Local cyclists excel in TransCape MTB Race
NORTHCLIFF – Linden and Northcliff residents straddle their saddles in the seven-day TransCape MTB Race.
The second edition of the multi-stage TransCape MTB Cycle Race ended with two Northcliff mountain bike enthusiasts, Bonny Swanepoel and Martin Buck, among the top performers in the race.
The duo, who between them have nearly completed 20 Absa Cape Epics and numerous other stage races, started at dawn on 7 February at Knysna’s Waterfront with the rest of the elite field of cyclists.
On day one, they had to traverse Simola Hill and then Gouna Road, Homtini Pass and Seven Passes, climbing a cumulative 2 716m in the process. Swanepoel and Buck crossed the finish line at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Campus in George in 05:58:48. They were the first mixed pair home for the day.
The pair, aka ‘Buckingswan’, travelled through many passes and sections of the Klein Karoo, Gamkaberg, Calitzdorp, Riverdal, Swellendam, Greyton, Villiersdorp and made it through 40 Deg C heat and single track routes. While many of the top riders commented on the race’s difficulty, Buck said, “It’s a mountain bike race, what do you expect?” Buckingswan were the first mixed team at the finish every day for the first six days of the race.
Finally, the pair cycled through the Groenlandberg and Franschhoek pass before the finish line at La Couronne Wine Farm in Franschhoek on 13 February. For the first time in the event, Buckingswan were not the first mixed team over the line but came in second in 04:02:23. However, Swanepoel and Buck were still the 2016 TransCape mixed team classification gold medal winners in a time of 38:18:23.
Another Northcliff resident who completed this event, was Richard Feher. He rode with Leon van der Nest of Kensington in support of the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players Fund. The duo achieved their objectives and at times spent over eight hours a day in the saddle, getting their fill of the beautiful views on the route. At the end of the seven days, the two finished the 750km race in 53:47:10 which saw them place 21st in the men’s team division.
Linden resident Alexis Mechanicos also took up the TransCape challenge. Mechanicos expressed the food on the race was a major draw card but he did the hard work on his bike during the week to finish in the solo men’s category in 50:55:02, coming 18th in his division.
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Northcliff cyclist conquers TransCape race
