Nico Bell reigns supreme at SAs
Team NAD Pro's Nico Bell claimed the South African National MTB Marathon Championship title on Sunday, crossing the finish line in three hours 33 minutes and 11 seconds, at the Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
Defending men’s champion, Max Knox struggled with a puncture close to 20 kilometres into the race and had to pull out. Second-place finisher in 2016, Gawie Combrinck (NAD Pro) was also forced to withdraw after 60 kilometres, due to a rib injury he sustained at sani2c.
Last year Bell placed fourth overall.
“I went as hard as I could and then pushed my own boundaries to see how deep I could dig. I was so motivated for this win. I did not look back until the descent and I realised that I had a small gap.
“I put my head down and just stomped on the pedals,” he said.
“It was a hard route today. There was a lot of climbing and at 35 kilometres in, there was a very steep climb. When we hit the concrete section, Philip upped the pace and I was on his wheel. As he sat up I went past him and I kept going harder and harder. I tried hard to open it up even more,” added Bell.
He opened up a gap of over two minutes and forty seconds.
Also read: Bell wins Mpumalanga road title
“I realised that I was quite a gap ahead and knew that they wouldn’t catch me on the downhill. I’m just really happy to walk away with the win today,” he said.
Valencia’s Amy Beth McDougall upped her game since last year’s third place to take second overall, just minutes behind multiple national mountain-bike champion, Robyn de Groot.
Keeping in mind McDougall had completed the Absa Cape Epic, the joberg2c and sani2c.
“Robyn and I raced together most of the 60-kilometre route. She put me under a lot of pressure.
“I rode strong over the first half of the race, but her legs were stronger than mine. I am quite proud of my podium-place finish,” said McDougall.
Results
Elite men – 80km
1. Nico Bell – 03:33:11
2. Philip Buys – 03:36:06
3. Gert Heyns – 03:36:16.
Elite women – 60km
1. Robyn de Groot – 02:51:59
2. Amy Beth McDougall – 02:54:03
3. Christie-Leigh Hearder – 03:12:47.
Sam Sanders (Valencia) took top honours in the second leg of the Nissan TrailSeeker Gauteng, at Buffelsdrift MTB Park on Saturday.
Also read: Local athlete soon to pedal for country
“The route was relatively flat with a lot of single track. I knew I wouldn’t break away from the bunch over the first 30 kilometres. There was a big climb coming up and I managed to get away from the bunch and stay away. It was a really cool route and I am super stoked to win the second leg,” said Sanders.
