Tour de Lake offers challenging track

The second leg in the annual Spur Schools Mountain Bike League, Tour de Lake hosted at Stanford Lake College saw riders from Laerskool Pietersburg-Oos (Oosskool) and Louis Trichardt Hoërskool taking the lead after an exciting meet on Saturday.
Tour de Lake gave riders yet another chance to qualify for the finals to be hosted in Magaliesburg in October.
The league consists of 11 South African regions including neighbouring African countries such as Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho who compete for a spot in the season-ending national finals.
Prior to the finals riders will still have to compete in the Tour de Pot in Mokopane and Tour de Lip in Louis Trichardt on 3 and 17 September respectively.
Tour de Lake offered a challenging track amidst the picturesque terrain.
Starting at the college’s sport fields the track went down a steep track into the valley on the Northern side through the pine plantations.
In mountain biking terms this means single track, jumps, drop-offs, rock gardens and river crossings while the uphill to the finish promised a challenging and exhausting finish.
In the girls nipper category Oosskool learner Marili Nel claimed first place in a time of 22:11.62 while the boys category was won by her team mate John-Ross Donovan in a time of 21:10.61.
Home schoolers Lilian Baber (31:29.99) and Daniel van Coller (25:59.52) took first position in the girls and boys sprogs category respectively.
The sub-juniors boys and girls category was won by Dominique Nel (36:30.77) from Louis Trichardt and Arno Smit (25:29.71) from Hoërskool Piet Potgieter respectively.
Home schooler Emma Coller claimed first place in the girls youth category in a time of 48:24.46 while Triegie Richardt Lambert finished first in a time of 41:15.41.
The course was easy as pie for Hoërskool Merensky learner Amelia Middleton (1:01:06.10) claiming first place while Marno van Zyl from Louis Trichardt finished just under an hour in a time of 57:13.35.

Full results of Tour de Lake

The results of the second leg of the annual Spur Schools Mountain Bike League, Tour de Lake hosted at Stanford Lake College on Saturday are as follows:

Nippers

Girls

1. Marili Nel (22:11.62)
2. Tashane Ehlers
3. Jana Kotze

Boys

1. John-Ross Duvenhage (21:10.61)
2. Zino Mengouchi
3. Bradley Eager

Sprogs

Girls

1. Lilian Baber (31:29.99)
2. Lianke Fourie
3. Jamie Joubert

Boys

1. Daniel van Coller (25:59.52)
2. Ruan Janse van Vuuren
3. Reinhard Janse van Vuuren

Sub Juniors

Girls

1. Domonique Nel (36:30.77)
2. Simoné Oberholzer
3. Jennavieve Truter

Boys

1. Arno Smit (25:29.71)
2. Janco Coetzee
3. Ruben Middleton

Youth

Girls

1. Emma van Coller (48:24.46)
2. Reese Bain
3. Lara Dando

Boys

1. Richard Lambert (41:15.41)
2. David Grobbelaar
3. Carel Smit

Juniors

Girls

1. Amelia Middleton (1:01:06.10)
2. Jadie McLeod
3. Kirsten Eastes

Boys

1. Marno van Zyl (57:13.35)
2. Matthew Wilkinson
3. Lachlan Truesdale

Story: RC Myburgh
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Featured photo: The team from Hoër Tegniese Skool Tom Naudé participated in the Tour de Lake on Saturday. They are Ludick Taljaard, Ethnie Lloyd, Willem Potgieter, Jacques Kotze and Hanno Bester.