Sanders, Max reign as MTB champions
Mountain-bike specialist Max Knox took home the glory and R15 000 cash prize at the inaugural Vodacom Hippo Hollow Challenge on Saturday, clocking an incredible time of 02:50:18 in the 75-kilometre race.
He was followed nearly 20 minutes later by senior rider Franco Pelser in second. JP Jung claimed third place on the podium with a time of 03:20:57. The two runners-up walked away with R7 500 and R5 000 respectively. Knox’s regular rival Nico Bell suffered a puncture early on in the route and could not complete the race.
Samantha Sanders finished well-ahead of Dalene van der Leek in a time of 03:26:59, to claim first prize among the female riders.
Accomplished junior rider Emile Fourie finished the 40-kilometre race just ahead of Reinhardt Viljoen in second place and Reynard van der Berg in third. The women’s race was also won by a junior rider, Monique Swart.
The brand-new MTB event, which was hosted by Induna Adventures with the route passing through Hippo Hollow and Elephant Whispers, participants were warned to watch out for hippos and crocodiles along the way.
Also read: Knox a rider to reckon with
Thereafter, the route continued past the Sabie and Marite rivers, forest plantations and agricultural land; incredible scenery for a mountain bike race but scenery which the top riders will hardly have noticed.
Organiser Tanya Knight said the event had gone off without a hitch and that the sponsors had gone the extra mile to make it a day worth remembering.
“Participants loved the route and next year, we hope it will grow. We were hoping for a few more entrants but unfortunately, many of the regular riders took part in the Mankele Avalanche. There are just not enough weekends in the year. There is an MTB event every weekend in Mpumalanga which is fantastic for the sport,” Knight told Hazyview Herald.
It was certainly an event for all ages and levels, with there being a 75-, 40- and 15-kilometre event and a two-kilometre event for the kiddies.
In a strange series of events, one of riders Bheki Dlamini had trouble with his bicycle. Another competitor, Lauren Erasmus lent him her bicycle to finish the race, a true show of sportsmanship and testament to the spirit of the event.
