Sam Bull confirmed his versatility on different terrain when he won Round 2 of the 2021 Sox Footwear Enduro Series, presented by SHRED at Buffelsdrift Trail Park, Pretoria on Sunday, 17 October. It was Bull’s second consecutive victory allowing him to extend his lead in the provincial cup series.
In hot, dry conditions, Bull was consistently quick, going fastest in three of the five stages and clocking a winning time of 13 minutes 09.37 seconds. The runner-up place went to Enduro newcomer, Willie van Eck from White River, Mpumalanga, who adapted well to the conditions to clock a total time of 13:42.92 with Wade Prinsloo making a strong comeback to racing to secure third place overall in a time of 13:50.99.
Racing the Sport Class, Julia Kotze was the overall women’s division winner in a time of 15:46.65. She was in the top 20 overall on three stages and finished well clear of overall women’s runner-up, Arielle Behr, whose time of 17:22.16 saw her win the Sub-Junior Girls division. Third overall and winner of the Youth Women was Danika Botha in a time of 18:02.87.
“I thought the trails were great! Raw, rugged, natural. Really challenging to race because it was very loose under the tyre. It made for very good racing. I love fast, flowy jump trails, but we can’t always race those. We need some variety. Buffelsdrift was a great venue! Challenging but fun. I went there for a good time and happened to have a fast time, which is always nice,” said Bull afterwards.
The rough terrain, which included a high percentage of rocks saw a few riders suffer from punctures or wheel damage. Bull said that he was mindful of this both in the way he raced and his tyre choice.
“The key to enduro is being smooth and consistent and putting together all clean runs. The heat was a challenge though – I struggled quite a bit for the last two stages. Tyre-wise I went with a Maxxis Assegai upfront and a Maxxis DHR 2 on the rear. Both have EXO plus protection. And I actually ran a Cush Core insert front and rear. It was a compromise between a heavier, more puncture-resistant wheel and being a bit less nimble. I was confident with that tyre combo that I wouldn’t really have to worry about flats.
Organised by Gauteng Cycling, the event attracted over 100 entries across all age categories.
“It was great to see a big group like that enjoying the racing. Enduro in Gauteng is going from strength to strength. Thanks for the event organisers and sponsors and the venue for putting it on. It’s always competitive at these races. It’s only going to get better and bigger as more people see these events.
“I haven’t done many, but this was my favourite Enduro so far,” said Van Eck, who won one stage and was second in two others. “This rocky terrain is new to me, but I enjoyed the challenge. I made a few mistakes that I know I can improve on so I’m looking forward to doing more Enduro races in Gauteng.”
Sox Footwear Enduro Series, presented by SHRED 2021, Round 2 leading results:
Overall men
1 Sam Bull 13:09.378
2 Willie van Eck 13:42.923
3 Wade Prinsloo 13:50.998
4 Ryan Frerichs 13:56.044
5 Frank Meyer 13:56.239
6 Christan Kirsten 14:06.585
7 Adin Greyling 14:13.358
8 Christopher Pearton 14:19.605
9 Dustin Rudman 14:25.128
10 Ryan van der Spuy 14:35.362
Nipper Boys
1 Evert Maritz 12:17.307
2 Ruben Venter 14:02.730
3 Wihan van Niekerk 15:10.065
Sprog Boys
1 Luke Stafford 11:44.761
2 Michael Kanis 11:52.942
3 Nathan Kuun 12:35.979
Sub-Junior Boys
1 Max Dreyer 15:44.004
2 Thomas Carter-Brown 16:42.053
3 Keegan Teague 17:48.972
Youth Men
1 Andrew Honey 15:57.081
2 Dean Visagie 16:02.447
3 Henry Myburgh 16:13.687
Junior Men
1 Adin Greyling 14:13.358
2 Wiehan Nagel 15:26.559
3 Eugene Kriek 15:51.223
Under-23 Men
1 Willie van Eck 13:42.923
2 Reynard Vorster 18:33.594
3 Luca Balona 20:41.762
Elite Men
1 Sam Bull 13:09.378
2 Wade Prinsloo 13:50.998
3 Christan Kirsten 14:06.585
Sub-Veteran Men
1 Ryan Frerichs 13:56.044
2 Frank Meyer 13:56.239
3 Christopher Pearton 14:19.605
Veteran Men
1 Ryan van der Spuy 14:35.362
2 Sean O’Fynn-Madden 14:55.395
3 Du-Wayne Rood 15:38.679
Master Men
1 Dion Retief 14:40.964
2 James Morland 14:52.714
3 Sean Badenhorst 15:51.632
Sport Men
1 Michael Shepherd 17:45.371
2 Werner Scholtz 18:02.689
3 Sean Raath 11:58.632
Lite Sport Men (3 Stages)
1 Chris Kuun 9:52.5111
2 Chris Stafford 10:44.213
3 Gert van Heerden 12:25.178
Overall women
1 Julia Kotze 15:46.653
2 Arielle Behr 17:22.167
3 Danika Botha 18:02.872
Sub-Junior Girls
1 Arielle Behr 17:22.167
Youth Women
1 Danika Botha 18:02.872
Junior Women
1 Lauriesian Brett 18:06.814
2 Talia Behr 18:57.603
3 Cameron Capon 20:21.915
Sub-Veteran Women
1 Maude Badenhorst 18: 47.835
Master Women
1 Hildegard Setzkorn 21:24.322
2 Sabine Cowie 23:25.433
Sport Women
1 Julia Kotze 15:46.653
For full results with stage times, positions and heat map click here.
The remaining rounds of the 2021 Sox Footwear Enduro Series, presented by SHRED are:
- Round 3: Buffelsdrift, Pretoria – Saturday, 6 November
- Round 4: Grootfontein, Pretoria – Sunday, 5 December
Because this is an official provincial series, run by Gauteng Cycling, a Cycling South Africa Membership (licence) is required for all entrants. There is a R50 day licence option, but for riders that want to be considered for the provincial series, which carries official recognition on a regional and national racing level, a full 12-month CSA membership is required. This costs R250 for adults and R150 for Youth (under 19). This, along with the Provincial affiliation fee of R75 are both one-off payments required.
GALLERY
