Willie van Eck burned up the five legs of the senior/elite race at the Mpumalanga Enduro #3 at MTO Trails, White River, on Saturday.

Competitors in this thrilling mountain bike enduro series are timed over predetermined legs, rather than from start to finish. Their total combined leg times decide the results.

A full field of riders of all ages, ranging from national-level competitors to Sunday sloggers, took to the single-track and bush tunnels on the course.

Van Eck, one of South Africa’s top cross-country and enduro riders, took the lead after leg 1 and never relinquished it, clocking the fastest time on all five legs.

His winning time was 12 minutes, 42 seconds.

Joe Bester was second in 13:43.

Junior race winner and third male overall was Tyrone Anders in 13:46.

Zandri Strydom clocked the fourth fastest overall time of the day. Her effort of 14:35 gave her the senior/elite women’s victory. She also took the lead after leg 1 and retained it for legs 2 to 5.

Danika Botha was the second female home in 16:28. This effort gave her first place in the junior female category.

Louise Kotze took third women’s place and first veteran place in 16:30.

The age/category results are as follows:
Full enduro
Senior/elite male
1. Willie van Eck – 12:42
2. Joe Bester – 13:43
3. Juan Badenhorst – 15:19.
Junior male
1. Tyrone Anders – 13:46
2. Tal Ezan-Tidhar – 14:57
3. Riku de Lange 14:58.
Sub-veteran male
1. Justin Victor – 14:43
2. Dustin Rudman – 14:57
3. Chad Westhuizen – 16:13.
Youth male
1. Tristan Vorster – 15:12
2. Max van Zyl – 15:49
3. Lance Murray – 15:53.
Master male
1. Barry Crouse – 15:19
2. Trent Sinclair – 16:33
3. Werner Lategan – 17:04.
Veteran male
1. Robert Moore – 16:09
2. Brett Stephen – 16:14
3. Andrew Duvenhage – 17:25.
Nipper male
1. Ethan Duvenhage – 17:00.
Sprog male
1. Morné van Niekerk – 20:49.
Senior/elite female
1. Zandri Strydom – 14:35
2. Julia Kotze – 17:29.
Youth female
1. Danika Botha – 16:28.
Veteran female
1. Louise Kotze – 16:30
2. Wendy Odendaal – 18:04
3. Kelly Marnewick – 20:28.
Sub-veteran female
1. Licarmi Smith – 18:50.
Master female
1. Sabine Cowie – 26:07.
Grandmaster female
1. Kerry Rice – 27:28.
e-Bike
Open male
1. Stephen de Haas – 14:42
2. Craig Gebhardt – 16:02
3. Peter Keller – 20:04.
Open female
1. Hildegard Setzkorn – 21:02.