Two of Potchefstroom’s finest mountain bike riders, Pieter du Toit and Danielle Strydom, made light work of the FNB Magalies Monster Mountain Bike Classic last weekend. Both riders notched up impressive wins in their respective categories in this 65-km marathon event at ATKV Buffelspoort on Saturday, 1 June.
Du Toit and Strydom, who are a couple, bested 1,300 other mountain bikers in the 17th edition of this acclaimed event.

Du Toit, who was still smiling when he crossed the finish line, claimed victory in a deserving time of two hours and 53 minutes.
“The Magalies Monster is a very cool race to do. It’s one of the tougher ones, so it’s great to do well here. The ride started quite slowly with a big bunch of riders staying together. I managed to get a small gap of 10–15 seconds on the Monster climb. From there, the gap just grew and I had a good race. It’s nice to claim gold because, last year, I punctured and the Monster beat me. It’s great to beat the Monster this year,” stated Du Toit.
Marc Fourie came in second, while Keagan Bontekoning finished third.

In the women’s race, Strydom secured victory in three hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds. “The FNB Magalies Monster MTB Classic is the only race that I know of where the downhills are tougher than the uphills,” laughs Strydom. “That says a lot because this event is known for its “Monster” climb. This is an iconic race, one that a lot of people talk about. It is a good feeling to be able to win it,” she added. Sanet Coetzee came in second, while Brigitte Joubert finished third.