Clinical team TIB claim dusi2c title

HAVING built up a healthy buffer after stage one, Andrew Hill and Tyronne White maintained their dominance with another stage win and the overall BSi Steel dusi2c title on Sunday, while the Jeannie Dreyer and John Ntuli combination was the strongest mixed combination over the two days of racing.

The benefit of having a healthy lead meant that Team TIB’s Hill and White were not required to push the pace, and after the group broke down to two pairs early on the leaders had to make sure that they did not lose touch of the Team Safire outfit of Warren Price and Trevor Rowe.

“Today was going to be a day that was going to suit Trevor and Warren because of their strengths on the flats. We didn’t have to make the pace so we wanted to be a little conservative to avoid making any mistakes. We rode a good tempo and it was great to ride with them [team Safire], it was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed the route – it ended up being a really nice day for riding!” first-time winner Tyronne White commented.

Hill, who has won every edition of the BSi Steel dusi2c, has seen the race grow from strength-to-strength and ranks the 2016 edition of the race up there as one of his favourite instalments of the event.

“The race has definitely improved every year and having guys like the Durban Green Corridor involved cutting and setting up the trails really just helps the race step up every year. With all factors considered I would definitely say that this year’s race ranks up there with one of the best I have raced,” Hill mentioned.

Hill claimed his fourth title in 2016 but White returns home with his first and the North Coast resident is happy that the planets finally aligned allowing him and Hill to take on the two-day adventure together.

Team Safire were always going to be up against it coming into the final stage and with such a sharp, flat stage the chance to get away from the leaders never arose however the Price and Rowe duo held on to their second place comfortably. The final spot on the podium was a fight between two of the RMB Change a Life Academy teams with their number one team of Ndumiso Dontso and Sipho Kupiso starting the stage in third place as Bongmusa Zikhali and Siyanda Masango started Sunday in fourth place.

After a slight mechanical error on the start line on Saturday, which cost them five minutes at the end of the stage, Merchants’ Jeannie Dreyer and John Ntuli rode the complete race to take the overall title in the mixed category from overnight leaders Sani Racing’s Andrew Houston and Bianca Haw.

The 2Fast2Furious pair of Wesley and Candice Parker-Dennison managed to hold on to their third place in the mixed category after starting the final stanza of the race with a lead of just under a minute.

The Highway Bakkie duo of Brenda Potts and Sarah van Heerden finished the race as the leading ladies pair following the two days of racing.