Potch riders conquer The Monster

Potchefstroom riders Pieter du Toit and Daniella Strydom proved that they have what it takes to #ConquerTheMonster at the 2022 Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic when they crossed the finish line first in impressive times of 2 hours, 49 minutes and 15 seconds, and 3 hours, 33 minutes and 32 seconds respectively.

The event took place in the might of the Magaliesberg and the majestic Buffelspoort Dam on June 4.

According to Pieter, it was a tough race.

It was a cold morning. Approximately 7km in we hit a water crossing, from there we had wet shoes and cold feet, but that’s part of the fun and games,” laughed Pieter.

“Then the iconic Monster Climb. Marc (Pritzen) had a gap on me so he took KoM (King of the Mountain), but I knew that if I could descend the downhill well, I could catch up to him. Unfortunately, Marc broke a shoe or something on the downhill so from there it was a solo race for me. The Fedhealth Magalies Monster is the toughest race here and every year I like to say that I ‘conquered The Monster’. I enjoyed the downhill and the scenery the most. It’s always nice to ride through the farms and just enjoy the views. It means a lot to be crowned the winner today. Last year I finished second behind Philip (Buys). I would recommend this event to family and friends, but I would also recommend that they train a bit first before taking on The Monster.”

Shaun-Nick Bester came in second, while Jan Montshioa finished third in the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic Marathon.

“It was a chilly start to the morning, but it warmed up pretty quickly,” said Daniella.

“I didn’t see any serious competition coming into today’s race. There were a few strong girls, but not my usual competitors so I knew I would be racing against myself, which is challenging in a different way. I really enjoyed the route. It’s very tough and rocky, but that’s what the event is notorious for. It is the Magalies Monster after all. I took it in my stride, paced myself and pushed myself. I really enjoyed the technical bits and appreciated the single track that they added this year, but the best part was winning. Everyone races to win so it’s always the goal, but it’s a different kind of rewarding feeling achieving it. It’s a morale booster.”

Rozaan Bekker came in second, while Estie Bekker finished the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic Marathon in third.

Clintin Cogzell (Pretoria) and Yvonne Prinsloo (Hartbeespoort) were the riders to beat in the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic Half Marathon. Clintin crossed the finish line first in 1 hour, 25 minutes and 1 second, and Yvonne in 1 hour, 44 minutes and 43 seconds.

Tiaan Nel and Alicia Steenkamp were the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic Fun Ride riders to beat on the day. Tiaan crossed the finish line first in 50 minutes 13 seconds, and Alicia in 57 minutes 28 seconds. Christopher Priem came in second and Dirk Steenkamp finished third in the Men’s Race, while Ilze Grobler came in second in the Women’s Race, with Vanessa Beumer finishing third.

“On behalf of Fedhealth Medical Scheme, I’d like to thank each and every rider, young and not-so-young, who joined us at the Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic today. It was really encouraging to see so many people out there exercising and having a good time out in the fresh air. We hope you achieved your goals for the race and that you’ll be back for more next year. Keep it up!” said Jeremy Yatt, Fedhealth principal officer.

Top 10 overall results:

Marathon/+-65km: OVERALL MEN
1 Pieter du Toit 02:49:15; 2 Shaun-Nick Bester 02:56:14; 3 Jan Montshioa 03:03:16; 4 Justin van der Linde 03:05:32; 5 Shawn Lawrence 03:05:36; 6 Adriaan Mybrugh 03:06:39; 7 Tlotlo Selala 03:07:17; 8 Halalisani Ndebele 03:07:49; 9 Alex Hennine 03:10:04; and 10 Masixole Zondani 03:11:03.

Marathon/+-65km: OVERALL WOMEN
1 Daniella Strydom 03:33:32; 2 Rozaan Bekker 03:52:56; 3 Estie Bekker 03:52:56; 4 Claire Malik 03:55:41; 5 Alison Lingard 04:02:49; 6 Ricci-Lee Brookstone 04:04:48; 7 Naclanche Steyn 04:07:33; 8 Denni Cartwright 04:09:47; 9 Leandri van Biljon 04:16:48; and 10 Lee Olivier 04:24:43.

Half Marathon/+-35km: OVERALL MEN
1 Clintin Cogzell 01:25:01; 2 Bertie Anderson 01:29:24; 3 Allan Britnell 01:29:26; 4 Leandro Pieterse 01:35:18; 5 Frans Berg 01:36:28; 6 Anrich Barkhuizen 01:36:33; 7 Stefan van den Heever 01:39:29; 8 Darren Stroberg 01:39:33; 9 Paul Vorster 01:43:33; and 10 Tyron Bothma 01:49:13.

Half Marathon/+-35km: OVERALL WOMEN
1 Yvonne Prinsloo 01:44:43; 2 Karla Grobler 01:57:21; 3 Chanette Haasbroek 01:58:50; 4 Christa Venter 02:06:09; 5 No Data 02:06:14; 6 Miquet Rossow 02:11:04; 7 Tamlyn Norcott 02:15:09; 8 Hannah Lansdell 02:17:21; 9 Laurel Doman 02:18:14; and 10 Elmie van Staden 02:18:57

Fun Ride/+-16km: OVERALL MEN
1 Tiaan Nel 00:50:13; 2 Christopher Priem 00:51:30; 3 Dirk Steenkamp 00:55:11; 4 Francois van Wyk 00:57:32; 5 Dewan Versloot 00:58:02; 6 Frans Naude 00:59:22; 7 Eric Lilje van Wyk 01:00:16; 8 Mark van Wyk 01:00:52; 9 Paul Mamakoko 01:01:39; and 10 Flip van der Merwe 01:04:44.

Fun Ride/+-16km: OVERALL WOMEN
1 Alicia Steenkamp 00:57:28; 2 Ilze Grobler 01:07:45; 3 Vanessa Beumer 01:13:57; 4 Altemerie Breedt 01:14:34; 5 Alex Davies 01:16:07; 6 Cornelia Elizabeth de Villiers 01:16:19; 7 Saskia Beheydt 01:21:06; 8 Annchen Klaver 01:21:46; 9 Isabelle Janse van Rensburg 01:22:48; and 10 Adel van den Heever 01:22:48.