World-class cycling at Three Towers bike race
Team NAD and PYGA Euro Steel battled it out in a close race on the final day of the Toyota Malalane Three Towers on the weekend, Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys, of Team PYGA Euro Steel took the title.
The men’s teams of PYGA Euro Steel and Team NAD battled it out for the win at this year’s Malalane Toyota Three Towers mountain bike trail race at Mankele Bike Park over the weekend.
Matthys Beukes and Philip Buys, of Team PYGA Euro Steel took the title after three days of neck-and-neck racing, with Gawie Combrink and Nico Bell of Team NAD finishing less than a minute later.
According to Beukes, the final day’s racing went well with no serious issues.
“The tracks here at Mankele are always a pleasure to ride and the cooler conditions helped to make racing a little easier. Overall this is always a great race to take part in, especially as I didn’t race last year. It was good to be back on the trails.”
Candice Lill and Vera Adrian of Team Dormakaba took the women’s title, finishing 12 minutes ahead of Samantha Sanders and Amy Beth McDougall of Team Valencia Ladies.
Read more: Mountain bikers take on Three Towers – in pictures
“The women’s race was tight during the first two days, but Sanders and McDougall suffered a serious puncture on the second day which cost them almost 12 minutes overall. By the end of the second day, they managed to claw back about five minutes, but it all rests with the last day’s 48-kilometre stage,” said race director Brett Coates.
Coates commented on the first two days’ racing, saying due to the wet weather and cooler conditions the trails were much less dusty making it slightly easier to navigate the tricky sections.
The three-stage race featured a 75-kilometre stretch on day one, 70 kilometres on day two and a 48-kilometre stage on the last day.
Read more: A hard three days for cyclists
In the Challenge race, local junior riders Armand Lombard and Emile Fourie of Team Valencia Challenge finished in the fifth position, following a weekend of hard riding.
“The juniors displayed a weekend of convincing riding with some of the top national cross-country riders taking part in the challenge, as the Three Towers is one of the few stage races open to juniors in the country,” said Coates.
“It has been an awesome weekend of racing here at Mankele. The teams have been performing well and it’s been good to have the support of professional teams at this year’s Three Towers, as it really is one of the more respected stage races on the national calendar,” he concluded.
