Last Sunday the 7th leg of the MTN National series took place in the picturesque village of Hilton in KZN. With some of the best single track in the country, riders of all calibre were in for a treat! As we all know, what goes down, must go up. Kilometres of mind blowing downhill sections had to first be earned in the form of 2300m of uphill grinding in the marathon.
Two weekends ago, all of the Academy members who raced the SA Champs XCO down in PE suffered from a nasty stomach bug which would mean a lot of them stayed at home to recover, and the ones who raced may not have been on top form for a gruelling marathon.
In the Marathon, Amy McDougall and Stephan Reyneke rode in the colours of the Academy. Both having been sick with the stomach bug the Wednesday prior to the race didn’t have huge expectations but gave it their best shot anyway.
Amy McDougall had a cat and mouse battle with Kendal Ryan and Janine King for 2nd, 3rd and 4th for the first half of the race behind series leader, Robyn de Groot. Unfortunately De Groot suffered some technical issues with her chain and had to forfeit. McDougall dropped Ryan leaving her in 2nd place behind King. McDougall started struggling with waning energy levelsand couldn’t keep up the pace. She and King were passed by Christine Janse Van Rensburg at 50km. McDougall pushed through to the finish where she just managed to hold on to her 3rd in a sprint finish against Jeannie Bomford. “I haven’t suffered on a bike like that in a while, started feeling sick and saw my breakfast 3 times during the race. I was glad to have held on to 3rd in the end! The amazing riding made the pain worthwhile and the Pinarello rode like a dream!”
In a highly competitive Elite field Reyneke had a good start, his technical skills a huge advantage on this course. He raced as hard as he could, and despite not being well, finished in a respectable 12th overall and 5th U23. “I found myself in a leading group of about 15 riders which split up drastically in the first twisty single track. Brendan Davis and Luke Roberts put down the hammer, I tried my best to close the gap but didn’t succeed.”
Also racing the Marathon was Edwill O’Neill and Marcel Marais. Both of these youngsters have been working hard with Coach Paul Cordes and have grown from strength to strength in the past few months. Both riders finished in the top 10 in the U23 category. “It was a tough nut to crack! Very technical route, with lung busting steep climbs! Although it was tough, I had a great time on the bike and happy with my performance; 8th U/23. My 1st Hilton MTB race was a great mountain biking experience. ~Edwill O’Neill.
Michelle Benson was not feeling well after the same stomach bug as McDougall and Reyneke. She chose not to race flat out, and rode with friend and racing rival Jessica Alcock who was not well either. The two took it easy but made sure to keep their podium positions. They crossed the line together, it was decided that Alcock would take 2nd and Benson 3rd.
Then Saturday was also the start of the Anatomic Spur schools race. Epic Sports was there to fix all sorts of problems on the day and support our young up and coming riders. From our academy riders in the junior cat was Nicolas Popich took a fantastic win over African champ Dylan Rubelo and Jacques Pretorius finished a well earned 7th. Then in the junior ladies Danielle Rheeder finished 3rd and Sonsie a credible 5th.
Heinrich Greve has been following the Babbas Lodge series avidly, he has completed 26 to date and has consistently achieved podium finishes, 5 of which are wins. His 5th win was last Sunday when he won the half marathon. “It was a really fun day at Babba's lodge and my legs were feeling great! The hot weather made me enjoy the racing more than my competitors. I managed to make a successful break away early in the race”
The athletes in all tiers of the ASG Academy are showing that hard work is certainly paying off as they learn, grow and gain confidence through experience. Their next challenge will be the USN Cup this coming Saturday.
Two weekends ago, all of the Academy members who raced the SA Champs XCO down in PE suffered from a nasty stomach bug which would mean a lot of them stayed at home to recover, and the ones who raced may not have been on top form for a gruelling marathon.
In the Marathon, Amy McDougall and Stephan Reyneke rode in the colours of the Academy. Both having been sick with the stomach bug the Wednesday prior to the race didn’t have huge expectations but gave it their best shot anyway.
Amy McDougall had a cat and mouse battle with Kendal Ryan and Janine King for 2nd, 3rd and 4th for the first half of the race behind series leader, Robyn de Groot. Unfortunately De Groot suffered some technical issues with her chain and had to forfeit. McDougall dropped Ryan leaving her in 2nd place behind King. McDougall started struggling with waning energy levelsand couldn’t keep up the pace. She and King were passed by Christine Janse Van Rensburg at 50km. McDougall pushed through to the finish where she just managed to hold on to her 3rd in a sprint finish against Jeannie Bomford. “I haven’t suffered on a bike like that in a while, started feeling sick and saw my breakfast 3 times during the race. I was glad to have held on to 3rd in the end! The amazing riding made the pain worthwhile and the Pinarello rode like a dream!”
In a highly competitive Elite field Reyneke had a good start, his technical skills a huge advantage on this course. He raced as hard as he could, and despite not being well, finished in a respectable 12th overall and 5th U23. “I found myself in a leading group of about 15 riders which split up drastically in the first twisty single track. Brendan Davis and Luke Roberts put down the hammer, I tried my best to close the gap but didn’t succeed.”
Also racing the Marathon was Edwill O’Neill and Marcel Marais. Both of these youngsters have been working hard with Coach Paul Cordes and have grown from strength to strength in the past few months. Both riders finished in the top 10 in the U23 category. “It was a tough nut to crack! Very technical route, with lung busting steep climbs! Although it was tough, I had a great time on the bike and happy with my performance; 8th U/23. My 1st Hilton MTB race was a great mountain biking experience. ~Edwill O’Neill.
Michelle Benson was not feeling well after the same stomach bug as McDougall and Reyneke. She chose not to race flat out, and rode with friend and racing rival Jessica Alcock who was not well either. The two took it easy but made sure to keep their podium positions. They crossed the line together, it was decided that Alcock would take 2nd and Benson 3rd.
Then Saturday was also the start of the Anatomic Spur schools race. Epic Sports was there to fix all sorts of problems on the day and support our young up and coming riders. From our academy riders in the junior cat was Nicolas Popich took a fantastic win over African champ Dylan Rubelo and Jacques Pretorius finished a well earned 7th. Then in the junior ladies Danielle Rheeder finished 3rd and Sonsie a credible 5th.
Heinrich Greve has been following the Babbas Lodge series avidly, he has completed 26 to date and has consistently achieved podium finishes, 5 of which are wins. His 5th win was last Sunday when he won the half marathon. “It was a really fun day at Babba's lodge and my legs were feeling great! The hot weather made me enjoy the racing more than my competitors. I managed to make a successful break away early in the race”
The athletes in all tiers of the ASG Academy are showing that hard work is certainly paying off as they learn, grow and gain confidence through experience. Their next challenge will be the USN Cup this coming Saturday.
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