South African marathon champion Max Knox is aiming to add the National MTB Series title at Rooiberg to his list of victories for the first time on Saturday.
With four wins in the last four rounds, Knox (Lowveld Tractors) has essentially tied up the overall series win in the elite men’s category, but the Sabie resident has never won at Rooiberg.
A crocodile basks in the morning sun at Rooiberg as Darren Lill rides past, followed by Philip Buys and Max Knox. Photo: Supplied
“I really like the Rooiberg course, but I’ve never been able to win there. I’m hoping that will change this weekend.
“I haven’t raced hard in the past few weeks and I’m feeling strong and confident. It will be good to end the series off with a win, but nothing is certain in mountain biking,” said Knox.
He will face strong contenders in the Team NAD duo of Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck, who are second and third respectively in the standings.
Robyn de Groot is fired up ahead of the elite women’s race and after missing the last two rounds due to injury, victory is virtually a must if she is to defend her title.
Her three wins have her in third place behind leader Theresa Ralph (Galileo Risk) and Amy Beth McDougall (Valencia).
“I’m really looking forward to this race. I’m growing stronger each week after returning from my injury and I’m excited for some proper mountain biking on the rougher terrain at Rooiberg,” said De Groot.
The routes have all been made shorter compared to those used previously and there is also more single-track. These changes should result in a tight contest in each of the distances.
The elite women will tackle a 70km course with 1 120m of ascent, while the elite men will do battle over 97km with 1 689m of climbing.
The popular half-marathon is 45km with 455m of elevation and there are two other distances – a 20km fun race and a 10km family fun ride.
