The MTN Ride Crater Cruise is one of South Africa's most prestigious mountain bike festivals. Every second weekend of October, mtbikers from across the continent flock to Parys in the Free State, South Africa to compete for the Mountainbike Marathon title <King and Queen of the Crater>, OR to come and enjoy the beauty of the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site along the Vaal River and indulge in the friendliness and hospitality of our rural community. The Petit Paris venue is the home of the event and is only 100km from Johannesburg.

"The Vredefort dome was not created by a meteorite, Bakkies Botha
decided to put his foot down"

Rules and regulations

All entrants must subscribe to the following 5 Golden Rules
	No littering!! Part of the fun of cycling is being close to nature – don’t spoil it for everyone else with your rubbish! Areas near water points are relatively easy to clean, but please don’t drop your plastic wrappers all over the course.
	Don't foster a begging culture! Local communities in the areas around the event route are justly proud of their self-reliance. Please don’t change this by teaching their children to beg. The race organisers distribute refreshments to the supporters after the race. Feel free to contribute products or money to this initiative (contact: cruise [at] cratercruise [dot] co [dot] za)
	Respect the locals We are allowed to cycle on the roads in and around the Vredefort Dome, courtesy of the people who live and work there. Please ensure that we are welcome in future by being courteous. Leave room for motorists (there will be very few) and thank the marshals if you have the lungs for it.
	Help fellow cyclists! Get a taste of the legendary mountainbiker’s friendliness. If you are not gunning for a podium or a prize, please lend a hand if you see someone struggling; you never know when you might need help too.
	Play Fair The dope tests are already booked… and everybody knows this event subscribes to the rules of Cycling South Africa as defined by the UCI. We don’t really care what you wear, but if you hope to take home some prize money, we don’t want you receiving major outside assistance.

Event Status: The 101km MTN Ride Crater Cruise, 56km MiWay Crater Cruise, the 28km Dirt Flirt and the 15km Dirt Flirt are independent events sanctioned by Cycling SA.

Traffic rules: Efforts are made to keep all traffic off the routes, but light local traffic is inevitable. Care should be taken to obey the traffic rules. Please be considerate to other road users and livestock.

No helmet, no ride!

Timing: The 106km, 56km & 28km events are SAS timed events. The timing chip is fixed to your event number board. Correct number boards are compulsory in all events

Start procedure & timing:

Start time: The 106km MTN Ride Crater Cruise (Saturday) starts from 07:30 - 08:00 (At the Petit Paris venue) and the 56km Nissan Crater Cruise (Sunday) starts from 08:00 - 08:30 (At the Petit Paris venue). Both these events will be seeded and your start time will be determined by your seeding. Previously these events had a rolling start - the seeding will be done by Entelect. A multiple seeded block starting system will ensure a more pleasant ride with less traffic problems along the route.

Briefing: There will be a race briefing at the start of the event.

106km event clock-out rest stop: The 106km marathon riders are welcome to clock out for a rest at the halfway mark. PLEASE NOTE, this rest stop advantage does not apply for any riders from any category, contending for prize money, titles and trophees. Your total riding time will however NOT be affected by the rest stop, so please stop to enjoy the refreshments at this point.

106km re-start at halfway mark: No later than 12:00.

Cut-off times: The 106km cut-off time at the halfway mark will be at 12:00.
The cut-off time at the finish will be 16:00, thereafter riders will be assisted to the finish in the sweep vehicles.

Age restrictions: Official age restrictions apply. Riders who are younger than 19 years old (Junior) may not enter the 106km event, but are welcome to enter the 56km event. Riders younger than 15 (sub-junior) may not enter the 56km event, but should enter either the 28km or 15km Dirt Flirts or our Petit Cruise for kids.

Additional categories Single-speed bikes for the 106km event (only one gear, flip-flop hubs permitted).

Medals: Special Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the podium of each official Crater Cruise category. Medals will be awarded to all finishers who pre-enter.

Floating trophies: In the Marathon a floating trophy will be awarded to the first man (101km) and first woman (106km) home as well as the first single-speed cyclist (101km).

Prize giving: The main prize giving will be held at the Ride Arena in Parys at 11:00 on Saturday (28km event), at 15:00 on Saturday (101km event) and 12:00 on Sunday (56km event). You have to be present in order to claim a prize. Please arrange with the organisers (Louis Booysen - 082 338 1591) if you will not be able to attend the respective prize giving.

Support: This event runs according to CSA MTB (specific for MTN mtb series) rules, which do not permit assistance from non-participants outside designated refreshment/support areas.

USN Support & refreshment stations: The bulk of the stations will however be on the second half of the route.

8 USN stations on the 106km route + the final station at the finish = 9 stations!
5 USN stations on the 56km route + the final station at the finish = 6 stations!

Supporters: NO support vehicles will be permitted on the cycle routes. Even at low speeds, cars create dust, which is unpleasant and dangerous for the riders. Supporters are most welcome at the designated support points along the route, but not on the route. Please note the alternative routes to support spots.

Medical support: First aid and medical support will be available to competitors along the route. Additional assistance will also be available at the Ride Arena in Parys.

Spectating points on the 106 & 56km routes - to be released later

Support on the 28km Dirt Flirt routes

Unfortunatily no support vehicles will be allowed anywhere onto the route. Sweep vehicles and medical staff will support the riders on this route. If you would like to support riders on this route, please get a bicycle and join them on the 28km Dirt Flirt & 15km Dirt Flirt fun ride. Supporters are more than welcome to support the riders at the finish at the Ride Arena in Petit Paris.