Athletes welcome return of Quattro ROAG Series
Riders and runners were given the opportunity to compete at the venue of their choice for the Sappi Scottburgh Virtual MTB and Trail Run event.
COMPETITIVE mountain biking and trail running took tentative steps toward a semblance of normality in KwaZulu-Natal when runners and riders took part in the Sappi Scottburgh Virtual MTB and Trail Run recently.
The event, which is part of the Quattro ROAG Series, was scheduled for July and has become a bridging event as sports organisers plot a route through the new rules when hosting post-Covid events.
The three-day race offered runners and riders the option to compete on some of the routes planned for the July event, although the virtual nature of the event, and social-distancing rules, meant competitors were also allowed to compete against each other at any venue that suited them.
The new rules, and the fact riders and runners can use different routes, meant there was a shake-up of the old order and a few of the big-name competitors found themselves watching the virtual prize-giving without being mentioned.
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For the record, Marius Mostert and Gillian von Buddenbrock produced the fastest MTB times for the 41km ride. The 2019 ROAG Series runner up, Linda Zondi, was the fastest male in the 12km trail run and Hayley Mackinnon was among the women competitors. The winner of the prize for the most elevation gain in his 41km ride was Michael Foster, who notched up an eye-watering 1 357m ascent from his ride in and around the Lufafa Valley near Ixopo.
The effort was enough to edge out some other big names, such as current series leader Stuart Marais and Highway rider, Andrew Hill. Marais notched up 1 159m of elevation gain through the trails north of Howick, while Hill gained 1 277m of elevation in the foothills of the Drakensberg.
The women’s winner for the most elevation was Sanchia Malan, who climbed more than 1 000m in her 41km ride in Karkloof. The trail runner who took on the most hills was Alison Wasserfall, whose six repeats at Honey Trails added up to 792m of climbing in just 12km of running.
“We are so pleased to have been able to give runners and riders a chance to compete again, even if it is a new and different way of competing,” said ROAG’s managing director, Nicole Talbot. The Sappi Scottburgh event raised R5 000 for their designated charity, Cycling4Mobility.
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