paratus Botswana Shredders Mountain Bike (MTB) race at Madison Square Reptile Facility in Mokolodi.

Paratus Botswana Shredders MTB happens thrice a year, at the end of every quarter.

“The race started in 2017 and we have seen it grow over the years, accommodating many youngsters in and around the city,” stated founder and owner of Life Cycle Bicycle Coaching and Tuition, Gobona Mantle.

A Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Level 1 and 2 coach and mechanic, Mantle said the race equipped children with bicycle skills to become better riders, promoted healthy living from a young age and the positives of fitness to one’s health.

Staging the race at Madison Square Reptile Facility is a deliberate move to give children an opportunity to learn about reptiles, particularly snakes.

“MTB riders encounter snakes one way or the other in their lifetime during training and race events, and knowing about them and being able to recognise them becomes helpful and can avoid casualties caused by snakes,” stated Mantle.

Prompted by the lack of motivation and acknowledgement given to children during big race events, Shredders MTB race will be in 5km, 10km and 20km distance categories.

Tracking on single and flat tracks, the route will cover part of Kgale Hill on the side of Mokolodi.

“Most children are not at a stage where they can do longer distances,” Mantle explained with regard to race distances and also said the activity would be fun as most of the new children would be allowed to race with support, to encourage them to choose any distance they were comfortable partaking in.

Registration for the Paratus Botswana Shredders MTB is P150 and can be done online at www.ucbtiming.co.bw or at Grip Runner Botswana at Sebele Mall. ENDS