Ultimate Cycle Base Dominates MTB challenge
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday October 26, 2020 15:20
The club scooped the top three positions led by Gontse Lethokwe who finished the 50 kilometres race in 01:34:19.
Lebopo Mompe arrived second clocking 01:35:13 with Kyle Poppleton arriving a few seconds later to claim the third spot in 01:35:21.
Comine Bruwer was the first woman to arrive winning the 50 km category in a time of 01:49:00. Bakang Ebudilwe finished second with a time of 01:54:37. Myra Mantle won the 20 km race clocking 00:58:04. Adel Van Dyk finished second in the 20 kilometres with a time of 00:58:44.
Speaking to Monitor Sport, Lethokwe said he is always in good shape because he cycles 40 kilometres every day to and from work.
“I dominated the race from the beginning to the end. My team mate, Mompe tried to keep up but dropped when he realised that the pace was too high. It is my second race for the year. The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected me a lot because I survive with prize monies from races,” he said.
Lethokwe appreciated the support from his sponsor, Poppleton of Cycle Base. He said the company has hired him and also provided him with a bicycle and services it.
For his part, Mompe said he had been preparing to ride in the junior category and his game plan changed a night before the race when he learnt that there were no categories. He said that meant he had to compete with the elite riders.
‘’I agreed with Lethokwe that I should start ahead and open the gap. The problem was that Lethokwe is stronger than and the pace was quiet high. We were averaging at around 30 km per hour in the bush. I had to drop back because I could not keep up. We took a wrong time forced to turn back and during that moment other riders were closing the gap,’’ he said.
Mompe said he was excited about his achievement because being a junior category riding with the elite is a big achievement. He said his time was fast with an average of 26 km per hour.
Brewer said it is her passion to ride in the bush and that is how basically she prepared for the Saturday MTB challenge. She said some of the routes that they rode in were old while some were new.
“It was exciting and I intend to ride here again. I expected some competition from Bakang but this time around she did not step up. Regarding my training during lockdown, I used a trainer at home but it is not effective as being out here in the bush. This is the second race for me this year after the Sprint series,” Bruwer said.
The 20 km winner, Mantle of Cycle4Life said she normally trains with her mother and at the end she does two laps sprint to build up her endurance.
‘’I also do road race but I prefer MTB because it is more fun. I was scared before the race but I had to make I had an early start and finish on a high speed. The terrain was sandy but other than that it was a flat and it was a fast race. Three months ago I competed in the Sprint series which was organised by my club,’’ she said.
The 13-year-old said it was difficult for her to train during lockdown despite having an indoor trainer. She said there days she would try to go out and train outside. Mantle said she has been riding since she was eight years old without competition and recently there are other two upcoming girls.
The race organiser, Gobona Mantle said it was their first event this year due to COVID-19 pandemic. She said they had around 150 cyclists who competed in 50km and 20km categories.
‘’We realised that most people registered for the 50km race which was an indication that people have been waiting for some action. Some that we did not know did 50km. It was difficult to find sponsors hence we did not have prize monies and those that assisted was in kind,’’ Mantle said.