Yesterday’s Rainbow Challenge got the weekend’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships action underway at Cascades MTB Park.
Jan Withaar overcame the mud and slippery conditions en route to victory in the men’s 30-34 race of the Rainbow Challenge in Pietermaritzburg. Photo: Darren Goddard / Gameplan Media
Staged on a similar route to that which the globe’s best marathoners will be faced with on Sunday in the elite clash, the 30 year old or older competitors took to the trails of Pietermaritzburg and surrounds in search of victory in their age group.
The hotly contested men’s 30-34 and 35-39 age groups set off together and after suffering various thrills and spills throughout the 70km clash, it was national 35-39 champion Brand du Plessis who crossed the finish line first.
“I am very thrilled to have won!” said du Plessis. “It was very muddy out there and very slippery but I managed to make it home without any serious clashes and so I’m very happy!”
In what were initially tricky conditions the track dried out nicely for the ladies races at the 2014 Rainbow Challenge as current Marathon Masters World Champion Nadene Cahill powered her way to victory in the 30-34 age category on Saturday. Photo: Darren Goddard /
Gameplan Media
The ladies races were well contested with Oudshoorn resident Frances Barnard producing the ride of the day to claim the 35-39 age category and post the women’s fastest time of the day at the Rainbow Challenge in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
Barnard had spent a lot of the race working with fellow Western Cape resident and women’s 35-39 second place finisher Yolande de Villiers but explains that she was able to get away from the latter and put some time between them in the run-in to the finish.
“Myself and Yolande got away quite early and raced most of the race together and it was easy for us because we know each other well,” Barnard said. “We forced the pace at the front and I was just glad that I managed to get away from her at the end to get the win.”
View the results here.
