DUNCAN, KOTZE SHOW VERSATILITY TO CLAIM ENDURO CUP TITLES

KwaZulu-Natal’s Keira Duncan and Gauteng’s Julia Kotze showed their versatility when they won the overall men and women’s titles respectively at Round 2 of the 2023 Enduro SA Cup at Summerplace Game Reserve in Limpopo at the weekend.

By Sean Badenhorst | Photography: Dominic Barnardt and Justin Barlow

After both winning at Round 1, held at Thaba Trails in muddy conditions back in February, Duncan and Kotze conquered the six stages with the fastest overall times on a warm, dry Waterberg day, which delivered a predominantly loose, dusty surface. Duncan (pictured above) won all six stages and his overall victory was rather emphatic, whereas Kotze’s win was a narrow one over KwaZulu-Natal Junior, Amber Cole.

Although diminutive in stature, Duncan’s performance was anything but. He was outstanding in winning all six stages for a total time of 17 minutes 07.611 seconds, which was a substantial 41 seconds quicker than his nearest rival. Wade Prinsloo (North West) was second overall in 17:49.082 with Gauteng Veteran, Danny Fowler, third in 17:53.945. Gauteng Sub-Veteran, Bryce Munro (17:54.234) and Western Cape’s Morgan Louw (18:03.219) rounded out the top five overall.

With several gravity racers currently in Europe, the field lacked some depth, but that didn’t detract from the highly competitive atmosphere. The event proved to be a test of skill as well as fitness, with many riders struggling with cramps during the latter stages. But regardless of the field, venue or conditions, Duncan seems to be perpetually race-sharp.

“All of my stages were reasonably smooth. I made a recent move up to 29-inch from 650B wheels. I’ve been a month on my new bike (Pyga Slakline High-Pivot). It made smooth racing of the rough terrain at Summerplace, with 170mm/160mm front and rear travel,” said Duncan.

“The climbing at Summerplace was a challenge but I’m used to tough climbs, so I managed okay. Just took a slow and steady pace up the climbs to save energy for the stages. I arrived with the wrong tyres on as I didn’t get what I was looking for in time before the event. Pat Morewood kindly brought me up a tyre hence I changed what I had on after first practice. I raced with Maxxis Minion DHR II front and rear,” added Duncan.

The women’s racing was tight. Kotze won Stages 1, 4 and 5; Cole won Stages 2 and 3 and Carla Jansen van Vuuren won Stage 6.

“I had a fairly good race. I came off the trail in one rock garden on Stage 3 and lost some time but, fortunately, nothing major. I was struggling with some nagging neck and back pain, but it bothered me more during the pedal of the liaisons than during the actual race runs,” said Kotze.

“The climbing certainly put this race on a step above the previous two Gauteng Cup races this year, but it’s exactly what we should expect from SA Cup events – a higher standard. I took it very slow on the climbs, knowing there would be a queue to start the runs. I didn’t see the point in rushing to get to the top. But on the last climb up from Stage 5 I was pretty over it!” added Kotze.

On the topic of the racing being close among the women, especially with three Junior women featuring in the top three on the stages, Kotze was complimentary:

“It’s very exciting seeing the younger riders set times that challenge the Elite category. It also shows that I have some work to do. But competition is always good for development and it stops you from getting complacent,” she smiled.

The event also doubled as Round 3 of the 2023 Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki. Other brands that have invested in sponsoring the Gauteng Enduro Series are Balwin Properties (venue and financial), EcoLogic (bike wash products), 100% (eyewear products), 32GI (performance supplements), MedGuys (medical support) and SHRED (media partner).

“We feel the event was a great success. Summerplace Game Reserve really is an ideal venue for Enduro and the route offered a solid challenge for all the participants. As Enduro racing continues to become more established, we at Cycling South Africa will be applying for UCI status for some of our 2024 events and Summerplace Game Reserve is sure to be one of the host venues,” said Paola Damilano, event organiser and MTB Director at Cycling South Africa.

The remaining rounds of the 2023 Enduro SA Series are:

10 September: Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, Western Cape
14 & 15 October: Cascades MTB Park, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal (SA Champs)

The final round of the 2023 Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki, takes place on 6 August at Thaba Trails, Johannesburg. It will also be the 2023 Gauteng Championships.

Overall Men

1 Keira Duncan (KwaZulu-Natal) 17:07.6111

2 Wade Prinsloo (North West) 17:49.082

3 Danny Fowler (Gauteng) 17:53.945

4 Bryce Munro (Gauteng) 17:54.234

5 Morgan Louw (Western Cape) 18:03.219

6 Robert Frost (Gauteng) 18:06.859

7 Tyrone Anders (Limpopo) 18:10.291

8 Luca Zietsman (Western Cape) 18:10.536

9 Christan Kirsten (North West) 18:17.748

10 Patrick Morewood (KwaZulu-Natal) eBike 18:24.999

Elite Men

1 Keira Duncan (KwaZulu-Natal) 17:07.6111

2 Wade Prinsloo (North West) 17:49.082

3 Morgan Louw (Western Cape) 18:03.219

Junior Men

1 Divan van Straaten (Gauteng) 18:35.494

2 Cade Badenhorst (Gauteng) 18:36.448

3 Luke Kirk (Gauteng) 19:02.278

Youth Men

1. Luca Zietsman (Western Cape) 18:10.536

2 Joshua Kanis (Gauteng) 18:26.019

3 Tristan Vorster (Gauteng) 18:35.559

Sub-Junior Boys

1 Michael Kanis (Gauteng) 18:54.373

2 Troy Cole (KwaZulu-Natal) 18:59.945

3 Luke Stafford (Gauteng) 19:54.653

Sub-Veteran Men

1 Bryce Munro (Gauteng) 17:54.234

2 Robert Frost (Gauteng) 18:06.859

3 Rob Keen (Gauteng) 20:07.951

Veteran Men

1 Danny Fowler (Gauteng) 17:53.945

2 Ricky Tomaselli (Gauteng) 18:43.887

3 Markus van Niekerk (Gauteng) 19:12.5430

Master Men

1 Sean O’Flynn Madden (Gauteng) 19:15.898

2 Sean Badenhorst (Gauteng) 19:43.165

3 Andre Terlouw (Gauteng) 20:19.123

Grand Master Men

1 James Ueckermann (Gauteng) 22:55.484

eBike Men

1 Patrick Morewood (KwaZulu-Natal) 18:24.999

2 Barry Crouse (Gauteng) 19:07.636

3 Christian Kuys 19:47.571

MEN Stages

Stage 1

1 Keira Duncan 1:48.2

2 Wade Prinsloo 1:51.4

3 Bryce Munro 1:52.1

Stage 2

1 Keira Duncan 2:24.9

2 Wade Prinsloo 2:29.2

3 Bryce Munro 2:30.7

Stage 3

1 Keira Duncan 3:55.3

2 Bryce Munro 4:01.0

3 Wade Prinsloo 4:02.3

Stage 4

1 Keira Duncan 3:54.8

2 Danny Fowler 4:06.7

3 Luca Zietsman 4:11.2

Stage 5

1 Keira Duncan 2:59.4

2 Danny Fowler 3:03.2

3 Bryce Munro 3:05.0

Stage 6

1 Keira Duncan 2:05.1

2 Patrick Morewood 2:06.0

3 Luca Zietsman 2:08.2

Lite Results (4 Stages)

Sprog Boys

1 Ethan Duvenage (Gauteng) 13:29.740

2 Evert Martiz (Gauteng) 13:31.441

3 Liam Saunders (Gauteng) 18:06.855

Nipper Boys

1 Jozua Bruwer (North West) 14:58.420

2 Wihan van Niekerk (Gauteng) 15:00.471

3 Liam Marnewick (Gauteng) 19:43.709

Open Lite Male

1 Andrew Duvenage (Gauteng) 12:59.119

2 Christopher Robertson (Gauteng) 14:02.325

3 Dirk Fouche 14:57.899

Overall Women

1 Julia Kotze (Gauteng) 20:51.961

2 Amber Cole (KwaZulu-Natal) 20:56.651

3 Tashane Ehlers (Limpopo) 21:03.206

4 Carla Jansen van Vuuren (Limpopo) 21:04.648

5 Philippa Spies (Gauteng) 21:36.366

6 Monica Glover (Gauteng) 22:12.234

7 Amanda Keen (Gauteng) 22:37.255

8 Licarmi Smith (Gauteng) 22:45.476

9 Irma du Plooy (Gauteng) 23:20.846

10 Mandy Preston (KwaZulu-Natal) eBike 23:41.230

Elite Women

1 Julia Kotze (Gauteng) 20:51.961

2 Nande Hattingh (Gauteng) 26:33.315

3 Giulia Damilano (Gauteng) 29:52.895

Junior Women

1 Amber Cole (KwaZulu-Natal) 20:56.651

2 Tashane Ehlers (Limpopo) 21:03.206

3 Carla Jansen van Vuuren (Limpopo) 21:04.648

Sub-Veteran Women

1 Philippa Spies (Gauteng) 21:36.366

2 Amanda Keen (Gauteng) 22:37.255

3 Licarmi Smith (Gauteng) 22:45.476

Veteran Women

1 Monica Glover (Gauteng) 22:12.234

2 Irma du Plooy (Gauteng) 23:20.846

3 Mattie Viviers (Gauteng) 23:55.806

Master Women

1 Corne Ackermann (Mpumalanga) 31:08.854

eBike

1 Mandy Preston (KwaZulu-Natal) 23:41.230

2 Hildegard Setzkorn (Gauteng) 25:15.463

Open Lite (4 Stages)

1 Lohane Ehlers (Limpopo) 15:57.253

2 Lillian Bruwer (North West) 16:07.337

WOMEN Stages