Wilderness Safaris and the Nedbank Tour de Tuli have moved to a greener option to secure riders’ race numbers to their bikes, eliminating the use of traditional plastic zip ties on their handlebars. In a first for the sports industry, these innovative brackets will be set up on all 410 riders’ bikes taking part in this iconic mountain bike event – which kicks off on 19 July 2022 – leading the way for all future competitive events.
“Conservation and environmentalism are central to the goals and ethos of the Nedbank Tour de Tuli, which is the main fundraiser for our non-profit, Children in the Wilderness (CITW). We are proud to introduce these new Moundt brackets in order to remain accountable for our carbon footprint, and to continually look at ways to further positively contribute to the protection of our planet,” said Nedbank Tour de Tuli Tour Director, Bronwen Blunden.
For years, standard practice for riders has been to secure their race numbers to the handlebars of their bikes with the aid of cable or zip ties. Using up to three zip ties per rider, these non-degradable plastic fasteners are inevitably discarded after an event, with their increasing accumulation in the environment becoming a threat to the planet.
To address this problem, Wilderness Safaris and the Nedbank Tour de Tuli partnered with Moundt, a proudly South African company that produces carefully engineered re-usable metal brackets that allow riders to continue using them at other biking events. The Moundt bracket is an innovative solution with a novel design that not only positions the race number board away from the handlebars, but also fastens it through a clip-and-slot mechanism.
The Moundt bracket is the brainchild of mountain bike enthusiast Hendrik Steytler, who has long considered finding a solution to this problem. Alongside industrial designer, Dieter Zermatten, they developed the concept, and after some trial and error, arrived at the final design.
The Nedbank Tour de Tuli organisers will provide a Moundt bracket to each of the 350 riders and 60 cycle leaders taking part in the Tour, not only eliminating the use of almost 2 000 cable ties for this event, but ensuring that cable ties shouldn’t ever be needed again for any of their future events.
“With conservation continuing to be a top priority for Nedbank, we wholeheartedly support the move away from non-degradable plastic. We are proud of our association with this unique and pioneering African adventure over the past decade,” added Nedbank Sponsorship Manager, Kelly Thompson.
For the duration of the event, the Nedbank Tour de Tuli will adhere to a stringent Environmental Impact Management Plan that works towards minimising its carbon footprint and waste. As its camps are set in remote and pristine environments, getting supplies into camp can be complex; however, the Nedbank Tour de Tuli ensures careful management of logistics so as to not waste fuel or produce excess carbon emissions.
Furthermore, the Tour organisers engage with responsible local suppliers on ways to minimise packaging. While the reduction of plastic is the main focus – with recycling as a last resort – they also pay attention to food waste. Aligned with the Tour’s green agenda, only approved environment-friendly products and detergents are permitted for use on the Tour, while energy-efficient systems are used wherever possible to reduce the use of fuel-generated power.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020 put the launch of the Moundt Bracket on hold. Almost two years later, however, this ground-breaking new product is ready to change the face of mountain biking. We are thrilled to launch it at the 2022 Nedbank Tour de Tuli, and to introduce a new benchmark for stage racing and riding events in South Africa,” Bronwen concluded.