Defending champs dominate in Scottburgh
Upper Highway's Andrew Hill claimed his third win at the Sappe Scottburgh MTB and Trail Run Weekend.
ANDREW Hill and Bianca Haw retained their men’s and women’s mountain bike titles at the 10th anniversary edition of the Sappi Scottburgh MTB and Trail Run Weekend on Sunday, but in vastly differing races.
Upper Highway rider, Andrew, came into the race sizing up a hat trick of wins and had to come up with a plan to deal with that pressure amid a strong men’s field.
“It is hard to ride with all that pressure, but then you just have to take the bull by the horns and just go for it,” he said.
With a dangerous men’s field and a race that is famed for its raw and untamed layout, Andrew opted to make his move early on in the race.
“I had to!” he explained. “There were such strong riders that I had to put them all under pressure right from the beginning, so I climbed really hard early on and it worked because I got a bit of a gap.”
There were two riders close on his heels, Julian Jessop and Reinhard Zellhuber. Eventually it was only Reinhard who could keep up with Andrew as he continued to pile on the pressure at the front.
“It feels fantastic to claim the hat-trick of wins,” said Andrew. “It was an awesome day out on superb trails and in beautiful weather conditions, which makes it all the more special.”
Meanwhile Bianca Haw (Red Bull/Cannondale) came into the defence of her title on a high after winning the women’s title at the XCO nationals in Bloemfontein on Saturday, and showed her class as she raced away unchallenged to win by five minutes.
“I love this track so much and it is nice that I know it because it sort of feels like home,” said Bianca.
Results:
45km MTB men:
1. Andrew Hill 1:39:01
2. Reinhard Zellhuber 1:39:52
3. Julian Jessop 1:42:07
45km MTB women:
1.Bianca Haw 1:53:09
2.Frances Janse Van Rensberg 1:58:12
3.Hayley Smith 1:58:12
28km MTB:
1.Brent Richter 1:14:31
2.Nicholas Burczak 1:41:31
3.Jordan Bold 1:18:43
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