Wilkinson and Du Toit win wet Expedition

The welcome rain across KZN added a nice challenge to riders taking part in the Bestmed Ballito Expedition presented by ASG, on Saturday.

It was 19-year-old rider, Matt Wilkinson, who negotiated the extremely wet and muddy conditions at Sugar Rush Park, the best to record victory in the 50km feature race in a time of 2:13:58.

Kargo Pro’s Alan Hatherly claimed the runner-up spot, with Tyrone White rounding off the podium.

Wilkinson’s win followed some controversy as Alan Hatherly, who started with the first batch of riders, crossed the line first. Wilkinson, having missed the start with batch one, was however awarded the win as he set a quicker time after starting in the third batch.

The KZN local said the slick single-track sections meant he had to “cope without too much braking”, opting to slow down instead of risking a slip and possible injury. Wilkinson, who placed ninth in both the sani2c and Hill2Hill mountain bike races earlier this year, said the Ballito Expedition was his last “leg test” for the year.

Junior national marathon champion Frankie du Toit (17) was the first woman home, adding the Ballito title to her long list of accolades in a time of 2:37:52. Debrah Thomas and Celeste Langenberg finished second and third respectively.