THE small Drakensberg town of Underberg will host a battle royale for the vacant KZN K1 River canoeing title this weekend. With defending champion Wayne Volek sitting out on a doping suspension, scores of the country’s top paddlers will tussle on the upper Umzimkulu River in the two-day Strops Drakensberg Challenge. Contenders for the K1 crown include Gavin Tarr, Ant Stott and John Edmonds. The women’s race will focused on one paddler — Pietermaritzburg student Debbie Whitton. She will have to suffer a major mishap to allow any of the other women in the field past her.