HISTORY
The Blue Cross was born from an argument that Colin Anderson, the founder had in a bar in 1990 about the location of the lowest point in Zimbabwe. This led Colin to search through maps & find that it is the Save-Runde confluence, Mahenya (150 meters above sea level), in the South East Lowveld. The dramatic contrast in scenery between the highest point, Mt. Nyangani (2,593 meters above sea level) & the lowest point & the rounded figure of 500km inspired Colin to establish an endurance event for walkers & cyclists. In 1996 the Blue Cross was born with the purpose of raising money for the SPCA in Zimbabwe, with 8 walkers & 16 cyclists setting off from the dusty lowveld along a challenge never previously attempted.
INTRODUCTION
This Blue Book has been compiled to give you, your seconders & organisers a comprehensive picture of the event. It contains a practical preview, clear-cut rules if necessary to be enforced firmly & fairly in a friendly way, detailed stage descriptions, records & tips on seconding. Your important Stage Guides list start times & narratives of each day’s route followed by profiles & maps showing checkpoints, landmarks & turns.
The Blue Cross medal, most prized & deeply respected of all ‘ultra’ decorations, is attainable by almost anyone who can raise the minimum sponsorship & who has put in the proper training. Since inception entrants ages have ranged from 16 to 70. The backgrounds are similarly diverse: school goers, pensioners, surgeons, farmers, chefs, missionaries to radio presenters, soldiers, bag sergeants, husbands & wives, & whole families from nations spread from SA to New Zealand, UK to the United States.
The un-marked route covers 500 kilometres & is done by both Cyclists & Walkers...
Both the Traditional & MTB Cyclists start in the Save river bed. The Traditional ride follows tar roads but takes in 3 stretches of rough gravel totalling +/-135Km all done in 4 back-to-back daily stages differing greatly in terrain & distance.
The MTB ride is all off-road, 5 days back to back & navigated by bike mounted GPS’s.
Again Walkers either on the Traditional or MTB route start in the Save river bed. Both disciplines are done over 10 daily stages with 3 compulsory rest days, notably though the off-road route is navigated by GPS.
All disciplines complete the event by climbing the 3km up to Mt. Nyangani beacon.
The topography & sometimes the weather are extreme! Apart from the first flat sections, climbs & descents persist to the very end - many of them far more severe than the other. Plan your training sensibly, including in your program several long-distance sessions of hillwork reproducing as near as possible the longer stages & at least one back-to-back ride/walk. Do not underestimate what lies ahead: back-to-back days of sustained effort are rare in endurance fixtures & require a careful approach if you are to not burn out before the Finish.
Although Blue Cross is for everyone, interest is naturally drawn to the front-runners but however fast or slow anyone’s time might be this year, something special will happen to every one of you… a warm & rewarding sensation of deep companionship & goodwill spontaneously fostered by sharing in one of Southern Africa’s great endurance events.
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
Minimum Sponsorship Cut Off27th July 2012
Minimum Sponsorship is Bronze Medal Level
GOLD$600
SILVER$400
BRONZE$200
GENERAL INFORMATION
You & your seconders need to equip yourselves for an unforgettable week long trip, guarding yourselves against malaria & bringing with you your accommodation & food requirements. Dependant on your booked accommodation this may include tent & bedding, basic cooking, eating & drinking utensils, chosen foodstuffs, cooler boxes, water containers, woollies & waterproofs, changes of clothing, laundry aids, toiletries, headgear, sunblock, cash & personal medications & dressings.
Facilities vary from place to place - from simple outdoor too fancy indoor living. Remember that Zimbabwe is prone to sudden shortages… so lay in a store of essential foods & enough fuel to tide your vehicle from start to finish. Each day you will be moving gear forward in whatever transport you may have laid on, consistent with reasonable comfort, please keep your kit to a minimum & have it securely packed & clearly labelled at all times-any losses could force you out of the event. Bring enough cash for planned shopping & also for unforeseen expenses such as pleasant socialising in your leisure hours.
This Blue Book, which you should take with you for reference at any time as it is an un-marked route, describes the ground in detail & gives useful advice on how best to cope with the conditions. Be sure to attend the pre stage briefings & study our Stage Guides well in advance. If unsure about anything don't hesitate to consult the Organisers who will do everything they can to help. In what lies ahead we must remind you that, although the organisers will be responsible for arranging timekeeperswhere necessary sweep vehicles & First Aid(all sponsor dependant), the route is un-marked so it is your responsibility to navigate the course. We cannot provide anyone with the goods & such we have advised you on what to bring along.
Your safety is our paramount concern! Most of you will be familiar with the shocking driving on our roads. Watch all traffic closely & take avoiding action in good time. Whether you are cycling or walking wear conspicuous brightly coloured clothing when travelling & keep to the very edge of the road. Be vigilant for sharp rocks, loose stones, wash aways, fallen trees, eroded road shoulders, potholes, crumbling tar & jagged cattle grids. It is wise to arrange travel & accident insurance to cover the period of your trip. Also beware of thieves! All along the route there are locals every bit as cunning as their counterparts in the cities. But take pains to treat our always curious spectators with courtesy, tolerance & respect.
PRE-RACE FORMALITIES
Check in on arrival, hand in any outstanding Donors Books & money, complete final documentation & collect your Number if not already collected plus other goodies. After pre-event briefing relax with sundowners & make use of the facilities for supper. After securing your possessionshave a good night's sleep until our wake-up call - the signal to get up, eat up, kit up, warm up & pack up for your start.
ON THE ROAD
Participants will set out on each stage fully briefed… warned about tricky surfaces, traffic hazards, the weather & other uncertainties. Follow the directions contained within this book but look out for evidence of grids & potholes as signs are no longer prevalent. The ZRP have been notified of the event & our movements but can give no guarantees. Although we will do our best to assist, the movement forward of your personal kit & rations each day is up to you to arrange, ensuring that you have an outfit of warm clothes waiting for you at the end of each stage. Consider the often lengthy wait for your road mates at the Finish & guard against cold, thirst, sun or rain. All overnight lodgings are to be left spotlessly clean as the future of Blue Cross depends totally upon the cooperation & goodwill of local communities.
Traditional cycle route is +/-80% on tar with 20% on gravel roads, most entrants use a Road Bike & MTB (preferably with front shocks) combination. If you are riding a single bike, select a Mountain Bike (preferably with front shocks) with 2 sets of wheels if possible being a i) 'slicks' for the tar ii) 'knobblies' for the dirt.
All bikes have to be road worthy & should be thoroughly serviced & adjusted for maximum comfort including spares & tools handy for routine repairs & do your best to have your own seconder, relying as little as possible on others. Nights stops & re-supply en route present few problems as most stages end within reach of amenities adequate to satisfy your expected needs. The first night at Chilo by all accounts will be luxury & then facilities at Fiddlers Green Polo Crosse Clubthen several hostelries in Chimanimani - will be more than enough for survival. The City of Mutare offers numerous hotels & then on to the Finish in the Nyanga area, where the base is at Rhodes Nyanga Hotel.
GETTING TO START
First-timers to the area might become a little uncertain of their whereabouts. Just ask any of the locals for "Mahenye" or "Chilo" & they will set you right. Regardless of your discipline on arrival you must Check-In with the organisers & again in either discipline you may have booked accommodation, so please arrive as early as you can on the day before the Start, to get in some valuable rest after a long drive.
TRADTIONAL CYCLE DIVISION
ROUTE SUMMARY
Altitude (M) / Hillwork (M)Stage / Km / Min / Max / Up / Down
STAGE 1 / 158.30 / 170 / 1110 / 1640 / 710
STAGE 2 / 68.30 / 980 / 1780 / 1610 / 1200
STAGE 3 / 149.07 / 630 / 1810 / 1760 / 2200
STAGE 4 / 121.50 / 1070 / 2140 / 2460 / 1490
Not only are the days tough, the nights on the road will be spent in unfamiliar surroundings albeit we hope in comfortable conditions... so equip yourselves accordingly. The best transport to take along is a bakkie preferably open backed to accommodate your 2 bikes plus more if you are doubling up, if the bakkie is canopied then a trailer may be required to transport the bikes. Although any type of cycle can be ridden, make sure that your ride is in tip-top working order & that your toolkits & stocks of spares are adequate. Plan your seconding arrangements carefully, remembering that if the vehicle is supporting more than one competitor - & those riders get spread out - it is very difficult for the job to be done properly.
Your opening Stage is the longest, most of it through hot flatlands. Beware of too much enthusiastic "hype" in the beginning - this leads to collisions & possible injuries, damaging your chances of riding through. Two further hazards: i) overextending in the heat so attend to your fluid intakes & don't push it too fiercely ii) poorly maintained cattle grids which cause punctures, it is best to dismount & walk over these.
Though short by Blue Cross standards, the all-tar Stage 2 is not to be underrated: the hillwork per kilometre is the greatest of all & the road is packed with dangerous bends. DOROTHY provides an excellent opportunity for you to set a personal best speed record. In the afternoon, go over your bike meticulously, especially the brakes!
Stage 3 is another mountainous one & regarded by many as the most exciting, especially the long 61.7Km dirt section which has claimed more falls than anywhere else. These tend to happen down LYLIE, the first & hairier part of one of the longest sustained descent known in Zimbabwe! Stand by for punctures both sides of Tank Nek. From Wengezi it is likely to be hot & monotonous - presenting you with the unpleasant challenge of coping with heavy traffic when fatigued. So please take every care to avoid mishaps.
During the cycle Stage which ends with 15.0Km of rough gravel, euphoria or despair set in & the attention to road discipline so vital for riders & seconders can deteriorate. Concentrate! Forge through & don't allow an accident to happen so near the Finish!
STAGE 1
Route Notes:
Get up in the near-pitch darkness, eat & prepare for the long hard day. Your adventure starts at dawn with a ‘warm-up’ ride from Chilo to the start in the Save river bed. From here the first 42.2km is on rough dirt being & you will be cheered on by local school children(the dirt road you came in on the day before)to the Save Bridge-Jack Quinton Bridge. Change bikes here & be ready to suffer 75Km of very flat, tedious & straight tar-road slogging but stay alert & beware of jay-walking livestock. At the 235Km peg change bike & turn right onto gravel for an initial easy 2Km to another right turn at the Kondo shops. Now muster all your strength for the first gruelling major Blue Cross climb… 560m-in-14.1Km up BARBARA to meet tar & your seconder 200m after turning left onto the Chikore Road. Swop bikes & then head off, beware of jagged cattle grids on the 24.9Km hilly tar ride to Chipinge. Go left again when you come to the Selinda Road T-junction 10.5Km from Chipinge. Having finished at the 62Km peg, replenish, rest & proceed to your booked accommodation.
Seconder Notes:
At pre-event briefing seconders will be informed of their departure time on Day 1- Normally though seconders WILL go ahead of riders to the MTB/Road bike transition at the Save Bridge (Jack Quinton) to avoid dust choking the riders - seconders are NOT ALLOWED to second on this dirt section there on be aware of re-fuelling areas & common sense must prevail but experience has proved that any re-fuelling is best undertaken on flats or an an uphill, NEVER a downhill-also ENSURE AT ALL TIMES YOU POSITION VEHICLE WELL OFF ROAD! Then make way to next Road/MTB transition 235km peg near Kondo, here be aware of local children who are renowned for hassling seconders, ensure vehicle is locked & goods are secure. Then follow & pass riders on the 'Barbra' dirt road, consideration for riders must be paramount & avoid unnecessary dust. The top of 'Barbra' & left turn onto the Ckikore road is the next MTB/Road transition although riders may request seconders to see them through the first few km's of tar as it is potholed & bettered negotiated on MTB. There on seconders follow riders to the finish in Chipinge but caution is overriding factor on this section as it is on narrow tar & there are tricky sections!
STAGE 2
Route Notes:
The intensity of the day's uphill work facing you is by far the greatest of the whole trip - 23.6 metres per kilometre! Fast-cruise the first relatively cushy 17.8Km out of town to Christina, turning right near Moodie's Grave after 13.6Km just past the 48.5Km peg. This stage is continuous tarmac & the views are INCREDIBLE - so are the 800m-in-28.5Km climb up AMANDA & the amazingly fast 630m-in-11.9Km drop down DOROTHY through Skyline Junction where you turn a very careful right. Steep gradients & tight curves make stops extremely awkward so plan any halts before you begin the journey. Use the adrenaline-rush from the main descent to push you up never-ending BONNY, the last deceptive climb of 360m-in-10.2Km into Chimanimani which promises to summit around every next bend. Just keep pedaling until you reach the end at Tilbury Road beyond the 83.0Km peg. Seconders have no bike change over today but riders will need plenty of boosting & moral support.
Seconder Notes:
Seconders have no bike changes over the day but riders will need plenty of nutrition, boosting & moral support. Seconders must be aware of re-fuelling areas & common sense must prevail but experience has proved that any re-fuelling is best undertaken on flats or an an uphill, NEVER a downhill!
STAGE 3
Route Notes:
Really harsh hillwork awaits you over the hazardous, rough & rocky 61.7Km dirt trail to Cashel via the infamous ‘Tanks Nek’. To cut down on troublesome vehicle movement no seconding is permitted therefore ensure adequate fluid to see you through to Cashel. 400 metres of tar kicks you off on a winding descent of 20.9Km to shed 'woollies' at Masapa Rest’s lay-by just short of the 57Km peg. Keep left at the Chikukwa turn-off 1.6Km beyond the tricky Nyanhunzi bridge. Now comes renowned JENNY, a spectacular twister through Middelpunt of 440m-in-7.4Km up to Groenkop which will mean bike-pushing for some tail-enders. 14.8Km of easier climbing along CAROL takes you to the very top at Tanks Nek, 30m higher than Skyline! An arm-punishing 640M plummet of constant braking down the 19Km of LYLIE immediately follows... across Tandai Bridge & through Tandai Poort. Meeting tar & welcoming seconders for the only bike change on the Umvumvumvu Bridge at the 16Km peg near Cashel, you begin a steady drop down the valley to stage-end at the risky Skyline Fork.This is followed with a fast descent to Wengezicrossing the Umvumvumvu after 1.3Km & then again 3.4Km further on. Baobabs reappear on the roadside, announcing your arrival back in the lowveld & hotter conditions. At the Wengezi T-Junction turn right with great care onto the main Mutare-Birchenough Bridge road & bottom-out at the Wengezi Bridge a mere 150 metres higher than you were at the bottom of Barbara on the first day. The hard riding will be getting to you by now & morale will take a dive-just like the altitude! The long, straight & tedious stretch ahead of 57.0Km on a busy trunk road won't help matters with only the Mushamuru & Mupudzi rivers to relieve the monotony & climbs like DARLENE to compound the issue. Joining a group will probably help you cope. The Fern Valley turn-off, 9.0Km short of Mutare centre, is a welcome sight indeed, turn a very cautious right here for the final 300 metre spurt to the flags.
Seconders Notes:
There is no seconding on Tank's Nek. After start seconders make their way to the MTB/Road transition at Cashel by following the tar road from Chimanimani back to Skyline junction, here stay straight going to Wengezi/Chimanimani fork approximately 68km from Chims. At fork turn right to Cashel & travel 15.5km to Cashel, travel time approximately 11/4hrs. Thereafter seconders follow riders to Fern Valley exercising extreme caution on the Mutare road as this now HEAVILY used by trucks-the KEY here is to leave big gaps between seconder & rider as non-BX traffic is likely to get impatient & will risk passing.
STAGE 4