In an impressive performance, South Africa’s top female mountain bike racer, Candice Lill, toppled the current Marathon World Champion, Mona Mitterwallner of Austria, to win the gruelling Imbuko Big 5 Mountain Challenge in Wellington, South Africa at the weekend.
Lill (pictured above), the current South African marathon champion, started aggressively and took the lead on the Hawequa Climb, the first of the five formidable ascents after which the race is named. Mitterwallner is one of the world’s best climbers and she was immediately forced into pursuit mode.
Keeping the pressure on behind them was Namibian Marathon Champion Vera Looser. However, the intensity with which the leading women were hitting the steep slopes was too much for the Namibian to match. Danielle Strydom and Sam Sanders (both Efficient Infiniti Insure), held 4th and 5th position behind the Namibian but their time gaps to the leaders were already being measured in minutes on the first climb.
Come the first descent, Lill utilised some local knowledge and opened up the throttle to put a small gap (just under a minute) on Mitterwallner. The Austrian rider had kindly offered her spare bottle to Lill (who had dropped hers on the climb) but that didn’t lull Lill into going easy – she was out there to win!
These two riders, who shared a World Marathon Champs podium together in 2023 as victrix and runner-up, would lead the remaining 60km of the course, keeping the pace high on the long grind up to the ceiling of the route at the Cliffhanger trail and down its countless switchbacks.
Descending technical trails and clawing their way up steep climbs, Lill, (racing for Seattle Coffee Co and Symbtech e-Fort) didn’t put a foot wrong and rode through to a repeat victory with a three-and-a-half-minute gap to Mitterwallner (representing Cannondale Factory Racing). Efficient Inifniti Insure’s Vera Looser closed out the top three, another 16 minutes later. Danielle Strydom and Samantha Sanders, both of Efficient Inifniti Insure, rounded out the top five.
Lill and Mitterwallner have just come of victory at the Tankwa Trek stage race, where they raced as Cannondale Factory Racing teammates. They’ve entered the 2024 Absa Cape Epic as a pair and their performances at the Imbuko Big Five Challenge indicate they’re going to be among the title favourites. This is what they said after Saturday’s race:
Candice Lill – Seattle Coffee Co / e-Fort
I don’t know what it is about this race, I think it is just so suited to me. I enjoy this type of climbing because it isn’t just getting you bored, it’s changing the whole time with singletrack and interesting corners and then on the descents I can just pin it! I just really enjoyed this day!
On the first climb Mona was still with me, she actually gave me a bottle because I dropped mine (“thank you Mona”), and then on the singletrack I started making a bit of a gap. Obviously I know these trails pretty well from doing them over the years so that was my strength today.
Mona Mitterwallner – Cannondale Factory Racing
Physically, I have to admit I trained a bit much this week. Just coming from winter, I do so much training because there is no racing, then racing starts and I’m still in the training mood. I also knew that Candice would attack on the places where I would not be happy and she did just that but I still enjoyed the race because the views were great! I think it was one of the coolest marathons I have done! It was hard but that is what we want so yeah, I enjoyed the day.
Vera Looser – Efficient Infiniti Insure
It is a long day. I like the course. It is an awesome course and luckily what goes up must come down here. The last 2 km are not my favourite though, they bite me every year but it was a good day out. I did improve from last year so I’m actually happy with my performance. But yeah, I hear there is a big gap to the front so let’s see what I can still do about that. That Cliffhanger descent is so nice. It’s so flowy, you can just let go. It is one of my favourite in the whole world!
Imbuko Big Five MTB Challenge 2024
Leading women’s results
Top 10 overall
1 Candice Lill (RSA) 4 hrs 29 min 36 sec
2 Mona Mitterwallner (AUT) 4:33:13
3 Vera Looser (NAM) 4:49:13
4 Danielle Strydom (RSA) 5:05:11
5 Sam Sanders (RSA) 5:07:37
6 Sarah Hill (RSA) 5:11:28
7 Anna Weinbeer (SUI) 5:15:50
8 Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius (RSA) 5:28:44
9 Mandi Augustyn (RSA) 5:45:19
10 Sarita Louw (RSA) 5:57:41
Senior (19-29)
1 Mona Mitterwallner (AUT) 4:33:13
2 Danielle Strydom (RSA) 5:05:11
3 Chloe Nangle (RSA) 7:34:09
Sub-Veteran (30-39)
1 Candice Lill (RSA) 4 hrs 29 min 36 sec
2 Vera Looser (NAM) 4:49:13
3 Sarah Hill (RSA) 5:11:28
Veteran (40-49)
1 Sam Sanders (RSA) 5:07:37
2 Kate Slegrova (CZE) 6:02:01
3 Tandi Kitching (RSA) 6:06:50
Master (50-59)
1 Michelle Lombardi (RSA) 5:58:56
2 Hanlie Booyens (RSA) 5:58:56
3 Hannele Steyn (RSA) 6:45:13
Grand Master (60-plus)
1 Almarie Hugo (RSA) 8:14:10
For full results, click here.
Source: Imbuko Big Five MTB Challenge
