The OUTsurance KZN Expedition, supported by East Coast Radio

KwaZulu-Natal will lead in a new chapter for mountain-biking in South Africa when Durban comes to a virtual standstill on the weekend of 21-23 November for the OUTsurance KZN Expedition. 

The Expedition represents a celebration of mountain-biking and life itself in a packed cycling weekend backed up by huge sponsorship and a stunning route - all of which is set to raise the bar very high for race organisation in KwaZulu-Natal. 

Packaged as a destination weekend away for the entire family with various mountain-bike events to cater for everyone, the OUTsurance KZN Expedition really offers something for everyone and all the building blocks have been put in place to position the race as KZN's signature mass participation cycling event. 

OUTsurance have set themselves the goal of making the Expedition the cornerstone of their ground level marketing drive in KwaZulu-Natal and have committed significant sponsorship towards the weekend. 

In total the media campaign surrounding the weekend, which consists of print, radio, electronic and television advertising, is in excess of R3 million. 

"At OUTsurance we are always looking for ways in which to expand our brand presence on the ground so that people get a better and more tangible feeling about what OUTsurance is all about," said Peter Cronjé, head of marketing at OUTsurance. 

"We know that mountain-biking is big in KwaZulu-Natal and launching this new race is a great way of getting to our target audience as well as their families. 

"The three-stage race is certainly about the mountain-bikers - and the Saturday stage is gruelling - but the event has been designed so that the Sunday is a day where mom, dad and the whole family can take part. The family participation element is very important to OUTsurance," he explained. 

"We have also teamed up with East Coast Radio in sponsoring Toy Story - another way in which OUTsurance is helping KZN out. The OUTsurance KZN expedition will be one of the anchor events within Toy Story and we'll be leveraging the race in order to get as much support for the Toy Story as possible," he said. 

Supporting OUTsurance as title, the other main sponsors on board for the weekend are Suncoast Casino as host partner, East Coast Radio as supporting partner, PowerAde as drinks sponsor and Cyclingnews Magazine as cycling focussed media partner. 

The weekend is shaped around a three-stage challenging mountain-bike tour and culminates in a mass single day race on the final day, which is open to all fun riders who will have the chance of experiencing the final day with the stage race riders all the way back from Ballito to Suncoast Casino. 

The OUTsurance Toy Ride, in aid of the East Coast Radio's Toy Story campaign, will also be held on the final day. It will present itself as a 5-10km easy circuit ride in Durban with the emphasis on FUN. Through East Coast Radio, the KZN public, even those that have never ridden bicycles, will be encouraged to attend the Toy Ride in their droves to help out needy children and families. 

Every entrant in the Toy Ride will be required to bring a toy with them and entry proceeds of the event will go towards the initiative. 

The Toy Story campaign, which kicks off on 1 October, is aimed at collecting as many new toys as possible for Christmas presents to needy kids. The second element in the campaign is to collect funds to buy food hampers. Spar is making food hampers available at cost which are valued at R300 each and contain enough food to feed a medium sized family for six weeks. 

As part of the campaign OUTsurance have committed to donating a hamper for every three insurance enquiry calls they receive at the OUTsurance call centre. 

The stage race route offers a once-a-year opportunity to ride on some previously unexplored terrain on the North Coast and in the Valley of a Thousand Hills between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. 

It offers a stunning opportunity to explore KZN from the saddle and the Saturday's 73km signature stage, which starts and finishes at Giba Gorge just outside Pinetown, is challenging and very hilly, but with almost endless single track downhill rewards thrown in. 

The Power Cycles club in Durban have designed the routes for the respective days and they have gone to great lengths. "Riders who take part in the event will agree that they have never experienced something like this in KwaZulu-Natal," said Shaun, who is at the helm of the Power Cycles logistical effort. 

"We go through areas that have never been ridden before and offer some of the best mountain-bike terrain I've seen," he said. 

It's been a big task for the club, negotiating with all the farmers to ensure free passage for cyclists as a once off concession, but it's all in place and ready for an unparalleled two-wheeled off-road onslaught in November.