Tough terrain for Enduro riders
The Imperial Toyota Nelspruit KMIA Enduro, hosted by KMIA, started off on a cold and misty morning. This was the first time our pits were literally up against the airport fence.
We were situated at the far end among the graveyard of planes – a somewhat unusual site, but welcomed by both competitors and spectators.
Robin Flores was the master track builder and devoted a lot of time to its preparation.
An enduro track must have great names for the climbs and dangerous obstacles that must be conquered. The first obstacle, a step-down hill, was called the Valley of Death.
ALSO READ: Classic Ford styling an upmarket upgrade
And, of course, I had to walk it. Eish man, Robin… Fortunately, we had marshals on standby to assist. Not easy work, but the boys stayed right to the end and worked effortlessly helping riders. Well done! Following this, there was the rock garden.
Here the green and red routes split from the pink. The pink class hosted a mix of beginners, younger riders and women. It is awesome to see a lot more ladies competing in this event – seven in total.
I think that, instead of waiting in the pits for their tired husbands or boyfriends to return from the route, they decided to just join in. Amy Sutton, the top LEC rider, finished in first position. She bashed bars with the boys and took on the same obstacles they did.
Also read: An atmosphere of pride at South African Bike Festival 2018
Eventually I decided to chopper-hop the routes but alas, weather conditions and air restrictions killed that intention.
There were no friendships lost in the Pro Elite class. There were some good money prizes up for grabs. It was war from the first drop of the clutches. Barend Erasmus, on the first lap, took the lead with Mauritz Meiring in second place and Luke Walker chasing them.
ALSO READ: Blind biker has no limits for his motorcycle club
Each lap was a demanding, energy-sapping 25km, taking about an hour to complete. These three riders eventually also finished in the top-three positions on the podium. And of course now, they were best buds again. The Lowveld Enduro Club personifies sportsmanship and friendship.
On a more personal note, I would like to thank everyone who took part in the raffle towards a trip to Turkey, where I will represent the LEC in September at the Sea to Sky Extreme Enduro. Big thanks to the sponsors for the awesome prizes that were up for grabs. It was a pleasure having all our loyal competitors coming out to play.
