Pieter Korkie was delighted to have won his second consecutive Platberg Classic MTB Race in Harrismith, Free State, today.
Korkie completed the 60km race in 2:51:45, improving on his winning time from last year by almost three minutes.
He beat Dawie Grobbelaar into second by a comfortable five minutes, with Paseka Makebesela third.
Pieter Korkie was delighted to have won his second consecutive Platberg Classic MTB Race in Harrismith today. Photo: Supplied
With the race being a part of the Free State Marathon Series, Korkie felt he had his work cut out for him.
“There were some promising riders, such as Jean Fourie from Cycle World, Martin van der Westhuizen, a rep from Omnico, and a couple of guys from Lesotho.
“Early on in the race, on one of the climbs, one of the Lesotho guys and I got away. We worked together well and maintained the gap until we got to one of the longer climbs of the race.”
That is where he took advantage of his strengths, Korkie recalled. “I made it a little bit harder and I got a bit of a gap going over the top.
“With about 20km left I then broke away and extended my lead. There was a lot of climbing in the race but that is what suited me on the day.
“I enjoy the climbs more than the descents and downhills. There weren’t any real challenges for me today.”
In the turnover period of the season Korkie said he was feeling “very good” with his form and fitness.
“I’m feeling good at the moment; I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.”
Korkie will now turn his focus to the three-stage Y2Karoo Race taking place in Colesberg next weekend before he sets his sights on the Trailseeker Series events for the rest of the season.
