SA's Hoffman Bags Bank Gaborone Quest
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday August 12, 2019 12:14
Hoffman arrived in a time of 04:52:21 to pocket the P12, 500 prize. He also won the veterans category. Udo Juterbock who won the masters challenge with a time of 04:52:47 claimed the second overall position to win a cash prize of P10, 000.
Thato Madimabe won the elite men’s race and finished third overall with a time of 04:53:39. He walked away with P7,500 cash prize.
On the ladies’ front, the women’s overall winner Comine Bruwer, registered 05:33:32 to claim first spot and receive P12, 000. She also won the masters’ category. Ashlee van Tonder was not far off as she finished second with a time of 05:57:19. She won herself P10, 000. The third place was taken by Natalie Cloete with a time of 05:59:01 and walked away with P7,500. Lebopo Mompe defended the junior men category with a time of 04:53:59 to win a cash prize of P2,500. Bakang Mookodi finishing second with a time of 05:01:13 and walked away with P1, 250. Letlaamoreng Ikaneng finished third with a time of 05:19:24 to pocket P750.
Speaking to Sport Monitor, Hoffman said he did the two-day quest, which was done over two days. “The first day was 62km and the second day was 54km. Both days were based on time and the fastest cycler over those days won. The route was challenging and marked properly. That is the nature of Mountain Biking (MTB) and this is the most single track that I have ever ridden on. All riders skills were put to the test from beginning to the end,” he said.
Hoffman said other competitors were good in single tracks and he only managed to catch them when it was deep end.
“Madimabe pushed me hard and unfortunately he had mechanical problems. I count myself lucky he would have been tough to beat,” he added. For his part, Madimabe said he had a puncher on the first day but he had a good start. He said at the end of the day, he was behind by three minutes.
Another cyclist, Mompe said the first day was tough and windy. “On the last day I started with the main riders. It was tough and the pace was high but I told myself that I either go big or go home. The competition was tough,” Mompe said.
Meanwhile, Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) President, Mmetla Masire said the Bank Gaborone Quest is one of the association’s premium MTB events. He said MTB events are limited because a lot of clubs organised road races. “We have around five MTB events a year. We appreciate what the organisers of this event are doing.
We used to have Kahalari Challenge but it has not been happening for the past two years so this race has filled the gap by giving us a multi stage race,” he said. Masire said the Quest terrain was not challenging and it attracted more riders. Furthermore, Masire appreciated the presence of Hoffman saying he was not just a rider but also a champion in South Africa.