Local riders take on SA’s best
Having racing happen in 2020 was a huge crowd pleaser at this year's South African National Champs at Giba BMX track on Saturday, 5 December.
RIDERS representing Queensburgh BMX Club at the South African National Champs at Giba BMX track on Saturday, 5 December managed to mostly improve their standings against other riders from around the country.
Fraught
2020 was a year fraught with difficulties for those who enjoy the sport of BMX racing. Covid-19 put paid to training altogether during the first stages of lockdown, resulting in there almost being no season to speak of.
ALSO READ: Malvern music producer’s track sparks latest dance trend
“The club had big plans for 2020, with all our riders keen to tackle the KZN Championship as well as the SA Championship. Riders were training up to three afternoons a week to get into shape. We were just getting the fitness levels where we wanted them when lockdown happened,” said Queensburgh BMX chairman, Theuns van Heerden.
“In Level 5 it was extremely difficult as the riders were not allowed out their properties. When the regulations were relaxed and exercise was allowed with limitations, our dedicated riders immediately took advantage of this and those who lived within five kilometres of the track started training in small groups. Those that lived outside the 5km radius used the streets to start riding again.
It was a very difficult time for us, as we had to keep the little ones motivated while no competitions were allowed.”
Losses and gains
“We unfortunately lost some of our riders as a result of the lockdown as they started exploring other interests,” said van Heerden. “The positive side is that we also got some new young riders joining the club!”
“What made the effort to stay fit and focused during lockdown worthwhile was the fact that SA Cycling allowed us to stage the 2020 SA Championship at Giba Gorge on the first weekend in December, where Queensburgh Club once again was a force to be reckoned with. Only one of our riders did not achieve a coveted SA number board,” said van Heerden adding that the novice rider, Anri van Staden had been very brave to try to get a number despite only starting to compete after lockdown. “She was in a difficult class competing against seasoned riders,” he explained.
SA Champs
The 2020 SA Champs took place on Saturday, 5 December at Giba Gorge BMX track despite an earlier event, the BMX Cup event having to be cancelled because of bad weather.
Riders and their families from all over the country enjoyed the best of the day from midmorning when the weather cleared, till afternoon when it turned in to a lovely day for riding.
Queensburgh BMX Club riders did well. Kendall Coombes, improved her national SA number from SA8 to SA6, although her brother was unable to compete due to a sprained wrist. Paige Muller, who was SA6, finished the day having improved her number to SA4, while Amber Muller wasn’t as lucky and slid from SA5 down to SA7,
Christopher Axford is now SA3, Jordan Churchill is now SA6, Rylee Van Heerden retained her top spot with SA1.
Alex Vorster will now race as SA2 and Charl Myburgh with the number SA5. A brand new rider in the club, Altus van Staden, proved that even beginners can shine and achieved the right to race with the SA3 number after his participation.
ALSO READ: Early bird entries open for Dusi
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
