Mountain bike enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting end of season Tour de Wonder Spur Schools Mountain Bike League Gauteng final at Hoërskool Wonderboom in Pretoria this weekend.
The event will only be open to Gauteng High Schools and only learners from grade 8 to grade 12 can participate. Online entries (R95) on http://www.mtbza.co.za/# closes on Thursday, 15 September at 15h00 and no late entries will be taken on the day of the event. Registration queries can be directed to Joanita on 084 602 2271 or admin@mtbza.co.za
A special promotional sub junior race for grade 7 learners only will take place on Friday, 16 September at 17h00. This will serve as a seeding event for 2017 racing league where the top 50 boys and top 20 girls will be seeded for next year when they qualify to compete in the Spur High Schools MTB League. The route will be open for practice on Friday from 14h00 to 16h30 and registration will be open from 14h30 to 17h00.
Registration for the Gauteng Finals of the Spur Schools Mountain Bike League presented by Anatomic will open at 07h00 on Saturday (17 September) and the route will be open for practice from 07h15. Racing will commence at 08h30 with the Sub Junior Boys, followed at 09h30 by all four girl categories (Sub Junior Girls; Youth 15 Girls; Youth 16 Girls and Junior Women). At 10h30 and 11h30 the Youth Boys 15 and 16 years will take to the track respectively. The Junior Men will round up the day with what promises to be a high speed adrenaline driven race at 12h30. Prize giving is scheduled for 13h30.
Heading into Saturday’s finals, Menlopark High School is in a comfortable lead with 324 points, followed by Midstream College in second place with 217 points and Afrikaans Hoër Seunsskool in third with 213 points. Filling up the remainder of the top ten spots on the Gauteng log are Garsfontein, Transvalia, Waterkloof, Montana, Zwartkop, Centurion and Monument High Schools.
Photo: Sinead Wannenburg
The category winners in the penultimate Tour de Bling race were: Sub Junior Girls Kaylin Gombos and team mate Natalie Long of Transvalia High School taking first and second with Jade Slabbert of Midstream College in third. Miguel Moutinho of Midstream College won the Sub Junior Boys’s race with Jaedon Terlouw of St Albans College second and Francois Botha of Randburg High School in third.
Monique du Toit of Menlopark won the Youth Women 15 year race, with Robin Swart of Waterkloof second and Antonique Grosius also of Menlopark in third. Hennie van Wyk of Garsfontein took line honours in the Youth Men 15 years, followed by DJ Kruger of Transvalia in second and Leonard Wilcocks of Dirk Postma High in third.
The Youth Women 16 years was won by Thana Groenewald of Midstream College, with Rumari Sutton of Garsfontein High School and Nicola van der Walt of Menlopark second and third respectively. In the Youth Men 16 years it was Chris du Plessis of Menlopark that took gold with Wicus Breytenbach of Garsfontein High School second and fellow Menlopark rider, Erick Heyns filling the final podium slot.
Saffron Vosloo of Menlopark is continuing to ride a spectacular season winning the junior girls race in stellar style, with Melanie Roux of Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool second and Natasha Zwarts of Midstream College in third.
Photo: Sinead Wannenburg
Wessel Redelinghuys of Afrikaans Hoër Seunsskool took first in the Junior Men’s race, with Henry Liebenberg of Menlopark second and Chad Fikkert of Midstream College in third place.
Eight years into the Spur High School Mountain Bike League over 10 000 scholars from more than 480 schools have participated in regional events around South Africa. The cross-country race format increases in popularity annually as riders rack up points across four races in order for their school to qualify for the National Final, which will be held in Magaliesburg in October.
For more information on the league, visit www.spurmtbleague.co.za or follow the league on face book at SpurSchoolsLeague, twitter #spurMTBleague and @spurMTBleague.
Source: Peridot Communications
