Hatrick for Menlopark at Spur Schools MTB finals
A strong network of regional co-ordinators, as well as increased involvement from schools are playing a key role in getting mountain biking established as a main stream school sport.
Hoërskool Menlopark dominated the 2015 Spur Schools Mountain Bike League finals winning the boys, girls and mixed team trophies.
A field of 400 mountain bike riders representing 40 schools from across South Africa as well as a team from Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia competed for the coveted Spur Schools Mountain Bike League Championship trophy, but the stellar performances of the Menlopark riders proved supreme.
Henry Liebenberg and Martien Venter finished second and third respectively in the junior men’s race, Chris du Plessis third in the youth men 15 years and with together with points scored by Gustav Rohdey (youth men 16) and Wessel Botha (junior men) logged 116 points to win.
Paul Roos Gimnasium finished second with 101 points and Midstream College third with 76 points.
Strong races by sub-junior riders Monique du Toit and Antonique Grotsius who took first and third place and a close second by Safron Vosloo after a sprint finish won by Nicoline Marais of Rustenburg High School, secured 75 points for a convincing win.
Newcomers to the Spur Schools Mountain Bike League finals, Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool and York High School from the Southern Cape delivered surprisingly good performances to finish second and third with 56 and 49 points.
The top five performances in the mixed team category saw Menlopark scoring an impressive 124 points for a comfortable win with Potchefstroom Gimnasium second with 100 points and Midstream College taking another podium position finishing third with 86 points.
The day was marked by top class riding in hot conditions on a technical 4.5km track with a 60 meter climb.
League organiser Meurant Botha stated that it was encouraging to see the increasing number of schools that have adopted mountain biking as an official school sport. “Schools are taking mountain bike riding to the next level through coaching clinics and high performance training camps, while constantly introducing new riders to the sport. On grass roots levels various rider development programmes have been implemented around the country,” said Botha.
Two development teams partaking in the 2015 finals are Diepsloot Academy, who is already thoroughly entrenched in the series and newcomers Tswane Urban Riders that attended the Spur Schools National Finals for the first time.
