North Coast junior mountain bikers claimed an impressive seven gold medals at the largest and most competitive leg of the Cycle Lab Schools MTB Series last weekend.

Hosted at Howick High School, the event was the fourth and final preliminary leg before the national championships at Piet Retief Hoërskool in Mpumalanga on October 4 and 5.

Ashton’s golden duo

Joshua Paul (17-18 boys) and Sophia Lombaard (U14 girls) of Ashton International College Ballito continued their unbeaten streaks.

Both swept their categories across all four stages, never relinquishing the coveted yellow jerseys.

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Joshua continued his fine form and made it back-to-back unbeaten Cycle Lab Schools MTB Series after achieving the same feat in 2024.

“I’m beyond stoked to win all four KZN events,” said Joshua, who clocked the fastest time of the day at 51:00 over seven laps.

“This course was fast and fun, smooth and flat, with just enough kickers to keep it spicy.”

Sophia (44:25) finished 50 seconds ahead of the second-placed rider in her age group. She celebrated her clean sweep and looked ahead to the national finals next month.

Daniel Abdo (43:17) finished third, making his first podium of the series in the sub-junior boys’ category.

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“It was an incredible experience racing in the biggest field of the series,” said Sophia.

“It’s exciting to see the growth of the sport in schools and I’m looking forward to representing Ashton and KZN at the national finals in Piet Retief.”

Curro’s comeback kid

After a wipeout at Umhlali Prep last month, Curro Salt Rock’s Cody Maidman bounced back to reclaim the top spot in the 15-16 boys’ category.

He showed dominant power on the last lap where he opened up a 15-second gap to make it a treble of golds.

“Howick always hosts a great race, with some fun features,” said Cody.

Despite being in a younger age group, Cody’s (51:17) time was just 17 seconds behind Joshua, as he cruised to victory.

“I’m thrilled to have held the leader jersey throughout the series, especially considering the tough competition in the youth category.”

Madison’s magnificent hat-trick

Madison Bateson (TES College) completed a trio of gold medals in the 15-16 girls’ category while competing in Howick.

She finished in 40:41, ahead of fellow North Coast rider Natalie Kluza (Curro Salt Rock), who clocked 42:33.

Madison enjoyed the course and said she was happy to regain the yellow jersey after missing a leg of the series.

“It was a super cool course to end the series with a few awesome features such as berms, jumps, and a floating bridge over the pool,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to the finals on the first weekend in October.”

Natalie loved the twisting berms, sharp corners and jumps and says she is at home at this level of racing.

“The race was definitely one to remember – it was any cyclist’s dream!” she said.

“My nerves quickly vanished after the start, and I felt at home against Madison and Lucy Bolland, two amazing cyclists. I cannot wait for the nationals.”

Podium power for the Mackridge siblings

Errin Mackridge (17-18 girls) earned silver with a time of 42:32 over five laps, despite picking up a puncture on the last lap.

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Her brother Cameron took bronze in the 15-16 boys’ category with a time of 51:55. The Northwood High School racer finished just 38 seconds behind Cody despite a dropped chain putting a spoke in his wheels.

Umhlali Prep shines in primary school divisions

Umhlali Prep’s young riders claimed three golds and one silver medal in an excellent performance in the Midlands.

Sophie Bircher (25:58) and Patrick Cleghorn (25:42) won double gold in the U13 category. Sophie’s win was her fourth in a row and she also ended the series undefeated.

Scarlett Elliot won the sub-nippers (U9 girls) race in 22:48 and Millie Buckley (25:58) added a silver in the four-lap Sprog (10-12 girls) category.

Find a full list of results here.

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