ASG Academy members achieve podiums across the board, Junior – Master at MTN National Marathon #2 –Sabie.

Last weekend, one of the most anticipated races on the racing calendar for local and international mountain bikers alike: The MTN National Marathon Series #2, the Sabie Classic. The Sabie Classic is renowned for its killer climbs with contrasting beauty, the thrilling descents and boasts single track that makes the sweat well worthwhile!

Representing the ASG Academy in the 74km marathon was Paul Cordes, Arno du Toit, Amy McDougall, Neville Ackermann, Edwil O’Niell, and Marcel Marais.
The marathon started with a neutral zone of about 7km before the first big climb and the infamous Mamba Switchbacks. The monster of a climb is about 15km long with a few steep kicks, pacing oneself is crucial! What goes up, must go down… After the Epic Sports Tech Zone, and one final kick up, the descending began. This was no normal downhill. The recent rainfall caused the steep descent, aptly named the “Rocky Horror” to become very loose, rutted and treacherous if you weren’t careful.  The rest of the loop went in and out of the forest with an impressive amount of single track and a few gnarly climbs. It was a hot day out and the sun beat down on the riders.

In the ladies’ race, Amy McDougall kept a good pace, starting just inside the top 10 but got stronger throughout the race. She made the most of her technical skills, gaining, and keeping 4 positions down rocky horror. She finished strong in 5^th place overall and 1^st senior women. “The climbs were a good challenge but I loved the technical descents and single track, the control I have with the Dogma is amazing! I am happy with my result.”
In our men’s race, Arno struggled to find a rhythm at first but “found his legs” and had a very strong finish, reeling in riders in the last kilometres of the race. He finished in an impressive 6^th place overall and 4^th U23 men! “I felt flat and winded from the moment the pace lifted. I sort of lost focus towards the middle of the race but managed to pull myself together and pick up the pieces to finish strong.” Neville Ackermann suffered a few technicals but had a good race against a strong field, finishing 3^rd Master men. After struggling with a stomach virus for the 4 days prior to the race, Paul didn’t have high expectations for his race and said he had to only “rely on the diesel as his turbo was shredded” but still managed  5^th in the sub-vet men. Marcel had a good day out coming 13^th U23, Edwill suffered with stomach problems throughout the race, but finished in a respectable time, and 18^th U23.

In contrast to the previous day’s heat, Half Marathon riders were woken by the sound of “pitta patta” outside their windows. Representatives in the half marathon were Nicholas Popich, Joel Hieber, Jacques Pretorius, Michelle Benson, Danielle Rheeder and Lynette Benson.

It was a mud bath and riders would have to be smart with their riding. As with the marathon, the race began with a monster of a climb and kilometres of amazing single track. Nicholas had a killer of a race, battling it out with the best and finishing in 3^rd place overall and 2^nd Junior! “Sabie... useless to take it on with tactics, it destroys all. I started off slow, but just bit the bullet and pushed harder all the way! The badger bites back! It’s a good thing I was on a hill climbing monster truck.” Danielle had a fantastic race after returning from a back injury to finish 3^rd overall in the ladies and 2^nd junior while Michelle had a steady race to finish 4th Junior and 12^th overall.  

The Sabie Classic is a world class marathon race and is without a doubt one of the toughest races in South Africa. The camaraderie, support and enthusiasm within the ASG Academy is refreshing as the riders grow and strive for their goals together! Look forward to seeing everyone at the next event.