We are stoked to announce that Lesotho will be the first African country to host an EWS qualifier. The Kingdom Enduro has recently been added to the list of 50 Enduro events from 24 countries and 4 continents around the globe as an official EWS qualifier.
Kingdom Enduro is a brand new event that will surely put Lesotho and Africa as a continent on the radar of the international enduro cycling community. It follows in the footsteps of the well renowned UCI 6 day XCM stage race: Lesotho Sky. As both events are organised with a strong commitment to develop cycling in Lesotho, the “Kingdom in the Sky”.
What does being part of the EWS mean?
Riders need to qualify to race in the EWS world series. There are a limited number of entries available for the 1000s of people who want to race at the highest level. Chris Ball the managing director of EWS says: “Demand for EWS entries grows year on year and the qualifier events are a great way for riders, especially amateurs, to have a clear and fair pathway into the World Series.”
“We hope that this will draw more people to come to Lesotho with their bikes. It is an amazing country for adventure riding, however, is amazing!” – Darol Howes race director of the Kingdom Enduro.
The ethos of Enduro meet the vibe of Lesotho Sky.
This event has long been overdue. The ethos of Enduro and the organisers behind this event echoes the same vibe. Any person who as done the Lesotho Sky will know that race organisers Darol Howes and Christian Schmidt have a unique approach to 1st class mountain biking events. This new venture between them and Rene Damseaux is a natural evolution and will see many previous Lesotho Sky riders swop their XCM bikes and lycra bib shorts for baggies and Enduro bikes. Enduro racing is more than just timing the downhills.
The essence of Enduro has just as much to with high quality racing, as it is about the great ethos or the sport. The Lesotho MTB events are known for the unique atmosphere, community, competition and adventure. This is also the case for Enduro events worldwide. The organisers promise that their love for racing bikes with good mates will shine through in this new EWS qualifier.
The marriage between Enduro racing and Lesotho culture is sure to develop into a must-do-event for any baggy wearing mountain biker searching for a kickass adventure. But, make no mistake. It’s not going to be all fun and beers – the route will be hard. So if you got the skills, make sure you get your name on the entry list. For the first event, there will only be 40 spots available.
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