LIMPOPO – Local mountain biking champion Aron van den Borre kicked off his provincial campaign with an impressive performance at the Euphoria Golf Estate in Mookgophong.

Competing in the Cross-Country Track (XCC) sub-junior (u/14) category, Van den Borre secured second place in the short but highly intense event. He narrowly missed out on victory, finishing just a split second behind winner Daniel Dreyer, who clocked a time of 00:11:6.5. Van den Borre crossed the line in 00:11:6.6, while Musa Chauke, also a Kingfisher Private School learner, secured third place with a time of 00:12:17.7. Fellow schoolmate Kgaogelo Monyela finished fifth in 00:13:18.3.

In the main event, the Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) race, Van den Borre dominated despite a rough start, narrowly avoiding a crash. He completed the three-lap race in 00:54:39.4, securing a well-deserved victory. Dreyer finished second in 00:54:20, with Joost Pretorius from Polokwane taking third in 01:02:27.

Chauke and Monyela placed fourth and eighth with times of 01:02:31 and 01:22:09, respectively.

Van den Borre’s father and coach, Stefan van den Borre, praised all the riders for their competitive spirit, especially given the challenging muddy conditions. He confirmed that preparations are underway for Aron’s next challenge, the SA Mountain Bike event in Paarl, Western Cape.

The next provincial race is scheduled for March 15 at Moorddrift Farm in Mokopane.