Ariane Kleinhans made a triumphal return from her European racing block to take the win in the fifth round of the Ashburton Investments National MTB series in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, on July 26.
Landing in the country just two days before the event, an on-form Kleinhans made the women’s race a hotly contested affair.
The RECM rider said the 74km marathon had featured just 1 200m of climbing but that the wet and windy conditions had made the racing much tougher.
Kleinhans said the flat and muddy route had forced the riders take a more tactical approach.
She and teammate Cherise Stander managed to get a small gap on rival Robyn de Groot of Ascendis Health after the queen of the mountains hotspot at the 20km mark.
“We tried to distance her by working together on the open roads, but Robyn managed to catch up again after Cherise crashed in one of the slippery downhills,” said Kleinhans.
With 20km to go, the RECM pair again rode away from De Groot.
“Now we pushed really hard to stay away. Up a long drag, Cherise had to drop my wheel and I could take the lead to the finish.”
Kleinhans said she was happy to take the win in the slippery and rough conditions at Ballito.
For more photos, news and results see Ashburton Investments National MTB Series #5: Ballito
