Local riders have a taste for winning

Mountain bikers of Hoërskool Lydenburg currently lead the Mpumalanga leg of the Spur School Mountain Bike Series. This race takes place throughout the country and in neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Namibia and Swaziland.

Each province and country conducts a series, and the podium winners for the high- school categories will participate in the final at Bekker High School in Magaliesberg on October 8 and 9.

Besides the podium winners, riders from schools can take part in a competition where points will be allocated to all pupils who have ridden for their school.

The local school has had 47 participants in the series and is leading by 821 points, with Hoërskool Nelspruit following on 454 and Uplands College on 342.

As the leaders, Hoërskool Lydenburg will be able to take 12 competitors to the final, while the others in second and third place may only take six each.

In Mpumalanga, the series stretched over six qualifying races, beginning at Uplands College on July 23 and ending on

September 17 in Ermelo (hosted by Ermelo Christian School).

The final will be held this Saturday at Mankele Bike Park in Mbombela.

In order to qualify, riders had to take part in three of the qualifying races and will have a challenge to be selected for the Mpumalanga provincial team.

Hoërskool Lydenburg performed exceptionally well.

In the sub junior boy’s category, Reinhardt Viljoen (325) is in second position and Christiaan Labuschagne (334) in third. Reinhardt is going into the final with three first places, and if he wins the final, will move to first place. In the sub junior girls, sisters Bernice (401) and Simone (404) are currently second and third.

Kay-lee Lindeque (255) is third in the youth under 15 category and Stephnie Fritz (265) second in the youth under 16.

The most exciting and very close race is that of the youth boys category.

Nathan Kurensky (154) is leading the youth under 15 boys and is closely challenged by Rikus Booyens (155), with only three points separating them. Nathan Kurensky is level with Ryan Terry of Uplands in the combined youth boys under 15 and 16.

If he wins the final at Mankele, he will be first in the youth category overall. Rikus Booyens shares second place with Jeandre Gautier of Witbank.

It will be a battle between them for third and fourth in the combined youth boys category. Jessica Schulz (102) is representing Hoërskool Lydenburg in the junior women’s category and is presently ranking in second place.

Hoërskool Lydenburg is represented in the top 10 of all the categories.