The mountain bike riding community came from far and wide to participate in the 10th edition of the BUCO G2C from Makhanda to the finish line at Port Alfred Country Club on Sunday October 8.
The race set off under partly cloudy but pleasant conditions in front of BUCO warehouse in Makhanda as riders tackled the 58km and 70km distances to Port Alfred. From the Industrial Area and across the N2, the cyclists traversed Mountain Drive, down the steep Toposcope hill on to the steep and windy tarred Woest Hill section on to the gravel Southwell Road. THe final stretch to the coast passes Sibuya Game Reserve and the final stretch passes traverses Riverbend before the Country Club finish.
The addition of the E-bikes that set off a half-an-hour before the mountain bikes for the 58km race, attracted attention with 69-year old winner and Grand Master Stephen Van Niekerk pedalling first over the line (2:08:20) followed by Joseph Salter (2:09:32) and Robert van Quickelberge (2:14:52) in third place. Tania Salter, 69, was first woman home (Grand Master) in the women’s E-bike category over 58km (2:26:36).
In the 58km mountain bike category 16-year-old Storm Semple of Gqeberha blitzed over the line in overall first position (2:14:59). Semple came in just over 10 minutes ahead of second-placed 16-year-old rider Tian Diederiks (2:24:08). Brendan de Lange came in third in a time of 2:28:48.
The muddy faced Semple said though the race was a bit tough in places, he had enjoyed the experience.
“I enjoyed the hills because I left many riders behind as well as on the descents which helped me … there was just a lot of water everywhere. The first two hills out of Makhanda were the toughest for me. And towards the end there were a lot of thorn bushes everywhere. It was good to be out on my own in front because you can take in the scenery and the beauty around you in that way,” said Semple.
Among the women riders it was Gqeberha triathlete Madeleen Van Zuydam who was first over the finish line in 2:31:45 in the 58km race. Hot on her heels in second spot was Sharlize Oosthuizen (2:33:14) and in third place, Jolene Rossouw (2:46:48).
Van Zuydam, quite remarkably, had finished Saturday’s Pineapple Run before taking on the G2C the following day.
“My hammies are a bit sore, but otherwise I’m fine. I do triathlons so the cross-training assists me with the triathlons … I am so chuffed because it is my first podium place at G2C,” said Van Zuydam.
Venter van der Mescht, 30, of Somerset East was greeted by his ecstatic fiancée, Ria Prinsloo, after breezing over the line in the gruelling 70km race in a time of 2:34:54. In hot pursuit was Justin Seale (2:36:30) and third in the men’s section was Wynand Scholtz (2:42:39).
In the women’s mountain bike race over 70km, 22-year-old Kelsey van Schoor earned herself two remarkable achievements coming first in 02:37:26 – with that time earning her third place overall.
Second woman home was Nicola McKerrow (3:33:24) and in third Jennifer Petzer (3:50:34).
“It was a lot of fun. I actually decided only last night [Saturday] to do the race. I enjoyed all of the race … from the start I went out hard to split up the riders a bit and then I stayed with a group, dropped off and I slowly went ahead. I was so happy to see the finish as I was pretty tired by then,” said Van Schoor.
Tanya Jackson of Mountain events who were appointed event managers for the race, said they were happy with the way it had proceeded overall.
“The wet weather leading up to the race was a concern, however, the routes are fortunately quite resilient and although it was wet and muddy the routes were still safe for participants,” said Jackson.
The finishing straight at Port Alfred Country Club was heavy and very soggy underfoot making it a rather difficult pedal towards the finish line for the participants.
“The country club is a fantastic venue for the finish, but unfortunately the field seems to take a while to drain after so much rain. The biggest challenge we had was parking, as we had intended to use the field for this purpose. Despite these challenges, we were very well accommodated by Foxie, the groundskeeper,” said Jackson.
Jackson said the magnificent scenery remained a highlight of the race. “The route is definitely a highlight. It’s very scenic and there’s a great chance for participants to spot a variety of wildlife along the way. It’s also not too technically challenging with very little single-track, and this appeals to a lot of riders. It’s also one of very few point-to-point races around and this fact differentiates it from other races on the calendar.”
The race took quite a collaborative effort and Jackson is thankful for the buy-in from all parties.
“The Makhanda Residents Association have done a fantastic job of running the event in the past and certainly deserve credit for their involvement. The organising of this race would be an impossible task without the support of local businesses and supporters, in particular the sponsors, Buco.
“Special thanks must go to farmers and Riverview Waterfront Estate who opened up their land for the race; the Makhanda Traffic department who provide essential support in escorting riders safely, our three water-point hosts and prize sponsors.”
She said there are plans to grow certain areas of the race going forward.
“We would like to grow the gravel bike contingent going forward. This year saw the G2C being sanctioned as the Eastern Cape’s first gravel race. Gravel racing is a new discipline in cycling which is growing in popularity. We hope to see more gravel bike riders at next year’s event.”
PICTURES BY MARK CARRELS, SIBULELE MTONGANA AND SUE MACLENNAN
