Mopani MTB 2019 brings out the best in riders

The 2019 Mopani MTB Challenge kicked off from Halls Gateway on Saturday morning, with entrants of all ages and genders ready to put their feet firmly to the pedals over the race’s 15, 30 and 50 kilometre races. The course extended through nearby Mataffin and the area quickly became a veritable dust bowl as the racers pedalled furiously in hopes of claiming first place.

Competitors in the 50-kilometre distance were off the mark at 07:30, while the other two distances left the gate at 08:00 for the 30-kilometre entrants and 08:30 for the 15-kilometre mountain bikers. It was not all tough competition for the racers though; there were smiles and thumbs-ups all around as they made their way over the course, tyres singing as they neared the bend at the Mataffin stables.

Groups of mountain bikers encouraged one another when the going got tough and their partners were on the verge of giving up. On the whole, the atmosphere was one of camaraderie and helping fellow competitors get to the finish line. The race over the three distances was anything but tight, with the winners edging out the runners-up by up to about four minutes on average.

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Roelien Horn claimed first place in the 15-kilometre FUN category with a time of 00:48:15 and a speed of 18,65, placing her at 12th overall. In the men’s results, Keegan Phelan edged out the competition in the FUN category with an average speed of 21,92 and a time of 00:41:04, placing him in second place overall.

Jock Lewis from Nipper Boy took first place with a time of 00:53:40 and a speed of 16,77, putting him at number 26 overall. In the new electric, or E-bike, category, Eric Franz claimed the top spot with a time of 00:43:11 and a speed of 20,84, putting him in seventh position overall. In the open ladies 30-kilometre category, Adri Kruger pedalled to top spot with a time of 01:24:24 at a speed of 21,33, placing her 11th overall.

Jafta Mashego took the men’s category over the same distance with a time of 01:18:42 and a speed of 22,87, placing him in first position overall. Gabriel Burns, Tertius Breytenbach and Jean Steyn represented the Sprog boys well, and came first in the men’s sub-junior. In the last category, the 50-kilometre race, Jooste Coetzee claimed first place in the junior men’s category, recording a time of 01:48:21 and a speed of 27,69, placing him in sixth position overall.

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Christo Carelsen edged out the competition in the senior men’s category with a time of 01:36:01 and a speed of 31,24, maintaining the same position overall. The veteran ladies’ race was won by Yvonne Wilcocks, in a time of 02:19:29 and a speed of 21,51, putting her in sixth place overall. In the men’s category, Bester Burger claimed the top spot in a time of 01:36:07, placing him in second place overall.