Stellenbosch rider Clinton Mackintosh won the 65km The Hills Challenge in Montagu in the Western Cape on Saturday. Photo: Supplied
Clinton Mackintosh used his sprinting power at the end of a tough course to get the better of his two rivals en route to winning The Hills Challenge mountain bike race in Montagu in the Western Cape on Saturday.
The 43-year-old from Stellenbosch was followed across the line by Hermias Vollgraaff and Gideon van der Berg after the trio got away from the field on the first climb of the 65km race.
“We were told it wasn’t called The Hills Challenge for nothing and we could see why when, after a steady 8km, the first steep, rocky climb split the field,” said Mackintosh.
“The three of us got away there and basically rode most of the route together until the big [Ouberg] pass, where Hermias [Vollgraaff] and Gideon [Van der Berg] gained about a minute on me in an arduous and sweltering hot climb.
“On the way down they were working together, so I needed to take a little more risk and hit about 70km/h going down and then pedalled flat out on the district dirt road.
“I managed to narrow the gap on the last technical climb and caught them on the descent as we rode the last 10km together.”
Not sure of what lay ahead in the final 5km, Mackintosh (Team Land Rover) said he decided to up the intensity to see what effect it would have on his challengers, but the trio remained together.
“I thought I’d be able to take them if it came down to a sprint, so I had nothing to lose,” he added.
“We ended up coming into the last 500m together and I sprinted off to take the win.”
He finished in 3:03:13, four seconds ahead of Vollgraaff. Van der Berg completed the podium.
Mackintosh said it was a satisfying result on a tough, challenging route which had something for all skill levels.
“The race was so well organised you felt that the entire Montagu community was somehow involved and supported the entire day,” said Mackintosh.
“Whether you were there for the trail run or the mountain bike race, it was all well supported.”
