Pro mountain biker Erik Kleinhans won the men’s section of the 75km FNB Magalies Monster MTB Classic at Buffelspoort on Saturday.
The RECM rider won the race in 3:27:45 ahead of Guylin van den Berg and Nico Pfitzenmaier.
Robyn de Groot won the women’s race in 4:04:02 ahead of Theresa Ralph and Janine Rawlinson.
Erik Kleinhans en route to victory in the 75km FNB Magalies Monster. Photo: Volume Photography
“The race started a lot faster than I would have liked,” said Kleinhans. “Nico Pfitzenmaier and I broke away just before the first climb.
“I then broke away from Nico before the Monster climb. I had a two to three minute gap and just built on it.
“I heard that the 75km route was tough, but it wasn’t as tough as I had expected. It features technical riding, with rocky sections and amazing scenery.
“There are also a lot of turns and corners that make the route really exciting and enjoyable.
According to De Groot, she focused on riding consistently as it was her first race after recovering from illness. “It was tough, so I am pretty chuffed with the win.”
Jan-Louis De Sousa and Marisa van der Linda claimed the honours in the 45km race while Christof Lourens and Melandie Engelrecht won the 20km event.
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