Young Ballito cyclists Josh Johnson and Madison Bateson led the charge at Sunday’s Amashova National Classic, each taking top honours in their age categories over 106km.

Daniel van der Watt (21), also from Ballito, cruised to the men’s 132km title in 3:24:00 to give the North Coast three winners on the day.

Johnson (17) claimed the U19 title in a fiercely contested field, while Bateson (15) powered to victory in the U17 division with an excellent time of 2:54:07 in Durban.

Johnson clocked in his winning time at 02:18:10, earning the junior yellow jersey and R1 500 in prize money.

Johnson also placed an impressive fifth overall out of 1 457 male riders. The Amashova, one of South Africa’s most renowned road races, challenges cyclists with a demanding route inspired by the Comrades Marathon.

This year, more than 3 500 riders competed across four distances – 38km, 65km, 106km and 132km – as part of the race’s 39th edition.

The race started at Pietermaritzburg City Hall, winding through the Midlands and Valley of a Thousand Hills before finishing under the Masabalala Yengwa Pedestrian Bridge in Durban.

“Winning the age group race is a good outcome,” said Johnson.

This marked Johnson’s first race against South Africa’s elite riders since returning from Europe. Although he narrowly missed an overall podium finish, he was pleased with his performance.

“A strong pace was set early to test the rest of the field. I wanted to make a move but mistimed it, so I settled into the following bunch and aimed for a podium position.”

Johnson, who also won the U17 Amashova title in 2023, recently became the first African rider to join the prestigious U19 development team of World Tour outfit Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

Home-schooled and regularly training in Europe, Johnson credits his family and friends for their unwavering support in helping him achieve his goals.

“Road racing has given me the opportunity to turn my passion into a career, and I am determined to make it to the highest level,” he said.

Errin Mackridge (18) – Another Ballito DriveTrain Academy rider – also impressed, finishing second in the women’s U19 106km category in a time of 2:57:20.

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.