Last weekend was the 4th leg of the Nissan Series, Hakahana. This is arguably one of the toughest of the local marathon series with steep rocky descents and ascents. The heat of the day also added to suffering and riders had to be sure to hydrate properly!
In the Marathon, Stephan Reyneke was up against some of the top mountain bikers in the country. To name a few, Phillip Buys, Matthew Brittain, Jan Witthaar and Henry Uys. Buys and Withaar created a big gap on the rest of the field but it was Buys who took the honours by 50 seconds. Reyneke was left battling it out with Henry Uys, Matt Brittain, Barend Burger and Sheldon Dagly. Reneke and Uys broke away from the rest of the group and battled it out for 3rd and 4th. In the end it was Uys who claimed 3rd, less than a minute ahead of Reyneke. It is good to see more quality racing coming from this rising star. “When I lined up for the start and looked at my competitors next to me, I knew it was going to be a tough race. The start was fast dusty ,and it wasn't long before we hit the hills.It was a rough technical course suiting my riding style. I had a close battle with Henry Uys for 3rd and 4th place overall,but in the end I had to settle for 4th.I was happy to take 1st place u23.”
Amy McDougall was coming 3rd to Robyn de Groot and Lisa Olivier and had managed to break away from Christine Janse Van Rensburg and Janine King when she unfortunately took a wrong turn. “I was digging deep to get and stay ahead of Christine and Janine. I was in my zone and somehow managed to take a wrong turn with 2 other guys. It was incredibly frustrating but I continued to race my hardest and gained 3 out of the 5 places I lost and came 2nd in my age.”
In the Half marathon, Nicholas Popich too took a wrong turn. He was coming first by a decent margin and was disappointed to find himself on the wrong route. “This year's race was much harder than the previous! More climbs and steeper. Even though I took the wrong route I was happy to be leading until then. At least I know what to expect in the marathon next year”
Danielle Rheeder came 3rdJunioragainst some of the top in the country. Bianca Haw took the win with BMC teammate Hazel Macgill in 2nd Says Rheeder: “I had a very tough race. It challenged me mentally and physically. Keeping hydrated was the key. The hills were very steep and I enjoyed the single track a lot!!”
Lynette Benson was the 10th lady home in the half marathon and 3rd youth. An excellent result as she has been battling with ballet injuries for a significant part of this year “It was a hard day in the saddle but I enjoyed the technical downhills and was happy with my result!”
In the 3 Towers stage race held in Mankele, riders enjoyed a scenic, very technical route that put their physical and mental toughness to the test. Yolande Speedy teamed up with Samantha Saunders, Arno du Toit with Guylin Van Den Berg and Marcel Marais with Ian Pienaar.
Speedy and Saunders were up against Esther Erdeli and Candice Neethling. They came 2nd on day 1, 1st on day 2 and 2nd on the 3rd day. Says Speedy: “Tough but great fun 3 days of racing at the 3 Towers! I didn’t quite have the legs I hoped for but really enjoyed the partnership with Sam Sanders and I was happy to take 2nd. Well done to Ezster and Candice for the win and thanks for a great race. Thanks to @asg_PYCycling and @EpicCycleShop for the support and to Valentia for the onsite support.”
Arno du Toit and Guylin Van Den Berg came 5th overall. Says Du Toit: “After battling a bit on day 1, I really started to enjoy the rest of the racing. With some good, consistent riding, Guylin and I finished 5th overall.”
Marais and Pienaar came 7th overall. This was a fantastic result for them, they worked well as a team and worked hard to keep their well-deserved position. “The race was extremely hard from the start and we had to fight to secure our 7th overall throughout the whole 3 days. No doubt the toughest 3 days I’ve raced back to back. But all in all an awesome race and I learnt a lot!” ~Marais
Although it has been a long year for the athletes, their enthusiasm and ambition is still shining through as the season comes to a close. Next week is the last serious race, the MTN Crater Cruise in Parys, there is sure to be some proper racing there as the best from around the country gather to fight it out for positions in the overall series and the honour of winning the biggest and final race of the National Marathon series.
In the Marathon, Stephan Reyneke was up against some of the top mountain bikers in the country. To name a few, Phillip Buys, Matthew Brittain, Jan Witthaar and Henry Uys. Buys and Withaar created a big gap on the rest of the field but it was Buys who took the honours by 50 seconds. Reyneke was left battling it out with Henry Uys, Matt Brittain, Barend Burger and Sheldon Dagly. Reneke and Uys broke away from the rest of the group and battled it out for 3rd and 4th. In the end it was Uys who claimed 3rd, less than a minute ahead of Reyneke. It is good to see more quality racing coming from this rising star. “When I lined up for the start and looked at my competitors next to me, I knew it was going to be a tough race. The start was fast dusty ,and it wasn't long before we hit the hills.It was a rough technical course suiting my riding style. I had a close battle with Henry Uys for 3rd and 4th place overall,but in the end I had to settle for 4th.I was happy to take 1st place u23.”
Amy McDougall was coming 3rd to Robyn de Groot and Lisa Olivier and had managed to break away from Christine Janse Van Rensburg and Janine King when she unfortunately took a wrong turn. “I was digging deep to get and stay ahead of Christine and Janine. I was in my zone and somehow managed to take a wrong turn with 2 other guys. It was incredibly frustrating but I continued to race my hardest and gained 3 out of the 5 places I lost and came 2nd in my age.”
In the Half marathon, Nicholas Popich too took a wrong turn. He was coming first by a decent margin and was disappointed to find himself on the wrong route. “This year's race was much harder than the previous! More climbs and steeper. Even though I took the wrong route I was happy to be leading until then. At least I know what to expect in the marathon next year”
Danielle Rheeder came 3rdJunioragainst some of the top in the country. Bianca Haw took the win with BMC teammate Hazel Macgill in 2nd Says Rheeder: “I had a very tough race. It challenged me mentally and physically. Keeping hydrated was the key. The hills were very steep and I enjoyed the single track a lot!!”
Lynette Benson was the 10th lady home in the half marathon and 3rd youth. An excellent result as she has been battling with ballet injuries for a significant part of this year “It was a hard day in the saddle but I enjoyed the technical downhills and was happy with my result!”
In the 3 Towers stage race held in Mankele, riders enjoyed a scenic, very technical route that put their physical and mental toughness to the test. Yolande Speedy teamed up with Samantha Saunders, Arno du Toit with Guylin Van Den Berg and Marcel Marais with Ian Pienaar.
Speedy and Saunders were up against Esther Erdeli and Candice Neethling. They came 2nd on day 1, 1st on day 2 and 2nd on the 3rd day. Says Speedy: “Tough but great fun 3 days of racing at the 3 Towers! I didn’t quite have the legs I hoped for but really enjoyed the partnership with Sam Sanders and I was happy to take 2nd. Well done to Ezster and Candice for the win and thanks for a great race. Thanks to @asg_PYCycling and @EpicCycleShop for the support and to Valentia for the onsite support.”
Arno du Toit and Guylin Van Den Berg came 5th overall. Says Du Toit: “After battling a bit on day 1, I really started to enjoy the rest of the racing. With some good, consistent riding, Guylin and I finished 5th overall.”
Marais and Pienaar came 7th overall. This was a fantastic result for them, they worked well as a team and worked hard to keep their well-deserved position. “The race was extremely hard from the start and we had to fight to secure our 7th overall throughout the whole 3 days. No doubt the toughest 3 days I’ve raced back to back. But all in all an awesome race and I learnt a lot!” ~Marais
Although it has been a long year for the athletes, their enthusiasm and ambition is still shining through as the season comes to a close. Next week is the last serious race, the MTN Crater Cruise in Parys, there is sure to be some proper racing there as the best from around the country gather to fight it out for positions in the overall series and the honour of winning the biggest and final race of the National Marathon series.
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