Frank Meyer and Julia Kotze showed a combination of finesse and pedal power to claim the overall men and women’s titles respectively at Round 3 of the 2022 Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki at Grootfontein Bike Park, Pretoria at the weekend.
By Sean Badenhorst | Photos: Dominic Barnardt and Justin Barlow
More than 150 riders entered the event, confirming both the growth of the discipline and the popularity of Grootfontein as a race venue. But it was Meyer (pictured above) and Kotze who walked away with the fastest times overall. In a display of both patience and dominance, Meyer won every one of the seven stages. He took his time on what is one of the most compact Enduro race venues and was one of the last riders to clock in. But it’s evident his refusal to rush paid off.
“Ideally, I would practice the Friday or Saturday before a Sunday race, but adulting was in the way this time. Instead of racing it completely blind, I walked the first part of each stage first before I raced them. Grootfontein is built on a small ridgeline, so most of the technical riding is close to each stage start. I scouted part of each line before every run just to calm the mind. It was a bit like cramming for an exam,” explained Meyer.
The one new stage that Meyer wasn’t fully aware of and which he did race blind was Stage 2, which incorporated a new three-metre high bridge over the Flow Line around half way down the stage.
“I wasn’t paying attention during race briefing when they said slow down and roll down the new bridge. I sped up and ended up sending it off the bridge to flat. It was amazingly scary and fun at the same time. Fortunately my Trek Slash took to the hit no worries,” remarked Meyer.
Although he encountered small errors on Stages 7 and 4, Meyer managed to get the balance just right.
“It’s always so hard for me to race at Grootfontein. You feel like you are too slow, but when you try to push a little you mess it up. You almost have to be patient in your run and focus on being smooth – try find a rut in the flat corners and even take a foot out every now and then,” he explained.
Tyre choice and pressure at Grootfontein remains the eternal balancing act. Too hard and you lose traction, too soft and you risk rock damage.
“I run a Maxxis Assegai on the front and a Maxxis Dissector on the rear. I ran my pressures a little lower than what I normally would to try and maximise some grip in those flat corners – having forgotten how gnarly the top of the first six stages was. I decided I was too lazy to pump the tyres up so just rode the top sections smooth with none of my normal crazy hucks. I also have a Cush Core in the rear and I think that added to my confidence,” said Meyer, whose overall time was a snappy 10 minutes 28.442 seconds.
Second place went to Pretoria Junior, Adin Greyling, who was super consistent and either second or third on every stage to clock 10:44.801, just 16 seconds off Meyer’s winning time. Third place overall went to Youth category racer, Henre Myburgh, a Grootfontein regular who made the most of his local knowledge to finish all the stages in the top six for a total time of 10.54.796. No other riders were able to finish in under 11 minutes.
Despite a spectacular crash on Stage 3, Wade Prinsloo was first Elite and fourth overall and Danny Fowler’s consistency saw him finish fifth overall and first Veteran.
In the women’s division, Kotze was almost untouchable. She won six of the seven stages for a total of 11:58.629, including a 13th place on the tight and twisty Stage 6. Mpumalanga Youth racer, Danika Botha survived a scary fall on Stage 4 to finish second overall in 12:24.631, while third overall went to Junior, Layla Greyling with a total time of 13:38.170.
“It wasn’t all smooth for me. I hit a tree and went down on my first run (Stage 5), so I took a moment to gather myself and rode a bit more reserved on Stages 6 and 7 to loosen up and regain some confidence. After that, Stages 1 through 4 went really well,” explained Kotze.
“ I ran my tyres pretty hard – just under 2 Bar front and rear – because I was more concerned about punctures than the flat corners. But I think I underestimated how dry and sketchy the corners were, hence my mishap on my first race run. But you can always adjust your riding style in that regard, but if you puncture, your event is ruined,” she added.
“We’re thrilled that so many new riders entered and got to experience Enduro at a venue that makes the discipline more accessible,” said event organiser, Paola Damilano. “We’re hoping to see as many as possible at the final round at Thaba Trails on Sunday 11 September.”
Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki #3 – Grootfontein
Leading results
Enduro (seven stages)
Overall men
1 Frank Meyer 10min 28.442 sec
2 Adin Greyling 10:44.801
3 Hanre Myburgh 10:54.796
4 Wade Prinsloo 11:03.738
5 Danny Fowler 11:04.024
6 Eugene Kriek 11:11.264
7 Jo Bester 11:11.500
8 Bradon Webster 11:20.603
9 Etienne Kros 11:21.862
10 Christan Kirsten 11:28.100
Elite men
1 Wade Prinsloo 11:03.738
2 Jo Bester 11:11.500
3 Bradon Webster 11:20.603
Under-23 men
1 Aron Horn 11:28.181
2 Ian Els 11:30.660
3 Matteo Damilano 11:40.853
Junior men
1 Adin Greyling 10:44.801
2 Eugene Kriek 11:11.264
3 Etienne Kros 11:21.862
Youth men
1 Hanre Myburgh 10:54.796
2 Joshua West 11:33.173
3 Lance Murray 11:37.699
Sub-Junior Boys
1 Hanro Ehlers 11:56.316
2 Wiehan Grove 12:30.307
3 Sean Raath 12:53.265
Sub-Veteran Men
1 Frank Meyer 10min 28.442 sec
2 Justin Victor 11:34.846
3 Rob Keen 11:49.034
Veteran Men
1 Dan Fowler 11:04.024
2 Carl Deary 11:34.803
3 Justin Joubert 11:37.008
Master Men
1 Sean O’Flynn Madden 11:48.002
2 James Morland 12:04.209
3 Pierre Griffioen 12:28.029
Grandmaster Men
1 Mike Behr 13:43.152
eBike Men
1 Sean Badenhorst 11:46.626
2 Barry Crouse 12:06.256
3 Andre Ehlers 13:33.155
Stages top 3
Stage 1
1 Frank Meyer 01:32.9
2 Adin Greyling 1:39.7
3 Henre Myburgh 1:36.5
Stage 2
1 Frank Meyer 1:36.6
2 Wade Prinsloo 1:38.0
3 Adin Greyling 1:39.7
Stage 3
1 Frank Meyer 1:38.1
2 Adin Greyling 1:40.0
3 Henre Myburgh 1:40.9
Stage 4
1 Frank Meyer 1:22.8
2 Wade Prinsloo 1:24.2
3 Adin Greyling 1:25.3
Stage 5
1 Frank Meyer 1:18.4
2 Adin Greyling 1:20.2
3 Henre Myburgh 1:20.6
Stage 6
1 Frank Meyer 1:31.9
2 Adin Greyling 1:33.2
3 Henre Myburgh 1:34.5
Stage 7
1 Frank Meyer 1:27.7
2 Christan Kirsten 1:32.3
3 Adin Greyling 1:32.7
Overall women
1 Julia Kotze 11:58.629
2 Danika Botha 12:24.631
3 Layla Greyling 13:38.170
4 Licarmi Smith 13:44.559
5 Mattie Viviers 13:51.468
Elite Women
1 Julia Kotze 11:58.629
Under-23 Women
1 Talia Behr 13:56.423
2 Kathleen Baker 14:15.579
Youth Women
1 Danika Botha 12:24.631
2 Layla Greyling 13:38.170
Sub-Veteran Women
1 Licarmi Smith 13:44.5592
2 Amanda Keen 13:58.159
3 Hester Basson 13:59.841
Veteran Women
1 Mattie Viviers 13:51.468
2 Kelly Marnewick 14:43.828
3 Marcelle Trollip 14:47.440
Master Women
1 Christelle le Roux 16:50.923
2 Sabine Cowie 17:22.639
eBike Women
1 Hildegard Setzkorn 15:38.727
1 Ruth Behr 15:43.731
Stages top 3
Stage 1
1 Julia Kotze 1:44.7
2 Danika Botha 1:47.9
3 Layla Greyling 1:59.5
Stage 2
1 Julia Kotze 1:54.7
2 Danika Botha 1:54.8
3 Layla Greyling 2:06.1
Stage 3
1 Julia Kotze 1:50.8
2 Danika Botha 1:52.5
3 Licarmi Smith 2:03.9
Stage 4
1 Julia Kotze 1:33.6
2 Layla Greyling 1:45.1
3 Mattie Viviers 1:49.4
Stage 5
1 Danika Botha 1:29.5
2 Julia Kotze 1:33.4
3 Licarmi Smith 1:39.3
Stage 6
1 Julia Kotze 1:39.7
2 Danika Botha 1:46.8
3 Layla Greyling 1:57.3
Stage 7
1 Julia Kotze 1:41.8
2 Danika Botha 1:43.4
3 Philippa Spies 1:54.7
ENDURO LITE (4 stages)
Sprog Boys
1 Evert Maritz 6:43.58
2 Luke Stafford 6:46.105
3 Logan van Vuuren 6:55.368
Nipper Boys
1 Wihan van Niekerk 7:45.540
2 Joshua Oosthuysen (North West) 8:47.017
Sprog Girls
1 Lohana Ehlers 9:19.843
2 Olivia Marais 10:51.343
Sport Men
1 Sean Labuschange 7:15.055
2 John Todd 7:15.621
3 Xander Vogel 7:26.690
Sport Women
1 Marlene Kotze 8:30.553
2 Candice Stafford 8:40.742
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.
Round 4 of the 2022 Gauteng Enduro Series, presented by Suzuki, takes place Thaba Trails on Sunday 11 September. Riders that complete three of the four rounds of the series will be eligible for provincial colours subject to various criteria. To enter, click here.
