Fedauto youngsters Reinhard Zellhuber and Marc Fourie won the 56km stage one of the Sani Dragon in the Southern Drakensberg today.
They surged to the front of the small field from the start and soon opened up a telling lead over the Dream Team pair of Hendrik Bester and Brennan Anderson.
Fedauto’s Marc Fourie (front) and Reinhard Zellhuber (back) surge to the front of the field early on during Friday’s opening stage of the Sani Dragon. Photo: Anthony Grote
As hard as they tried, Amanzimtoti’s Bester and Anderson could not prevent Zellhuber and Fourie from extending their lead as the stage progressed.
“We’re really chuffed with our stage win,” explained Zellhuber.
“It was pretty cold at the start so we decided to try to get away from the others quite early on, get out of sight, and then give ourselves a chance to recover, which worked well for us.”
Bester and Anderson followed Fedauto’s overnight leaders home while Mielie & Wood’s Carel le Roux and Grant Underwood finished in third place.
In the women’s category Drop Off Daisies’ Sarah Matcher and Riallette Kruger opened a comfortable lead over Pic n Mix’s Elma York and Estie Potgieter.
Tomorrow’s stage will have competitors take on the major attraction – the climb up Sani Pass – while the Sani Dragon Lite riders will head for the South African border post near the bottom of the pass.
View more results here.
