Race Entry Fees
-
Juniors (13-17) $55 Early Bird - $75 After 9th June | Adults $85 Early Bird - $100 After 9th June
Riders will receive
-
Race Number Board.
-
Rider Goody Pack.
-
Access to Refreshments and Snacks at Water Stations along the route with support personnel.
-
Safety sweeper vehicle to support riders unable to complete the course.
-
Map and Signage throughout the route
-
Lunch and drink at the Finish Line.
-
Digital Photo Finish images – plus en route images where possible.
-
First Aid support en route and at the Finish Line.
-
Opportunity to join in with guided EPIC Warm Up Rides as advertised.
-
An Elephant EPIC MTB T Shirt
-
Access to the EPIC MTB Technical Team to support with all MTB related issues.
-
Membership to the EPIC Rider's WhatsApp Group to provide encouragement, support and MTB knowledge sharing
-
A digital Elephant EPIC Challenge Certificate of participation in recognition of your contribution towards wildlife conservation.
Awards
-
Fastest - Men's, Women's, Junior and Team
-
EPIC rider - the rider who has experienced the biggest challenge to complete the event.
-
Five/ten years in the saddle - all those riders who have completed 5/10 EPICS.
-
Prize Giving will commence at 11:30am.
Warm up Rides
A succession of pre-event rides will be advertised in the weeks leading up to the EPIC. These will be led by experienced cyclists who can guide a group through suitable tracks around Lusaka. These are a great way to get into the ‘EPIC’ spirit and meet like-minded cyclists for enjoyable rides. Look out for notifications by WhatsApp/email /Facebook for dates, times and locations.
N.B. Game Rangers International and the designated ride leader accept no liability for participants during these warm-up rides, riders participate at their own risk.
Race Registration and Packs
All entrants will be allocated a race number upon registration and payment. The EPIC team will remain in communication with entrants via email and WhatsApp in the build-up to the race. Race packs, including essential race board numbers will be available for collection at Race Registration on 20th June (venue TBC).
final route and race information
Please find the final route of the EPIC MTB Challenge here!
Water Stations
There will be 4 water stations located throughout the course. Each will be manned by a friendly and enthusiastic team who will provide pick-me-ups in the form of pumping and motivational tunes, waters, energy drinks and light snacks. Rumour has it there will be cold beers available for social riders.
Safety
There will be a basic First Aid Kit located at each water station and in each support vehicle, with professional medical services available throughout the course and stationed at the Finish. Each water station will have a communication system and there will be sweeper/support vehicles moving along with and coming behind the riders to provide support where needed. Please ensure you take your own safety precautions; carry sufficient water and energy snacks on you between race water stations and ensure you wear a helmet.
N.B. Riders will not be permitted to take part in the event without a helmet or a bicycle that is considered in a ‘suitable condition’ for the terrain. Race organisers will conduct spot checks on bicycles at the Start Line. Any bikes deemed unsafe or unfit for the purpose of this 75km off road race will be withdrawn from the event to ensure participants safety.
The StArt
Located 24km past the Leopards Hill Boom along the Leopards Hill Road, Lusaka. The Riders briefing will commence at 6:15 for a sharp start time of 06:30hrs so please arrive with plenty of time to ensure your bike is in order and you feel ready to go. The course follows a combination of tar road (24km) and jeep and single track along from Leopards Hill down the escarpment to the Lower Zambezi, ending on the Zambezi River at Kiambi Lodge and totals approximately 75km.
The Finish - Kiambi Lodge, Lower Zambezi
At the Finish of the race, riders will cycle into Kiambi Lodge grounds to be welcomed by the breath-taking Zambezi River, and there will be refreshments, lunch, first aid, music, shower facilities and access to the swimming pool to help riders recover from the ride.
For all participants staying over, Kiambi Lodge will be operating river cruises, fishing and game drives throughout. There are many other nearby accommodation options in the Lower Zambezi, and we encourage those not staying at Kiambi to make the most of their time at the River by enjoying a weekend in the Lower Zambezi.
Teams
The Elephant EPIC is a mountain bike race for everyone - whilst it covers a distance of 75km, which is no short cycle ride, it is an achievable ride for a range of abilities. In 2023 the completion times varied from 2hrs 30mins up to 6hrs. There is no time limit (provided you finish in the daylight) and this journey can be taken as fast and furious or as fun as you like. To this end, we hope to see some more "Team Entries" signing up for 2024. We want to encourage entrants to stay together during the race and give each other the morale boost that is needed to complete this mountain biking challenge. The EPIC might be a tough ride, but it can also be a very fun and team-building experience when ridden in a group.
There is no limit of participants per team, but for your team to qualify at the Finish, the following rules apply:
-
Four members of a team must cross the finish line within 1 minute of each other (to evidence they have ridden together)
-
The team finish time will be recorded when the 4th team member crosses the finish line.
Sponsor a Personalised sign en-route
Is there someone you know who has trained incredibly hard for the EPIC, or perhaps overcome a personal challenge to complete it? Maybe you want to make someone laugh or even propose! It’s your chance to have a personal message and/or photo displayed along the course. Make it funny, encouraging or even a surprise. Whatever it might be, for only ZMW1,000 ($40) we can make it happen and that’s extra money going to wildlife conservation!
Sponsor a RIDER
There are many incredible MTB enthusiasts in Zambia and not all of them are able to fund their entry into the Elephant EPIC. Each year GRI sponsors a number of talented riders from our community. Please contact us if you would like to kindly offer a sponsorship to another rider.
With thanks to our sponsors
