[VIDEO] Cyclists braved the cold and wet during race
The cold and wet morning made for an interesting and muddy Pennypinchers Silverstar Mountain bike Cycle Challenge on Saturday.
The Pennypinchers Silverstar MTB race was nothing short of tough this past weekend.
As the wind sliced through the cyclists coming down the Krugersdorp ridge towards Silverstar Casino, family and friends gathered in Silverstar’s The Globe to welcome them back to dry weather and a bike wash.
Marathon champion Henry Uys mastered the wet and slippery riding conditions atop the Krugersdorp ridge to claim the marathon victory.
“It definitely was not the easiest of victories, given the mud and intermittent rain throughout the day,” he said.
The 32-year-old kept his nerve on the three-kilometre finishing descent to take the 40 kilometre win in a time of 1:46:41, but not after falling down two times.
Josef Bester followed him into the undercover finish at the casino’s newly built venue, The Globe, in 1:47:21, with Conrad Barnard a distant third in 1:52:33.
“It would have been a waste of energy to try and tear the legs off the guys today,” Henry said.
“It was really about riding cautiously and sensibly and maximising the advantage whenever I had one.”
Having done three or four different editions of the Krugersdorp race, Uys said each of the routes had been technical and testing.
“This new route is a very good one. It’s more a cross-country style one, so I think if it were dry it would have been a whole lot faster and harder than it was today.”
In the women’s race, Valencia Cycling’s Amy Beth McDougall took a convincing win in 2:07:56.
The former single-speed world champion showed the kind of mental toughness and form that saw her win the recent 24-hour Trans Baviaans Mountain Bike Challenge.
Michel Coetzer claimed the runner-up spot, with Lisa Bontekoning in third place.
To view more photos of the race, click here.
You might also be interested in:
• Entries stream in for revamped Silverstar race
• Krugersdorpers prepare for a monster
