Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell rode to overall victory in the joBerg2c when they won stage eight of the nine-day mountain-bike race in Jolivet, KwaZulu-Natal, today.
They completed the event that started in Heidelberg, Gauteng, on Friday in 29:03:11 to beat Insect Science’s Alan Gordon and Timothy Hammond (29:37:20) into second place.
NAD Pro’s Nico Bell (left), soigneur Brian Burgers, mechanic Solomon Lukele and Gawie Combrinck pictured here after stage eight of joBerg2c in Jolivet, KwaZulu-Natal, today. Photo: Supplied
Third overall were Silverback-Best4Sports-Mad Macs’ Shaun-Nick Bester and Declan Sidey (30:08:34).
Combrinck said their goal was victory and it felt “pretty good” to have won their second joBerg2c.
“This year has been the best with regards to weather and the route,” Combrinck said.
Stage eight, the last competitive stage in the event, saw Pyga-Eurosteel’s Matthys Beukes leading the pack from about 5km into the race.
“Today we went a bit harder to be in front. Matthys was leading down the Umkomaas River Valley and we backed off, taking it really easy as we did not want any mechanicals today,” said Combrink who hails from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
Combrinck and Bell stayed together with Gordon, Hammond, Bester and Sidey until the 60km mark, when the NAD Pro pair rode away and cruised to the finish line.
After tomorrow’s final 84km stage, which is a neutral day from Jolivet to Scottburgh, the winning team will turn their focus to the sani2c mountain-bike race.
