School hosts second leg of MTB series

Several mountain bikers turned up to have a taste of the second leg of the SPUR Mpumalanga Schools MTB Series at Curro Nelspruit Colege this weekend.

There are seven races in total with the best four results to count. The provincial final is the Mankele event and is compulsory for all those wanting to qualify for the national final at Hoërskool Bekker in Magaliesburg.

Mountain biking is ranked as one of the fastest-growing sports in South Africa. Cycling SA has recently renewed its support for schools to promote and embrace this Olympic sporting discipline of cross-country (XCO) mountain biking, with the aim of building recognition for it within the school sport structure. It is against this background that SPUR steak ranches have renewed their support for the national school MTB series for 2015.

The race times fall in line with the new UCI race-time rulings for each age category as laid out below. Our UCI age categories adopt the international standard for mountain biking. This will allow the more senior riders to compete at national level within these respective categories. Riders score points for themselves with equal points going to their schools. Points will accumulate so at the end of the series a champion will be declared in each age group. The junior and senior school with the most points will receive a floating trophy and is declared the champion junior MTB or senior MTB school in the Lowveld.

The next race will be in Secunda on Saturday, followed by Penryn on June 13, June 20 at Curro Witbank, August 1 in Ermelo and the final at Mankele.

Here are this weekend’s winners:

Photos by Eugene Cilliers and Stefan de Villiers