Andrew Hill did not let wet and muddy conditions get him bogged down as he powered to his second Route 66 MTB Experience title in Krugersdorp today.
The three stages were a battle between Hill and Timo Cooper, who finished just over three minutes behind him.
Cooper won the 84km opening stage, with Hill taking the win on the second day – which was shortened from 73km to 50km due to overnight rain.
Cooper fought back to win the 60km final stage, but Hill managed to make up enough time for the overall victory.
“It’s always good to come back and dedend a title,” said Hill.
“If you come back as a winner from previous years there is a target on your back, so for you to defend your title successfully is always great.”
Hill said day one was a normal day of racing. He and Cooper got away and had a bit of a dice, but ultimately Hill won the hotspot and Cooper the sprint to the line.
“Day two was considerably shortened due to rain that fell on Friday afternoon after stage one. Although the distance was reduced, the intensity wasn’t.
“One or two of the bridges were also washed away, so that quickly put the organisers on the back foot and they changed things as they went along, which they did very well. They must’ve had like 30mm of rain falling.
“It was obviously going to be tough with the weather conditions as a lot of the routes were changed.”
Hill added that they enjoyed perfect conditions on the third and final day.
“Timo, myself and Ty White got away quite early on and managed to set a good pace.
“There were a couple of wrong turns, but that was just down to them changing the route slightly after the bridges washed away.
“Timo took the stage today and I got overall after three days of racing, so it was great to retain the title.”
The 37-year-old’s next goal will be the 60km Kamberg Classic, which is coming up in two weeks.
