Wild Ride at Westown attracts daring riders
Riders tackled muddy trails at the first Balwin Properties Wild Ride, with Tayne Rudling and Riley Smith taking top honours.
THE wet conditions did not deter riders from having fun at the inaugural edition of the Balwin Properties Wild Ride at Westown on Sunday, October 19.
Most riders were all smiles coming across the finish line in the various events on the trails surrounding Westown Square, with local mountain biking stars Tayne Rudling and Riley Smith winning the signature races.
The 35km Cactus was the flagship race at the event and attracted a lot of interest from riders of all abilities.
Rudling, the first Wild Ride winner, was followed by Thabiso Zindela, while Cody Maidman took third position.
“It was a great race today for me and I managed to get a gap and hold on for the win,” said Rudling.
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“The route was awesome with some sharp, punchy climbs and maybe a few more kilometres next year would be a great addition. The conditions were prime today with the overnight rain making some sections slick and muddy, but overall brilliant riding conditions. I’ll definitely be back next year now that there is a title to defend!”
The women’s race was also a relatively close affair with Smith edging Frances Janse van Rensberg in an exciting duel to the line. Third place in the women’s race went to the young Natalie Kluza.
Speaking after her win, Shongweni-based star Smith felt it was a great day out with some exciting racing.
“The race went really well, it was quite a tactical race, and the conditions made it even more interesting. It was close racing with Frances until the last 2km where I managed to break away and hold it until the end.
“The route was a nice mix of climbing, single track and fast descents. I’ll definitely come back next year, Shongweni is where I do a lot of my training so it’s fun to race the trails I use to train on,” she added.
In the 18km Tumbleweed race, Elijah Pretorious and Oliver Brown came across the line together, with Mozam Butt finishing third.
In the women’s race, Sandra Pautz finished first, with second place going to Cara Upton, and Erin Lowe securing the third position.
Young Nipper Grayson Despy finished the 8km Colt in first place, with father Clifford Despy ending second, and another Nipper, Michael Gibbs, in third.
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