Nico Bell (NAD) won the final round of the Gauteng Trailseeker Series at Cullinan, near Pretoria on Saturday.
Philip Buys (front) and Nico Bell en route at the final round of the Gauteng Trailseeker Series near Pretoria on Saturday. Photo: Zoon Cronje
He took the honours in 2:26:55 ahead off Philip Buys and teammate Gawie Combrinck in the 70km ultra-marathon.
“We set out to work as a team. Gawie made the pace hard from the start and then I managed to get a gap on Philip, who had to chase to catch me,” said Bell.
“I let Philip lead for the last part and waited for Gawie to get back so that we could have a numbers advantage and it worked out well in the end.”
Monica Glover finished the women’s race in 3:03:52 to take her first Trailseeker Series win from Janine Muller and Mari du Toit.
A group of six formed early on but gradually trimmed down as the terrain, gradient and mud began to take their toll. Glover eventually found herself out alone which gave her the chance to take the lead.
“The route suited me. I went as hard as I could for as long as I could,” said Glover.
“I haven’t raced much mountain bike events this year, but it was good to finish off the year on a high note.”
In the 40km half-marathon, Pieter du Toit secured the men’s title, while Danielle Strydom was the first female finisher.
See more news, results and photos at Trailseeker Series Gauteng #5 Diamond Rush.
