Botha, Strydom conquer the Magalies Monster

Wessel Botha and Danielle Strydom proved to be the strongest of the strong on June 3 when they conquered the revered Fedhealth Magalies Monster MTB Classic full marathon in impressive times.

Men’s winner Wessel crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 51 minutes and 24 seconds followed by Pieter du Toit in second place while Shaun-Nick Bester placed third. For the women, Danielle finished in a time of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 51 seconds with Nicolette Griffioen placing second and Samantha Sanders in third.

Starting at the ATKV Buffelspoort at 08:00, the Magalies Monster boasted four events to choose from namely a full marathon, half marathon, fun ride and kids event.

The full marathon consisted of a +-65km route with a total ascent of 1 433m and featured a good mixture of terrain. One of the most beautiful mountain biking routes in and around Gauteng and the North West province, riders got to enjoy gravel roads, a Jeep track, rocky single track, technical climbs, and descents. About 20km of the total route was on farming jeep tracks in and around citrus, blueberry and cherry orchards. The most iconic section of this route, the Monster Climb, was on the Maanhaarrand Pass Road going all the way up to the highest point on Breedtsnek at 1 765m above sea level.

The half marathon featured a +-33km route that included an ascent of 711m. It might not be the big Monster Route, but it was still tough and fun to do. This distance is unique, as it is perfect for younger athletes that want to race each other in a highly competitive environment. It is also the perfect route for athletes that are new to the sport, as 70% of the route was very ridable and non-technical. It is, however, the Magalies Monster, and there were many sections that reminded riders of that.

For this race, it was Stephan Aldum who finished first in the men’s race in a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 27 seconds followed by Ronnie Purnell in second place and Wijan Nieuwoudt in third place. Yvonne Prinsloo finished first in the women’s race in a time of 1 hour, 48 minutes and 51 seconds, followed by Zandri Grundling in second place and Kirsten Niekerk in third place.

The fun ride was just that, 15km (with a 271 ascent) of pure mountain biking bliss in the Buffelspoort Valley. The route offered an exciting variety of terrain including farming jeep tracks, untouched Magaliesberg mountain trails and indigenous bushveld. Riders got to enjoy cycling in a beautiful indigenous bushveld forest that was easy to negotiate and perfect for new riders entering the sport of mountain biking.

Francois van Wyk finished first in the men’s race in a time of 52 minutes 41 seconds, followed by Wynand (Jnr) de Goede in second place and Frans Naude in third place. Magda Bronkhorst finished first in the women’s race in a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 30 seconds, followed by Tanicka van Greunen in second place and Donita Visser in third place.

Thank you to every mountain bike enthusiast who joined us at the Magalies Monster.

“We loved spending time with you all in the beautiful Magaliesberg, and trust that you had a fun time with your family and friends. We hope to welcome you back to our race again next year,” said Fedhealth principal officer Jeremy Yatt.