Mountain bikers show their grit

The first Limpopo XCO (Cross Country Mountain Bike) event of the season took place in Phalaborwa recently. The event has grown significantly since its inception three years ago and more schools have joined the series.
Although relatively small the Stanford Lake College (SLC) team managed to claim a few podium positions with more than half the riders finishing in the top ten of their respective categories.
The best performance on the day was Reese Bain’s victory in the Youth Girls with team mate Lara Dando finishing in third place after Christelle Coetzer from Hoërskool Merensky. In the Junior Women category Kirsten Eastes was third after Amelia Middleton (Hoërskool Merensky) and Joleen de Swardt (Hoërskool Louis Trichardt). Paul Dando and Matt Wilkinson finished second and third respectively in the Junior Men’s category which was won by Marno van Zyl also from Hoërskool Louis Trichardt.
SLC Marketer Rona McGaffin said they were appreciative of the tremendous support by parents during the event and looking forward to hosting the Tour de Lake on 13 August.

Featured Photo: Stanford Lake College mountain bikers Matt Wilkinson, third, and his teammate Paul Dando, runner-up, on the podium with Hoërskool Louis Trichardt’s Marno van Zyl, winner of the Junior Men’s category of the annual Tour de Gat held in Phalabarwa recently.