Cyclists conquer the night
Where else are you going to find a five-year-old and pro actually riding in the same race and route?
Thick cloud cover welcomed numerous cyclists to the well-known Noon2Moon 2014, or as someone at the event said, Monsoon2Lagoon, at Merry Pebbles in Sabie.
However, the riders toughed it out and kept going through the rain, deep into the night on a course that got very tricky to the point of being hazardous.
Many riders fell victim to the slippery roads, but no serious injuries were reported.
One of the riders, Jan Delport, says that he was a little concerned about being held up in the single tracks by beginners and slow riders. “But the first lap went surprisingly smooth with no serious bottlenecks on any of the single tracks, all in all a good warm- up lap,” he says.
The track was in great shape with all the sweeps and bends offering great traction. As if the low light wasn’t challenging enough, the heavens opened up and that is when the handling got tricky.
The rain started to become heavier and unpleasant very quickly. A true mud fest as some described it.
Even though the slippery track proved to be fun, many riders had to stop to prevent damage or high maintenance, while others braved the weather and continued right until the end. Even children showed their bravery and confidence.
All of them were courteous and careful not to be in the way of the faster riders and that is one of the reasons why Noon2Moon is such a great race. Where else are you going to find a five-year-old and pro actually riding in the same race and route.
Here are the results:
• Sub-juniors (six hours): Team Chain Breakers ended on top of the podium with 14 laps in a time of five hours and 48 minutes.
• Sub-junior girls (six hours): Fantastic 4 won with a time of 04:39:14 and seven laps.
• Juniors (10 hours): Valencia Vbike 1 did 29 laps in a time of 09:37:37.
• Seniors (10 hours): Bells Cycling did a cracking 34 laps and went on to take first place with a time 09:52:30. They also ended up in first place overall, with Has Been Fatties hot on their heals with 32 laps and a time of 09:48:35.
• In the senior women (10 hour) decision, The Incredibles reigned supreme with a total of 20 laps and a time of 09:27:24.
• In the sub-veteran (10 hours) class, Valencia/Mankele finished with a whopping 31 laps in a time of 09:42:50. Of all groups they ended up in third place.
• The Lowveld Masters ended in first place in the veterans (10 hours) class in a time of 09:31:16.
• The Downhill Divas showed their cycling prowess in veteran women (10 hours) class, with a total of 16 laps in a time of 07:27:21.
• In the solo class, Nico Nel did 23 laps in a time of 09:53:06, taking first place in the men’s division.
• Representing the ladies, Amanda Bosch came out on top with 16 laps in a time of 07:39:53.
