Charging Bull speeds to Avalanche victory
The Mankele Avalanche was once again a thrilling affair, with more than 50 riders racing against the clock on three different and difficult stages.
Competitors were shuttled to the top of three downhill runs which they had two opportunities to tackle, with only their best times counted.
The rivalry between legendary ex-downhill racer, Dirk Lourens and Mark Meyer, came to a crashing halt on Saturday when Lourens hit a tree and had to withdraw.
According to one of the organisers, Brett Coates, riders were treated to a full weekend of real mountain-bike fun with rocks, fast single-track and purpose-built wooden ramps and drops.
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“The Mankele Avalanche is a unique event that tests riders’ fitness as well as their ultimate skill. After the weekend of racing, the top three men and women took home all the spoils,” Coates said.
Meyer, one of the owners of Mankele Mountain Biking said, “We designed this race to give a core group of mountain bikers a whole weekend of the best proper mountain biking available in the Lowveld. These guys come from all over South Africa to test their skills, and they come back year-on-year.”
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Top three male riders and total time for stages 1, 2 and 3
1. Sam Bull (45:09)
2. Mark Meyer (47:16)
3. Constant Furstenberg (48:25)
Top three female riders
1. Zandri Strydom (50:34)
2. Elja van Urk (56:18)
3. Louise Kotze (56:56).
