Cyclists conquer York Timber rally

Mountain biking was taken to a whole new level when the York Enduro Mountain Bike Rally kicked of for the first time ever in Sabie this past weekend. According to the York Timbers team, they have been working very hard for the past four months to design and build “the most spectacular” mountain bike and trail in the Lowveld. Although South Africa’s leading pro cyclists were invited to this prestigious event, local riders also took a stand and delivered exceptional results. Lourens Beeslaar, who is steadily climbing the mountain bike ladder, took part in the 40km adventure challenge while Rynard Viljoen of Laerskool Lydenburg show what he was made of when he grabbed gold in the 19km adventure ride on Sunday.

The three-day event kicked off on Friday when both pros and corporates were put to the test in a friendly 3,2km downhill and 3km cross-country course, which was won by Lourens Luus in the men’s category and Samantha Sanders in the women’s.

On Saturday corporate teams, together with a chosen pro who was selected at a prestigious gala dinner the previous night, headed for the 58km Enduro race while trail runners had the opportunity to participate in the 12km York adventure trail run. Sasol’s four-rider team and its guest professional rider, Ben Melt Swanepoel, dominated the inaugural York Enduro Mountain Bike Rally by winning the gruelling 58km race.

“From my perspective everything was absolutely spot on,” managing director of Sasol Oil, Alan Cameron said. The trail run was won by Sven Musica with Lynn Biesheuvel the first woman home. “It has been such a privilege for York to host an event like this,” said CEO of York Timbers, Pieter van Zyl. “We saw some of the most talented mountain bikers in our country showing off their skills on our trails and on the special cross-country track on the Sabie Golf Course, which provided great entertainment.”

According to Kirsten Coetzee, chief human capital officer, all the proceeds will contribute to various York Timbers community projects and support change makers in the area. “All the money raised during the auction will help us continue the legacy we are creating – it will further the vision we have for the upliftment of our community and our town, and for that we are grateful.”

Although this was definitely an event many would remember, it was not the only one that grabbed the attention of sports enthusiasts in the region. The Mpumalanga Schools MTB series came to an end on Saturday at Mankele and Laerskool Lydenburg stood out, especially in the category of grades 5 to 6. Jean van der Merwe of Laerskool Lydenburg was crowned overall winner in the sprog boys category while Reinard Viljoen came second.