Frank Meyer and Lilian Baber topped the overall men and women’s podiums respectively at the final round of the 2022 Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki at Thaba Trails, south of Johannesburg on Sunday 11 September. This was the first time Thaba Trails was used to host an Enduro event and it was hugely successful, with the reasonably generous (for Gauteng) gradient and rugged terrain delivering a solid challenge for over 100 entrants.
Photos: Dominic Barnardt and Justin Barlow
Meyer, who dominated Round 3 at Grootfontein, was expected to shine once again as he was involved in helping set up the stages for the event. And he didn’t disappoint, winning all seven stages, the Sub-veteran prize and the overall men’s title. Meyer’s overall time was 12 minutes 28.965 seconds.
Bryce Munro, another Sub-veteran, made his first appearance in the 2022 Series and finished second in a time of 12:55.685, while Inus du Preez, also a Gauteng Series debutante, finished third just a second slower in 12:56.595. Wade Prinsloo and Matteo Damilano rounded out the top five.
Baber, a junior from Limpopo, was superior in the women’s division, winning six stages and finishing 39th overall. Baber’s overall time was 15:39.271. Second overall was Monica Glover, who was doing her first Enduro. She clocked 16:58.171 and won the Masters title too. Philippa Spies was first Sub-veteran and third overall in 17:18.843. Mattie Viviers and Maude Badenhorst were fourth and fifth overall respectively.
Winner of the first three rounds, Julia Kotze, was ill and opted to compete in the Enduro Lite event, which she won. But her series lead was unassailable and she finished the series as the top female.
The event saw the conclusion of the first ever Gauteng Enduro Series. So it was also the event that settled the final standings and the inaugural Gauteng Series winners. They are:
Women
Elite women: Julia Kotze
Under-23 women: Kathleen Baker
Junior women: Lilian Baber
Sub-veteran women: Licarmi Smith
Veteran women: Mattie Viviers
Master women: Christelle le Roux
Youth women: Danika Botha
Sub-junior girls: Dana Strijdom
Sprog girls: Lohane Ehlers
eBike female: Hildegard Setzkorn
Men
Elite men: Wade Prinsloo
Under-23 men: Matteo Damilano
Junior men: Eugene Kriek
Sub-veteran men: Frank Meyer
Veteran men: Justin Joubert
Master men: Barry Crouse
Grandmaster men: Mike Behr
Youth men: Cade Badenhorst
Sub-junior boys: Hanro Ehlers
Sprog boys: Luke Stafford
Nipper boys: Wihan van Niekerk
eBike male: Sean Badenhorst
“We were told that we wouldn’t be able to have a provincial Enduro series in Gauteng and we proved them wrong. What the province lacks in gradient it makes up for in enthusiasm, both in terms of participants and venues,” said Paola Damilano of Gauteng Cycling and the series organiser.
“Thanks to Suzuki’s commitment as the title sponsor, as well as the support of all the other loyal sponsors and the venues, we were able to deliver four top-class events and help plant the Enduro racing seed at four different venues. We had almost 300 compete in the series in 2022 and expect that to grow next year as more mountain bikers get exposed to Enduro,” added Damilano.
The Gauteng Championships will conclude the 2022 Enduro racing season. The event will be held at Thaba Trails on Sunday 16 October.
Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki #4 – Thaba Trails
Leading results
Enduro (seven stages)
Overall men
1 Frank Meyer 12 min 28.965 sec
2 Bryce Munro 12:55.685
3 Inus du Preez 12:56.595
4 Wade Prinsloo 12:58.903
5 Matteo Damilano 13:16.580
6 Massi Ambrosi 13:28.006
7 Eugene Kriek 13:31.244
8 Wyatt Botes 13:40.272
9 Bradon Webster 13:40.441
10 Dana Coetzee 13:42.197
Elite men
1 Wade Prinsloo 12:58.903
2 Bradon Webster 13:40.441
3 Jo Bester 13:56.768
Under-23 men
1 Inus du Preez 12:56.595
2 Matteo Damilano 13:16.580
3 Andrew Hill 14:01.223
Junior men
1 Massi Ambrosi 13:28.006
2 Eugene Kriek 13:31.244
3 Wyatt Botes 13:40.272
Youth men
1 Joshua Kanis 13:46.715
2 Henre Myburgh 13:48.537
3 Daniele Ambrosi 14:04.444
Sub-Junior Boys
1 Sean Raath 16:56.274
2 Ruart van Staden 18:28.730
3 Cruz Albano 19:25.984
Sub-Veteran Men
1 Frank Meyer 12 min 28.965 sec
2 Bryce Munro 12:55.685
3 Dana Coetzee 13:42.197
Veteran Men
1 Carl Deary 14:01.638
2 Justin Joubert 14:25.085
3 Chris Stafford 14:30.747
Master Men
1 Sean O’Flynn Madden 14:14.818
2 James Morland 14:21.322
3 Barry Crouse 14:42.561
eBike Men
1 Sean Badenhorst 14:22.036
2 Kalvin Christie 15:43.374
Stages top 3
Stage 1
1 Frank Meyer 2:35.5
2 Inus du Preez 2:39.2
3 Wade Prinsloo 2:39.4
Stage 2
1 Frank Meyer 2:14.6
2 Bryce Munro 2:16.7
3 Wade Prinsloo 2:16.7
Stage 3
1 Frank Meyer 1:44.6
2 Alex Ovins 1:45.4
3 Bryce Munro 1:46.8
Stage 4
1 Frank Meyer 1:37.8
2 Inus du Preez 1:42.3
3 Matteo Damilano 1:43.6
Stage 5
1 Frank Meyer 1:16.0
2 Bryce Munro 1:19.2
3 Inus du Preez 1:20.2
Stage 6
1 Frank Meyer 1:23.0
2 Bryce Munro 1:23.2
3 Matteo Damilano 1:23.9
Stage 7
1 Frank Meyer 1:37.4
2 Bryce Munro 1:39.3
3 Inus du Preez 1:41.1
Overall women
1 Lilian Baber 15:39.271
2 Monica Glover 16:58.171
3 Philippa Spies 17:18.843
4 Mattie Viviers 17:56.800
5 Maude Badenhorst 18:05.154
Junior women
1 Lilian Baber 15:39.271
2 Cameron Capon 18:32.398
Sub-Veteran Women
1 Philippa Spies 17:18.843
2 Maude Badenhorst 18:05.154
3 Amanda Keen 19:12.395
Veteran Women
1 Mattie Viviers 17:56.800
2 Irma du Plooy 18:16.907
Master Women
1 Monica Glover 16:58.171
Stages top 3
Stage 1
1 Lilian Baber 3:12.2
2 Philippa Spies 3:30.2
3 Monica Glover 3:33.3
Stage 2
1 Lilian Baber 2:54.8
2 Monica Glover 3:09.2
3 Philippa Spies 3:17.4
Stage 3
1 Lilian Baber 2:04.5
2 Monica Glover 2:08.6
3 Mattie Viviers 2:09.7
Stage 4
1 Lilian Baber 1:58.6
2 Mattie Viviers 2:06.1
3 Irma du Plooy 2:08.9
Stage 5
1 Lilian Baber 1:38.2
2 Monica Glover 1:40.8
3 Philippa Spies 1:51.7
Stage 6
1 Lilian Baber 1:39.9
2 Mattie Viviers 1:42.5
3 Philippa Spies 1:45.9
Stage 7
1 Monica Glover 2:10.0
2 Lilian Baber 2:11.2
3 Mattie Viviers 2:25.7
ENDURO LITE (4 stages)
Sprog Boys
1 Luke Stafford 7:35.543
2 Logan van Vuuren 7:40.922
3 Michael Kanis 7:42.119
Nipper Boys
1 Wihan van Niekerk 9:25.861
Sprog Girls
1 Olivia Marais 12:04.776
Sport Men
1 Alan Todd 8:12.916
2 Sean Labuschange 8:16.284
3 Vincent Rodgers 8:17.713
Sport Women
1 Julia Kotze 7:43.390
2 Giulia Damilano 9:03.157
2 Candice Stafford 9:26.565
Suzuki is the presenting sponsor the 2022 Gauteng Enduro Series. Other brands that have invested in sponsoring the Gauteng Enduro Series are EcoLogic (bike wash products), 100% (eyewear products), 32GI (performance supplements), Med Guys (medical support) and SHRED (media partner).
For a comprehensive photo gallery, visit the Gauteng Cycling Facebook page here.
