Local riders reap rewards
Quite a number of Mpumalanga riders made the trip and had some great results. Being the last of the series the overall positions were also decided for the series categories.
This past Saturday was the last of the 2015 South Africa National Cross Country series races at Cascades in Pietermaritzburg.
Quite a number of Mpumalanga riders made the trip and had some great results. Being the last of the series the overall positions were also decided for the series categories.
Jooste Coetzee excelled for sprog boys and got a fourth place in Pietermaritzburg as well as a fourth overall. The young, up-and-coming girls rider, Ainsli de Beer also just missed a spot on the podium, and ended in fourth place. After the overall results, Ainsli got a well-deserved third place.
Dirk Lourens is the only rider who managed to get a spot in the top three for subveteran men, and received bronze. Well-know local rider, Mark Meyer didn’t place on the podium at Saturday’s race, but did finish third overall.
“Our young kids like Ainsli and Jooste both have huge potential and are definitely among the top in their categories in the country and will go on to big things. Next up is the SA Championships in Stellenbosch. It is the biggest, best-funded SA Champs we have ever had with over R400 000 being spent on building a world-class track at the university. Many of our Mpumalanga riders are making the trip and we are hoping for some podiums,” said director of Mountain Bike for Cycling South Africa, Brett Coates.
The results were as follows:
Nipper boys
• Alex Meyer – 11th
• Michael Meyer – 12th
Sprog boys
• Jooste Coetzee – Fourth
• Waldo Potgieter – Ninth
Sprog girls
• Ainsli de Beer – Fourth
Subjunior boys
• Jean van de Merwe – Sixth
Youth women
• Marnique de Swart – Eighth
Junior men
• Andreas Kuhn – 10th
• Franco Pelser – 15th
• Martin Oosthuizen – 17th
• Ryno Beukes – 23rd
Subveteran men
• Dirk Lourens – Third
• Mark Meyer – Fourth.
The overall 2015 series podium results are as follows and these awards will be handed out at the South African Championships in Cape Town on July 18:
Nipper boys
• Alex Meyer – Fifth
• Michael Meyer – Sixth
Sprog boys
• Jooste Coutzee – Fourth
• Waldo Potgieter – Sixth
Sprog girls
• Ainsli de Beer – Third
Subjunior boys
• Jean van der Merwe – Fourth
Youth women
• Marnique de Swart – Sixth
Subveteran men
• Mark Meyer – Second
• Dirk Lourens – Fourth.
