PRETORIA, South Africa – Philip Buys and Samantha Saunders were crowned men and women's winners in the marathon race at the Nissan TrailSeeker Lionman mountain bike event last week in South Africa. The third round of the 2017 Gauteng Nissan TrailSeeker Series attracted close to 2,500 participants who enjoyed the warm conditions and challenging bush trails of the Mabalingwe Nature Reserve in Waterberg, north of Pretoria.
Buys (Pyga Eurosteel) was challenged for most of the race by South African marathon champion Nico Bell (Team NAD Pro) and Declan Sidey (Bells Cycling). But superior technical ability from Buys gave him the edge on the Vodacom mast climb and descent, which saw him claim victory in a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes and 26 seconds. Bell was second and Sidey third.
"There were quite a few technical sections that suited me and I knew exactly where to push the advantage," said Buys. "That was on the big climb and the technical downhill. That's where I got my lead. Then I just had to put my head down for the last flat section to stay away. On that Mast Climb, which is steep and loose, it's very important to get the right gearing in order to maintain consistent traction. You don't want to put a foot down or start walking because it's difficult to get going again."
Advendurance, the event organizer, introduced the Nissan TrailSeeker series in 2008 to create a safe riding environment for mountain bike fans that was convenient and that could involve the entire family. Nissan Trailseeker races caters for kids and adults, beginners and pros, with varying distances and routes that are top notch and guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping. Every venue on the calendar is a fun and thrilling day for any mountain biking enthusiast. There are two series within Nissan TrailSeeker: Western Cape Series with four events, and Gauteng Series with five events. Both the Gauteng and Western Cape Series have two events left for the year. Nissan is the official sponsor.
Action from the first Nissan TrailSeeker Western Cape Series of 2017
In the women's race, defending champion Amy Beth McDougall (Valencia) was forced to withdraw with a mechanical issue, leaving Valencia teammate Sanders relatively unchallenged to secure the win in a fast time of 3:04:54. Theresa Ralph (Galileo Risk) was second, and Christie-Leigh Hearder third. In the half-marathon, Hennie van Wyk was the fastest male and Tanya Kotze the first female.
Rider Quotes:
Nico Bell
"It was quite a challenging route. I think this is the most technical of the Gauteng Nissan TrailSeeker Series routes. The climb was quite rocky to the top. Firstly, you need to have the legs to get up there. And then the downhill, you have to choose good lines to avoid cutting a tire or crashing. It's a proper mountain biking challenge."
Declan Sidey
"That climb was rocky and super steep. Not a lot of traction. Philip and Nico's technical skills are really superior. They are world-class riders. I was paying for my early efforts up there."
Sanders
"This is a really hard race. It's quite loose and rocky and my tires were a bit too hard for the terrain, so I struggled on the technical climbs. But the wind killed and those sandy patches just chow your energy. But I'm happy to take the win. The organization of the Nissan TrailSeeker Series events is always excellent. You just have to look at the number of people here to see what a quality event it is. They also make it worthwhile for the pros. I am always happy to take part in this series.
Theresa Ralph
"Amy had a mechanical on the descent, which is the only way I could pass her on a downhill as she's very skilled. I could see Amy and Sam ahead of me for most of the first half of the race. I hope to try and catch them but when I couldn't I just focused on my own race."
Nissan TrailSeeker Western Cape Series #TrailSeekerWC2 Grabouw
Leading results
Marathon
Men
1 Philip Buys (Pyga Eurosteel) 2:41:26
2 Nico Bell (Team NAD Pro) 2:42:41
3 Declan Sidey (Bells Cycling) 2:48:18
4 Henry Uys 2:54:40
5 Alan Gordon 2:54:54
6 Andrew McLean 2:59:24
7 Walter Childes 2:59:59
8 David Cooke 3:00:43
9 Lucky Mlangeni 3:01:20
10 Pierre Smith 3:01:25
Women
1 Samantha Sanders (Valencia) 3:04:54
2 Theresa Ralph (Galileo Risk) 3:20:01
3 Christie-Leigh Hearder 3:31:59
4 Cincy Porobich 3:32:32
5 Maricel Bekker 3:37:11
6 Heila Meintjes 3:37:57
7 Melanie Roux 3:39:56
8 Carly Kent 3:50:26
9 Mariske McLean 3:52:53
10 Janine Stewart 3:55:19
Half-marathon
Male
1 Hennie van Wyk 1:30:44
2 Wikus Breytenbach 1:30:47
3 Ryan Kellerman 1:31:09
Female
1 Tanya Kotze 1:49:48
2 Rimari Sutton 1:50:35
3 Monique du Toit 1:53:51
For full results in all events, visit saseeding.org.
Round 4 of the 2017 Gauteng Nissan TrailSeeker Series is on September 23 at Hazeldean Farm, east of Pretoria. For more information, or to enter, visit advendurance.com/trailseekerseries.
2017 Nissan #TrailSeekerWC3 Bosman Teaser
Contact
+27 (086) 199-000-1
info@advendurance.com
ADVENDURANCE CC.
18 Cussonia Ave, Pretoria, Gauteng
South Africa
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