FLY540 10TO4 MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE RAISES 5.5 MILLION KENYA SHILLINGS
(Posted 23rd February 2017)
Like ants on an anthill – the 17,000+ feet of Mount Kenya provided the majestic backdrop to an international mountain biking event that saw close to 250 people – some from as far afield as the USA – compete in a series of mountain bike races in Laikipia. Hundreds of spectators came to enjoy the drama and adrenaline.
Davidson Kamau was the winner of the Hardcore event for professional and serious riders and held the lead throughout most of the 90km race, finishing three minutes ahead of Tour De France winner Chris Froome’d mentor, David Kinjah.
The Fly540 10to4 – named because its signature race begins at an altitude of 10,000ft on Mount Kenya and ends on the savannahs at 4,000ft – has grown every year since it launched in 2002.
Rebecca Katz, from the USA, who came second overall in the women’s Roller Coaster Classic, praised the event, saying: ‘Where else can you mountain bike through herds of elephants?!‘
Mount Kenya Trust, hosts of the Fly540 10to4, is a member of the Mount Kenya-Ewaso Water Partnership (MKEWP), launched in October 2016, for whom Laikipia Wildlife Forum was appointed Secretariat. Also involved are horticultural stakeholders, County Governments, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service. MKEWP’s is working towards providing a mechanism by which water access, use, management and conservation can be addressed in an area of approximately 15,000 square kilometres and across three counties, through collective actions which balance the social, economic and environmental demands on water resources equitably.The money raised will once again go to conservation projects in the area around Mt. Kenya, one of the country’s last intact remaining water towers.
For added information visit Mount Kenya Trust or Mount Kenya-Ewaso Water Partnership (MKEWP) but also check out www.laikipia.org
